Summary of Experience:
Hold for Spring Consideration in March. In late May, got a call, then an email a couple hours later as I missed the call, asking if I was still interested in Downstate. I'd really like to go to a NYC school, but I didn't get a good gut feeling at Downstate on interview day, although before I visited it was just about my first choice. Withdrew.
Pros: Hands on learning! You'll be doing resident-level stuff before you reach residency. Uncurved grading in the first 2 years, and you're in NYC! Cons: School doesn't seem to have the resources to really support students in their endeavors. The same lack of resources that let you do resident-level stuff might become a burden when you want to pursue a specific research project or want the school to help you out with funding a project or trip.
Summary of Experience:
First acceptance! Pros: North Philly = awesome clinical experience, students I met loved to rep their school. Grades in years 1/2 not bell-curved. Cons: Commuting to class every day. Also, H/P/F rather than P/F.
Enrolled. Got a really good vibe from the students i met when I went back for a second visit to help decide. Extremely grateful for a scholarship as well! Temple gives out a relatively large number of these it seems.
Summary of Experience:
Wonderful, wonderful school. Extremely happy to have been accepted here.
Pros: location in the best part of Philly, the laid-back-ness of everyone I met, apparently attached to one of the best opthalmology places in the country. Grades not bell-curved. Eating a gourmet interview-day lunch in the Eakins painting gallery was incredible. Gotta love a school that appreciates art. Cons: H/P/F rather than P/F (not the end of the world, but true P/F would be awesome).
Withdrew. Jefferson seems like a stronger institution with better resources/more top-in-the-nation residency programs attached to it than Temple does. But, tuition was just too high. And Temple and Jefferson both seem to prepare their students well.
