Hi all, first time poster here. I was hoping to get some feedback and opinions on the rankings of these 3 schools for my particular situation and for insight that I may not have been previously thinking about, as I don't have many sources in real life to go to for this kind of stuff. I served active duty military and have the military paying for medical school, so tuition cost is not a factor. Lastly, my current interests are ortho/general surgery and EM. So here we go:
Georgetown
Pros:
-Prestige
-Great match list
-Pre-clerkship grading scale is P/F (is this as good of a thing as everyone says?)
-Opportunities to rotate at Walter Reed (as an army veteran, this would be fulfilling)
-Optional attendance
Cons:
-I did not like DC when I visited (which could be a good thing? less distractions)
-Old facilities
-Step 1 is taken at 18 months
-Far from family
-Undergoing curriculum change which I hear has been rough
Rush
Pros:
-2 hours away from family
-I would have a property I could stay at for cheap, relative to the surrounding area (although ~35 minute commute from Rush)
-Pre-clerkship grading scale is P/F
-Hospital system supposedly has a strong reputation in the Midwest
Cons:
-Mandatory attendance policy
-Less prestige
-Facilities were so-so
-Also undergoing curriculum change
FIU
Pros:
-Liked this place on interview day the most (although it is only one day... and it was my most recent visit, so I could be victim to a recency effect type bias)
-High Step 1 average (240s)
-I liked Miami more than Chicago and DC
-New facilities
-Step 1 is taken after 3rd year (and 1 year of clinical rotations)
-Optional attendance
Cons:
-New school and unknown
-Graded pre-clinical years (is this as bad as everyone says?)
-No home hospital rotation site
SUMMARY: Currently, my heart is saying FIU, and my brain is saying Georgetown. But I don't want to limit my opportunities by going to a newer school. Thanks for your time, and please let me know if I'm looking at any of these criteria (i.e. location and grading system etc.) incorrectly.
Georgetown
Pros:
-Prestige
-Great match list
-Pre-clerkship grading scale is P/F (is this as good of a thing as everyone says?)
-Opportunities to rotate at Walter Reed (as an army veteran, this would be fulfilling)
-Optional attendance
Cons:
-I did not like DC when I visited (which could be a good thing? less distractions)
-Old facilities
-Step 1 is taken at 18 months
-Far from family
-Undergoing curriculum change which I hear has been rough
Rush
Pros:
-2 hours away from family
-I would have a property I could stay at for cheap, relative to the surrounding area (although ~35 minute commute from Rush)
-Pre-clerkship grading scale is P/F
-Hospital system supposedly has a strong reputation in the Midwest
Cons:
-Mandatory attendance policy
-Less prestige
-Facilities were so-so
-Also undergoing curriculum change
FIU
Pros:
-Liked this place on interview day the most (although it is only one day... and it was my most recent visit, so I could be victim to a recency effect type bias)
-High Step 1 average (240s)
-I liked Miami more than Chicago and DC
-New facilities
-Step 1 is taken after 3rd year (and 1 year of clinical rotations)
-Optional attendance
Cons:
-New school and unknown
-Graded pre-clinical years (is this as bad as everyone says?)
-No home hospital rotation site
SUMMARY: Currently, my heart is saying FIU, and my brain is saying Georgetown. But I don't want to limit my opportunities by going to a newer school. Thanks for your time, and please let me know if I'm looking at any of these criteria (i.e. location and grading system etc.) incorrectly.