Georgetown versus George Washington

[DCMedicine2014]

I have been fortunate enough to gain acceptance to two fantastic medical schools. However, I'm having a lot of trouble deciding between the two and would love to hear SDN's input.

So far, here is what I've gathered about the two schools:

Georgetown

Pros

• Excellent reputation
• Good acceptance into surgical residencies (which I may be interested in)

Cons

• Relatively outdated facilities
• Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail grading system
• Students there seemed more stressed than at GW

George Washington

Pros

• Honors/Pass/Fail grading (I am coming from a high-stress UG and would appreciate a change of pace)
• Foggy Bottom is awesome
• Excellent health care policy track program

Cons

• Less prestigious than Georgetown (???)
• They are instituting a new curriculum starting next Fall (This could either be a pro or con, but since the previous years' study materials will be less relevant, I'm gonna mark it as a con)

Overall, the two schools seem VERY similar. I am very interested in health care policy, which is pretty big at both schools given their location in DC. I definitely want to specialize, and both schools have great residency match rates. At this point, I'm wondering if it might make sense to choose the school that resonated more with me, which at this point is GW- the students seemed more laid-back, the facilities newer, and their reputation for clinical care is quite good. Does anybody have any personal experience that they think might help me?

Thanks 🙂 🙂​

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[ace12345]

How does your financial situation look like at each? They're both fairly expensive, if one is substantively cheaper than the other that might be a swing point (Though you may not know this until financial aid comes out).

 

[DCMedicine2014]

How does your financial situation look like at each? They're both fairly expensive, if one is substantively cheaper than the other that might be a swing point (Though you may not know this until financial aid comes out).

In terms of tuition/cost of living, they are both very similar. I haven't received the financial aid information yet, so for now I'm just trying to get a non-fiscal impression of the schools.

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't include "prestige" too much in the decision as both programs seem to be around the same level (and because I personally don't think prestige is all that important unless finances, fit, etc are exactly the same). I also wouldn't worry too much about Honors/Pass/Fail versus High Honors/Honors/Pass/Fail - from what others have posted (and residency director surveys), preclinical grades don't seem to matter as much as other factors and you aren't comparing one true pass/fail to one that isn't anyway. For health policy, both schools are bound to have connections that can help, so I imagine that will almost be a wash as well.

So I realize that probably wasn't all that helpful, so I'll add that when I interviewed at Georgetown last year, I withdrew almost immediately because I, like you, felt the students seemed really stressed and complained a bit much about their tests to us interviewees for my liking. Clearly that was just what I came away with after only a short visit, so I would go to both second looks to check if the first impressions we both had seem correct.

Also keep in mind Georgetown doesn't have a metro stop (though the area itself is nicer, in my opinion, than foggy bottom), which, having spent time in DC, I found to be a bit of a hinderance when having to get to meeting outside of the area (which you may have to do more if you are traveling to different areas for policy work). That being said, there are circulator buses and a myriad of other travel options, so it really might be a minor point.

Bottom line: considering how similar they are, I'd figure out which class you think you click with more at second look and then look at the financial package and go from there. Good luck with your choice!

 

[Syndicate]

They're both ranked mid tier, in the same city, cost a lot (tuition and living expenses) so if it were me, I'd go with whoever gives you the better financial package.

 

[ranson]

Like others have mentioned, the prestige factor shouldn't be considered because they are equal and residency directors aren't going to care whether you came from GU or GW. Go to the school with the curriculum you like and the place where you feel you could succeed.

 

[alpinism]

I have been fortunate enough to gain acceptance to two fantastic medical schools. However, I'm having a lot of trouble deciding between the two and would love to hear SDN's input.

