scorpiogirl27
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2023
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 24
Help me decide between Albany Medical College (AMC) and George Washington University SMHS (GW)
Hey everyone! I would really appreciate some guidance/advice on picking between these two schools. I’m fortunate to have multiple acceptances, and now comes the tough decision of narrowing down! If anyone has any insight on either George Washington or Albany, that would be amazing. Right now, I’m pretty confident I want to go into psychiatry for residency, but that may change . Here are the few pros/cons I’ve come up with so far:
ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE
Pros
+ Really impressed me with how much administration cares about wellness, and the students really emphasized how accommodating and involved their administration is. It sounds like a very good community and students seem happy here. The student body seems also very friendly, collaborative, and cohesive. ( strongest aspect of the school tbh)
+ All NMBE exams , no in-house exams
+ Connected to a hospital that is the only level 1 trauma center in an enormous radius, that brings in both rural and urban patient populations, so opportunities for good training and diverse patient pathology
+ very good clinical training. School seeks to really pride itself on their patient simulation centers, standardized patient programs, and the reputation of their students for being extremely clinically proficient.
+ easy train ride to NYC and other major cities
+ 6 weeks of dedicated step study
+ cheaper apartments and lower COL than D.C
+ Great interview experience and interviewers seemed very friendly
Cons
- unranked school ( this isn’t a big deal and I know unranked school doesn’t mean it is not a great school) however there does seem to be an overall negative perception regarding schools that are unranked ( unsure how much weight there is to this)
- Albany is a small city with not much to do , and it can be really dry at times, especially if you’re not that outdoorsy of a person.
- Not as well known for research, though there are some good opportunities for research and establish research departments
- Campus isn’t the best looking and the facilities are a bit old
- Cold and snowy winters ( Not too big of a deal)
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SMHS
Pros
+ Higher rank/reputation, something that isn’t as big of a deal for me but I do consider as that could also help in terms of residency choices, with step 1 being p/f now. I do dream of matching into a top residency program for psychiatry as the top programs seem to have a specific area of focus I am interested in that is not as prevalent in other residency programs
+ D.C and all the ways that it might enhance my medical school experience such as NIH opportunities available, diverse patient population and pathology, city life, etc.
+ Great global health and research opportunities
+ 10 weeks of dedicated step study
+ nicer campus / facilities
Cons
- High cost of living in D.C
- Cost of attendance about 15k per year more expensive than Albany
- Uses in-house exams for pre clinicals. Not sure if in-house exams are necessarily a bad thing, but I am concerned about not having to worry about minuscule esoteric details for exams created by faculty and staff. However GW does give an NMBE exam at the end of each block , and also NMBE exams for clinicals
- “Name and Shame” thread for GW on r/medical school . Potentially administration are not as supportive of medical students and residents, though this might have changed in recent years. Definitley got a feel that Albany had a more tight-knit supportive and friendly environment administration and student body wise, however I am still unsure about how friendly and supportive faculty and students are at GW so I am taking everything with a grain of salt
- Had a negative interview experience with GW and was shocked when I got accepted. The interviewer just did not seem interested in my responses and it was not conversational at all. Trying not to let the interview affect my perception of the school, but it does make me more hesitant.
