Georgetown v Jefferson

[DrNomz]

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Hi All, so I have a couple days to decide btwn Georgetown & Jefferson but keep going back and forth on which I prefer....so any constructive comments would be appreciated.

I feel like ultimately I would be happy and do well at both, and I like both Philly and DC. I plan on specializing but will focus on seeing patients rather than doing research.

GTown is ranked higher for research and has a bigger name but Jeff has better clinical training and way better facilities. Gtown has a smaller class but Jeff has H/P/F instead of H/HP/P/F.

I enjoyed both of my interviews. People at Jeff seemed a bit happier though. Just looking for some helpful feedback.

Thanks!!

 

[DJtiesto]

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[Eastern Blot]

I didn't interview at Jeff so can't offer much insight but did interview (and withdrew) from GT.

1) I dont know how big the class is at Jeff but GT has a class of 200 plus 200 SMP in your first year classes.

2) GT is graded on a curve with H/HP/P/LP/F. I think its pretty Sh**y that a portion of the class is forced to get a LP but thats just my opinion.

3) Gt may have a bigger name to the common person on the street but where you match for residency has more to do with your step 1, 3rd year grades, LOR's.

I wasn't impressed when I was sitting in the old lecture hall at GT with SMP students clogging up the first 3 rows of the lecture hall.

Anyways just my 2 cents!

I too interviewed and withdrew from GT, and had no relation to Jefferson. And I agree with each point Jiesto made regarding GT, especially #2.

 

[vicinihil]

Wow when did GT start to rank higher than Jefferson...shocking. I don't remember Jefferson ever ranking so low. Any who, when you are comparing 45 to 60, there is almost no difference unlike if you were comparing #1 to #16. Jefferson also has better post-graduate training than GT so you would have a big advantage coming from Jefferson.

I would pick Jefferson > GT.

 

[getdown]

I go to Georgetown and to some extent I definitely agree with the points made especially the one about grades being curved. However, I've actually heard some really good things about the training they do 3rd and 4th year. Also, it depends on what specialty you want to do. Georgetown has a reputation of getting kids into Orthopedic Surgery as long as you score above a 220 on boards, so if you want to do Ortho Gtown is where you wanna go.

 

[Fstock]

Wow when did GT start to rank higher than Jefferson...shocking. I don't remember Jefferson ever ranking so low. Any who, when you are comparing 45 to 60, there is almost no difference unlike if you were comparing #1 to #16. Jefferson also has better post-graduate training than GT so you would have a big advantage coming from Jefferson.

I would pick Jefferson > GT.

I think that's a really important point. As a Jefferson student, you'll be able to make connections with the residents, fellows, directors at Jefferson's excellent residency programs. Having that advantage in your back pocket is much more useful than a 15 spot higher rank.

 

[Barcu]

I too have heard great things about Gtown's clinical training by people who went there as well as people who did not. Of all the schools I interviewed at, Gtown emphasized their clinical training and greater student roles than any other school by far. And while match lists are hard to read as a premed, it does seem that Gtown places people in competitive specialties at a higher rate than the rankings would suggest. It was this emphasis that made me pick Gtown, so I'm going there next fall. I didn't apply to Jefferson, so I don't know how they compare, but I liked Gtown.

Yes, the grading system kind of sucks, but I have a hard time figuring out why this matters so much. It's the same everyone has had up to this point. Also, I keep hearing how little preclinical grades matter, so this makes everyone's freaking out seem completely unjustified. I had students tell me that it actually helped them because it provided extra motivation to study more. You may think that's "competitive" (a common complaint against Gtown), but personally I think that will help me.

Anyway, I doubt you can really go wrong. Again, I don't know anything about Jefferson. In a lot of ways, I bet they're similar and probably have many of the same advantages Gtown does (city location, diverse populations, good clinical training, pretty similar research I would guess). But I feel the need to defend Gtown because it gets so much hate on these boards.

How do you feel about DC? Philly?

Edit: Oh, and I forgot the most important of all: what is the difference in $? I've heard Jefferson is pretty expensive, and I know Gtown is. Any significant difference there?

 

[getdown]

Well, I wasn't necessarily talking about placing into better specialties in general but specifically for Ortho, Georgetown has a great reputation of putting kids into programs. It's like if you want to be an econ major you choose Uchicago or Penn for their econ/business reputation and Harvard/Yale if you want to do politics. Certain schools are better in putting kids into certain specialties, ortho, neuro, what have you. And that's not something you can take from Match lists but something you glean from talking to kids in that program.

 

[Barcu]

Well, I wasn't necessarily talking about placing into better specialties in general but specifically for Ortho, Georgetown has a great reputation of putting kids into programs. It's like if you want to be an econ major you choose Uchicago or Penn for their econ/business reputation and Harvard/Yale if you want to do politics. Certain schools are better in putting kids into certain specialties, ortho, neuro, what have you. And that's not something you can take from Match lists but something you glean from talking to kids in that program.

I guess Ortho is the big one. Still, I think the clinical training is a strength of Gtown, and it would be a good place to train despite your intended specialty.

Cost and location seem are probably the biggest factors OP, especially if you are switching back and forth. And maybe grading if that really bothers you.

 

[iniquus]

Jeff's got one of the best Ortho programs in the nation, but choosing a school based on an unsure specialty would be a poor decision. You'll probably change interest, or maybe not even be competitive enough for Ortho.

 

[DrNomz]

OP here:

Thanks everyone for all your input, I definitely appreciate it.

Jefferson is a tad bit cheaper, not by a whole hell of a lot though. And while Philly has a high cost of living, the Georgetown area is definitely higher. Philly also seems easier to get around.

Right now I intend to specialize in neuro. Jeff has a separate Hospital for Neurosciences which drew me there but GTown has strong neuro research...but like I said I'd rather practice than do research.

Just found out Jeff's hospital is also ranked higher nationally so thats a perk training wise.

I guess I'm leaning Jeff now...due to clinical training/hospital, grading system, and more updated facilities (makes me feel like they care about their students more).

Still deciding though so I still appreciate all warranted opinions on this matter. Does anyone have any input curriculum wise?

 

[jackson1]

Just a point about the grading-I'm a 1st year at Georgetown and the LP grade is strictly internal (doesn't show up on transcripts-it's so they can track who's struggling). The SMP's take 7/10 classes with us and really never bothered me-you're not competing with them for grades and there's plenty of space in the lecture hall for everyone. I really like it here, especially DC and my classmates. We keep hearing from the upper classmen that the clinical training is awesome and a definite plus to GT. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer🙂