Drexel vs UCF

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satdixon

satdixon

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How does Drexel COM compare to UCF COM? I am iffy as I have seen some things about Drexel on Reddit, while UCF is a lot newer school
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If you’re in state at UCF and have family from there, I would choose them.

Otherwise, Drexel is probably the more established school and may have more connections for you.
 
m1redsox said:
If you’re in state at UCF and have family from there, I would choose them.

Otherwise, Drexel is probably the more established school and may have more connections for you.
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So I am out of state for both schools, so tuition will be the same. My future plans involve academic medicine and research, with that in mind, which school would you say is better?
 
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satdixon said:
So I am out of state for both schools, so tuition will be the same. My future plans involve academic medicine and research, with that in mind, which school would you say is better?
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It's usually said that if you want to pursue academic medicine, choose the most prestigious school you can. Not sure if there's a substantive difference here in that regard. Probably comes down to where you'd feel most comfortable.
 
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Frigidcold said:
It's usually said that if you want to pursue academic medicine, choose the most prestigious school you can. Not sure if there's a substantive difference here in that regard. Probably comes down to where you'd feel most comfortable.
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So you’re saying it doesn’t matter for academic medicine purposes? Just to be clear, since they are the same rank, it won’t impact my chances or going to a top residency? It’s a big dilemma for me as UCF is new, and I’ve seen wack things about Drexel on Reddit. Thanks for your help in advance!
 
chilly_md said:
UCF is established. I would not worry about it being new compared to Drexel.
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So you would the chance of getting into a top residency is the same from UCF or Drexel?
 
satdixon said:
So you would the chance of getting into a top residency is the same from UCF or Drexel?
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Yes, it’s up to how you perform as a med student. If you have a speciality in mind, you can see if one of them has a home program for that. But students’ interests change as they progress through school.
 
chilly_md said:
Yes, it’s up to how you perform as a med student. If you have a speciality in mind, you can see if one of them has a home program for that. But students’ interests change as they progress through school.
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Do you think with Drexel's teaching hospital (Hahnemann) closing, it is worth going to Drexel? I have heard Drexel is at risk of losing accreditation
 
satdixon said:
Do you think with Drexel's teaching hospital (Hahnemann) closing, it is worth going to Drexel? I have heard Drexel is at risk of losing accreditation
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I would try to avoid any potential problems at Drexel given the circumstances and your other acceptance is at a good school. The West Reading campus seems to be in a better position though if you were accepted there.
 
satdixon said:
Do you think with Drexel's teaching hospital (Hahnemann) closing, it is worth going to Drexel? I have heard Drexel is at risk of losing accreditation
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Drexel has been fully accredited since at least 1942, when the LCME was established.
They have no upcoming accreditation site visits until 2028, which means they are not at risk of losing their accreditation currently.
So, remove this worry as a factor.
Consider the climate, city, and NE vs Florida culture as your factors.
 
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wysdoc said:
Drexel has been fully accredited since at least 1942, when the LCME was established.
They have no upcoming accreditation site visits until 2028, which means they are not at risk of losing their accreditation currently.
So, remove this worry as a factor.
Consider the climate, city, and NE vs Florida culture as your factors.
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what about the closing of Hahnemann and not having a teaching hospital? With that in mind would UCF be better?
 
Aren't these affiliated hospitals? Drexel doesn't actually own a hospital like UCF correct (UCF has Lake Nona Hospital, which recently opened)?
wysdoc said:
They still have teaching hospitals, just not that hospital. Regional Medical Campus Affiliates - College of Medicine

Were you able to ask any MS3/MS4 where they go? Do they get assigned to one place or have to move often in the last 2 years? That would be a good question to ask.
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satdixon said:
Aren't these affiliated hospitals? Drexel doesn't actually own a hospital like UCF correct (UCF has Lake Nona Hospital, which recently opened)?
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correct. But I still think you should contact someone at Drexel to ask these questions
I'm just a lil old Texan here
 
