Help! Wash. U. vs. Hopkins

[mfitzpa1]

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This is my first post...I have just been accepted off the wait list at both Washington University and Johns Hopkins and am having a difficult time deciding between the two. As I was just accepted, I didn't have the luxury of a second visit at either school. I consider both schools about equal in terms of their academic excellence, access to research opportunities, and quality of their hospitals. I am leaning toward Wash. U. because I had a much more positive experience there on my visit and liked the area of St. Louis around Wash. U. much more than Baltimore. However, everyone I talk to says as long as I don't hate Hopkins, I should go there. I'd appreciate any advice, particularly from people who've decided to go to either Wash. U. or Hopkins already. Thanks!

 

[IrishOarsman]

Well done you. I'm not a student at either school, nor have I interviewed at either. Yet, I'm not a big fan of St. Loius. But I am a fan of the Midwest... See, it'll be hard for anyone here to give you advice between the two programs that will be useful to you specifically. A bunch might be able to give their subjective opinion on student happiness or how x school is seen in this region, but I would say there are two major things that you need to do:

1. Figure out what school fits. Which one would make you more excited to go to. Call up students (did you stay with anyone there?), get opinions from people who are there.

2. If you know what area(s) you are interested in, check out those specific programs at the schools. Email their program directors, look around- maybe there's someone there from your alma mater or who likes triathalons just like you who you could talk to (ie, get names, read physician bios online)... i've had some luck talking to people in the programs im interested in. since you have like 0 time, you might just want to go straight to the phone calls.

good luck

 

[tBw]

write letters withdrawing from both (but don't send them both!). Whichever letter you find emotionally hardest to write is the one you shouldn't send. Really it's a no-lose situation from any other perspective so you just have to choose the one you are most excited about.

 

[Street Philosopher]

i agree with tbw, to an extent. i think you should send both though.

 

[lattimer13]

Originally posted by mfitzpa1
This is my first post...I have just been accepted off the wait list at both Washington University and Johns Hopkins and am having a difficult time deciding between the two. As I was just accepted, I didn't have the luxury of a second visit at either school. I consider both schools about equal in terms of their academic excellence, access to research opportunities, and quality of their hospitals. I am leaning toward Wash. U. because I had a much more positive experience there on my visit and liked the area of St. Louis around Wash. U. much more than Baltimore. However, everyone I talk to says as long as I don't hate Hopkins, I should go there. I'd appreciate any advice, particularly from people who've decided to go to either Wash. U. or Hopkins already. Thanks!

feel better now? 🙄

 

[washkeep]

I go to Wash U as an undergrad, and I've talked to a few kids from the med school. They all seem to like it. One guy told me it was more laid-back than he thought it would be.

And c'mon St. Louis vs. Baltimore.... I'd feel safer in St. Louis and you've got Forest Park right there. Some areas near the med school are beautiful and upscale. And the Loop is pretty fun, too. I'm living in the Clayton area and really like it. I don't know what JH Med is like, but I've heard nasty things.

Good luck!😛

 

[Andrew_Doan]

Originally posted by washkeep
I don't know what JH Med is like, but I've heard nasty things.

The nasty things about JH Med are simple rumors. If you have visited or attended Hopkins, then you'd know that it's an awesome place to learn medicine.

I was accepted to both too, but I picked Hopkins. Both are amazing places to learn. You'll do fine picking either one. 🙂

Good luck!

 

[nimbus001]

Hopkins all the wayyyyyy!!! Haha, don't mind me....I am a little biased. Loved both schools, but only Hopkins loved me back, so I am going to Hopkins, j/k.....I loved Hopkins better because of the students there. Not that Wash U's students were bad (far from it....). It was just that I had a better feeling from Hopkins. So, I suggest you go with your gut instincts, eventhough I think you would have loved Hopkins more if you came on the revisit weekend. This is indeed a tough choice, but you cannot go wrong.....Not even a bit 🙂 .

 

[VienneseWaltz]

It sounds like you already have a preference. I'd had so many people tell me how fabulous Wash U is and how scary Hopkins is, but when I interviewed, I thought Wash U was nice but not for me, and I was blown away by Hopkins. I'm giddy about starting there in the fall. As others have said, you can't go wrong, so go with your gut. Hopkins is amazing, but it's not worth giving up Wash U if you feel you belong there.

Congrats on your impressive choices!

 

[doepug]

Go to Hopkins!

