MCG and Emory

[Tigger27]

As May 15 approaches, I'm starting to second guess my decision to withdraw from certain schools, namely MCG, to attend Emory. For those who have visited MCG or Augusta, please share any opinions you may have. I have a need-based scholarship from Emory which pretty much equalizes cost between the 2. I went to Emory undergrad, graduated several years ago and have been working in Atlanta since. I think a big part of me really would love a change - to start somewhere new. The thing about MCG I'm most weary about is the away rotations 3rd and 4th year. I have a boyfriend moving with me, so I'd hate to have to up and leave him every 4-6 weeks. My cat could possibly have issues with moving like that too. I was really impressed with MCG and particularly the children's hospital and the faculty.

I'd love any advice/experiences from either prospective students at either school or current students, or just people familiar with the areas or schools. Also - I personally am not all that into "rank", but I know some people in some places do care - would it be unwise to chose MCG for that reason? It seems a silly thing to me, but I'm always interested in what others have to say. Opinions make the world go round

Thanks guys

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[willthatsall]

I'm not sure why you would pick MCG over Emory if the costs were equal. If you really want a change of scenery, I guess you could do it, but it's a pretty big difference in reputation. Although if you plan to practice in GA, it won't be as big of a deal. But if you want to go elsewhere, Emory has a much better name. This is coming from a fellow GA resident.

 

[captbadass]

for the sake of your cat do not go to mcg. the moving will destroy any bond you already have with him/her.

 

[AthensBeth]

I'm not a big fan of Atlanta, but I'd choose it any day over Disgusta. And Emory has a better reputation, hands down. You're classmates will be more diverse and interesting too, since they won't all be from GA.

 

[pratik7]

i did not really care much for MCG but if i get in (waitlisted) I will prob go there over MCW and VCU. It is cheap and I have friends there. However, if MCW and VCU were as cheap as MCG, I would leave georgia.

Have you thought about what you want to do in the future? If you want a residency that is difficult to obtain... go to emory. The experience at grady and the LOR that you will get will improve your chances.

 

[garn2md]

With cost of the two schools equalized I would choose Emory and its reputation over MCG any day. I grew up in the Augusta area and most people living there look for any excuse possible to get out.

 

[kamal2toys]

For me its come down to MCG and Emory. I will be paying about 50k to go to Emory while i will be paying less than half of that to go to MCG. The things is that Emory is much better in all aspect. All i`m trying to decide now is that is the debt worth it. I never knew med school will be so much pain in the ass. After fighting through undergrad, the MCAT, AMCAS, the secondaries and all the dem interviews, now i have to fight hard to make a decision. Will the struggle ever stop. I dont think so but the only solace i have is that this is the only life i know, a life of constant struggle. What would you guys do if y`all were in a similar situation.

 

[willthatsall]

Is that including cost of living differences over 4 years? If so, 25-30K more isn't that substantial, IMO.

 

[erin682]

Well I'm at mcg right now and I wasn't thrilled about augusta when moving here. I have to say though the 'disgusta' name that I know it has gotten isn't really deserved. The city is actually pretty nice once you get away from the main road that most visitors see. Ironically augusta national golf course is in the ugliest part of town. Cost of living is certainly much much much less than atl and its nice that the worst traffic you face is and extra 10 minutes on you drive. There are also some nice bike/running trails and the river walk and downtown areas are fun places to hang out. As far as rank mcg is certainly not the caliber of emory but in the us news and world reports ranking it was 31 in primary care last year.

I'm in my first year so I can't really tell you about the away rotations. My roommate is in her 2nd year and has recently registered for her rotations. For most rotations you actually can often pick if you want to go away or not. Its a lottery system and often the top picks are away rotations b/c people want to experience new hospitals. So if you want to stay in augusta more often than not you can. The biggest exception to that is for peds. Everyone wants to do their peds rotation at the CMC b/c its really great and clearly there's not room for everyone.

like any school mcg has its downsides. Our essentials of clinical medicine is often a huge pain but parts of it are good training. We also have an embarassingly bad physiology dept. but our anatomy dept. is great. There also working on this new curriculum that they instituted this year that I'm sure you heard about when you interviewed here. Hopefully next year they will have worked out more of the kinks than this year.

If you aren't really that concerned about rank make your decision based on which school seems like a better fit for you. mcg is obviously going to be much more primary care oriented whereas emory is going to more research oriented there. When I interviewed at emory I was told that pretty much everyone there researchs at some point. I hate research so that was a big downside for me. There is also a lot of commradare and support amongst the class. We throw a lot of parties and have fun. We also have a lot of great volunteer opportunities, like a homeless and women's clinic. Anyway feel free to pm me if you have any mcg specific questions.

 

[gdk]

when i interviewed at mcg they made it sound like away rotations were optional. i'm married and expressed some concern over being away 3rd and 4th years, and i was told that you can do all your clinicals in augusta, it's just that some people want to get away so there is some competition (i.e. the lottery) for away rotations.

good luck with making your decision... i'm in a similar boat as you