Union/AMC vs Lehigh/Drexel

curiosity
Sun, 03 Apr 2005 13:30:44 +0000

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.