West Texas is drastically different from Orlando, so understand which would suit you better. I believe TTU-El Paso requires students to take medical Spanish given the patient population you will serve and the demographics of El Paso as a whole. Keep in mind Texas residencies love graduates from Texas medical schools. Both schools can help you match well into any specialty. If you're a TX resident, Foster is nice for the cheaper tuition but really try to visit both schools if possible.
 
bluewolffe said:
West Texas is drastically different from Orlando, so understand which would suit you better. I believe TTU-El Paso requires students to take medical Spanish given the patient population you will serve and the demographics of El Paso as a whole. Keep in mind Texas residencies love graduates from Texas medical schools. Both schools can help you match well into any specialty. If you're a TX resident, Foster is nice for the cheaper tuition but really try to visit both schools if possible.
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Which one would you say is better for matching into a competitive residency
 
satdixon said:
Which one would you say is better for matching into a competitive residency
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Hard to say, pretty equal, matching into a competitive residency is up to the student primarily. I'd say UCF if forced to pick.
 
bluewolffe said:
Hard to say, pretty equal, matching into a competitive residency is up to the student primarily. I'd say UCF if forced to pick.
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Interesting, I was leaning UCF as it seems more research intensive and is more well established. I’ve heard from students that their dean of academic affairs is super connected with PDs across the nation as well
 
UCF unless you feel particularly inspired by PLFSOM’s mission. I also was accepted OOS and unfortunately, they have fallen towards the bottom of my list
 
AstroSidekick said:
UCF unless you feel particularly inspired by PLFSOM’s mission. I also was accepted OOS and unfortunately, they have fallen towards the bottom of my list
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Why UCF in your opinion
 
I’ve lived in/near both cities. If money isn’t a consideration, your lifestyle should drive this decision.
 
californiadreamin23 said:
I’ve lived in/near both cities. If money isn’t a consideration, your lifestyle should drive this decision.
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Do you think I have a better chance of getting a competitive residency at one school in comparison to the other?
 
satdixon said:
Do you think I have a better chance of getting a competitive residency at one school in comparison to the other?
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Not really, both schools have similar match lists.

By lifestyle, I mean, are you a desert rat or a beach bum? Do you like hustle bustle, or are you more into nature and wide open spaces.
 
chilly_md said:
I am merging your threads regarding your school choices. As has been said by different posters, there is not a significant difference in regards to matching between UCF and Texas Tech. Go to the cheaper school.
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Why would you say there is not a difference? Doesn't El Paso seem to have more in-state hospitals that are not as well known in comparison to the UCF match list?
 
satdixon said:
So I am out of state for both schools, so tuition will be the same. My future plans involve academic medicine and research, with that in mind, which school would you say is better?
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I’ve heard research may be a bit better at UCF? But I think that it’s still possible to find at drexel. Plus drexel with the huge class size has a lot of connections.
 
doglover55 said:
I’ve heard research may be a bit better at UCF? But I think that it’s still possible to find at drexel. Plus drexel with the huge class size has a lot of connections.
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Would you rank UCF over El Paso? I am trying to compare 3 schools rn: Texas Tech--El Paso, UCF, and Drexel
 
satdixon said:
Why would you say there is not a difference? Doesn't El Paso seem to have more in-state hospitals that are not as well known in comparison to the UCF match list?
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Analyzing match lists like this is not advisable. Students are prone to self-select for places and hospitals that are unknown to you could actually be well known excellent training spots for those in the speciality
 
Personally, I would take UCF over any of those but I've never found philly or el paso very exciting.
lake nona looks pretty nice and getting nicer. UCF admission folks seem very kind too and the new
facilities look nice. Orlando airport, direct flights anywhere, very close. UCF matches into florida and step scores
look great.
 
