MCG (Athens) vs Emory

[123medapp2024]

Super excited to have options but not quite sure what to pick. My current interests are pretty varied- Ophthalmology, Cardiology, ID, and family med. no financial aid yet but I won’t have to worry about COL at either school.

Emory:
Pros:
- P/F all 4 years
- 1.5 year preclinical
- strong research opportunities if I do decide to do something competitive + built in time with discovery phase
- great national reputation- wouldn’t mind leaving Georgia at some point
- closer to family and SO
- have friends who are M1 and am well acquainted with a few faculty members already through previous work


Cons:
- assuming no need-based aid, tuition is about $54k vs $30k at MCG
- don’t love Atlanta and the idea of living in a big city. I have plenty of friends in atl- I just don’t see myself living close to downtown/midtown longterm


MCG- Athens Campus
Pros:
- Love Athens- such a cool city with lots to do and isn’t huge
- cheaper tuition
- students seemed less cut-throat
- smaller class size might be more productive for my learning style
- patient population is more similar to who I see myself helping in the future
- one of my closest friends goes here

Cons:
- less national recognition (although seems strong in GA/southeast)
- 2 year preclinical
- only dedicated time for research is summer between M1/M2 and might be harder to find in general- would make it more difficult to match ophtho
- clinical rotations seem to be all over the region which could cause inconvenient commutes
- I don’t think clinical years are pass/fail
- further from family and SO (by about 2 hours)
-will become UGA school of medicine in 2026 - not sure if this is a con since admin said we’re still considered MCG grads. it just seems confusing to be there in the middle of an institutional change


Would love anyone’s opinion on this decision! Thank you

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[indebtedsaddle23]

I am biased bc I interviewed to both, but if I got an offer to Emory I would immediately take it. The doors they open, recognition, rotations, research, everything will put you in a prime position to go into a competitive residency. You don’t want to fight an uphill battle to match and you won’t have to at Emory just my opinion!

 

[Xqcowadwo]

Probably going to be attending Emory myself so take my advice with a grain of salt... but this seems like a no brainer. P/F grading during clerkships is a huge plus, and being closer to your support systems doesn't really have a quantifiable value. The opportunities that Emory would afford to you and true P/F is worth the higher tuition price imo.

 

[123medapp2024]

Probably going to be attending Emory myself so take my advice with a grain of salt... but this seems like a no brainer. P/F grading during clerkships is a huge plus, and being closer to your support systems doesn't really have a quantifiable value. The opportunities that Emory would afford to you and true P/F is worth the higher tuition price imo.

Yeah you’re both right. Emory definitely has more opportunities that will make my life easier down the road, and I think laying it out in this format made the decision a lot more obvious lol. I think the added debt made it more complicated than it needed to be in my mind. Thank you!