GW vs Temple vs MCW vs Tulane

[CerebralWanderer07]

Hi everyone,
I am having a tough time deciding between these four out-of-state medical schools and would really appreciate some insight. I had a strong interest in neurology or neurosurgery, but I am keeping an open mind on options like anesthesiology, IR, ophthalmology, or IM (oncology). I just want to be in a program that would set me up well for residency and would make life a little easier during medical school. Research & networking are important to me while trying as much as possible to not accumulate much loans. I currently don’t have any financial aid packages yet. I don’t have answers to some of the criteria, so please add on to it if you are a current student at any of these schools.

Criteria
- COL
- Research opportunities
- Is class mandatory?
- Is grading P/F?
- Exam type and when they are taken
- Study Resources for Students
- Residency PD ranking
- Has home residency programs? in case I decide to not train in the Northeast or my home state, MA.
- Possibly some kind of joint degree: either an MD/MPH or an MD/MBA


GW (RMC)
Tuition: approx. 68k
COA: $105k
Pros
+ Washington DC, is an excellent city to live in
+ Research affiliation with NIH
+ Great opportunities for abroad experiences and public health exposure
+ 8-week prep time for Step 1
+ Can apply to the METEOR Research program.
* Pre-matriculation program where I get a $4000 stipend, free housing, and an opportunity to begin developing a research project with a GW faculty member

Cons
- I am not sure, but Idk if my clinical rotations will only be limited to the Sinai Hospital?? If so, I might ask to drop the RMC if possible.
- Higher cost of living
- Transportation: I have a car and I am a little concerned about the parking situation in D.C,

Temple
Tuition: approx. 61k
COA: $91,933
Pros
+ I loved my temple interview; I felt really connected to the interviewers and staff. I felt there was a strong dedication to helping the North Philly community, which greatly appealed to me.
+ Flexible academic schedule
+ Cost of Living a little cheaper
+ Philly looks like a nice city.
+ Relatively closer to Home (Massachusetts) 5 hr drive/ 1hr 40 mins flight
+ Easier to match in Northeast. I saw 9 students match in MA (my home state) last year.

Cons
- North Philly/Philly more dangerous???
- Not sure how much research opportunity will be available

MCW
Tuition: approx. 65k
COA: $98,564
Pros
+ Excellent facilities from what I’ve heard
+ Curriculum has cool pathways, seemed interesting
+ Highest ranked out of all four (according to admit.org)??
+ Lots of research opportunities
+ Home neurosurgery residency program/programs in virtually every specialty
+ Slightly cheaper

Cons
- Wisconsin's winter will be brutal compared to Mass
- Wauwatosa is close to Milwaukee but idk how the social climate is compared to the other three schools

Tulane
Tuition: approx. 74k
COA: $107,212
Pros
+ Super social student body
+ New Orleans comes off as a fun city and really culturally vibrant with music, food and bars
+ Truly a unique patient population
+ 4 year MD/MPH program or 5 year MSPH in Biostatistics
+ Flexible academic schedule
+ Easier to match in Northeast (I saw 10 students match in MA last year)
+ Prestige?

Cons
- 2 year preclinical, unlike the others, which is 1.5 years.
- The city of New Orleans can be pretty desolate/rough in areas
- more prone to natural disasters
- Farthest away from family and friends
- pricey tuition

Similarities
- All schools are P/F
- All schools have flexible lectures (not mandatory)

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[olemickyd]

hi, MCW student here-- this is a lot of options so congrats! I think Tulane +GW (unless u got some money from them) are OUT because they are simply going to cause you to be in more loan burden. If I was you, I'd choose between temple and MCW. I also got into Temple and chose MCW mainly because of financial reasons, but also was convinced that the MCW students were more happy to be in Milwaukee than the Temple students to be in Philly. I was also in the Northeast for undergrad and I think Philly is similar vibes to Boston, but overall I think MCW has better clinical rotation flexibility and options whereas I was kinda convinced Temple was a messy situation with inconvenient aways for their clinicals. IT's similar vibes all around though and I'd choose based on where you feel most at home/the cheapest. also 1.5yrs preclinical and less mandatory class is VERY KEY and helpful. i'd choose those.

 

[elephant_]

I agree with olemickyd MCW and Temple are amazing schools and you should try to limit the amount of debt you are in when you graduate. Trust me, your future self will thank you!

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

Isn't MCW closer to 103k per year and temple about 97k/year? Unfortunately, MSAR's cost of attendnaces are an underestimate due to it being a year or two behind. I recently visited MCW so let me know if you have any questions about the area. I explored Wauwatosa and Milwaukee.

I agree Tulane and GW are out unless they cannot give you scholarships. I would think there would be a ton of research available in Philidelphia, at least that's what I gathered from my Drexel interview.

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

The money seems really similar to me unless I'm reading this wrong? I wouldn't make decisions based off of +/- 10k a year.

I think Georgetown might be a go here mainly because of your dual degree interests and the name might help you slightly here. Your pros list also sounds really enthusiastic for them. Do you need to bring your car/can you store it at home?

 

[JungleTrouble]

The money seems really similar to me unless I'm reading this wrong? I wouldn't make decisions based off of +/- 10k a year.

I think Georgetown might be a go here mainly because of your dual degree interests and the name might help you slightly here. Your pros list also sounds really enthusiastic for them. Do you need to bring your car/can you store it at home?

I think GW is referring to George Washington