- Read somewhere on Reddit/sdn that D.C hospitals suck and attracts mostly drugged patients, which makes working and being a student at these hospitals a miserable experience. I am unsure how accurate this is. Would love any insights on this
- Can’t park in D.C unless you change your license plate to D.C and your driver’s license is for D.C
Both
~ both are modified pass/fail ( Honors, high pass, pass, Fail) for preclinical and clinicals with internal rankings
~ both have solid residency matches ( though GW has a bit of an upper edge in terms of top residency programs)
~ both have a systems-based curriculum that is more step oriented
~ both have scholarly concentrations /distinctions
~ Both schools seem to value diversity and have a big focus on health equity, social justice, advocacy etc
~ Both are a decent drive from home/support network ( this isn’t a big deal for me) ~ 2.5 hours drive for Albany vs 3.5-4 hours drive for GW
Hey everyone! I would really appreciate some guidance/advice on picking between these two schools. I’m fortunate to have multiple acceptances, and now comes the tough decision of narrowing down! If anyone has any insight on either George Washington or Albany, that would be amazing. Right now, I’m pretty confident I want to go into psychiatry for residency, but that may change . Here are the few pros/cons I’ve come up with so far:
ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE
Pros
+ Really impressed me with how much administration cares about wellness, and the students really emphasized how accommodating and involved their administration is. It sounds like a very good community and students seem happy here. The student body seems also very friendly, collaborative, and cohesive. ( strongest aspect of the school tbh)
+ All NMBE exams , no in-house exams
+ Connected to a hospital that is the only level 1 trauma center in an enormous radius, that brings in both rural and urban patient populations, so opportunities for good training and diverse patient pathology
+ very good clinical training. School seeks to really pride itself on their patient simulation centers, standardized patient programs, and the reputation of their students for being extremely clinically proficient.
+ easy train ride to NYC and other major cities
+ 6 weeks of dedicated step study
+ cheaper apartments and lower COL than D.C
+ Great interview experience and interviewers seemed very friendly
Cons
- unranked school ( this isn’t a big deal and I know unranked school doesn’t mean it is not a great school) however there does seem to be an overall negative perception regarding schools that are unranked ( unsure how much weight there is to this)
- Albany is a small city with not much to do , and it can be really dry at times, especially if you’re not that outdoorsy of a person.
- Not as well known for research, though there are some good opportunities for research and establish research departments
- Campus isn’t the best looking and the facilities are a bit old
- Cold and snowy winters ( Not too big of a deal)
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SMHS
Pros
+ Higher rank/reputation, something that isn’t as big of a deal for me but I do consider as that could also help in terms of residency choices, with step 1 being p/f now. I do dream of matching into a top residency program for psychiatry as the top programs seem to have a specific area of focus I am interested in that is not as prevalent in other residency programs
+ D.C and all the ways that it might enhance my medical school experience such as NIH opportunities available, diverse patient population and pathology, city life, etc.
+ Great global health and research opportunities
+ 10 weeks of dedicated step study
+ nicer campus / facilities
Cons
- High cost of living in D.C
- Cost of attendance about 15k per year more expensive than Albany
- Uses in-house exams for pre clinicals. Not sure if in-house exams are necessarily a bad thing, but I am concerned about not having to worry about minuscule esoteric details for exams created by faculty and staff. However GW does give an NMBE exam at the end of each block , and also NMBE exams for clinicals
- “Name and Shame” thread for GW on r/medical school . Potentially administration are not as supportive of medical students and residents, though this might have changed in recent years. Definitley got a feel that Albany had a more tight-knit supportive and friendly environment administration and student body wise, however I am still unsure about how friendly and supportive faculty and students are at GW so I am taking everything with a grain of salt
- Had a negative interview experience with GW and was shocked when I got accepted. The interviewer just did not seem interested in my responses and it was not conversational at all. Trying not to let the interview affect my perception of the school, but it does make me more hesitant.
- Read somewhere on Reddit/sdn that D.C hospitals suck and attracts mostly drugged patients, which makes working and being a student at these hospitals a miserable experience. I am unsure how accurate this is. Would love any insights on this
- Can’t park in D.C unless you change your license plate to D.C and your driver’s license is for D.C
Both
~ both are modified pass/fail ( Honors, high pass, pass, Fail) for preclinical and clinicals with internal rankings
~ both have solid residency matches ( though GW has a bit of an upper edge in terms of top residency programs)
~ both have a systems-based curriculum that is more step oriented
~ both have scholarly concentrations /distinctions
~ Both schools seem to value diversity and have a big focus on health equity, social justice, advocacy etc
~ Both are a decent drive from home/support network ( this isn’t a big deal for me) ~ 2.5 hours drive for Albany vs 3.5-4 hours drive for GW
