Hi everyone! I have the worst case of indecisiveness when it comes to making big decisions like these. I have been blessed to been accepted to UNC Chapel Hill and Georgetown and to be in a position where I can have a choice. I'm a California resident and I'm hoping to match back into California (ideally, but honestly not the worst if I don't) for orthopedic surgery. I've been trying to comb through these threads, but honestly, I've been so lost.
Georgetown
Pros
- Love Washington DC
- Very strong match list (especially with ortho and other competitive specialities)
- Resonate with Jesuit philosophy, emphasis on community service
- Optional lecture
- P/F preclinical
- Have a few family members nearby
Cons
- Higher COL
- Older facilities
- Lower ranked than UNC (although not sure how much rank matters)
UNC Chapel Hill
Pros
- Newer facilities
- Also strong match list (though more matches seem to be in the east coast
- Higher ranked
- Lots of NIH research funding
- Lower COL
- P/F preclinical
Cons
- Not the biggest fan of North Carolina
- Mandatory attendance (and strict absence policies)
- Have heard some things about messy communication between administration and students (not sure if this speaks to anything about how supportive of an environment UNC has?)
One thing I'm not sure about is each of their hospital systems and how those would compare. Also if anyone at UNC could speak to the overall environment and culture at UNC, I'm not able to find so much on how this flipped classroom and mandatory attendance has affected the overall vibe and what not.
Also for cost of attendance, I'm blessed in the fact that my parent's are willing to help me cover the cost differences between the two schools, so while cost is important, I want to look past that a bit and more towards the programs themselves.
Any advice at all is very much appreciated! Thanks 🙂
Georgetown
Pros
- Love Washington DC
- Very strong match list (especially with ortho and other competitive specialities)
- Resonate with Jesuit philosophy, emphasis on community service
- Optional lecture
- P/F preclinical
- Have a few family members nearby
Cons
- Higher COL
- Older facilities
- Lower ranked than UNC (although not sure how much rank matters)
UNC Chapel Hill
Pros
- Newer facilities
- Also strong match list (though more matches seem to be in the east coast
- Higher ranked
- Lots of NIH research funding
- Lower COL
- P/F preclinical
Cons
- Not the biggest fan of North Carolina
- Mandatory attendance (and strict absence policies)
- Have heard some things about messy communication between administration and students (not sure if this speaks to anything about how supportive of an environment UNC has?)
One thing I'm not sure about is each of their hospital systems and how those would compare. Also if anyone at UNC could speak to the overall environment and culture at UNC, I'm not able to find so much on how this flipped classroom and mandatory attendance has affected the overall vibe and what not.
Also for cost of attendance, I'm blessed in the fact that my parent's are willing to help me cover the cost differences between the two schools, so while cost is important, I want to look past that a bit and more towards the programs themselves.
Any advice at all is very much appreciated! Thanks 🙂