Georgetown

[LuxEtVeritas05]

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I thought about applying to Georgetown (sent in the AMCAS) but now I'm having major reservations about this school. When I was picking which schools to apply, the Health Professions Advisor at my Univ. told me to skip Georgetown. He said no one from my school who went there enjoyed it and that it was going broke, eg. the med. school had to sell its hospital last year. I went ahead and sent AMCAS for Georgetown anyway because I liked the name and figured it might be fun to spend 4 years in DC. But it really freaked me out to look at their secondary and their online viewbook. First, their secondary has this disclaimer about admission and subsequent enrollment pending good financial credit. My credit is fine but I find the fact that a school would make you defer a year or make your acceptance contingent upon your credit history aberrant and pitiful. Secondly, when I was looking at the structure of the curriculum, I found a mandatory course about spirituality and medicine- huge turnoff. I know there's something to be said about faith, spirtuality and healing, but I'm looking for a secular/scientifically-grounded education as a foundation for my medical career. And I worry that Georgetown will spin a Jesuit/Catholic bent with that course. Does anyone else have any thoughts or experiences about this school? I'm wondering if I should just save the $100 fee for the secondary and buy a pair of jeans.

 

[LuxEtVeritas05]

Oh, and this article in an August 26th article from the Washington Post:

"Georgetown University's credit rating was knocked down this week to a level considered unusually low for a school of its national prominence, as Wall Street analysts raised concerns about the lingering deficits created by its struggling medical center.

Analysts for Standard and Poor's lowered its rating on Georgetown's outstanding bonds issued through the District of Columbia from A- to BBB+ after determining the university does not have an unrestricted cushion of cash large enough to see it through a major emergency....
'Georgetown's level of debt does not raise concerns, though -- just their low level of financial resources' [says Mary Peloquin-Dodd, a Standard and Poor's director]."

And the University only has a $600 million endowment. Coming from a Univ. with $14 billion, it's a little scary to think of how the resources will compare.

 

[sunUCB]

save the 100 bucks, hehe.

i spent those 100 bucks and it took them less than a week to reject me. i think they just look for a very specific type of applicant. i'm not saying i deserved an interview or anything, it's just that, in my experience, schools tend to take longer than a 5 or 6 days to reject you - which is why i think they only look for a specific quality, and apparently i didn't have it so out the door i went.

 

[EllieElle]

This is why you SHOULD apply to Gtown. If they decide to interview you, you will hear a very thorough presentation on all the questions that you raised- I'll try to summarize.

First, about the credit history. Bad news, but your credit history definitely affects your ability to get loans at ANY school. A lot of schools don't outwardly say it, but it's true (my premedical advisor gave my class numerous speeches on the importance of keeping up to date with our credit card bills, etc). It is expensive. But anyone who's going to drop $100 on a pair of jeans can't be too concerned 😉

As far as the Jesuit/Catholic tradition goes, the only big way that this will affect your medical school experience is that there will be none of the following: abortion (taught or practiced in their hospital, though you can go learn it on a rotation in other hospitals), fetal stem cell research, euthanasia, or PA suicide. If you're really turned off by the course on religious traditions, well, I guess that's a personal choice. But it sounded kindof cool-- at least it will prepare you to be more sympathetic towards your patients' diverse religious backgrounds as you move forward. There is no Catholic/Jesuit "spin" on medical education; their educational philosophy is grounded in the ideals of compassion, empathy, etc, and all that seems pretty universal to me.

Anyway, I am doing a pretty poor job of summarizing what was, in my opinion, an excellent presentation. I hope that you have a chance to visit the school, and enjoy your time there as much as I did!

 

[synapse lapse]

Ok, first off the stafford loan limits for medical students is $38,500, almost enough to cover tuition at even the priciest schools. IN addition to that, I'm sure that you can find family/friends to cosign on a loan since you would be in med school and about to be a doctor. No school should include a credit check on their application, some students have been less fortunate financially then others. Second, the schools financial problems need to be taken into account. Who knows what type of education you are going to get from a school that is having financial troubles. That is a bad rating for an institution of their "caliber". As far as religioun goes, this may be a turnoff to certain people, and is a very personal choice. Gtown is the type of snobish school, that is the overall feel I got form there. Not only do the do a credit check, they won't waive the $100 fee for those of us with FAP from AAMC. Almost every other school does. Gtown undergrad is full of rich kids that couldn't go to a better school, I get a feeling that the medical school isn't much diff.

