GWU vs. UIC

[Picasso11]

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Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the sdn and had a general question. I was recently accepted into two M.D. programs and was having difficulty deciding. Any comments would be appreciated. I'm a URM with a good GPA (3.94 non-sci and 3.92 sci) but low MCAT. I have an M.S. in Epi and have considered an Infectious dx specialization.

GWU 5 year decelerated program (Stigma doesn't matter to me)
- Must pass exams within one standard deveiation below the mean (Released from program if not satisfied)
-First year is decelerated into two years (probation)
Con - 5 year probation (increased cost of living), potential problems explaining to residency programs about 5yr pgm, 2nd year will accelerate (false sense of security from first year)
Pro-I loved the school, Love D.C., Felt like they were really proactive with the student body

UIC
-Placed in Peoria, IL (Not Chicago, which is where I interviewed)
-Must complete a Summer Prematriculation Program (7 weeks, 70+ on comprehensive exam)
-M1 = Urbana, IL M2-M4 = Peoria, IL (I'm from Miami so I would have to move twice)
-There aren't as many cons; however, I worry about the level of exposure to specialities I may be interested in since the community is primarily rural (One of the benefits of GWU is the urban setting, which closely mirrors the type of community I want to practice in)
Pro-I felt welcome and I could picture myself as a student in this institution, the students and staff seemed to help each other a lot (more of a cohesive team)

 

[Brachyury]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the sdn and had a general question. I was recently accepted into two M.D. programs and was having difficulty deciding. Any comments would be appreciated. I'm a URM with a good GPA (3.94 non-sci and 3.92 sci) but low MCAT. I have an M.S. in Epi and have considered an Infectious dx specialization.

GWU 5 year decelerated program (Stigma doesn't matter to me)
- Must pass exams within one standard deveiation below the mean (Released from program if not satisfied)
-First year is decelerated into two years (probation)
Con - 5 year probation (increased cost of living), potential problems explaining to residency programs about 5yr pgm, 2nd year will accelerate (false sense of security from first year)
Pro-I loved the school, Love D.C., Felt like they were really proactive with the student body

UIC
-Placed in Peoria, IL (Not Chicago, which is where I interviewed)
-Must complete a Summer Prematriculation Program (7 weeks, 70+ on comprehensive exam)
-M1 = Urbana, IL M2-M4 = Peoria, IL (I'm from Miami so I would have to move twice)
-There aren't as many cons; however, I worry about the level of exposure to specialities I may be interested in since the community is primarily rural (One of the benefits of GWU is the urban setting, which closely mirrors the type of community I want to practice in)
Pro-I felt welcome and I could picture myself as a student in this institution, the students and staff seemed to help each other a lot (more of a cohesive team)

Can you move into the traditional four year program at GWU or were you forced into the five year program? Peoria may not be Chicago, but you can always do away rotations in infectious disease in a larger, urban location

 

[Chakrabs]

This is very bizarre. Why are you under probation before even taking a single class? Especially with such strong college grades? It seems almost inconceivable that they've put you on probation simply for a lousy MCAT score.

 

[Picasso11]

Thank you both for your replies. I was forced into the the five year program and I can't opt into the four year program. I can admit that my MCAT score was less than admirable; however, I agree that probation is unusual. MCAT: 11BS, 10VR, 7PS, W:S. I'm leaning more towards the U of I because it is a traditional track. On the other hand, I got into a couple of FL schools and that would decrease costs; however, I want to go out of state. I wish both of you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Thanks again. 😍

 

[Barcu]

I would be wary of 5 years at GWU since it is extremely expensive and ID is about the only field where doing a fellowship will probably yield you LESS money than staying general.

But I guess if UI is out of state, then you would run into the same problem.

I would pick a FL school. Residency is what matters most for fellowship programs, and somewhere like GW would be great for residency if you are still interested in the ID track.