I'm a Wash U grad, just starting my fourth year at Hopkins med. Wash U is awesome; you'll get a great education and have a fabulous experience, but ultimately nothing stacks up to Hopkins. This place is truly incredible, and your clinical experiences at Hopkins will be second to none.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have specific questions.

Congrats!!
doepug (MS IV, Johns Hopkins)

 

[Gradient Echo]

I was accepted to both WashU and Hopkins and chose Hopkins over WashU for MD/PhD.

WashU was my 2nd choice, its a great school with an excellent program. But I thought the clinical training at Hopkins was better, and it was better for my PhD field.

I thought very highly of WashU and would only turn it down for maybe a couple of other schools, it was very high on my list.

 

[nimbus001]

Feel the Hopkins force, OhhhhyEah!!!🙂

 

[curiousforever]

Do what your heart tells you.

 

[Thewonderer]

I honestly cannot see how people can make the argument that clinical experience at Hopkins will be better than that at WashU since

1) none of them are med students are both places

2) the last time I check, all med students start learning from the beginning (i.e. fluid and electrolytes, managing diabetes, assist in c-section)

3) your clinical experience is highly dependent on your team and not your institution (although some institutions have a malignant reputation for working their residents to death and those residents tend to be bitter and work their med students to death too)....

either way, it seems that you are set on WashU. Then go there!

Which school gives you more grant? that could be another factor.

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by Thewonderer
I honestly cannot see how people can make the argument that clinical experience at Hopkins will be better than that at WashU since

1) none of them are med students are both places

Irrelevant. Hopkins is ranked higher in every single clinical department over WashU except maybe radiology. That translates into better opportunities for med student training.

2) the last time I check, all med students start learning from the beginning (i.e. fluid and electrolytes, managing diabetes, assist in c-section)

True, but its incredibly naive to suggest that clinical training is exactly the same at all med schools.

3) your clinical experience is highly dependent on your team and not your institution (although some institutions have a malignant reputation for working their residents to death and those residents tend to be bitter and work their med students to death too)....

Its dependent on your INSTITUTION AND YOUR TEAM... its not an either/or, its both.

The institution/school sets policies on clinical training that can greatly affect the med students; its not just left willy nilly up in the air, there is specific effort and control by the institution to enhance med students clinical training. Otherwise, med students would never learn anything because residents are always more capable of dealing with stuff.

 

[doc05]

A department's "ranking" doesn't have much to do with a student's opportunities, especially in this case when both schools are excellent, and both have many strong clinical and research departments.

I'd go with JHU. While I've never been to St. Louis, I have heard from a couple of people about how the city really sucks.

The Hopkins match list is better, if you are really hung up on things like that. But noone in their right mind would say you limit your options by going to WashU. Just figure out which atmosphere is better for you.

 

[Rapid Decomposition]

I haven't been to St. Louis in ages but have similarly heard that it's not that great. Still, people aren't too kind to Baltimore either, but I think if given the choice I would choose Baltimore over St. Louis, due to culture, location by a coast rather than inland, and proximity to other great cities.

This sounds like a gut feeling case though. Whichever school is harder to drop, go to that one. They're both great schools.

 

[Louweezel]

just wanted to say, as a future wash-u-er, i don't think it's gonna be that bad in st. louis. this is coming from someone who loves big cities like no other. yeah, it's not my ideal location, but i think i can stand it for 4 years. like most people have said, the students were great at wash u too, and the school and hospital are both incredible.

i didn't even apply to hopkins - while i am fully in awe of its reputation and its opportunities, to me i felt that i could do well at other places too. so i can't speak of it firsthand, but there were other factors that i had that led me to not apply there at all. also, i was under the impression that hopkins was graded, and had decided early on that i didn't really want to apply to a strictly graded school (although i know that in the second year wash u goes to h/hp/lp/f which is almost the same thing), eh, just stuff that i had heard...

anyway i do have a friend from undergrad who's going there and he is completely psyched and i am so happy for him. he is also from maryland (maybe 45 mins from hopkins) and doesn't think too highly of the area around there either, but hey, it's hopkins and he says he can stand it for 4 years.

if you want to haggle over rankings, i mean, US News thinks well enough of Wash U to tie them with hopkins, whether you want to argue about the validity of their criteria or not...

either way you can't go wrong. you'll be a great doctor whichever place you come out of, since you're still you - i don't think you can say that one place will change you so much for the better over the other - if you see what i mean.

good luck with the decision!