Would it be possible to match back into TX if I were to go to UCF?
ElTacoGrande said:
Personally, I would take UCF over any of those but I've never found philly or el paso very exciting.
lake nona looks pretty nice and getting nicer. UCF admission folks seem very kind too and the new
facilities look nice. Orlando airport, direct flights anywhere, very close. UCF matches into florida and step scores
look great.
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Hey everyone! So I am deciding between whether I should go to UCF or Tech El Paso (PLFSOM) for med school. I am a TX resident (lived here for like 16 years), but really like all the research opportunities offered in Orlando as I want to go to a competitive residency like UTSW. Plus UCF has very good step scores and is a bigger city. My question is, if I were to go to UCF for med school, will it still be possible to match back to TX for residency? I have done my all my schooling in TX so far (high school, Bachelors, MPH)
 
Yes, you will not have any issues matching back to a program in Texas
 
Let’s start with the elephant:

The average step score of the school you choose does not matter. At all. Zero. Zip. None. You can argue all day that “the professors are better”, but be real - you’re going to learn everything on your own anyways. You’ll get Boards and Beyond or something and learn at least quasi-independently of your professors. If you’re going to get a 270, you’ll get one even if you go to bumf*** school of medicine with a 205 step average. If you were going to barely pass, you’ll barely pass at Harvard. You will make the score you make almost completely independently of the school you choose to attend and differences in the scores from school to school are primarily due to differences in types of students that are recruited.

To actually answer your question, technical residency matters far less for residency programs. Programs like to see ties to the region, but this is different than the way residency is determined e.g. per TMDSAS. Therefore, it would not be difficult to match at a Texas program from the standpoint of location status.
 
satdixon said:
Hey everyone! So I am deciding between whether I should go to UCF or Tech El Paso (PLFSOM) for med school. I am a TX resident (lived here for like 16 years), but really like all the research opportunities offered in Orlando as I want to go to a competitive residency like UTSW. Plus UCF has very good step scores and is a bigger city. My question is, if I were to go to UCF for med school, will it still be possible to match back to TX for residency? I have done my all my schooling in TX so far (high school, Bachelors, MPH)
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I have merged your threads as it is better to keep them consolidated so others can best help you.
 
Isoval said:
Let’s start with the elephant:

The average step score of the school you choose does not matter. At all. Zero. Zip. None. You can argue all day that “the professors are better”, but be real - you’re going to learn everything on your own anyways. You’ll get Boards and Beyond or something and learn at least quasi-independently of your professors. If you’re going to get a 270, you’ll get one even if you go to bumf*** school of medicine with a 205 step average. If you were going to barely pass, you’ll barely pass at Harvard. You will make the score you make almost completely independently of the school you choose to attend and differences in the scores from school to school are primarily due to differences in types of students that are recruited.

To actually answer your question, technical residency matters far less for residency programs. Programs like to see ties to the region, but this is different than the way residency is determined e.g. per TMDSAS. Therefore, it would not be difficult to match at a Texas program from the standpoint of location status.
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Do you think it's worth going to a school like UCF where there is a bigger city and more research opportunities (also has a 2 year research requirement) and graded pre-clerkships? With Step 1 going P/F, I want to be able to attend a school that has the maximum number of opportunities to make my application competitive aside from Step. I feel like El Paso is lacking in that it is further way from the rest of the major cities in TX and not as strong in research, so less opportunities. Plus the focus of El Paso seems to be giving back to underserved communities and border health, while UCF is research intensive (this is something I want to do in the future)
 
satdixon said:
Do you think it's worth going to a school like UCF where there is a bigger city and more research opportunities (also has a 2 year research requirement) and graded pre-clerkships? With Step 1 going P/F, I want to be able to attend a school that has the maximum number of opportunities to make my application competitive aside from Step. I feel like El Paso is lacking in that it is further way from the rest of the major cities in TX and not as strong in research, so less opportunities. Plus the focus of El Paso seems to be giving back to underserved communities and border health, while UCF is research intensive (this is something I want to do in the future)
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I think this is a very valid point. Personally, I may have chosen UCF in this situation as I am originally from Orlando, have family in the area, and overall think I would enjoy the school more. The thing that would give me pause is that El Paso is massively cheaper both in cost of living and in school fees and tuition. I think this is something that is understated - you should always choose the better financial option unless you see very significant flaws with that option. For example, in choosing between the two, I would practically always recommend El Paso unless you simply cannot see yourself living in El Paso. This argument would have an added layer of prestige if talking about two schools in substantially different tier brackets.
 
