Emory vs. MCG

[fizzbot]

I know how much people hate it when threads like these get posted, and I'm sorry for posting as I'm not one of those posters that likes to spend alot of time passively aggresively bragging about what my scores or options are, but anyways, I have to ask because I am unsure about what to do.

Emory has offered me about 30 grand a year fed unsub staff loan and 8.5 grand fed sub stafford loan for my M1 year and thats it, MCG I haven't heard from about financial aid but perhaps it will be similar? I'm looking at around 60,000 dollars a year for Emory, and 30,000 dollars a year on the nose for MCG. I like both schools alot, I could easily see myself at either, I like the cityof Atlanta and I like Augusta as well.

I would like to get into a rather competitive residency field and from what I have seen on the match lists Emory and MCG produce similar residency candidates in terms of fields matching into (perhaps not as much with prestigous places, but I don't really care about that, a radiologist is a radiologist or am I wrong?).

Other than that I know I like Emory's teaching style of not neccesarily going to class as I learn better from note takers and self study followed by later small group study. I am unsure about MCG's teaching style but from what I gather it may be similar? I am trying to get ahold of an M4 at MCG to find out. Thats about all I can think of in terms of what I am thinking, I am kinda leaning MCG for the cost but Emory for the name and teaching style.

Any comments? Questions? Ideas? I would appreciate any help and I just want to say thanks to all of you who have helped me throughout my pre-med journey here. I remember back in the day freshmen year neverously reading through MCAT and orgo posts. Now here I am, trying to pick between two great schools. I thank my lucky stars and wish you all the best of luck.

Sincerely,
Fizzbot

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[bubbleyum]

go to emory please. thank you.

 

[hipatknight]

If I were in your situation I would pick Emory. I really don't see a comparison. From what I have heard MCG is more laid back in class work, well at least for the first year or two. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the person. They audio record every lecture for the students, on top of that they have note packets for you to buy. But Im sure thats nearly the same at other schools. But from what all of my friends and family members who attend Emory's medical school have told me, it sounds like the best choice. Im pretty sure the quality of education at Emory is higher as well. In conclusion = Emory, hands down!

 

[Em1]

Emory will cost you twice as much as MCG. Do you like it twice as much?

 

[sneaker7]

i wouldn't let the difference in cost be a deciding factor (especially since you're going to be a radiologist!). emory also has arguably better research opportunities. personally, i think atlanta has a lot more to offer than augusta too.

 

[GaGator]

Emory is much MUCH better!

 

[penguinophile]

I know how much people hate it when threads like these get posted, and I'm sorry for posting as I'm not one of those posters that likes to spend alot of time passively aggresively bragging about what my scores or options are, but anyways, I have to ask because I am unsure about what to do.

Emory has offered me about 30 grand a year fed unsub staff loan and 8.5 grand fed sub stafford loan for my M1 year and thats it, MCG I haven't heard from about financial aid but perhaps it will be similar? I'm looking at around 60,000 dollars a year for Emory, and 30,000 dollars a year on the nose for MCG. I like both schools alot, I could easily see myself at either, I like the cityof Atlanta and I like Augusta as well.

I would like to get into a rather competitive residency field and from what I have seen on the match lists Emory and MCG produce similar residency candidates in terms of fields matching into (perhaps not as much with prestigous places, but I don't really care about that, a radiologist is a radiologist or am I wrong?).

Other than that I know I like Emory's teaching style of not neccesarily going to class as I learn better from note takers and self study followed by later small group study. I am unsure about MCG's teaching style but from what I gather it may be similar? I am trying to get ahold of an M4 at MCG to find out. Thats about all I can think of in terms of what I am thinking, I am kinda leaning MCG for the cost but Emory for the name and teaching style.

Any comments? Questions? Ideas? I would appreciate any help and I just want to say thanks to all of you who have helped me throughout my pre-med journey here. I remember back in the day freshmen year neverously reading through MCAT and orgo posts. Now here I am, trying to pick between two great schools. I thank my lucky stars and wish you all the best of luck.