So far, here is what I've gathered about the two schools:

Georgetown

Pros

• Excellent reputation
• Good acceptance into surgical residencies (which I may be interested in)

Cons

• Relatively outdated facilities
• Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail grading system
• Students there seemed more stressed than at GW

George Washington

Pros

• Honors/Pass/Fail grading (I am coming from a high-stress UG and would appreciate a change of pace)
• Foggy Bottom is awesome
• Excellent health care policy track program

Cons

• Less prestigious than Georgetown (???)
• They are instituting a new curriculum starting next Fall (This could either be a pro or con, but since the previous years' study materials will be less relevant, I'm gonna mark it as a con)

Overall, the two schools seem VERY similar. I am very interested in health care policy, which is pretty big at both schools given their location in DC. I definitely want to specialize, and both schools have great residency match rates. At this point, I'm wondering if it might make sense to choose the school that resonated more with me, which at this point is GW- the students seemed more laid-back, the facilities newer, and their reputation for clinical care is quite good. Does anybody have any personal experience that they think might help me?

Thanks 🙂 🙂​

Regarding the GT cons:

-H/HP/P/F grading is the same thing as H/P/F. You're still being graded during the preclinical years and you still have to study harder to get honors.

-Both schools have outdated facilities. Although in the grand scheme of things this shouldn't matter at all. In addition, many med students study at the business school or on the undergrad campus next door (both of which have beautiful brand new buildings).

-Its definitely true that GT students are more stressed and competitive than many other schools. This is in part why they have such a good reputation and explains their good acceptance into surgical residencies (one of your pros for the school).

Some extra info:

-Just to reiterate, GT has no metro stop by the campus. There is the GUTS bus that takes you to rossyln and dupont circle, however, its still a big pain in the butt to get around DC or go downtown. That being said there are a ton of great shops, restaurants, and parks by the campus.

-In terms of clinical education, GT does rotations at INOVA and Washington Hospital Center besides GT hospital. The former 2 hospitals are busier and see more diverse pathology and trauma than GW Hospital, while GT hospital mostly caters to middle and upper class residents of NW DC.

Both schools are very similar so like others have said just pick whichever one you like better.

 

[vitty]

I'm a GT 4th year so I'm biased but I would definitely choose GT over GW with a few caveats. GW and GT are both considered mid tier schools though I must say after doing aways and interviews at other "more prestigious" institutions for the better part of this year, I'm not sure there's a lot of difference between any medical schools. The only time I feel like "prestige" matters is when you go visit some of the Ivory towers in New England where name is everything. If you plan on coming into medical school ready to work you can do very well for yourself and do anything.

GT is a rigorous education but by no means is it malignant or overly stressful. As someone else pointed out, 1st and 2nd year grades don't really matter except in regards to AOA. However, the material is extremely important when it comes to STEP 1. We are very well prepared for the exam and a good proportion of our class scored over 250. 3rd and 4th year grades are like everywhere else. We get great clinical training and when I was doing my aways it really stood out to me how much more responsibility I had at GT over students at some other bigger name places. Our 4th year subinternship in medicine is known to be very challenging as we carry up to 7 patients and have the same duties and expectations as an intern.

As far as surgical interests, GT is a better place to train than GW. As a disclaimer, I do not like surgery and will hopefully never go into an OR again. We have one of the busiest transplant centers in the country and are 1 of 5 places that do small intestine transplants. Our Ortho dept is extremely popular and does a great job of matching people into the specialty. We place more ortho students (25-30 per year) than just about any other school in the country. Aside from that we place a decent number of urology, NS, and ENT students each year. If you look at our match list you will see one of Georgetown's greatest strengths. We always have people going to a Harvard program, Hopkins, WashU, Penn, Stanford, UCSF etc.

GW has all the same specialties as GT. I don't think they are as well regarded in the surgical subspecialties and definitely not as well regarded in my chosen field of neurology. GW hands down has better pediatric exposure. They rotate through Children's National Medical Center which I've heard is a great experience. We on the other hand rotate through our small and not so interesting peds floor which I felt was lacking. Another weakness of Georgetown is the ER. GT's ER is a small unit with nothing too exciting going on. We do rotate at washington hospital center which is huge and a level 1 trauma center where you see a lot of crazy stuff. GW has a smaller but well known ER that does a lot of cardiac caths, trauma etc.

