I rotated at GW and interviewed at both. I must say that I had a great rotating experience, but now that I have interviewed at several other programs, I have a clearer vision of how each program ranks with others. Both programs are small and low key. The volume is not what you would expect at many other programs and in terms of rare cases, you probably will not have as much exposure. On the other hand, I think that both places have stronger clin path than many of the big programs which are strong in surg path. That being said, I loved the people at both places, but I really recommend spending some time at each one to really get a feel for how they work. If you are an intense, fast-paced person who learns by doing and seeing, you may want to consider larger programs that are also relatively close to DC like Hopkins. These programs certainly lack that intensity, but work for some people who like to read and need more reading time. I know you have some location constraints and interestingly enough some people at those institutions were in similar situations so chose to go because of location. This is good and bad because their perception is a bit biased since they did not have much opportunity to weigh other programs.
In addition, you have to consider the hospitals themselves. GW just built their new hospital, which is great so all is new, but they still only have like 300 beds, so as you can expect, the OR is not as busy as other big city programs. Georgetown is even smaller and I believe that most of their cyto is not in house. However, you cannot beat the location of Georgetown and I think they pay for parking!
It is tough decision because although I enjoyed the people at these places, I still have that voice that says look for a busier programs with a larger census and more variety. I have more insight if you need.
