can't decide....
in state vs. private school. norfolk vs. d.c.
any thoughts?
in state vs. private school. norfolk vs. d.c.
any thoughts?
evms vs. gtown
- Thread starter emmyemmy
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georgetown sucks. everyone here thinks that this schools is one of top schools in the country. they act accordingly, despite the pitiful facilities and homogeneous student body.
does anyone else have some input?
here's some more info: my friends and family are in d.c., but evms is half the cost. i've heard a lot of negatives about gtown and i'm interested in whether anyone has something positive to say.
here's some more info: my friends and family are in d.c., but evms is half the cost. i've heard a lot of negatives about gtown and i'm interested in whether anyone has something positive to say.
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They are two very different institutions. EVMS practices community-base medicine and has some opportunity for research. They also have one of the best standardized patient programs in the nation, and with the new USMLE CS, that sort of training becomes more important.
Guess where I'm going....and paying out of state tuition!
Guess where I'm going....and paying out of state tuition!
This is a tough choice. I'm in GU right now (M.S.) and I got into EVMS. Although I dont particularly like GU, I wouldve attended it over EVMS simply because I'd be paying just as much for either school. For me it was a no brainer. However I didn't bother applying to the med program b/c I knew i woudnt go over other options I had.
However, if you have a state school option (which EVMS essentialy is even though its private), I'd think long and hard about which one to attend. I was positively suprised by EVMS. The student body seems really laid back and helpful, and the facilities are really nice. Norfolk seems like a great city too. Its not too big, and has a nice quaint feeling to it.
GU has a "name" but that doesnt necessarily reflect upon the medical school so much as it does the Law school and maybe undergrad. GU's facilities arent very good although they are doing a little bit of remodeling. I guess I really disliked being underground all day. GU is in a metro area so chances are you might see more high index cases. Housing is a nightmare as it transportation if you live far from campus.
I'd really be in a bind if I were you. If i had any interest in community medicine, I'd choose EVMS easily. Otherwise you have to decide if GU is worth 2x the price. I personally dont think it is.
That said, I still think GU is a good school and if you decide to spend your money to go to GU, you certainly wont regret it.
However, if you have a state school option (which EVMS essentialy is even though its private), I'd think long and hard about which one to attend. I was positively suprised by EVMS. The student body seems really laid back and helpful, and the facilities are really nice. Norfolk seems like a great city too. Its not too big, and has a nice quaint feeling to it.
GU has a "name" but that doesnt necessarily reflect upon the medical school so much as it does the Law school and maybe undergrad. GU's facilities arent very good although they are doing a little bit of remodeling. I guess I really disliked being underground all day. GU is in a metro area so chances are you might see more high index cases. Housing is a nightmare as it transportation if you live far from campus.
I'd really be in a bind if I were you. If i had any interest in community medicine, I'd choose EVMS easily. Otherwise you have to decide if GU is worth 2x the price. I personally dont think it is.
That said, I still think GU is a good school and if you decide to spend your money to go to GU, you certainly wont regret it.
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Go to EVMS. It's Standardized Patient Program is the best, the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter is awesome, has one of the best vascular surgery programs in the nation, and is well-known in many other specialties. So, whether you're wanting to go into primary care or a specialty, EVMS is the place to be. Also, G-town has had some really bad financial problems and some students I've talked to think its students are going to have a difficult time getting good matches in the future because its reputation is declining among residency directors. EVMS has great facilities - G-town's are not so good. Go to EVMS - great school, great students, and the beach! Hope my advice helps. 
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emmyemmy said:
EVMS. Reputational difference isn't enough to merit the switch, imo.
JH
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exmike said:
Also, being out of the sun, GU has some vampires roaming the medical campus. This is a minus for GU, imo.
JH
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A number of my friends attend EVMS and have had only postive things to say about their experience there. They all love it!!!
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georgetown....i lived in the georgetown area for 1.5 years and it was awesome!!! it's a beautiful campus and dc is a lot of fun. and it does get sunny (imo), you can hang out on the lawn (by the monument) all summer.
anyway, good luck and congrats on being in the position to make choices!
anyway, good luck and congrats on being in the position to make choices!
