Georgetown vs. Hofstra vs. Downstate

[iandraggia]

Hey guys,

Part of the "happy problem" squad, but I realized that this problem is way harder to solve than I thought.

My choices come down to Georgetown, Hofstra and Downstate. I think all three of these schools are great but one doesn't obviously stick out over the others. With Hofstra (the cheapest school right now as a comparison), I will have to owe ~$25,000 more to go to Downstate, and ~$45,000 more to go to Georgetown by graduation, considering grants, scholarships, and subsidized/unsubsidized loans. This is a total amount owed, not like 25k more per year for Downstate or 45k per year for Georgetown.

In terms of fit, I really like Georgetown's Cura Personalis mission and I also really like Hofstra's PEARLS curriculum. I honestly didn't really like Downstate when I visited but it is the closest to home of these options. As of now I don't think I'll mind the graded vs. true P/F curriculum differences but I don't know how I feel once I'm in school.

In terms of desired residency, I would like to go in with an open mind and generally not be limited if I end up changing my mind with what I want to pursue midway through. I also like the idea of pursuing academic medicine.

Georgetown has a better reputation and better research, but Hofstra's curriculum is new and innovative and it may be something worth investing in if it's something that's on the rise. Downstate produces great docs because they get a lot of autonomy during medical school in working with patients, and Brooklyn is a great place to learn doctoring skills and interact with diverse patients.

As you can see, I'm torn. Is the money difference truly significant between these schools? Is it worth investing in Hofstra's new curriculum? Should the difference in grading be something I should consider more deeply when choosing my school? I'm leaning towards Georgetown since I really had a great feel on interview day, but it's a matter of whether or not it's worth the extra 45k that I'll have to pay back in loans at the end.

Any and all advice is appreciated! Thank you so much!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Pr1d3D0c]

I voted Hof. I am currently admitted there and actually chose to apply to Hof OVER Georgetown. I chose this because of (a) their new curriculum that seems innovative and effective (based on step scores and student matching) (b) their position close to NYC (though this is more a wash as Gtown is in DC) and (c) the facilities. Georgetown's facilities are poor and there really isn't as much support from the greater University as there appears to be at Hof.

 

[deev04]

45k in total is probably not worth making the deciding factor. If GT is where you think you will be happiest and have the best sense of "fit," I think GT makes sense. Step scores have nothing to do with the school. If you want a high step score, you have to work for it no matter the school. Match lists are also pretty unreliable at mid-tiers and almost impossible to interpret because of the degree to which individual preference and performance affect rank lists/matches.

If you like the curriculum at Hof better, I think that's a solid reason to choose Hof over GT. But, if you only have a slight preference for Hof's curriculum, or are unsure and like just about everything else about GT more, I'd still give GT the edge.

 

[iandraggia]

bump. still torn

 

[slippydubloons]

While I can't counsel you on Hofstra/GT, I would likely advise against Downstate. Just my 0.02.

 

[iandraggia]

While I can't counsel you on Hofstra/GT, I would likely advise against Downstate. Just my 0.02.

Thank you! Can you explain?

 

[slippydubloons]

Thank you! Can you explain?

Compared to your other options:

Locale and a more malignant training environment (probably the biggest issue and I see it commonly cited by all the New York-based attendings I work with)

Would take Hofstra in a heartbeat over Downstate, especially with it being cheaper. Stronger hospital network at Northwell. I don't know too much about GT unfortunately or else I'd be able to advise you better

 

[kb1900]

Just to throw in a different opinion here. I'm choosing downstate over Hofstra and a handful of other schools.

The match list at Hofstra leaves a lot to be desired and you truly have to buy into what, to me, seems like a trend in medical school education rather than real innovation. All the medical students I've talked to have all had the consensus opinion that while PBL/CBL can be helpful, it's wholly inneficient when considering the context of volume. Of course if you believe you while thrive based on the curriculum that's more power to you.

Also Brooklyn is a fantastic place to live if you know where to look; just as expensive as Hempstead/garden city/surround Long Island area but with much more to offer. I found that Hofstra students seemed a little frustrated with their location and didn't really seem to take advantage of their proximity to the city - though this is just anecdotal. I think that you actually have to know yourself well or have lived in the city before to know if you truly value it because it is definitely not for everyone.

All in all though the real reason I chose the way I did is just by remembering that my goals are to match into nyc and downstate simply has a high % of its match list going to NYC where as a lot of Hofstra match seems a little more geographically diverse and less impressive.

I'm not really sure where the 'malignant environment' idea comes from up there but yeah a rotation at Kings county definitely isn't going to be as cushy as one in the Northwell system. I see that as an advantage and not a disadvantage simply because I'm more of an experience/hands-on based learner and in general, attendings/residents and patients both seem to value medical students as real parts of the care team in underserved populations.

Hope I offered some decent but different perspective that can help you decide on whether you should remove downstate from your top choices or not!