Technion, Sackler, BGU

[awnodirp]

For those of you that have been accepted, rejected, or matriculated in regards to these three schools, could you post your numbers to give those of us still in application limbo an idea of where we stand? It would be greatly appreciated.

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[jones173]

i can tell yu that the average for my school, BGU, is currently GPA 3.5/MCAT 29-30. It is getting more and more competitive each year.

 

[mirmaid959]

Is their an interview for Technion? If so do you have to do the interview in Israel?

 

[lainy105]

I know people in Sackler whose MCAT scores range from 26 to 38. I think generally it's somewhere around the 30 mark, and GPAs around 3.5. But i think that when the office reviews your application they look past your numbers also, so if you're a little below you should still give it a shot. our program is getting more competitive and bigger every year, and definitely worth the experience.

 

[mirmaid959]

Did anyone have to decided between BGU and Technion? Does anyone know how the two compare clinically/ academically?

 

[CourbenMD]

Hey Mirmaid,
I am with you on this one.
I got accepted in both BGU and Technion. I don't know which one to choose.
Bottom line is, I want the best possible choice for residency. I also want to be able to match in tough specialties (if possible).
I don't know which one to choose.
BGU seems like a well oiled machine, we have residency placement for the past ten years available......and to be honest they tell you what you are getting into.
Technion has more grey areas....where did students last year match? Did they ALL match? How are they doing on the boards? pretty massive questions left unanswered by everyone I met with from Technion or at least got some very very vague response (student do well on boards and have top US residency......c'mon we're scientist BE SPECIFIC).
Anyway, I have a feeling that the beer sheva campus is great and SOROKA is a world reknown Hospital. On the other hand Technion is well known scientific institution......you get my dillema.
I hope someone can help
By the way, I did a fair amount of research on both schools and I know the basics about each of them (if that can save someone some time)
Cheers,
Courben

 

[dondon]

Hey Mirmaid,
I am with you on this one.
I got accepted in both BGU and Technion. I don't know which one to choose.
Bottom line is, I want the best possible choice for residency. I also want to be able to match in tough specialties (if possible).
I don't know which one to choose.
BGU seems like a well oiled machine, we have residency placement for the past ten years available......and to be honest they tell you what you are getting into.
Technion has more grey areas....where did students last year match? Did they ALL match? How are they doing on the boards? pretty massive questions left unanswered by everyone I met with from Technion or at least got some very very vague response (student do well on boards and have top US residency......c'mon we're scientist BE SPECIFIC).
Anyway, I have a feeling that the beer sheva campus is great and SOROKA is a world reknown Hospital. On the other hand Technion is well known scientific institution......you get my dillema.
I hope someone can help
By the way, I did a fair amount of research on both schools and I know the basics about each of them (if that can save someone some time)
Cheers,
Courben

so where will you go? technion or bgu?

 

[CourbenMD]

Well.....
I don't know I am trying to make an informed decision.
But I would like to have other people's opinion on the matter, because people (students or anyone for that purpose) may be able to answer some interrogations I have.
I am desperate for some help, that is the bottom line.
thanks
courben

 

[Blimp]

Contact the Technion. At the interview, they have a list of where the students match for residencies.

 

[CourbenMD]

Yes BUT,
I actually have this list.
The title is:
Examples of Residencies Selected by Recent Technion Graduates
Recent? what the hell does that mean?
what I would like to have is
Residencies for the class of 2007 (or 2008)
Nothing tells me if every student matched, how they do on the boards
and all that stuff.
So let me reiterate my question:
Any technion student hanging around this forum; please give us your view on the state of your school and does it rank compared to BGU.
Are the residencies getting better and better?
How hard is it to find an elective once you come back from Haifa?
Do you regret going to Technion?
If you had to do it all over again: BGU or Technion?
thank you all for your help

Courben

 

[jones173]

If you want a good residency you can come here. I cannot promise that you will have your first choice in opthamology or plastics or match medicine at Harvard, but we are only getting stronger each year. Bottom line is that our school is known the best in primary care fields (ie medicine, peds, EM, and family) and that is where we do best. I do think that quite a bit more ground will be broken in the next few years as the classes are bigger and will try to get more competitive residencies.

This is school is not perfect, as is no medical school. But you will have an adventure like no other, even with all the ups and downs. After talking to a few residency directors and fourth year students, I am realizing that the uniqueness of this program can really help you stand out. You are not just any old FMG.

PM me if you have more questions...good luck

 

[ijcMD]

If you want a good residency you can come here. I cannot promise that you will have your first choice in opthamology or plastics or match medicine at Harvard, but we are only getting stronger each year. Bottom line is that our school is known the best in primary care fields (ie medicine, peds, EM, and family) and that is where we do best. I do think that quite a bit more ground will be broken in the next few years as the classes are bigger and will try to get more competitive residencies.