 

[laxplayanumba16]

UIC OOS tuition: 70472*4=281,888
Cost of living in rural Illinois (low guess here): ~15000*4=60,000
Estimate not taking into account interest and rapidly rising tuition:341,888

GWU tuition: 49661*5=248,305
Cost of living in downtown DC: ~25,000*5=125,000
Estimate not taking into account interest and rapidly rising tuition:373,305

Is anyone offering scholarship/grant money?
What are your home state alternatives?
How do they compare financially?
Are you willing to consider HPSP or a loan repayment program?
If you're really dead set on ID, consider that the NIH is just down the road if you're in DC. Also, you might be able to use the extra time you have to get some more meaningful research done in the field, which could only help you in your career.

 

[Brachyury]

UIC OOS tuition: 70472*4=281,888
Cost of living in rural Illinois (low guess here): ~15000*4=60,000
Estimate not taking into account interest and rapidly rising tuition:341,888

GWU tuition: 49661*5=248,305
Cost of living in downtown DC: ~25,000*5=125,000
Estimate not taking into account interest and rapidly rising tuition:373,305

Is anyone offering scholarship/grant money?
What are your home state alternatives?
How do they compare financially?
Are you willing to consider HPSP or a loan repayment program?
If you're really dead set on ID, consider that the NIH is just down the road if you're in DC. Also, you might be able to use the extra time you have to get some more meaningful research done in the field, which could only help you in your career.

University of Illinois waves OOS tuition for URMs, and Peoria is not rural Illinois. Just because GWU is near Bethesda does not mean it is logical or feasible for the OP to work in a lab at NIH. ID is not a competitive fellowship, so if the OP is not interested in research, it's not that big or a deal, and even If she is, this is why we have research fellowship years.

 

[Picasso11]

laxplayanumba16
Response- You are right about living expenses being lower in Illinois; however, the 5yr GWU program spreads the tuition of the first year into two years so it ends up being a normal four year tuition cost. In regards to living expenses I would live in Virginia and commute into DC because DC is too expensive. I found a number of apartments in VA comparable in price to IL (but still more expensive, i.e. 900 in VA and 800 in IL).

Is anyone offering scholarship/grant money? GWU is offering more money in scholarships

What are your home state alternatives? FSU, UCF, UM (Very expensive and not as much money available as the other two)

Are you willing to consider HPSP or a loan repayment program? I have not considered HPSP; however, I did consider NHSC.

"If you're really dead set on ID, consider that the NIH is just down the road if you're in DC. Also, you might be able to use the extra time you have to get some more meaningful research done in the field, which could only help you in your career". I'm not married to ID but I really like it. I looked into a few programs with the NIH and I did consider that a pro and research opportunities would be great. I'm currently working on dengue fever surveillance with the Florida Department of Health.

 

[Picasso11]

I'm wary of the 5 yr program because of residencies. Students who recently completed the program stated that they had to explain why they did the 5 yr track since it was for academic reasons and not for research opportunities.

 

[Picasso11]

U of I only waives oos tuition for 25 URM's so I can't guarantee that I will be one of the lucky few. If that were the case I would be less reluctant to go there.

 

[DIVA01x]

...

 

[herewego]

I'm a current UIC student (in chicago campus however) but my friends down in urbana/peoria tell me that some rotations can be done in chicago. Not sure which ones though.

 

[yossarian444]

Not even a debate. Choose UIP or a Florida school. You get kicked out of GW if you are worse than 1 standard deviation on exams? Scoring high on exams seems easy enough to do...until you get to medical school and realize everybody tries too hard. There are plenty of people who match into super competitive specialties that barely passed biochem or genetics or whatever M1/M2 class. Heck, I'm sure there are more than a few dermatologists out there that outright failed a class or two during M1/M2. My point is that doing poor on a particular class can happen to even very good students. To just assume you're going to meet that benchmark puts way too much pressure on you. If you go the GW route and then end up scoring less than 1 std dev below the mean, that's it; you're done - thousands of dollars wasted and at best you can hope to transfer to a caribean school. If you unfortunately mess up an exam or class at UIP, you can at least remediate or whatever needs to be done. Plenty of students end up needing to remediate at many schools and still end up graduating - I'm guessing that holds true for UIP. Hopefully you ace every exam...but, why take the risk? You've already admitted your MCAT wasn't that great - who's to say you'll be an all-star exam-taker in medical school during the first two years?

