Emory vs UVA

[coin22]

Ok so i have the A to both (yay) but im trying to decide, currently mostly leaning to Emory but idk if anyone else has insight on either school.

Other info: i’m super passionate about public health and global health and would likely pursue an MD/MPH at both schools

Emory
Pros

• Atlanta closer to family (still by plane)
• Friends in the area
• T20(ish lol)
• the CDC!!
• clear MD/MPH timeline (5 years)
• TRUE pass/fail
• Grady!!

Cons

• Far from my s/o
• high cost of living
• i have heard +/- about Atlanta but i have also heard things about all cities i’ve lived in so idk
• not walkable city
• in house exams

UVA
Pros

• closer to s/o (still a few hours)
• some family near-ish
• good and respected school
• Pass/fail (pre and post clinical, graded clinical)
• lots of opportunities for continuing artistic endeavors!!
• refugee pt population
• program that pairs you with a pt you follow during pre clinical

Cons

• more mandatory lectures
• take step 2 before step 1 and take both after clinical?? idk how i felt about this
• MD/MPH less defined, could not get straight answers about it on interview day
• feels more ~self directed~ in that you have to take initiative to talk to staff about things (research/residency apps/etc)

Summary: overall, leaning Emory, but UVA is also a fantastic school. Details on Emory’s match is also harder to find than UVA (which makes me worried). any insight or information appreciated! super grateful to have to make this decision!

also just in general, personal factors aside which school would you choose?

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[BenzeneToluene]

I think overall, you seem more excited about Emory than UVA. I spent k-12 in Atlanta, and it definitely has its ups and downs just like all American cities. Great weather, relatively cheap to live in, but not walkable. Definitely has some more dangerous neighborhoods as well. Emory itself is situated in a VERY nice part of Atlanta and is gorgeous. If you're interested in MD/MPH I've heard AMAZING things about Emory's joint programs for it, but I'm sure UVA's would be great too! For Emory's match list, you can find it for 2020 on SDN I believe, but I couldn't find many details about their recent match lists either. I have heard that they match very well overall and accept a lot of their own into more competitive specialities, which is always a huge plus. I think the biggest and only con for Emory for you is gonna be distance from family and SO. That's a HUGE consideration and shouldn't be taken lightly. The good thing is that Atlanta has one of the world's busiest and largest airports, so flights are very easy to get and pretty cheap.

Disclaimer: I'm definitely a little biased because I'm strongly considering Emory and a mentor of mine is an alumn and has nothing but great things to say about the school.

 

[JungleTrouble]

Emory's name alone is gonna open a lot of doors. Also, there is a refugee population in GA that you can care for. Wanna echo all the good points Benzene said as well.

 

[thefirerisen]

Full disclaimer - I am likely going to UVA. I will say the two schools are very different, both in terms of location and education focus. In terms of public health and getting your MPH, Emory is probably one of the best schools in the nation; UVA is not going to beat that and few schools could. If that is your foremost priority, then definitely pursue Emory. I don't think the ranking difference is big as both schools have been solidly T30 in the past few years. If match list is important to you, I think they will be pretty similar. I haven't been able to find Emory's online but UVA's is definitely great- last year, it was 8% orthopaedics with really really good representation in competitive fields such as neurosurg, plastics, optho etc.

To address some of your concerns about UVA, the step 2/step 1 thing is odd but I think you can take them normally if you wish. Also, UVA students ace these exams and are very very well-prepared for them - you can look at their averages online and its higher or equal to T10 schools which is crazy impressive. Can't speak much about the mandatory lectures but I know you don't have to come in to school every day; some med students come in 1-2 times a week during certain blocks so it is definitely dependent on what you're studying at that time.

UVA definitely does way more for refugee populations than emory, and refugee healthcare is ntegrated into their school curriculum. Charlottesville is the refugee capitol of Virginia. As such, they have a Social Issues in Medicine course and is one of the only schools in the country to have a solely refugee clinic which is starting to become a regional and national model through a partnership with the International Rescue Committee. In the same vein, their global health program is pretty damn good. Many students do their rotations in Latin America (where they prioritize medical spanish) as well as Africa and Asia. Since you also mentioned the artistic programs, I think there are some really cool opportunities for studying "the art of medicine". I'm personally applying to the Hooke program which I recommend you look into!

Ultimately, it will depend on your priorities whether it is location, being close to loved ones, MPH, matching. Let me know if you have any questions and congrats on an amazing cycle!

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

I won't weigh in on the SO/support system aspect, but I wanted to comment on a couple aspects of your pros/cons list in case you do go with UVA (which I have no connection to):

feels more ~self directed~ in that you have to take initiative to talk to staff about things (research/residency apps/etc)

This does not have to be a bad thing. I suggest you get comfortable with taking initiative because that's a good life skill in general. I go to a school that is far less of a research powerhouse than UVA, and with minimal structure around research opportunities. This turned out to be a good thing for me because I found a research mentor who lets me do literally whatever I want to do in the lab, when I want to do it. I appreciate that flexibility and would be very annoyed if my research interests were dictated by some arbitrary research structure my school decided was cool.

in house exams

If UVA does have NBME exams (idk), that should be a major pro. NBME exams are great because virtually every third party resource out there will be aligned with them. Why does this matter? Because it gives you the flexibility to figure out what resources and methods work best for you, and you'll have several resources to choose from. Moreover, you know that one professor's niche research interests that aren't relevant to Step 1 won't be on your exam. In-house exams mean you have to rely on whatever lectures/powerpoints your school gives you, which I imagine would be very annoying.

Then again, if Emory is true P/F for all 4 years and has fewer mandatory lectures (which limit the flexibility you have to learn whatever way works best for you), that might outweigh annoyances with in-house exams.

Best of luck with your decision!

 

[It’s Over!!!]

Emory for proximity to CDC is my vote, but damn, you can't go wrong with either! Congrats!!!