 

[Jeffy]

Gtown undergrad is full of rich kids that couldn't go to a better school

Ah yes, the USC of the east.

 

[Bubchik]

I have just finished my interview there. When i applied I did not think much of it: expensive, broke, nontraditional curiculum. But ater the interview I absolutely fell in love with it. The curriculum is nontraditional so you have to like it. In comparison to other schools they do a great job on teaching clinical skills (for CSA portion of Step II), they have this futuristic lab where you can examine patients and it will be taped and evaluated by the attendings (check it out on their web-site). This is the first school I saw with this kind of lab. About being more expensive: anyways med students have to take out the loans and unless you are in-state accepted at a state school you will have a large amount in loans upon graduation. What I loved about GT: location (it is gorgeous and public transportation is awesome so you do not have to live on campus), people (students are very relaxed, faculty is very approachable, and they smile all the time), interview was a chill. In comparison to other school I interviewed in that area I absolutely loved it and will consider if i will get accepted.

 

[Hoya11]

i thought the same thing about applying to gtown and it was the only place i got in, and i am here loving it.

The secondary essay is a bitch, but if you arent going to do an essay, they figure fine you dont want it bad enough. THis is the kind of school that they are, they are looking for very motivated applicants with interesting stories, and i am biased to think, high verbal mcat scores as well.

truths:

the religion thing is not an issue, there is one one month class, and i never even go to it. No one here is religious like that, it is NOt a big deal, dont get scared.

the money thing is not an issue, you can get as much money in loans as you want, through the university or beyond it, and the hospital has been around since 1700 something so i dont think it is going anywhere. They did address this issue at orientation, and made it seem like it is just a temporary restructuring. There are a lot of changes going on in the hospital, new meeting rooms being built and stuff. This is great because you are right in the hospital as a med student and get to reap the benefits of this current construction. Some of the new rooms are already built and they are awesome, like at no school i have ever seen before, and the current classrooms are standard lecture halls, its all very nice.

So to sum up:

Do a good job on the secondary essay. That alone could get you an interview, its a lot of work but come on. (also consider the fact that your verbal score counts here more than other places i believe) They are looking fro really well rounded applicants, not science egg heads.

You could end up getting in here, and no where else (even state schools) like me, which is shocking. And leaves u in a position where you are at a great school, in an awesome area, and by the time that you leave, i would expect gtowns reputation to be even better.

 

[ssm]

i went to gtown as an undergrad, wondering about the jesuit influence, and there is close to none. yes it is religiously affiliated, but the school is very secular. it just asks that is students be competent of all faiths and beliefs out there, for knowledge sake. hence, the course on spirituality on medicine won't have a christian spin on it, it is there to make young aspiring physician's competetent of the world's religions and faiths and when such beliefs come into conflict with moden day medicine and how to deal with such. lots of schools are implementing this kind of coursework, georgetown is not special in this way. there is just a stigma that it has a religous influence and hence it will try to enforce its beliefs on its students which is grave lapse in logic.

 

[uclabruin2003]

As far as the Jesuit/Catholic tradition goes, the only big way that this will affect your medical school experience is that there will be none of the following: abortion (taught or practiced in their hospital, though you can go learn it on a rotation in other hospitals), fetal stem cell research, euthanasia, or PA suicide. If you're really turned off by the course on religious traditions, well, I guess that's a personal choice.

ok that really sucks for OB/GYNs and the likes...im pro-choice...so that really sucks about the abortion thing.... 😡

 

[constructor]

pro-choice? you mean pro-death, right? if it's not pro-life, it's pro-death... when are you people from the left going to come to terms with this fact and stop concealing your true intentions with vague, misrepresented words such as "pro-choice"? 😛

 

[Xandie]

The credit check thing is something I noticed at a couple of schools, including MCW. While $38,500 is enough to cover tuition, it's not enough to cover tuition plus living expenses at out-of-state or private schools. Stafford also includes your undergrad loans, so you could have less eligibility than that.
As far as co-signing... no one in my family is willing to cosign. Yes, in theory, eventually I'll make enough money to pay it back. But if something happens to me, injury or death (not morbid, just real concerns), then my parents end up with some huge debt they can't pay back.

