Does GW have a good reputation?

[liger]

Just curious if GW has a good reputation in D.C. and in general.

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[junebuguf]

GW is an awesome school, but it doesnt have the reputation of Georgetown for either its undergrad program or med program (though Georgetown isnt that highly ranked in med either). Ultimately, match lists of recent grads give the best indication of how other doctors regard a program. Unfortunately, GW has a rather dismal match list. I cant remember specifics, but not a lot of people (comparatively) match in the competitive residencies--Ortho, Derm, Radiology, Optho. This is sad because the school recently opened a new state-of-the-art hospital using many new wireless gizmos and gadgets. Still it seems to have a mediocre, at best, reputation.

A school that is not well regarded at all (if regarded at all), like RFU in Chicago, has a much better match list, consistently matching its grads into Hopkins, Mayo, (several) Stanford, Northwestern et. This past year they matched 9 into Ortho!! Thats remarkable for any school, let alone RFU.

So if you want to know a schools reputation look at the school's match list first and not sources such as US News and SDN--these places overinflate the importance of research, funding and facilities.

 

[dr.z]

Yes, GW is a good school.

 

[simone]

Yes, GW is a good school.

Honestly, I am beginning to think that (in terms of reputation) it really doesn't matter where you go unless you are going to one of the top 15 schools. After that, it is pretty much just great that you aren't at a Caribbean school.

 

[junebuguf]

Honestly, I am beginning to think that (in terms of reputation) it really doesn't matter where you go unless you are going to one of the top 15 schools. After that, it is pretty much just great that you aren't at a Caribbean school.

To a degree, you're right. If you have an excellent gpa and do really well on the boards, you can get into any residency you want regardless of where you go to med school. But, if youre a mediocre or even merely good students eith good but not great board scores, you may find it tough getting into the competitive residencies, which is where reputation can help. I do think there is a significant difference between programs that are not in the top 15. For instance, compare the match lists of GWU and UF which both below top 30, I believe, according to US News. UF's list looks a lot better.

 

[Idaho grown]

For all of you who want to rank a school by the match results here are the stats straight off of GW's website.

The GW SMHS maintains a national reputation for placing graduates into quality residency programs. GW graduates are well prepared for the transition to postgraduate education. Members of the Class of 2004 will be training at world-renowned medical facilities in the DC area, as well as at many of the most prestigious programs throughout the country. Many students choose to continue their postgraduate work at GW and be a part of our new state-of-the-art hospital. In fact, of the graduating class of 2004, 14 members remained at GW to complete their residencies. Some of the other institutions at which members of the Class of 2004 were placed include:


Mt. Sinai Hospital, NY
Brown University, RI
Naval Medical Center - San Diego, CA
Children's National Medical Center, DC
University of Virginia , VA
Yale University , CT
Emory University , GA
Georgetown University, DC
Johns Hopkins, MD
Duke University Medical Center, NC
Stanford University, CA
Boston University, MA
Baylor University, TX
Cleveland Clinic, OH
Tufts New England Medical Center, MA
Mayo Clinic, MN

Medicine 49
Pediatrics 14
Anesthesia 13
Emergency Medicine 10
Surgery 9
Orthopedics 7
Radiology 6
Family Practice 6
Psychiatry 6
Ob/Gyn 5

These residencies look pretty impressive to me -

GW's students have the use of amazing facilities, the most up to date technology, and tons of patient exposure early on. Plus the extra opportunities for the students because of the proximity to NIH, WHO, Capitol Hill, and World Bank. U.S. News rankings on GW have already been discussed on another thread on this web site (titled something about GW's ranking), you should check it out.