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Hey there. I was also accepted to EVMS and Georgetown but I withdrew from EVMS and will be at gtown next year. I really liked EVMS, I think that it has a good student body and good curriculum. The Children's Hospital was great. However, DC beats Norfolk hands down. And for me, that was a major issue. I think that you would see more during your 3rd and 4th year in DC. If cost is a huge issue, go to EVMS. However, Gtown is a great school, has a great rep and the facilities are improving. All of the rumors you hear about Gtown going bankrupt in the 80s and that the student body sucks probably come from people who have never been on campus. If you have any more questions about Gtown, please pm me.
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EVMS has that retreat to nags head (?) how many other schools rent out a hotel for the entire student body and staff and throw a weekend-long party?
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i wasn't too impressed with EVMS. I think that was mainly because norfolk blows. I got waitlisted there and while i have kept my application active I don't think I would go there over Drexel. I liked Philadelphia much better. Now if I get into Tulane then I won't have to make a choice at all. I think top third waitlist at EVMS pretty much gets an acceptance. Not sure though.
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EVMS performed first IVF in the US. If you want to do anything involving ART, I would definitely attend EVMS.
http://www.jonesinstitute.org/about_jones_institute.art.html
~AS1~
http://www.jonesinstitute.org/about_jones_institute.art.html
~AS1~
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as a current student at evms, i'm genuinely glad to be here. and i know most of my classmates would echo the same sentiment. all of our professors are incredibly approachable, and they all get to know you by name (how they manage that i have no idea...i was approached by one during the first few weeks and it was just a bit surprising--i had personally never experienced that before). the class dynamic is awesome here--very cohesive, with minimal to no competition (you dont have to worry about someone giving you misinformation and all the stuff you hear about at other schools). i can go on an on. to be perfectly honest, at first i hated the idea of coming here, but it was the only in-state school i got into, and when it came down to it, i didnt see any value in spending twice as much to go to an out-of-state school. now that i am here, im REALLY glad i came.
as everyone says, norfolk as a whole isn't anything to write home about...it is getting better though. the entire downtown area got a makeover in the past 15-20 years and things are definitely picking up. as for ghent, which is the neighborhood that the school and hospital are in, it's AWESOME. there's plenty to do, lots of fun shops, restaurants, cafe's, bars, etc. etc. and the entire area is VERY safe. that, coupled with the fact that the beach is a hop skip and a jump away makes it all the more appealing.
if anyone has any questions, please feel free to message me...take care and good luck everyone!
as everyone says, norfolk as a whole isn't anything to write home about...it is getting better though. the entire downtown area got a makeover in the past 15-20 years and things are definitely picking up. as for ghent, which is the neighborhood that the school and hospital are in, it's AWESOME. there's plenty to do, lots of fun shops, restaurants, cafe's, bars, etc. etc. and the entire area is VERY safe. that, coupled with the fact that the beach is a hop skip and a jump away makes it all the more appealing.
if anyone has any questions, please feel free to message me...take care and good luck everyone!
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riopsedm,
i really liked EVMS too.....my hangup is the price. as an out-of-state resident, do you know if it's possible to change my residency the 2nd year of school to virginia?? otherwise it seems to expensive relative to my state school.
i really liked EVMS too.....my hangup is the price. as an out-of-state resident, do you know if it's possible to change my residency the 2nd year of school to virginia?? otherwise it seems to expensive relative to my state school.
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I'm M1 at EVMS now. I turned down an acceptance at UVA to go here, and I decided not to send the secondary to G-town after I looked at the school carefully. I think the bottom line for anyone choosing between schools is to 1) go to the school that "feels right" to you and 2) go to the school that works for you financially/academically. I also think it's critical not to BS yourself too- if you're really wrapped up in the US News rankings/ prestige part of things, then by all means go to the "higher ranked" school.
Med school is hard any way you slice it, and feeling as comfortable as possible in your new environment will probably have a big effect on your performance. If you have your heart set on academic medicine or a highly competitive specialty (like derm/optho) then you might be better off sticking with the ranked school. Otherwise, I would choose (between allopathic US schools) to go to the cheaper school.
As far as the different areas to live, my fiance and I go up to DC/ Alexandria about once a month to enjoy the city/ clubbing/ restaurants etc. I love DC, but the cost of living is astronomical and traffic is a nightmare. If you really want a "city" environment though, you'll be a lot happier in DC. I personally think the Hampton Roads (Norfolk) area is a really cool place to live, and Norfolk itself is getting more cosmopolitan all the time.