Isoval said:
I think this is a very valid point. Personally, I may have chosen UCF in this situation as I am originally from Orlando, have family in the area, and overall think I would enjoy the school more. The thing that would give me pause is that El Paso is massively cheaper both in cost of living and in school fees and tuition. I think this is something that is understated - you should always choose the better financial option unless you see very significant flaws with that option. For example, in choosing between the two, I would practically always recommend El Paso unless you simply cannot see yourself living in El Paso. This argument would have an added layer of prestige if talking about two schools in substantially different tier brackets.
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I am from Orlando as well and have family in the area as well. I feel that UCF's match list consistently gets better by the year (they had students match to harvard, yale, and mayo this year for example). The ranking of the school is mainly due to the fact that it opened not too long ago, which is what I have seen from my research on the school, while PLFSOM seems to have not grown as much as UCF.

In regards to costs, my mentality is that attending a school with better resources is a short term investment for long term gains. Idk this decision is super hard, but I'm leaning UCF rn even though it might cost more
 
I agree with what some other people have commented on regarding not hyperfocusing on matchlists. Residency prestige varies greatly depending on the specialty you're pursuing as well, so although Harvard/Yale/Mayo are typically good programs, they aren't necessarily what you should focus on.

If you have a competitive specialty you're interested in already, having a home program is probably the biggest benefit a medical school can give you (with regards to connections/mentorship/research). Drexel doesn't really have any home programs anymore, so that is one of its biggest drawbacks. That being said, I'm not familiar with UCF or PLFSOM, but I do know that Drexel typically matches very well for Ortho, and pretty decently for ENT and Neurosurgery if you are interested in those fields (i.e. Drexel matched 14/18 students for Ortho this year).
 
Yumills said:
I agree with what some other people have commented on regarding not hyperfocusing on matchlists. Residency prestige varies greatly depending on the specialty you're pursuing as well, so although Harvard/Yale/Mayo are typically good programs, they aren't necessarily what you should focus on.

If you have a competitive specialty you're interested in already, having a home program is probably the biggest benefit a medical school can give you (with regards to connections/mentorship/research). Drexel doesn't really have any home programs anymore, so that is one of its biggest drawbacks. That being said, I'm not familiar with UCF or PLFSOM, but I do know that Drexel typically matches very well for Ortho, and pretty decently for ENT and Neurosurgery if you are interested in those fields (i.e. Drexel matched 14/18 students for Ortho this year).
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My thing is that El Paso has little to no matches for plastics or derm, and that has been relatively consistent. UCF on the other hand has students go to Yale or Hopkins for derm or plastic
 
satdixon said:
So I am out of state for both schools, so tuition will be the same. My future plans involve academic medicine and research, with that in mind, which school would you say is better?
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Drexel received more NIH funding than UCF, which makes it a better place to pursue medical research (not to mention the fact that Drexel has two research towers and one big pharm company headquarter under construction on the main campus right now...)

NIH Awards by Location and Organization - NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)

report.nih.gov report.nih.gov

As of 03/20/2023
Drexel: $11,485,988
UCF: $2,713,253

In terms of hospital affiliation, Drexel currently owns St Christopher Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, and has a 30-year academic affiliation contract that designates Reading Hospital (ranked 8th in Pennsylvania by USNEWS Hospital Ranking) as its primary teaching hospital.
 
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