George Washington Medical School or Albany medical College?

[OrangeCaramel]

I was fortunate enough to get into two BS/MD programs. I'd just like to get some opinions at this point to decide which combined BS/MD program I should attend, St Bonaventure/ George Washington School of Medicine OR Union College/Albany Medical College.

My cost of attendance is same at SBU and Union. I think I will be happy at both. However, I can get an MBA through the Union/AMC program, while I can't at SBU. However, that means I have all the summers to myself at SBU, and I have to spend three summers at Union to get my MBA .

Union is probably a more prestigious undergraduate institution, and I would have more international opportunities/exposure at Union than at SBU. But is GWU better than AMC in terms of prestige/residency placements? Since I wouldn't have to take the MCAT at either program, my next long term project would be USMLE/residency. Should I attend GWU or AMC? I don't know which specialty I want yet, but I can at least say that I want to stay somewhere on or near the East Coast. Also, GWU has way more opportunities for international clinical electives, while AMC has only one.

PS How can I tell if a med school has good residency placements? I mean, I don't think anybody went to a harvard affiliated hospital for residency at either instituion, but two people went to Yale from GWU...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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[nysegop]

Amc

 

[OrangeCaramel]

May I ask why???

 

[Arijos0222]

May I ask why???

GWSM

Washington DC is amazing.

Unless you don't want to be a target for terrorist attacks

And plus Union College is REALLY REALLY hard with their academics from what i've heard (top LAC)

I would reccomend going to st B's

 

[nysegop]

I don't know. GWU has a better ranking if you care about that. I just personally would rather go to albany.

 

[Medstart108]

I was fortunate enough to get into two BS/MD programs. I'd just like to get some opinions at this point to decide which combined BS/MD program I should attend, St Bonaventure/ George Washington School of Medicine OR Union College/Albany Medical College.

My cost of attendance is same at SBU and Union. I think I will be happy at both. However, I can get an MBA through the Union/AMC program, while I can't at SBU. However, that means I have all the summers to myself at SBU, and I have to spend three summers at Union to get my MBA .

Union is probably a more prestigious undergraduate institution, and I would have more international opportunities/exposure at Union than at SBU. But is GWU better than AMC in terms of prestige/residency placements? Since I wouldn't have to take the MCAT at either program, my next long term project would be USMLE/residency. Should I attend GWU or AMC? I don't know which specialty I want yet, but I can at least say that I want to stay somewhere on or near the East Coast. Also, GWU has way more opportunities for international clinical electives, while AMC has only one.

PS How can I tell if a med school has good residency placements? I mean, I don't think anybody went to a harvard affiliated hospital for residency at either instituion, but two people went to Yale from GWU...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

First let me say congrats. I applied to the GWU program but wasn't accepted. I was always very eh about the program just because of St Bonaventure. The school was too small for my liking and i was spending 4 years at a no name school. However, i knew i liked GWU.


No one cares where you went to undergrad after medical school, so really in terms of prestige it is between GWU and Albany Medical College

However, if you can get over living in a questionable place for 4 years of your life, I would very much love George Washington University SOM over Albany Medical College.

Washington DC > Albany

The hospitals will have more and better cases (more violent crime in DC, more trauma in DC and more intense in DC)

DC is probably a better place to live IMO, I would enjoy it much more than Albany. If you are into public health, would be very beneficial

GWU has one of the lowest acceptance rates in the country for a medical school. Around 3.2%

You have a very tough decision ahead of you. I don't think you can make a wrong decision. If you are good enough to make it to a BS/MD program, you probably could go to more prestigious undergrad and med schools with the same work effort. However, since you are already accepted, i would choose one. Your college life will be much easier than your friends who are premed because you won't have to worry as much about attaining the highest GPA possible, balancing a million ECs and writing the MCATs.

For me, Union College > St Bonnies and GWU > Albany Medical College.

 

[sonofva]

any place you get your summers free. you're on the fast track now, and you should value whatever free time you have...use that time to jangle around, travel, and enjoy yourself..

 

[OrangeCaramel]

Thank you for the advice! I am leaning towards St. Bona's and will decide after accepted students day. GWU is pretty awesome!

 

[medstudent2222]

I would actually think that Albany gets much more diverse pathology than GW ('better cases'). Whereas GW is in a city with multiple other large hospitals, Albany Med is the only Level 1 trauma center in an enormous radius. Lots of the exotic pathology in DC goes to Hopkins, etc. Some stuff might go to NYC/Boston from Upstate, but referring out is less common. Although there might be less penetrating trauma, I think I read that Albany was just the highest volume trauma center in NY state. I believe some of the residency programs are also bigger at Albany Med than they are at GW. They're both good schools and there won't be any difference when it comes to residency applications.

From a living standpoint, I agree D.C. > Albany.

Good either way, just wanted to clarify the above point but it's a far-too-common misconception.