This is school is not perfect, as is no medical school. But you will have an adventure like no other, even with all the ups and downs. After talking to a few residency directors and fourth year students, I am realizing that the uniqueness of this program can really help you stand out. You are not just any old FMG.

PM me if you have more questions...good luck

The data for Technion should be out there somewhere. I go to Sackler and they released the information right away, so I can't imagine that Technion is deliberately not releasing it. If you really want the opportunity of highly competitive residency, why didn't you even consider Sackler? This past year, there were matches at Harvard, Yale (couples match), and Brown (Neurosurgery). There was an orthopedics, 2 radiology, 3 anesthesiology, etc.

 

[CourbenMD]

Coz, I simply didn't get in!

(big let down)

 

[NewGradGA]

If you want a good residency you can come here. I cannot promise that you will have your first choice in opthamology or plastics or match medicine at Harvard, but we are only getting stronger each year. Bottom line is that our school is known the best in primary care fields (ie medicine, peds, EM, and family) and that is where we do best. I do think that quite a bit more ground will be broken in the next few years as the classes are bigger and will try to get more competitive residencies.

This is school is not perfect, as is no medical school. But you will have an adventure like no other, even with all the ups and downs. After talking to a few residency directors and fourth year students, I am realizing that the uniqueness of this program can really help you stand out. You are not just any old FMG.

PM me if you have more questions...good luck

Jones with more lies.....do they teach you propaganda at your school, at least my conversations with Sackler and Technion students were honest and not struggling to compensate for poor decisions in going to medical school.
How is this match list at all "good" or getting better.

How can you compare the future of someones education and career to being able to have an "adventure" for a few months..you are truly absurd and desperatly trying to find some kind of compensation for you hating your decision. Stop beleaguering others into sink with your ship.

2008 Residency Placements​

Placement City, State Specialty​

Albert Einstein COM/Montefiore Medical Center​

​

Bronx, NY Obstetrics/Gynecology
Central Maine Medical Center Lewiston, ME Family Medicine
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Lebanon, NH Pediatrics
Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC Medicine-Pediatrics
Michigan State University - Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, MI Obstetrics/Gynecology
Group Health Cooperative Seattle, WA Family Medicine
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, CA Internal Medicine
Newton-Wellesley Hospital Newton, MA Transitional
PGY-2 Warren Alpert-Brown University Providence, RI Psychiatry
PGY-2 Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC Surgery-Categorical
PGY-2 NY Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center New York, NY Psychiatry
PGY-2 Yale-New Haven Medical Center New Haven, CT Psychiatry
Providence St. Peter Hospital Seattle, WA Family Medicine
Research Medical Center Kansas City, MO Family Medicine
Southwest Washington Medical Center Vancouver, WA Family Medicine
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, MI Surgery-Preliminary
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center New York, NY Psychiatry
State University of New York Health Science Center Brooklyn, NY Pediatrics
Tacoma Family Medicine Tacoma, WA Family Medicine
University Hospital Cincinnati, OH Psychiatry
University of Connecticut Health Center Hartford, CT Family Medicine
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Internal Medicine
University of Toronto Toronto, Canada Internal Medicine
University of Utah Medical Center Salt Lake City, UT Pediatrics
University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA Pediatrics
Westchester Medical Center Valhalla, NY Pediatrics​

 

[CourbenMD]

I think you are overly harsh with BGU.
It is not about the adventure, obviously it is about the medical school.
If you get a good experience out of it, it is a plus, but it is not the primary concern.
What do BGU students mean when they say things "are getting better"
they mean that the list you just posted was the result of the students' choices. These specialties were chosen by the students and most of them get their top choices.
Now, what does the future holds?
Well more and more students are interested in pursuing more difficult specialties. And in the years to come you'll see some derm, ophtalmo, ENT...etc. So residency wise BGU is extremely well prepared, the hospital you do your rotations in (SOROKA) is one of the best in ISRAEL and is world reknown.
So don't unload all your emotions on BGU and understand that the kind of students who go there come from all over the world, and they aim at specialties like Family Practice and Internal Med. But it is all about to change, the new wave of students seems to be much more ambitious and the residency matching will reflect that.
I am not speculating I have spoken with people over there, I know a couple of students personally, and let me tell you THEY'RE SMART as **** and won't settle for anything less than perfection.
Next year there is strong chances that I'll be over there and let me tell you something I am determined and can't wait to start pounding these exams and the boards.
Bottom line is: the future looks bright, but still nothing is certain but don't get too frustrated about it.
Cheers

 

[IzzyMD09]

Yeah, couldn't have said it better,
Newgradga this is my first time I will be addressing you directly, quit crying cause you didn't get in, seriously just tuck tail and walk away, you are acting immature and unprofessional. Just leave the school alone, it is obiviously not for you, I dont know what you and Jones talked about but whatever it was you grossly misinterpreted pretty much everything he said.