I also don't think the rural vs city thing is too important from an academic standpoint (it may be a quality of life kind of thing for people that hate cities/rural). First two years don't matter where you are. Third year you're at a hospital with sick people. People have babies just the same whether they're in a city or rural; old people get septic everywhere; people get their gallbladders taken out everywhere; people are psychotic everywhere. My point being 3rd year you're just trying to learn the basics of medicine and not trying to incorporate the public health issues associated with city vs rural. Come 4th year you'll have time to do aways and focus in on something more specific. Residencies will look more at where you did your 4th year electives - I really don't think doing 3rd year in a rural area puts you at any disadvantage for applying to a urban residency provided you did a 4th year away or two in such a setting. Taking a 5th year of medical school might put you at a slight disadvantage. Also, Peroria is an old manufacturing city where the jobs have left and has big chunks of extreme poverty - some of the issues facing an urban environment probably also hold true for Peoria (per wikipedia, 19% of DC is below poverty line, 18.8% of Peoria is below poverty line). Just my two cents....

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to pre-allopathic School-Specific Discussions, which is the more appropriate forum for this kind of thread.

 

[Chem2Epi2Doc]

NIH is not down the street from GW. It is almost an hour commute via metro. This commute can be even longer on weekends thanks to the constant track maintenance on the red line. I honestly do not think you will have time to commute from GW to NIH to do research during the semester. I do not think proximity to NIH should be a factor. Go where you feel most comfortable. You can do an ID fellowship at NIH after residency.

 

[Se7eN]

Uic

 

[Alejandro]

Not even a debate. Choose UIP or a Florida school. You get kicked out of GW if you are worse than 1 standard deviation on exams? Scoring high on exams seems easy enough to do...until you get to medical school and realize everybody tries too hard. ...

I have heard that GW doesn't take good care of its students...and the stuff in the news backs that up-financial difficulties, a school that fed/feeds money into a for-profit hospital, getting suspended by the LCME only a few years ago, etc etc.

You need to choose a school that cares for its students. I know DC sounds appealing, but it's not worth it if you have a gun pointed to your head all the time, especially if you're doing the 5 year program...(kinda defeats the purpose, imo)

UIC is a good school, as long as you don't need to pay OOS tuition. I think that's by far the greatest deterrant for applicants there.

 

[powerincarnate]

79K is a LOT. 50K for GW is a LOT. since GW will be 5 years, this will be A LOT. I guess if you work for the government or another institute for 10 years you can get it waived. This might be likely as an infectious disease guy, but man.


I can't see anyone to logically choose to go out of state (assuming UI tuition isn't waived) considering the cost, to these institution. We aren't talking about top 10, or 25, or even 50 medical schools after all.

If you have an acceptance to a Florida school, even if it is one of the new schools, I would chose that. If you weren't accepted to a state school, then the choice would be UIC as I wouldn't trust being put on probation and I have enough pride where I wouldn't wan to be labeled by being on the decelerated program

 

[Brachyury]

79K is a LOT. 50K for GW is a LOT. since GW will be 5 years, this will be A LOT. I guess if you work for the government or another institute for 10 years you can get it waived. This might be likely as an infectious disease guy, but man.


I can't see anyone to logically choose to go out of state (assuming UI tuition isn't waived) considering the cost, to these institution. We aren't talking about top 10, or 25, or even 50 medical schools after all.

If you have an acceptance to a Florida school, even if it is one of the new schools, I would chose that. If you weren't accepted to a state school, then the choice would be UIC as I wouldn't trust being put on probation and I have enough pride where I wouldn't wan to be labeled by being on the decelerated program

If you read the post, the OP would pay four years of GWU tuition over five years. If the OP gets in-state tuition at UIC, it's still 42k (I think) per year