Is Temple A Good Medical School? (Major Pros & Cons) – willpeachMD (2024)

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) was founded in 1901 as Pennsylvania’s first co-educational medical school.

Its mission statement is centered on excellence in education, research, and patient care. So let’s find out what they really deliver.

Is Temple a Good Medical School?

Temple is a good med school. It offers solid scientific research opportunities, combined-degree options, huge extracurriculars, and an excellent clinical learning site. But there are clear disadvantages to its campus location, and combined with low acceptance rates, higher than average tuition, and the cost of living in Philadelphia, it’s not all positive.

This article aims to take a deeper dive into LKSOM (Temple) and unpick all its major pros and cons in the hope of making your search for a med school easier.

Interested in learning more about specific medical school pros and cons? Check out ourMedical School Guides here– we cover all osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) schools.

Why Temple Medical School? Major Pros

Research

All students are strongly encouraged to complete some scholarly work during their four years in the MD program at Temple.

Its scientists are responsible for groundbreaking advancements in areas across the scientific spectrum, including Cancer Biology, Cardiovascular and Thrombosis, Cell and Developmental Biology, Clinical Lung Research, HIV, Immunology and Autoimmunity, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes, Neuroscience, Substance Abuse, and Translational Medicine.

Being attached to any of those disciplines, with the potential to get cited in research, is an attractive proposition.

Global Medicine Program

Temple med school keeps a Global Health Program, a comprehensive, hands-on enrichment program that provides students with global clinical and research opportunities.

It ranges from primary preventative healthcare to emergency disaster care, early clinical exposure to global medicine leaders, international service, and research experiences.

Med students say the program is life-changing and career-inspiring.

Combined Degrees and programs

Like many of its peers, LKSOM offers many options for med students willing to advance in their students with combined degrees and programs. Besides its traditional 4-year MD Degree, LKSOM offers the following popular course options:

• MMS in Physician Assistant Studies
• Ph.D. and MS degrees in Biomedical Sciences
• Dual degrees; MD/Ph.D., MD/MPH, MD/MA in Urban Bioethics, and MD/MBA
• MA (Master of Arts) in Urban Bioethics

Extracurriculars are huge

Beyond the course requirements, med students at Temple have many student organizations to advance their studies.

And there are many of them – going from community engagement to enrichment activities, book clubs, sports clubs, and so on!

Here are just a few options open to successful candidates…

• Alpha Omega Alpha
• Gold Humanism Honor Society
• MD Student Government Association
• Bridging the Gaps Health Internship Program
• Center for Urban Bioethics
• Temple Emergency Action Corp (TEAC)
• Integrative Medicine Interest Group
• Students Engaging in Health Policy
• Students for a National Health Policy
• Temple Arts Group
• Temple Cricket Club
• Temple Med Soccer

A full list is available here.

Clinical Simulation Center

Temple shelters a prestigious Clinical Simulation Center. Its building houses the Clinical Simulation and Standardized Patient programs. They promote the integration of simulation services to train medical students, PA students, post-baccalaureate students, medical residents and fellows, physicians, and the Temple Transport Team.

School prestige

LKSOM is a prestigious med school. They are ranked #68 in US News’ Best Medical Schools: Research and #88 in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care.

Diversity

Temple is a very inclusive institution and keeps many events and programs to promote its diversity.

Among these include:

• LKSOM Summer Pre-Matriculation Program “PREP”
• Diversity Scholars Summer Research & Enrichment Program
• Mini Medical School
• Black Men in Medicine Symposium
• Diversity Dialogues (Every 4th Monday, September – May)
• Health Equity Grand Rounds
• Health Equity Journal Club
• Diversity & Inclusion Book Club

Student Support Services

LKSOM’s Office of Student Affairs offers students various support services, from academic and financial to personal and social.

The student support network is led by the associate dean for student affairs and includes faculty advisors, deans, and individual faculty members.

