GW vs. SKMC

[YoloSwagCats]

I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this!

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[TabbyTuxy]

Interviewed at both and would be happy to discuss if you share your pros/cons lists for each, based on your goals and values.

 

[YoloSwagCats]

Interviewed at both and would be happy to discuss if you share your pros/cons lists for each, based on your goals and values.

Thank you! Here are my pros/cons:

SKMC
+ Warm, collaborative student community
+ Close to home, family, and friends
+ Great for ortho/ophthalmology if I decide I want to go down that route
+ Philly has a lower cost of living (also living in Center City would be awesome!)
+ JeffLGBTQ community seems vibrant + being close to the Gayborhood seems wonderful
+ CBL's & changing groups every block -> get to meet a lot of peers
+ JeffHOPE & Refugee Health Partners
+ Diversity Student Council - seems like a great opportunity to drive institutional change
+/- Large student body
- Community isn't as diverse as GW's
- Less diverse patient population?

GW
+ Very diverse student body and faculty
+ Emphasis on social justice/health equity (this matters to me a lot)
+ Close to NIH (cool research opportunities)
+ Learning Communities seem like a great way to meet people and make friends
+ Healing Clinic (especially the Whitman Walker Clinic)
+ International Clinical Elective
+ New city, get to explore a new place
+/- Clinical Public Health curriculum (tbh I don't know much about health policy so it might be good to learn about as a future physician)
- Don't know anyone in DC
- DC is expensive
- Interview day was significantly less personal; didn't have the same touch as SKMC's

I'm sure there are other pros/cons that I'm forgetting, but this is my preliminary list. I'd love to hear your pros/cons and which way you're leaning towards (if either).

I'm also waiting on Financial Aid.... not sure if one will be better than the other, but that'll probably be a significant factor as well.

 

[TabbyTuxy]

I'm also LGBTQ+ and passionate about health equity!

For me, SKMC had an edge for the following reasons:

- Reputation for very happy students and a curriculum that supports that. Love the idea of time off before exams, and "free" weekends. It seems like you get a chance to breathe through the rigor.
- LOCATION! DC is so expensive even for awful apartments. On the other hand, Center City Philly is fantastically affordable. Just browse online and you can see that you can live in new or historic apartments for very cheap. And the Gayborhood! I love the idea of the affordability while being downtown in one of the largest cities in the country.
- LGBTQ+ community. SKMC was the most involved in LGBTQ+ health of any school where I interviewed, and is particularly making huge strides in trans health. There are opportunities to get experience at the Mazzoni Center, and very active LGBTQ+ student orgs. Reach out to the Office of Diversity -- they really do a great job explaining the opportunities. GW has a more generalized health equity focus which is also great.
- I like SKMC's proximity to NYC for a brief getaway.

I agree that GWU was more impersonal virtually. These were my top schools going into the cycle, so I envy your choice (accepted at SKMC, WL at GW). Cost will be a huge factor since I think they are peers in many ways. I just was so sold on SKMC students' passion and the LGBTQ+ health programming.

 

[m1redsox]

Cost and family are the biggest 2 factors, imo. I vote Jeff!

 

[YoloSwagCats]

I'm also LGBTQ+ and passionate about health equity!

For me, SKMC had an edge for the following reasons:

- Reputation for very happy students and a curriculum that supports that. Love the idea of time off before exams, and "free" weekends. It seems like you get a chance to breathe through the rigor.
- LOCATION! DC is so expensive even for awful apartments. On the other hand, Center City Philly is fantastically affordable. Just browse online and you can see that you can live in new or historic apartments for very cheap. And the Gayborhood! I love the idea of the affordability while being downtown in one of the largest cities in the country.
- LGBTQ+ community. SKMC was the most involved in LGBTQ+ health of any school where I interviewed, and is particularly making huge strides in trans health. There are opportunities to get experience at the Mazzoni Center, and very active LGBTQ+ student orgs. Reach out to the Office of Diversity -- they really do a great job explaining the opportunities. GW has a more generalized health equity focus which is also great.
- I like SKMC's proximity to NYC for a brief getaway.

I agree that GWU was more impersonal virtually. These were my top schools going into the cycle, so I envy your choice (accepted at SKMC, WL at GW). Cost will be a huge factor since I think they are peers in many ways. I just was so sold on SKMC students' passion and the LGBTQ+ health programming.

Thank you for your input! I'm glad to hear from someone with a similar identity and interests 🙂 You're so right about the free weekends and time off before exams - that's huge. I'll definitely have to reach out to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to find out what LGBTQ+ Health opportunities I can get involved with. I'm leaning towards Jefferson, but the part of me that is deeply passionate about health equity/reducing health disparities is nudging me towards GW. Congrats on 12 II's - looks like you may have many options, but maybe our paths will cross at SKMC in the fall!

Cost and family are the biggest 2 factors, imo. I vote Jeff!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

[TabbyTuxy]

My perception was that GWU is amazing for health policy work on a broad and high level. Obviously DC is a fantastic place to be for that. SKMC struck me as focused on individual groups more than disparities as a whole, but they definitely still care about equity. My personal "mission" is about working face-to-face with people affected by inequity -- I just don't have the passion for developing large-scale reforms, but I'm so grateful for the folks who do. I think if your personal mission is strongly aligned with changing policies, with a focus on macro more than micro, GWU would be a stronger contender.

But don't discount how happy you'd be in your day-to-day life -- which students did you connect with (Hard to tell with GWU format)? What area is better for your lifestyle? Shorter commute? Proximity to friends and family? All important "small things" that can add up.

Happy to be your colleague one way or another!

 

[YoloSwagCats]

PM if you have any questions about GW student life and I can go into detail, but based on your pros and cons this seems pretty evenly split with Jeff having a slight edge. DC COL is more expensive than Philly's, for sure, so take that into consideration

Thanks so much! Gonna wait for Financial Aid to come in and compare costs. I'll reach out if I'm still undecided after that 🙂