Georgetown vs. Wake Forest

[sunsetsky123]

Hi everyone! I am really torn between these two medical schools and was wondering if you could help me gain some insight regarding my decision. Thanks so much in advance!

Georgetown:

Pros:
-Great research opportunities, including longitudinal academic tracks that I am interested in and want to pursue

-D.C. would be a great city to live in, lots of things to do. The NIH is really close by which would allow for great research opportunities. Also, the medical students work with the law school students to create policy change which is really exciting.

-cura personalis, or caring for the whole person.

Cons:
-Expensive, approximate total cost of attendance is about $94,732. The cost of living in D.C. is very high.

-The facilities are a little bit older/dated.

Wake Forest:

Pros:
-Close knit community which seems very collaborative. I felt like they really cared about who I was as a person during my interview.

-Beautiful facilities. I was shocked at how inviting the learning spaces are, and their simulation labs are really nice.

-Mental health support for students is really strong. I liked that they acknowledged the stresses that medical school presents and proceeded to talk about the therapy resources for students.

Cons:
-Farther away from home than Gtown, about a 9-hour drive.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chilly_md]

How much cheaper is Wake looking like right now?

 

[sunsetsky123]

How much cheaper is Wake looking like right now?

about $7000 less per year

 

[chilly_md]

about $7000 less per year

That’s not too big of a difference, though DC rents are probably even higher now. I’d save the 30-40k and go Wake as I’ve heard a lot of students enjoy the atmosphere there. They have a lot of facilities there as well to get involved with research.

 

[deleted1108356]

Wake Forrest! I live in DC right now and the cost of living is astronomical. That coupled with the tuition difference makes me think Wake is the better option

Just to let you know, this person is on the waitlist for Georgetown so they may just be saying this to benefit themselves

 

[deleted555445]

Just to let you know, this person is on the waitlist for Georgetown so they may just be saying this to benefit themselves

Solid investigational work!

 

[deleted1108356]

Solid investigational work!

someone’s gotta expose the toxic premeds 👀😂

 

[deleted555445]

someone’s gotta expose the toxic premeds 👀😂

🏆

 

[gyngyn]

Enough speculation on the motivations of others, please.

 

[m1redsox]

Full disclosure: M2/3 at Wake

-Absolutely love it here. Definitely would like to stay for residency
-Cheap COL (currently paying $950/mo for a nice 2BD/2BA apartment on the outer edge of town—downtown is more expensive but still very reasonable since most students have roommates). Realistic possibility of buying a house as a resident (3BD/2BA houses start around ~$250k here)
-Suburban location (I’m a huge fan of no traffic and ease of getting around, but I hear the dating scene isn’t great—I’m not single so I wouldn’t know). However you can also choose to rotate in Charlotte if you prefer an urban area (Charlotte Medical Center is actually bigger than WFBMC I think)
-Great residency programs x2 — both Atrium/CMC and WFBMC have well-regarded programs in almost every field and they complement one another well (ie CMC has #3 EM, #15 ortho; Wake has T30 derm, plastics, anesthesia, ophtho, radiology)
-Research is easy to find
-The med school building really is gorgeous and I love it, but WFBMC is old and I don’t love it as much (not a problem if you rotate in Charlotte)
-Very supportive faculty however I am a bit upset with a change in the surgery clerkship where we can no longer choose an elective (hopefully this will change back by the time you are a 3rd year because our whole class has blown up about it to the administration)