Okay. I went to Georgetown, and I didn't go to Jefferson. I regret not going to Jefferson. Here is the word on that.
Georgetown was one of the poorest run interviews I have been to. There were 20+ other applicants on my day (they kept strict to 3 or 4 dates of interviews, they didn't expand like other programs did, hypothetically for monetary reasons). There wasn't a pre-interview dinner, and the only two residents I talked to were the two who were giving interviews. I only had two interviews (the next smallest I've had has been 4, not including Tufts, where they double team you and give you 3, when it's actually 6 people). Neither of my interviews was with the program director. The program director only met with 4 or 5 people. So, I interviewed with a resident and with a faculty member from the VA. My resident interview went like this, "Hi, do you have any questions?" I actually asked him, "Do YOU have any questions for ME?" and he said, "No." And that was my interview. I made up some questions and got some answers. I felt like I did not get to "sell" myself at all during either interview, which made me feel like I was going to get judged strictly on numbers and test scores, basically all stuff they could have judged me on without me coming for the interview. See, the good thing about everyone meeting the program director is that it means everyone is seen on an equal plane, since there is some basis to the legitimacy of comparing one applicant to another. And, we ALL wanted to have an interview with the program director, but only a few of us got the chance. There's a nice lunch at the Faculty Club, but at a table of maybe 12 of us, we got one resident. (The other residents, maybe 2 of them, were at the other table.) The tour takes up the afternoon, since you have to be shuttled over to the VA, which takes a good half hour each way.
All in all, I didn't get a good sense of Georgetown, I felt like my interview day was very disappointing, and that they didn't have a good feel for any of the applicants on that day (there were a ton of us there. A ton. I talked to the secretary and she said they were overbooked for all of their dates). And, if I had wanted to be considered seriously, I would definitely have had to meet the program director, which would mean for me having to make an actual second visit.
Jefferson has good word of mouth on the interview trail from others I've talked to. Think it over, and good luck. I have three left: UIC, Yale and UNC-Chapel Hill, but of those I think I will only keep UNC. I am too tired and too stressed to do anymore.