Sincerely,
Fizzbot

I'm on Emory's waitlist....take MCG Seriously though, if you like self-learning, both programs offer note services. It depends on what you are really looking for, especially since both schools produce good residents. If you are looking into primary care, I would say MCG all the way. If you want ER or trauma, nothing can top Grady at Emory. Take a second look at both places and get a feel for the people there. Augusta=nice small town atmosphere but with resources. Good location since its "near" the beach. Also, if you are conservative, that would be the place to go. Atlanta=good night life, expensive housing (for GA), a lot of different clinical experiences, but also probably a lot more debt. Good luck with the decision, and if you withdraw from Emory, just make sure to put in a good word for me

 

[Radiohead]

Ok, I think I have answered this question somewhere before, but I had the same decision as you, in the spring of 2002. I actually considered going to Emory for a while, but ended up making the smart decision in the end. Here are some reasons why you should too.

1. Cost: I will have 82k in debt when I finish. I lived very well thru med school and never thought about money. If you went to Emory, as you said, you will have ummm, what's 60,000 x 4....I think that's 240,000, that's more than the house I just bought. Your monthly payments will be close to $1000.00, and that's the MINIMUM if you are smart enough to consolidate.

2. Education Style: I never went to class, didn't buy the note takers, and just relied on the class handouts. I am about to graduate with a 4.0. They did change the format a bit, but still have the same lectures w/ notetakers, the classes are lumped together, rather than individually.

3. Residency: You can go wherever you want from whatever medical school. I am doing EM, and matched in the most competitive program in the country, in my opinion, and there is a girl from Emory there, in way more debt than me, unless mommy and daddy picked up the tab. We have people doing everything, Urology, Derm, Rad Onc, Ortho.....We do have a much larger class size, so there are a lot of people going into IM, peds, FM, but percentage wise it is the same. I scored in the 99th %ile on Step 1 and 2, so they teach you the right stuff.

4. Total Waste of money

5. I am thanking God right now that I went to MCG. Totally satisfied with my experience. I mean 200k of debt, for a name, are you kidding me.

6. My medicine attending told me that, "in the end, where you earned your MD degree and $0.99 will get you a cup of coffee in the morning."

 

[-Goose-]

One of my friends is an M4 at Emory and she complains about the lack of 'hands on' pt contact she has... Says attendings won't let her come near patients and she is not getting alot of volume with procedures (central lines, lps, etc).

This really shocked me b/c of Grady's reputation (you do rotations all over though, ie crawford long). As an applicant, I was attracted by Emory's seeming combination of reputation and hands on clinical experience... her assessment made me think twice, though.

 

[fizzbot]

Thanks to all please keep it coming, I can use every bit of advice possible.

 

[gujuDoc]

go to emory please. thank you.

I am going to say go to Emory without even reading the rest of the post.


Edited: I just read one of the above posts and it makes me think twice about my original response.

Think about where you'd be happier and financial aspects. I'd go talk to medical students at both schools if they are willing to answer questions and go with your gut on which you think is better.

 

[Mr. Tee]

I would pay more just to live in Atlanta. I don't want to be pushed to practice in the rural/underserved regions of Georgia.

 

[willthatsall]

I might be making the same decision within the next two weeks, and I will be choosing MCG if it comes down to those two. The difference in my finances will be a little bigger than your difference (although I haven't gotten my fin aid info from emory), but I just don't see a huge difference between the two. If you want to do private practice, I don't think being from MCG is going to hurt you much compared to Emory. I have heard the one problem is that if you want to go somewhere competitive out of state or out of the region for residency, it will be a little harder to do out of MCG compared to Emory. What kind of city you want to be in (I don't like Atlanta, so that might be a difference) has to be an outside consideration, but nobody else can make that judgement for you.

 

[Kitra101]

I have family who graduated from MCG. They said it was prepared them well for a career in medicine and the price cannot be beat. One is now a radiologist and the other is a Moh's surgeon. Oh and one went to class all the time and the other said he never went to class. He would sleep part of the day and stay up the rest of the time studying on his own.

 

[Radiohead]

One of my friends is an M4 at Emory and she complains about the lack of 'hands on' pt contact she does... Says attendings won't let her come near patients and she is not getting alot of volume with procedures (central lines, lps, etc).

This really shocked me b/c of Grady's reputation (you do rotations all over though, ie crawford long). As an applicant, I was attracted by Emory's seeming combination of reputation and hands on clinical experience... her assessment made me think twice, though.

