I'm trying hard to ignore the "slant" in this post
😛
I can't speak much to Boston either, but to address a couple issues in this post.
For the OP:
1. Research - GU is definitley not known as a major research location. That being said, there are still many opportunities for research and GU has been a major player in some recent medical innovations (HPV vaccine, anyone?) so if research is important to you, I would suggest looking at available research in the fields you are interested in. There is a good amount here.
Also, the NIH is just up the road, and many students do research there. It doesn't get much better, in terms of research, to my thinking...
2. DC a ghetto? <sarcasm on> Yeah... that white house is pretty run down. All those museums and monuments... tagged with grafitti... That Kennedy center where major philharmonics, performers and international figures all appear at - well, we just had a drive-by there last week... <sarcasm off>
Look, DC *definitely* has bad neighborhoods. No question. However, DC is the friggin' capital of the most powerful country in the world. There's TONS of things to do and see in this city. If you enjoy policy making in medicine - this is the city to be. If you like listening to some of the greatest thinkers of our day speak on topics of international importance -well, c'mon over. If you want to see national history that has been preserved - well, we got it for you. If you want good food - well, ponder this: all these international leaders come to DC, they need to eat somewhere... DC has some of the best restaurants anywhere, and they have a variety of cuisine that I would put up against almost any other city, save maybe NY, SF, etc...
3. GU"s religious affliliation: this is a valid concern, if you don't know anything about Gtown. The fact is, GU still teaches about stem-cell research, genetic intervention, pretty much anything that you might think would be effected by its affiliation.
Now, it is true that you will not see an abortion performed in the hospital. However, if you feel that is a necessary part of your education, you simply request to do your OB rotations at one of the neighboring hospitals a couple miles away (this is not unusual - GU has about five hospitals that we do rotations at, so you will visit these other hospitals regularly anyway - you just request that one of those visits is for OB.)
So, I hope that helps a bit. I'm not going to sit here and say that DC can match Boston in every, or even many, areas. I just want to point out that DC does have quite a bit to offer and many people who come here for school wind up falling in love with the area (even people from Boston.)
GU as a school is a very good education. They seem to emphasize turning out physicians that go into surgery and medical sub-specialties. In my experience, GU has "name recognition" that seems to hold some weight, as well.
Ulitmately, however, daeojkim is right, YOU are the only person who can really tell you what you're going to like better. Come by and visit GU, spend a few days in DC checking it out. Do the same with BU. Either way, you're going to go to a great school, you're going to be a physician, and you're going to get a great education. You're in a win-win situation, really.
Good luck! Hope to see you as a little sib next year.
Go to BU if you want to do research (lots of facilities; ranked much higher than Georgetown). Plus, Boston is an impressive, classy city while D.C. is basically a ghetto (though I will admit to Boston having some grouchy people and cold weather). I'd also worry that Georgetown's religious affiliation would affect its teaching and practices; many times thus far have anatomy and neurosciences brought up stem cells, embryological genetic intervention, etc., and I wonder whether a school like Georgetown would just totally omit those (important) topics.