My main disappointment with GT is the lack of accessible research. I knew this coming in but in retrospect I didn't realize what a pain it would be. GT's main focus is clinical which really resonated with me at the time I was looking at schools. I am still mainly focused on a clinical future but I would have like more primary research opportunities. This is not to say you cant do research if you come to GT. You may have to work a little harder at making connections or go over to the NIH but it's not impossible. GW isn't any better in this respect so I would say it's a tie.

Ultimately go where you feel best. I fell in love with GT after my interview and had my mind made up to come here. I am in no way disappointed with my choice and after 4 years of hard work I am ready to go on to residency. I have been blown away by the support and encouragement from the faculty. They have consistently gone to bat for me and as a result opened a lot of doors.

Also, do not neglect the importance of financial aid. If one school gives you a lot more than the other than that should be the determining factor unless there are major red flags. The cost of a medical education is ridiculously high and by no means is it trivial.

 

[Milgauss]

I'm a GT 4th year so I'm biased but I would definitely choose GT over GW with a few caveats. GW and GT are both considered mid tier schools though I must say after doing aways and interviews at other "more prestigious" institutions for the better part of this year, I'm not sure there's a lot of difference between any medical schools. The only time I feel like "prestige" matters is when you go visit some of the Ivory towers in New England where name is everything. If you plan on coming into medical school ready to work you can do very well for yourself and do anything.

GT is a rigorous education but by no means is it malignant or overly stressful. As someone else pointed out, 1st and 2nd year grades don't really matter except in regards to AOA. However, the material is extremely important when it comes to STEP 1. We are very well prepared for the exam and a good proportion of our class scored over 250. 3rd and 4th year grades are like everywhere else. We get great clinical training and when I was doing my aways it really stood out to me how much more responsibility I had at GT over students at some other bigger name places. Our 4th year subinternship in medicine is known to be very challenging as we carry up to 7 patients and have the same duties and expectations as an intern.

As far as surgical interests, GT is a better place to train than GW. As a disclaimer, I do not like surgery and will hopefully never go into an OR again. We have one of the busiest transplant centers in the country and are 1 of 5 places that do small intestine transplants. Our Ortho dept is extremely popular and does a great job of matching people into the specialty. We place more ortho students (25-30 per year) than just about any other school in the country. Aside from that we place a decent number of urology, NS, and ENT students each year. If you look at our match list you will see one of Georgetown's greatest strengths. We always have people going to a Harvard program, Hopkins, WashU, Penn, Stanford, UCSF etc.

GW has all the same specialties as GT. I don't think they are as well regarded in the surgical subspecialties and definitely not as well regarded in my chosen field of neurology. GW hands down has better pediatric exposure. They rotate through Children's National Medical Center which I've heard is a great experience. We on the other hand rotate through our small and not so interesting peds floor which I felt was lacking. Another weakness of Georgetown is the ER. GT's ER is a small unit with nothing too exciting going on. We do rotate at washington hospital center which is huge and a level 1 trauma center where you see a lot of crazy stuff. GW has a smaller but well known ER that does a lot of cardiac caths, trauma etc.

My main disappointment with GT is the lack of accessible research. I knew this coming in but in retrospect I didn't realize what a pain it would be. GT's main focus is clinical which really resonated with me at the time I was looking at schools. I am still mainly focused on a clinical future but I would have like more primary research opportunities. This is not to say you cant do research if you come to GT. You may have to work a little harder at making connections or go over to the NIH but it's not impossible. GW isn't any better in this respect so I would say it's a tie.

Ultimately go where you feel best. I fell in love with GT after my interview and had my mind made up to come here. I am in no way disappointed with my choice and after 4 years of hard work I am ready to go on to residency. I have been blown away by the support and encouragement from the faculty. They have consistently gone to bat for me and as a result opened a lot of doors.

Also, do not neglect the importance of financial aid. If one school gives you a lot more than the other than that should be the determining factor unless there are major red flags. The cost of a medical education is ridiculously high and by no means is it trivial.

Wow thanks for the extremely detailed and helpful comment! i'm an incoming first year Georgetown student and am reading everything i can about GT. it's always great to hear from someone who's gone through the process and are willing to pass along helpful tips to newcomers. I wish you luck at where ever you are doing your residency!