In general, as a medical student at a university based hospital, you will be competing with residents/fellows for most, if not all, procedures. The students are usually the first to get to do rectals, foleys, and lacerations if they are lucky. MCG is no different from most med schools, in that you will most likely never have placed a central line, done an LP, or intubated somebody unless you have been relatively aggressive. If your school requires an EM month, you will likely get to place lines, do LP's. Here's what I have done so far (rough estimates for some):
1 femoral line
3 arterial blood gases
15 intubations (during anesthesia month)
5 LP's (1 in Neuro, 4 in ED)
15 IV's
20 Laceration repairs
1 episode of chest compressions

I think I have done a little more than most, but some students I know have done thoracentesis, chest tubes, etc. It really depends on how lucky/aggressive you are. During residency you will perfect the art of the LP and central line, so I wouldn't worry about how many you get as a student, because it is much different when you are doing it with MD after your name.

 

[PickyBicky]

One of my friends is an M4 at Emory and she complains about the lack of 'hands on' pt contact she does... Says attendings won't let her come near patients and she is not getting alot of volume with procedures (central lines, lps, etc).

This really shocked me b/c of Grady's reputation (you do rotations all over though, ie crawford long). As an applicant, I was attracted by Emory's seeming combination of reputation and hands on clinical experience... her assessment made me think twice, though.

MS4 about to graduate Emory here. I have no comment either way on MCG Vs. Emory. I agree with the poster above from MCG that with good grades and board scores, absolutely no doors are closed to you in terms of specialty or (in many cases) specific programs based on where you went to med school. I do, however, disagree with this anecdotal report that Emory students do not get hands on patient care. Nothing could be further from the truth. At all Emory affiliated institutions, but particularly Grady, students are able to take ownership of their patients, which includes performing any bedside procedures that the patient may require. This could include anything from peripheral venous blood draws, ABGs and arterial line placement to more invasive procedures such as central line placement, thoracentesis, and intubation. During my MICU rotation, I was even able to lead several codes on the floor. Regardless of where you choose to go to school, be aggressive about getting as much procedural experience as possible within your comfort level. Emory is certainly not lacking in those experiences.

-PB.

 

[PickyBicky]

it is much different when you are doing it with MD after your name.

I'm curious to know what you mean by this statement. I do agree, however, that residency is really the time to master most of the bedside procedures.

-PB

 

[-Goose-]

MS4 about to graduate Emory here. I have no comment either way on MCG Vs. Emory. I agree with the poster above from MCG that with good grades and board scores, absolutely no doors are closed to you in terms of specialty or (in many cases) specific programs based on where you went to med school. I do, however, disagree with this anecdotal report that Emory students do not get hands on patient care. Nothing could be further from the truth. At all Emory affiliated institutions, but particularly Grady, students are able to take ownership of their patients, which includes performing any bedside procedures that the patient may require. This could include anything from peripheral venous blood draws, ABGs and arterial line placement to more invasive procedures such as central line placement, thoracentesis, and intubation. During my MICU rotation, I was even able to lead several codes on the floor. Regardless of where you choose to go to school, be aggressive about getting as much procedural experience as possible within your comfort level. Emory is certainly not lacking in those experiences.

-PB.

FWIW, my friend is somewhat meek. Maybe she's not proactive enough. I don't know, just providing her perspective.

 

[PickyBicky]

FWIW, my friend is somewhat meek. Maybe she's not proactive enough. I don't know, just providing her perspective.

Fair enough, but these are the dangers of a (N) of 1.

-PB

 

[-Goose-]

Fair enough, but these are the dangers of a (N) of 1.

-PB

hence the disclaimer

 

[fizzbot]

Any other thoughts? As far out or stupid as they may sound I want to take everything into account.

 

[fizzbot]

bump

(other people seem interested in this)

 

[gdk]

both schools are good, i think. med school is going to be what you make of it, as i'm sure you've heard before. here's some stuff from the 2006 match list from MCG FYI (don't let a match list factor into your decision, i added this just to show that MCG does produce some competitive spots). overall, go where you will be happy. if you would be happier in atlanta and maybe in more debt, go to emory. if you don't mind a smaller town in augusta and maybe saving a few bucks, try mcg.