As per the match list, these students just returned from their international clerkships and some of the stories they shared with us at the gala presentation were absolutely amazing and inspiring to say the least, no, nobody got into neurosurgery or derm or radiology, but maybe, just maybe its because they werent interested in it.

In the past students here were never interested in anything really besides primary care, which you can get from any school, but why not make the time it takes to get that degree an exciting journey. The things I have seen and done here could never be done in a medical school in the US. (especially in Ob/Gyn) this school is very hands on oriented and is the perfect program if you want to get your hands dirty.

Like Courben said, a soon to be student, and probably awesome one, times are a changing, I know in my class alone we have people that are gunning for Anaesthesiology, Pathology, Medicine/Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology. The 2 classes after that have even a more diverse array of what they want to do.

But you need to know, a school isnt perceived good or bad based on what specialty its students go into. Rather it is the quality of students a school puts out that matters the most. Clinical skils, patient-physician relationships, compassion, integrity, ethics, and leadership. These are what our school strives to inculcate in each and everyone of its students, and in my opinion they do a pretty damn good job.

Thats all I have to say

Izzy (peacin out in about 2 months so i wont get to say hi to all the noobs)

 

[awnodirp]

I appreciate all of the feedback that everyone has posted on this thread.

Are there any current residents or M4s that can discuss the pros & cons of Technion, Sackler, & BGU?

Can someone provide a match list for each of the three schools?

I want to mention that of all these schools, BGU is the only school that "advertised" by sending me an unsolicited e-mail to apply after I took my MCAT. Is it reasonable to assume that Technion and Sackler have better reputations; thus they do not need to send out e-mails to every American student that took the MCAT?

It appears that BGU is the most competitive statistically speaking, and naturally one could assume that BGU places the highest emphasis on numbers. Is it reasonable to assume that Technion and Sackler could attract a wealth of applicants if they employed the same method as BGU, in turn boosting their admissions statistics?

Another consideration to take into account is that Technion allows for students to match in Israel. When I visited Haifa, I was not provided a match list, but I have read from other forums that other people have also had difficulty securing match lists from Technion. When I visited Tel Aviv, the administration at Sackler told me they were in the process of reinstituting this policy after approximately a decade of a policy requiring students to return to the US. I do not know BGU's policy.

I am strongly considering making Aliyah. I was told by a current medical resident (Sackler Alum) if you want an instant rejection from Sackler, tell them you are planning on making Aliyah anytime before your official acceptance (assuming you were interviewed). This is not the case at Technion. I know someone that told his interviewers that he planned on making Aliyah, and was accepted two weeks later. Once again, I do not know BGU's policy in this arena.

 

[highonlyfe5]

The American program at Sackler was chartered by New York a while back to compensate for a shortage of doctors. So...Sackler doesnt like to hear initially that students are planning on going to school there and never come back. In fact, at my interview i was told that we are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to return to the United States (most likely New York) and continue as a resident.

 

[jones173]

So i am an almost fourth year here at BGU. Honestly, this school does not need to solicit emails, it has enough applicants or what I hear. I wouldnt take that as a reason to say that the school is anything less than Sackler or the Technion. In fact from what I hear through the grapevine, our system of learning is very similar to Sackler.

As far as match lists our concerned, the one principle difference between us and Sackler is that most people that come to our program are looking to do primary care (meaning rural family practice in Idaho). That is why we have no one going radiology, optho, orthopedics, neurosurg, etc. This is not to say that we will not one day have grads pursuing these specialties. This year we have grads pursuing path, anesethesia, and EM. We have done well in EM also in the past.
We do considerably well in the primary care specialties and I believe that the match of 2009 will be particularly strong. We have 40 entering, rather than the 17 that entered this past year. Sackler has also been around longer and does have a few more connections than we do. Point is that we will get there.

As far as aliyah, we have one or two docs each class who stay here for residency. It does not seem to be a problem.

PM me if you have anymore questions...

 

[EBKame]

Every year there are a few Sackler students that make Aliyah. It is possible and people do it without any problems. However, if you ask the administration they want you to go back to the States. They advise you to get your training finished in the US and then if you want to go back to Israel once you're licensed that is a better way to go. If you stay in Israel and do stage and residency in Israel, you will have a lot of problems going back to the US. It's logical and that's why they prefer you to do it this way. Once you're here, you realize that not making Aliyah is only a recommendation. If you want to stay, you can stay.