George Wash. vs. U.Maryland

[erininseattle]

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choosing between these two- any advice(though this won't matter if I get off of U.Wash waitlist)? I'm out of state so the costs are comparable. Also, I haven't gotten my financial aid package, do I still have to decide by May 15th if I haven't gotten the aid package?

 

[DW]

hopefully, you'll get your finaid packages soon (you can always call and ask when to expect them), but a few things cost wise to think about.....

costs at GW and UMD might not be as comparable as you might think. GW's tuition is 36K a year. UMD (I started to apply there but didnt turn in a secondary) I believe for out of staters is mid to high 20K a year. Is it possible for you to claim MD residency after a year of living there?

Plus, GW is one of the most expensive parts of DC, and you could either shell out a ton of money to live in a studip close by or live somewhere slightly cheaper and Metro it in from VA. I'm thinking the cost of living in Baltimore would be less than DC.

 

[bjolly]

for what it's worth, the cost of living is MUCH lower in Baltimore. In the last few years, yuppies from DC have started buying houses in Baltimore and commuting because the cost of living in DC is out of sight. Rent in DC will probably run you about twice as much as a comparable place in Baltimore.

Beth

 

[erininseattle]

thanks for advice. Actually GW has a budget of 56K (ouch) and Maryland's is 54K (still hurts) for out-of-state and it's very hard to change your residency. Given that- does anyone have any opinions other than cost (because they both suck on that criteria). I like the teaching style at Maryland but the new hospital at GW is great. Not sure which has a better reputation, but I don't really care either. Anyone else choosing between these two?

 

[cornelius]

hi erin,

for what it's worth, maryland has a really good reputation for clinical teaching and also for primary care (i believe it was ranked 22nd this year in u.s.news? way above duke, hopkins, etc.) its shock-trauma center is the statewide priority center for medevac flights and "the big stuff", and its emergency medicine department is supposed to be good.

both cities are pretty good places for public health education as well, if you're interested in that - DC because it's where all the policy work is done, and baltimore for stuff like epidemiology and drug abuse research. both are pretty urban, although if you want the bigger city feel DC is probably better.

safety-wise, i'm not really sure.... both have their good areas and bad areas, although maryland is definitely located in one of the safer/touristy parts of baltimore by the inner harbor and camden yards. some friends of mine who are considering schools in DC have expressed concern about the location as one of the more prominent targets for terrorist attacks, but others have argued that because of this circumstance security is that much more vigilant and effective.

best of luck with your decision, and congratulations!

 

[goathat5]

from what I know about the two, GW seems to be more clinically / medicine orientated, and i feel like maryland has more of a research - science background. i know GW just built a new hospital on site and just opened it.
besides those incidental points, I would suppose part of what helps with your decision is your feelings about washington DC vs baltimore as a city to live in.
don't know what that does for you,
but hope it helps

 

[Neuronix]

Originally posted by goathat5
from what I know about the two, GW seems to be more clinically / medicine orientated, and i feel like maryland has more of a research - science background.

I totally disagree. Both are strong clinical schools and mediocre research schools. As examples of UMaryland's orientation on clinical medicine, note their focus on teaching primary care and their fixed 2 month 4th year rural medicine rotation.

(Edit: Oops, I exaggerated on the length of the rural medicine rotation. Thanks tms.)

 

[tms]

1st...there is a rural medicine requirment at UofM during fourth year; howver, it is currently 2 months and the students are pushing for a reduction to one month.

2nd...UofM has the state's level 1 trauma center, so it sees cases from all over the state, parts of PA, and parts of DE. They just built a brand new ER. A multi-million dollar research building is planned and construction of a brand new school of dentistry in underway. There is a lot of money being pumped into UMB; this means research funding will go up and ur MD will continue to gain value as years progress.

Also, cost of living is MUCH, MUCH higher in DC. You can find 2 and 3 BR townhomes within blocks of UMB for 1,000-1,200/month.

Good luck in your decision erin.

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by Neuronix
I totally disagree. Both are strong clinical schools and mediocre research schools.

Maryland, unlike GW has a formal MD/PhD program which I think makes it far and above GW in terms of research. There are also many opportunites to collaborate with researchers and take courses at Hopkins especially if you're interested in fields like Neurology and Cancer Epidemiology. And as an aside, Maryland graduates have pretty good luck landing residecies at Hopkins too.

 

[Neuronix]

GW's MD/PhD program website is here: http://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/academic/medicine/degrees/mdphd.html
I do agree that the website is not very impressive.

About U of Maryland, I interviewed there and was accepted there for this coming year for MD/PhD. I was very turned off by the fixed rural medicine rotation and what I have heard about their focus on primary care, and so I withdrew. They have been turned down for the MSTP grant twice, and a few site reviewers have told me that it's not likely UMaryland will see it anytime soon. This year they slipped several spots in the USNews research rankings and gained several spots in the primary care rankings, for whatever that is worth. Further, I think it is sort of an unwritten rule that you cannot do your thesis work at the NIH, which is a shame considering how close it is.

So I hold on my general consensus, but I do agree that if the decision was for MD/PhD between UMaryland and GW I would choose UMaryland. However, as MD programs I don't think the distinction is as clear, at least in my mind.

I'm surprised we haven't yet seen a GW student yet try to sell his/her school on this thread.

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by Neuronix Further, I think it is sort of an unwritten rule that you cannot do your thesis work at the NIH, which is a shame considering how close it is.
[/B]

At what schools can you do your research at NIH? Does Hopkins allow it?

what about Georgetown?

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by Neuronix
Further, I think it is sort of an unwritten rule that you cannot do your thesis work at the NIH, which is a shame considering how close it is.

Absolutely wrong!! There's a program called the graduate partnership program which is a collaborative program between many schools including Maryland, UPenn, and Oxford in certain degree programs where you can get the PhD at NIH.
Here's the web site http://gpp.nih.gov/index.html

 

[tms]

i currently work at the nia building in baltimore. i can assure you that you can do thesis work at the nih. several PIs have dual appointments here and at both JHU and UofMD. i've collaborated with two groups at UofMD and i'm postive that if i wanted to do my PhD work in my current lab (if i go md/phd) i would certainly be able to.

even if you were to stay on campus at UofMD, you would have ample opps to collaborate with the nih, both bethesda and elsewhere. and everyone knows the game, if you have authorship on a paper laden with nih names and labs...put two and two together.