152 students matched
radiation oncology 2 (Mayo grad Jacksonville, UAlabama)
emergency med 7
orthapedic surg 6 (Wake Forest, UFla, U of PA, UTenn, Vandy, wow no MCG)
radiology 5
anesthsiology 12
general or preliminary surgery 15
otolaryngology 4 (UAB, UIllinois, ...)
neurosurgery 2 (Miami, Duke)
opthamology 5 (MCG, Loyola, Texas A&M, UKentucky, MCG, Tulane)
dermatology 1 (MCG)
urology 1 (Washington Univ)

for what it's worth, you'll be interviewing patients one on one in the hospital about 2 months into MS1 at MCG. also, i've heard (hence probably NOT true) that emory has a lot higher competitive mindset between students where MCG has a more cooperative environment (for example, some people post their study guides on our yahoo group, etc)

 

[Johnisit1234]

The decision you have to make is definitely important. I just finshed my last exam of the my 2nd year at Emory (woohoo!), so I'd like to just give you my input.

Go where you think you'll be happy. You will be spending 4 years of your life working hard and studying hard. Choose the place you felt most comfortable.

Someone commented that Emory is a waste of money. I would definitely disagree. Yeah, sure, I go here. But Emory offers students incredible opportunities that I really don't think would be available to you at MCG. Don't get me wrong - MCG is a great place. However, the research, the CDC, the profs, the administration are incredible at Emory. And the name definitely is impressive. I really do think I've been well educated thus far and from what I hear the 3rd and 4th years are just as incredible. You are paying for the resources that the school can offer you.

I can't stress this enough -- go where you felt most comfortable. You won't go wrong this way.

both schools are good, i think. med school is going to be what you make of it, as i'm sure you've heard before. here's some stuff from the 2006 match list from MCG FYI (don't let a match list factor into your decision, i added this just to show that MCG does produce some competitive spots). overall, go where you will be happy. if you would be happier in atlanta and maybe in more debt, go to emory. if you don't mind a smaller town in augusta and maybe saving a few bucks, try mcg.

152 students matched
radiation oncology 2 (Mayo grad Jacksonville, UAlabama)
emergency med 7
orthapedic surg 6 (Wake Forest, UFla, U of PA, UTenn, Vandy, wow no MCG)
radiology 5
anesthsiology 12
general or preliminary surgery 15
otolaryngology 4 (UAB, UIllinois, ...)
neurosurgery 2 (Miami, Duke)
opthamology 5 (MCG, Loyola, Texas A&M, UKentucky, MCG, Tulane)
dermatology 1 (MCG)
urology 1 (Washington Univ)

for what it's worth, you'll be interviewing patients one on one in the hospital about 2 months into MS1 at MCG. also, i've heard (hence probably NOT true) that emory has a lot higher competitive mindset between students where MCG has a more cooperative environment (for example, some people post their study guides on our yahoo group, etc)

 

[Radiohead]

When you are in medical school, you will not have that much time to do research, trust me. I would guess at the most 15-20% of most medical school classes are involved in some sort of research project. MCG just opened a beautiful cancer research building that is supposed to be among the best in the nation. So, if it is your thing, you can find research at MCG. Me personally, I don't really care about doing research. That's why I am getting an MD, not a PhD. If you are truly interested in research, or the "other things" that Emory can offer you (whaterver that means) than consider Emory. I have friends who are about to graduate from Emory, and they do the same things we do. Their lectures are, at times, disjointed, and not clinically relavent. I just can't justify spending the extra 20 grand/year just to say that I live next to the CDC, but have never actually been in it because I am working to hard in medical school. Look, having just been through the interviewing process, where you went to medical school means nothing. Each year, alot of people from MCG match at Emory, so it must be on par.

 

[Hook17]

pick a different school from these. help my chances at both

 

[PickyBicky]

Each year, alot of people from MCG match at Emory, so it must be on par.

...but alot of people at Emory match elsewhere. So what's your point? I agree with the post above that having CDC, or the Carter Center, or the American Cancer Society, or any other resource nearby is just that: a resource nearby. It has never directly impacted my education.

-PB