<p>What do people reccomend? I was accepted to both; what are the pros and cons of both undergraduate colleges? How do the med schools match up?</p>
<p>first off, let me say my sister is at union/amc so i hear alot about how that program works...while albany med and drexel med are both middle of the pack as some on this website have referred to there are huge differences aside from just tuition</p>
<ol>
<li><p>drexel is a huge medical college, competition is not only more, but this medical school isnt producing doctors going into specialities as much as those from albany med are </p></li>
<li><p>albany med being smaller has a completely different enviornment, with three feeder programs (union, rpi, and siena) it has young kids, but is small enough for concentrated learning and smart kids from these programs typically are in the top 20 percent of their class and get the residency of their choice</p></li>
</ol>
<p>people just do not realize how important it is to be in the top ranks of your class, albany med is not competative, and smart students naturally rise to the top...so if you are well-qualified, albany med is the place to go over drexel</p>
<p>union has a completely different program from rpi and siena so its important to realize this difference...doctors are facing ever increasing change in medicine and its getting more important to be qualified as a phyisican who can handle administrative tasks in a hosptial or in their own practice...union offers this with their mba, a huge asset...image being a 22 year old with an MBA and in your first year of med school, this is definately going to separate you from the pack (which is why im applying to this program next year)</p>
<p>my sister told me that albany med faculty routinely find rpi kids immature for med school, this doesnt mean this kids arent smart or ready for med school, but maturity is something that your age says, no matter how much you want to argue it with very valid arguments, residency directs want established physicians who are mature for medicine, recommendations from amc professor will shed light on whether you are mature or not...albany med faculty loves union kids because they have such a good grasp of the american health care system and have the intelligence to grasp the concepts of medicine, preparing them as truly well rounded physicians</p>
<p>if you want to be a primary care physician with an MD then go to drexel...but if your looking for a well rounded experience go to Union/AMC, the components of the union program is much more well rounded you do a BS in a science and then a humanity for your second major and work for your MS or MBA and then ready for med school</p>
<p>somepeople have said that rpi kids typically do the best...they are more prpared for sciences, but taking sciences at union will prepare you as well...rpi kids are known to burn out more in med school beccause theyve been working hard, union kids know how to handle work in med school and are refreshed for four years of hard work, ending in the residency of their choice...and while research is an integral part of rpis program being a union student you can do research at union and later at AMC...rpi kids cant say they get an MBA now can they?</p>
<p>Now the other problem is that i was accepted to Tufts pre-med. Should i take the risk and go the normal way or should i take the med programs?</p>
<p>brad8222 -do you know how siena students generally do in med school?</p>
<p>if rpi students are too young and immature for medical school - what about kids that go through the psu 6 year program, jefferson is a better medical school also - would they be not at all qualified?
i dont believe that</p>
<p>ashah, def go for a med program, dont bother with tufts undergrad. There's nothing special about it except that they charge a lot of tuition.</p>
<p>I just wanted to add to what brad8222 was saying about RPI vs Union programs. Both are good programs, and offer different things once you graduate. I also am choosing between Union, RPI and Lehigh. It is a misconception to say that the students graduating from RPI are "burned out" when they come to med school this is not true at all. In fact in most cases it is the opposite. At RPI the students do not have more academic requirements than the students at Union do so it's not like they are having to complete the same "workload" in three years that a student would be trying to finish in four years. Yes, you do attain an MBA if you so wish at Union and this MBA option was just starting out when my family friend was deciding between Union and RPI and they couldn't tell her for sure if you graduate with the MBA when you enter med school but they do attain it so that is a good asset. As far as maturity goes, the RPI students assimilate and adjust very well. Many are good friends with the Union students when they enter the medical school and many are shocked to learn that the RPI students are 21 and 22 and not 23 or 24 upon entering medical school. Some students also take a year off between RPI and the first year of medical school for research and other pursuits in special circumstances if they feel they woudl like other experiences before medical school or between first and second year of medical school. This does not happen very often but it is an option some students take. Most students like the idea that the year they save from undergrad can be used later for a fellowship or something else, and many feel that the process of becoming a physician requires a great deal of school-years that a year saved can cut down some of the stressors. Many successful physicians have come out of the 6 year programs as well, which is what RPI used to be (Union used to be a 7 year program), and maybe the faculty were remembering those 6 year students being "immature" but even then those students still adjusted well. Maturity and all those factors are more of a students own personal outlooka nd standpoint in life even upon graduating from high school and not becuase they did not spend an extra year as an undergraduate. A med program should be chosen based on what your priorities are and your own self evaluation.</p>
<p>i didnt mean to say that all rpi kids get burnt out, but it does happen just as likely as a union or siena kid is likely to not be in the top 10 percent of their class, but it is something that cannot be overlooked</p>
<p>union kids have alot of requirments, my sister has to finish a full major in a science with a humanities second major and take at LEAST 12 graduate classes just for the MS, and an additional four for the MBA</p>
<p>the point is not whether one program is necessarily better than the other, they are both SIGNIFICANTLY better than siena whose kids rank at the lowest portion...these programs have very different concentrations and you should be careful when youc hoose</p>
<p>in response to the comment about maturity not being a factor...maturity is a really important factor when you are applying for tough residencies...academic qualification is great for kids at psu and rpi and they are intellectually prepared for the challenges of difficult fields like dermatology, radiology, and radiation oncology but at the interview stage the burdern is on these young kids to show they are mature enough to handle the same residency program as a 36 year old who switched out of something like internal medicine into a specialty....maturity is a factor not a huge one, but one nonetheless</p>
<p>My son is in RPI program. He is a Junior right now at RPI and going to AMC coming Sept. I don't think they are burned out. He is having great time.</p>