Hello all! I am 23 years old and active duty in the Air Force, and currently stationed in the DC area. Im looking to finally start my pre-med journey and had a question for you guys. Is there a reason that people choose to go to George Washington University or Georgetown (both of which are around $55k-$60k per year) instead of somewhere like the University of Maryland for their undergrad degree? I have been looking around a lot and it seems to me that it doesn't matter what school you get your degree at, as long as it is regionally accredited, you have taken the required pre-medical courses, and do well on your MCAT. So why on earth would I accrue 200k-250k of debt before I even get to med school? I am not saying it is a bad thing. I just don't understand. So if someone could shed some light on it for me that would be great! Thank you so much for your time 🙂
Im a Littler Older, but...
- Thread starter Tvcker
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Some people might argue because of resources. However, I think more people pay for the name/experience of going to a large school like that. As long as a school has reasonable opportunities I don't see any reason to have 60k a year for undergrad.
I go to a state school and I've had more opportunities than I could imagine for research, volunteering, teaching, etc.
I go to a state school and I've had more opportunities than I could imagine for research, volunteering, teaching, etc.
Thank you so much for your reply! I have heard from a couple of people that said it is because of the name mostly. They are both very prestigious schools and provide a better opportunity at landing a better job. (These are coming from people who have no interest in studying medicine, and who have never went to either school of course.)
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I agree the name of GW or Georgetown will take you further than a state school but I think it's better to go somewhere you'll be comfortable and excel. For me, it wasn't worth it (not that I could've gotten in). However, I still haven't even applied to med school yet so take that with a grain of salt.
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I have many friends who went to state schools and are now successful physicians. Now I'm not a physician, but my guess would be many MDs would suggest it's better to start med school without having already racked up a lot of undergrad debt.
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For someone who 1.) won't accrue much debt because they can afford a top-notch school like Georgetown and 2.) isn't dead-set on med school, going to a big name schools helps a lot when it comes to landing jobs, internships and making valuable, life-long connections. And if med school doesn't work out or if you change your mind halfway thru, you're still getting a degree from a place that will have more doors open for you than you could ever imagine.
Now if you will be accruing large amounts of debt and/or are dead-set on med school and nothing will ever make you change your mind, then a cheap state school is a no brainer.