For me, choosing between schools was the HARDEST part of the entire application process. Only you can make the right decision- follow your instincts and look at things for yourself. Regard all advice (like the contents of this post) as potential bullsh*t until you see things for yourself. Good Luck, and drop me a line if you need any more info.
Med school is hard any way you slice it, and feeling as comfortable as possible in your new environment will probably have a big effect on your performance. If you have your heart set on academic medicine or a highly competitive specialty (like derm/optho) then you might be better off sticking with the ranked school. Otherwise, I would choose (between allopathic US schools) to go to the cheaper school.
As far as the different areas to live, my fiance and I go up to DC/ Alexandria about once a month to enjoy the city/ clubbing/ restaurants etc. I love DC, but the cost of living is astronomical and traffic is a nightmare. If you really want a "city" environment though, you'll be a lot happier in DC. I personally think the Hampton Roads (Norfolk) area is a really cool place to live, and Norfolk itself is getting more cosmopolitan all the time.
For me, choosing between schools was the HARDEST part of the entire application process. Only you can make the right decision- follow your instincts and look at things for yourself. Regard all advice (like the contents of this post) as potential bullsh*t until you see things for yourself. Good Luck, and drop me a line if you need any more info.
thank you for all of your thoughtful replies. This is certainly a very difficult decision to make and a tumultuous time. At this point, I am leaning towards Georgetown, as I think the social support of family, friends and boyfriend will be helpful since they are all located in D.C. I really liked EVMS and I'm sure that both schools have their benefits and deficits. As far as I can tell at this point, Georgetown seems to be the better option for me.
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Well, just keep in mind that Norfolk is really not all that far from DC and that you will be paying a lot more for school. I'm from Virginia and would definitely choose EVMS over Georgetown even though my girlfriend lives in DC. Med School is Med School is Med School. Plus, I've heard really great things about EVMS, but not so many positive things about Georgetown. In 4 years, I think being able to match well from EVMS is a much more solid prediction than being able to match well from Georgetown because of their financial situation. In addition, from personal experience, I've found that basing decisions about where to go to school off of where family, friends, and significant others are often ends up not turning out so well. Just some thoughts. I wish you well EmmyEmmy in your decision.
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was talking to one of the GU administrators in the med school yesterday and apparently the issues with downsizing and funding for the medical school are more serious than thought. If i were you, i'd really look into the financial situation at Gtown and make your decision accordingly... keep your eye on reality and dont let Gtown homers like highclass mar your decision.
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dookbloo said:
Where did you hear this?
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i know current students there.....to be completely honest, though, im only sure about it for the masters program, since i know kids in it....theyve told me its happening to the other classes, too, but id be lying if i said i knew for sure. im sure you could call and find out
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The SMP is expanding, but they have been increasing their number of students each year for the past few years now. Probably because of money and also due to the fact that they have been so successful at getting people into med school. My interviewer at Gtown this year actually told me that there was talk of increasing the amount of med students also, but he said that was not a definite and that it wouldn't be this coming year.
I think they are expanding the # of smp students from 135 to 150
Personally I think its because the SMP program is a cash cow and they could use the extra money. Since the SMP kids take mostly med classes, there really isnt much added cost to having them around since running the med classes is a fixed cost. Adding 15 students x 25k = $375,000 with little increase in overhead.
Thats not chump change.
Assuming that the # of slots at GU for SMP students is fixed, it'll also make it harder to get into GU for people in the SMP program.
Just my theory.
Personally I think its because the SMP program is a cash cow and they could use the extra money. Since the SMP kids take mostly med classes, there really isnt much added cost to having them around since running the med classes is a fixed cost. Adding 15 students x 25k = $375,000 with little increase in overhead.
Thats not chump change.
Assuming that the # of slots at GU for SMP students is fixed, it'll also make it harder to get into GU for people in the SMP program.
Just my theory.
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i think theyre expanding the smp program to get more fundage for the med school. certainly, they cant up the number of med students due to the limits of the facilities (ie gross anatomy labs, etc)... just a rumor i heard
edit: ahh beat me to it, mike
edit: ahh beat me to it, mike