Overall, I don't think the credit history is shady or sketchy in any way... the schools want to make sure that their class is full with people who will actually go there, which means be able to pay.


Also, I am completely pro-death. 😉 I hate life in all forms, especially cute fuzzy animals.

 

[Jason110]

Also, I am completely pro-death. 😉 I hate life in all forms, especially cute fuzzy animals.

Even Stitch from Lilo & Stitch??? He's sooooo cute and fuzzy. Why would anyone want to hate him?

 

[DrSwede]

Hey Hoya, Check your PM please 🙂

 

[Mr hawkings]

The credit check thing is something I noticed at a couple of schools, including MCW. While $38,500 is enough to cover tuition, it's not enough to cover tuition plus living expenses at out-of-state or private schools. Stafford also includes your undergrad loans, so you could have less eligibility than that.
As far as co-signing... no one in my family is willing to cosign. Yes, in theory, eventually I'll make enough money to pay it back. But if something happens to me, injury or death (not morbid, just real concerns), then my parents end up with some huge debt they can't pay back.

Overall, I don't think the credit history is shady or sketchy in any way... the schools want to make sure that their class is full with people who will actually go there, which means be able to pay.


Also, I am completely pro-death. 😉 I hate life in all forms, especially cute fuzzy animals.

Actually, a lot of schools have insurance for their students which is set up so that if you die or are injured and cant continue with school, they will pay off any educational debt yo incur while you studied there. You might want to look into that and present that to your family. The only way they will lose is if you drop out of school.

 

[Xandie]

Actually, a lot of schools have insurance for their students which is set up so that if you die or are injured and cant continue with school, they will pay off any educational debt yo incur while you studied there. You might want to look into that and present that to your family. The only way they will lose is if you drop out of school.

Yes, my school has life insurance for me, with a big fat coverage of $50K. So that's this year, plus $5K for fun. It's extremely expensive to get $200K life insurance on a 22-year old female. We have that sort of insurance for my husband, but paying for it for two peple is just out of control.
For me, it's not a big deal because I'm on all government loans without cosigners.

 

[uclabruin2003]

Yes, my school has life insurance for me, with a big fat coverage of $50K. So that's this year, plus $5K for fun. It's extremely expensive to get $200K life insurance on a 22-year old female. We have that sort of insurance for my husband, but paying for it for two peple is just out of control.
For me, it's not a big deal because I'm on all government loans without cosigners.

that shouldnt be true. you should look into getting life insurance again....as i remember life insurance for 20 and 30 somethings is realtively cheap perhaps a couple of hundred bucks a year....then again it depends on what you think is cheap or expensive...

 

[junebuguf]

Something that I dont think was brought up so far: the ridiculously high cost of living in DC. As someone whos lived in the city while attending George Washington U for some undergrad classes (brand new medical center, flush with cash, literally two blocks from Georgetown) I can tell you that if you plan to drive or get a place of your own, you will be out of luck. Single apartments run from $1200 in the G'town area so if you want your privacy, you'll have to pay for it. Parking is non-existant anywhere in DC for students. DC's parking enforcement nazis are apparently paid by the ticket so you will acquaint yourself well with their $30 out-of-zone tickets. Parking spots in the area run for $150-200 a month (yes, thats for a parking spot). There is no metro stop in G'Town, the closest one is the GWU stop. Lastly, communting in DC is a b!tch. The grid is oddly diagonal and streets dissapear for blocks when monuments (which litter the place) pop up out of nowhere. A year ago, DC was listed as having the worst traffic in the country. From 3 pm to 8 pm driving south on 95 is impossible. There are other big cities with better planning, lower cost of living and broke Jesuit schools (see: Chicago/Loyola). I dont have anything against DC or G'Town, just want prospective applicants to be aware.

G'town itself is the prettiest neighborhood in DC though, has a very preppy, perpetually fall look, like something out of a J Crew catalogue.

 

[medguy47]

i am a first year. pm me if anyone has any questions.