Going from Georgetown to a local school, bad idea?

[spo01]

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I am currently enrolled in G'towns 2 year post bac program to fulfill my science requirements (chem, orgo, physics, bio). I went to a private Jesuit undergrad (3 years Nursing and 1 year Sports Medicine) where I did well and figured G'town would be a nice complement. I am enrolled in physics and gen chem now and was going to finish my year up hopefully in the 3.7-4.0 range gpa, then take biology and organic closer to home but not at a community college. I was thinking something along the lines of Ohio University since that is 20 minutes away.

My reasoning isn't because G'town is too tough but I know this is what it is going to look like to the committee if I do this. The main reason is money. G'town with the DC cost of living is crazy. To put it in perspective, I need to take out a loan for $35,000 total next year to support myself in DC, while if I live at home and go to a closer school I would need about $5000 total.
I also do not like the DC living. I want to be closer to my family, gf, have a car again, etc. The DC environment is the opposite of what I like and I am not to fond of G'town for a few other reasons. At home I also have the opportunity to work with my dad in his office since he is a doctor and I have a few other connections to do some research.

Any thoughts? Would it look that bad if I did this or does it not really matter as long as I do well in the classes?

 

[lawnboy313]

I am currently enrolled in G'towns 2 year post bac program to fulfill my science requirements (chem, orgo, physics, bio). I went to a private Jesuit undergrad (3 years Nursing and 1 year Sports Medicine) where I did well and figured G'town would be a nice complement. I am enrolled in physics and gen chem now and was going to finish my year up hopefully in the 3.7-4.0 range gpa, then take biology and organic closer to home but not at a community college. I was thinking something along the lines of Ohio University since that is 20 minutes away.

My reasoning isn't because G'town is too tough but I know this is what it is going to look like to the committee if I do this. The main reason is money. G'town with the DC cost of living is crazy. To put it in perspective, I need to take out a loan for $35,000 total next year to support myself in DC, while if I live at home and go to a closer school I would need about $5000 total.
I also do not like the DC living. I want to be closer to my family, gf, have a car again, etc. The DC environment is the opposite of what I like and I am not to fond of G'town for a few other reasons. At home I also have the opportunity to work with my dad in his office since he is a doctor and I have a few other connections to do some research.

Any thoughts? Would it look that bad if I did this or does it not really matter as long as I do well in the classes?

Sounds like you have very solid reasons for leaving that you'll be able to use if it ever comes up. However, check with your advisors at Gtown if leaving early will take away any possibility for their LORs or any perks along those lines--this is the only thing I can think of that might be a reason for sticking in DC. It can take lots of extra effort to get solid LORs at a big university like OU, and you'll lose some of the hand-holding that is nice to have in an official post-bac program. In the end, though, these might be small things to forfeit compared to $30,000, a better quality of life, and the clinical/research experience you'll get near home.

 

[junebuguf]

I cam sympathize with your predicament. I did a post-bacc pre-med year, but at George Washington, a little down the road in Foggy Bottom. If you are sure that you do not want to attend G'Town for med school (I believe a lot of their undergrad pre-med kids get in), then you should go ahead and leave. I was fortunate in that my parents supported me while I was a post-bacc, so I do not have enormous loans from my year at GWU. Getting immersed in that kind of debt for your pre-med requirements is really insane, particularly if you already have good grades from undergrad.

I would explain your decision for leaving (framing it solely in the context of money and not your dislike for DC) to your advisor. They should be understanding. However, if you want a commitee letter of recommendation form them, you should know that they will not be likely to give you one unless you complete at least all of chem, phys and bio at G'town. And it wont look good if you leave, only to enroll up the street at Maryland.

In general, I dont think your chances of getting a commitee letter from G'town look good. But ultimately, all that matters is that you do well. Even if you only spend a semester at G'Town, it wont matter if you get A's. However, dont make the mistake of completing half of your pre-reqs at G'Town and half elsewhere, or you wont get a commitee letter from anyone.

 

[spo01]

I cam sympathize with your predicament. I did a post-bacc pre-med year, but at George Washington, a little down the road in Foggy Bottom. If you are sure that you do not want to attend G'Town for med school (I believe a lot of their undergrad pre-med kids get in), then you should go ahead and leave. I was fortunate in that my parents supported me while I was a post-bacc, so I do not have enormous loans from my year at GWU. Getting immersed in that kind of debt for your pre-med requirements is really insane, particularly if you already have good grades from undergrad.

I would explain your decision for leaving (framing it solely in the context of money and not your dislike for DC) to your advisor. They should be understanding. However, if you want a commitee letter of recommendation form them, you should know that they will not be likely to give you one unless you complete at least all of chem, phys and bio at G'town. And it wont look good if you leave, only to enroll up the street at Maryland.

In general, I dont think your chances of getting a commitee letter from G'town look good. But ultimately, all that matters is that you do well. Even if you only spend a semester at G'Town, it wont matter if you get A's. However, dont make the mistake of completing half of your pre-reqs at G'Town and half elsewhere, or you wont get a commitee letter from anyone.

This is actually what I'd be doing: half my pre reqs at G'town, other half at another college. When it comes to LOR and such, I am not sure. I took A and P in undergrad and was really close to my professors. But committee is different. Also, instead of Ohio University (since it is so large), there is even a closer college that is very nice. It is a small private school where you can get close to the profs and it's a pretty well respected institution. Maybe that would help?
Since I obviousely don't care too much for DC, I would not even bother applying to their med school, so no worries there.
Then again, maybe leaving would be a bad idea no matter the cost.