Clinical Learning Sites

Temple students can learn as members of healthcare teams in various ambulatory and inpatient settings and participate in caring for a diverse population of patients in rural and urban communities. Its network is vast and includes the following:

1. Temple University Health System Sites: Main Campus, Episcopal Campus, and Jeanes Campus
2. Fox Chase Cancer Center
3. St. Luke’s University Health Network
4. Capital Health
5. Lancaster General Hospital
6. Main Line Health System
7. St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children

Philadelphia City

Philadelphia is one of the important cultural and historical centers in the United States. It combines urban excitement with the hospitality of a small town.

Being a med student in Phili gives you access to celebrated restaurants, world-renowned cultural attractions, and world-class athletics. Some highlights include:

• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• The Barnes Foundation, with a new site on the famed Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
• Fairmount Park is a beautiful mecca for walkers, runners, bikers, and rowers
• The Opera Company of Philadelphia
• The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the country’s oldest medical society
• World Cafe Live, Electric Factory, Trocadero, Tower Theater, TLA music venues
• Reading Terminal Market
• Backdrops and settings for such blockbuster films as Rocky, Philadelphia, Witness, Marley and Me, and Silver Linings Playbook
• Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and other historical sites
• The Philadelphia Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and 76ers

Why Temple Medical School? Major Cons

Campus location

If Phili is a great city to live in, Temple med school campus in the town is not located at its best site.

LKSOM has two campuses: North Philadelphia and St. Luke (in Bethlehem).

In North Philadelphia, the base for med students is the Medical Education and Research Building. It is a 480,000-square-foot structure with state-of-the-art facilities for education, research, and student life. And directly across the street from MERB is Temple University Hospital.

The St. Luke’s campus features a class size of 40, where students benefit from outstanding mentorship and diverse clinical experiences.

Despite that, we found tons of online comments that North Philadelphia is a dangerous area and that students must be careful.

It really counts as a con!

Acceptance rate

For the academic year 2021-2022, 10,883 students applied to Temple med school, 437 students were accepted, and 212 enrolled. The acceptance rate is competitive at 4.02%.

Cost of Living

Philadelphia is an expensive city, and its cost of living is 17% higher than the national average. Of course, it varies depending on how much you spend, for example, on housing and transportation. But it’s definitely a con here.

Class size

LKSOM admits a class of 200 students every year. It’s certainly not the largest admission cohort we’ve seen, but it is still on the large side.

Tuition

Temple is not among the cheapest med schools in the US. Its full-time tuition is $54,340 for in-state and $57,618 for out-of-state.

Temple Med School Data

GPA/MCAT

Successful LKSOM applicant’s average total GPA was 3.72, and the average MCAT score was 511.

Match List

The most recent data shows LKSOM had great success, with 100 percent of students matching into residency positions.

What Are The Entry Requirements For Temple?

Applicants must take the MCAT within three years of matriculation and no later than September of the year in which applies.

The Admissions Committee holds no preference for science majors, but all applicants must demonstrate a capacity for excellence in the sciences, a broad humanities education, and strong writing skills.

Is Temple A Good Medical School? Reddit Opinion

Here are some of the best comments from Reddit regarding the pros and cons of Temple Medical School.

Positive Opinion On Temple Medical School

LKSOM serves the north Phili community.

so I don’t go to Temple for ugrad but I did get into LKSOM, and I think they really care about contributions to the community. they mention it pretty clearly in their mission statement, and p sure they were also founded on the basis of serving the north philly community specifically.

– u/Ok-Impression-8209

Negative Opinion On Temple Medical School

Campus safety

Agreed. I currently work in the medical school. Finally bought pepper spray, switched my shift from PM to AM, and get text alerts every 2-3 days about a shooting, accident, burglary, or other misc crime just a few blocks from the medical school. We recently had a undergrad senior pass away, pre-law killed from an attempted robbery. LINK

– u/kidrauhl_benz

As someone who went to Temple med and now works at TUH, I would strongly recommend against living on/near campus. It is not a safe area and is also a food desert.

– u/BruleMD

Temple is a good med school, and it is located in a great city. It offers good scientific research opportunities, combined-degree options, huge extracurriculars, and an excellent clinical learning site. But there are safety issues concerning its campus location and the level of competition required to gain acceptance.

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