MCG or UVa - I'm Stressin!

[ermonty]

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Throughout completing the pre-reqs, to preparing for and taking the MCAT, to applying, to waiting for and going to interviews, to waiting for acceptances - I never stressed. Now however, being faced with the decision of MCG vs UVa I'm losing sleep.

MCG - Good education, low cost, and close to home.

UVa - I LOVED everything about it (the curriculum, beautiful location (except for proximity to home), great reputation, facilities, etc.) EXCEPT the COST!

9 out of 10 docs I talk to say to go to MCG and limit my debt, cause "medschool is medschool, and what you go into depends more on individual effort."

But there are a few docs and professors that say that I'd be crazy to turn down an opportunity like UVa.

I keep flip-floppin back and forth b/t the two in my mind. AHHHH -What to do? 😕

 

[tryingagain]

I would go to your state school. Its your residency that really "makes the doctor" not the med school.

I would also go to GA if you wanted to stay closer to home after school or wanted to practice in the south.

But my fiance went to UVA and it really is an awesome place. And CVille is an incredible little town.

But I digress and say save your money and stay at home. Just my opinion.

 

[siempre595]

ermonty,
I keep tellin ya, not UVA, cause I might need your spot! Could you send in your decline right around early February, right after I'm there. And add in the letter that siempre should get your spot...heehee.
Ok, in all seriousness, I know nothing about MCG, but UVA is so great. You're probably going to be in debt no matter where you go, unless the difference of debt is just massive, I'm not sure it matters. I've accepted I'll be paying loans longer than my kids will. I can't speak for distance, but I think the school is worth the travel time, even from my tiny little Illinois town I figure I can get there by flying in less than 4 hours total (with a bunch of changes and layovers). Pick the better school. It will matter for residency. Yes the residency essentially makes the doctor, but the med school makes the residency. I would not pass it up. Unless of course you were in the highly generous position of offering me your spot. Ok, I"ll stop that now.
good luck
siempre

 

[pillowhead]

I'd say unless the difference in debt is over 100 grand, go to UVA. I personally wasn't very impressed by MCG, although now they've offered me $$, it's going to be tough. MCG is just so insanely cheap.

 

[ermonty]

Pillowhead,

The difference in debt b/t the two schools WILL likely be over 100K! I'm gonna wait and see if I get a scholarship from UVa to lower the cost. But I might also get a scholarship from MCG, which would make it even more "insanely cheap." FA packages will take a long time, and I'd like to make a decision much earlier so that I can begin to look for a house and get set up well before school starts.

Siempre,

I here ya about the Rep of UVa. Just a few people have told me to go there despite the debt, but these are people who've done really well (Interventional Cardiology, Radiologist with MS fellowship, Ph.D. Marine Biology, etc.) and that I highly respect.

I definently feel that I will want to specialize, and UVa is a likely a better spring board for a great residency. But if I go to MCG and perform well I could do the same thing, although I'd have to be a shade better than my UVa counterpart.

I want to practice somewhere in the Appalachian Mtns region, and thus will likely pursure a residency in the region.

 

[PLD]

ermonty,

I have to say go to UVa to relinquish your spot at MCG for ME. By the way, Dave Matthews' wife attends UVa. That's all that I have to sell that idea.
Anyway, congratulations on having two acceptances to choose from. Good luck in your decision. I just thought I would throw in my 2cents for selfish reasons.
This comment should not be taken too seriously, except for the chance of getting in good with Dave Matthews.

 

[ermonty]

PLD,

Thanks for the COMPLETELY UNBIASED opinion.😉 I'm sure you'll get that MCG spot that you're waiting for!

 

[INeedAdvice]

ermonty,

UVA is one of the best schools around and it is the best State school in the United States! I think there's no contest.

It even made my thread list as "Yale of the South East" 😉

I know several people who've lived in Charlottesville and they absolutely loved it.

Just curious, but where did you go for undergrad, ermonty?

I was just talking to someone who could've gone to a Top 10 school as an undergrad, but instead was pressured to go close to home to a school that not many people have even heard of. It's years later and that person was still lamenting the decision! When you're young, sometimes you don't look ahead and think of things that you'll regret later on.

Put it this way, UVA has more of a national reputation and that might be the difference that gets you into a harder residency. You may not know four years from now what you're going to end up wanting to do, and going to UVA will give you more of an edge if you decide to go into a relatively hard specialty.

 

[ermonty]

INeedAdvice,

Appropriate name considering my thread here.🙂

You sound very much like those few people that I mentioned earlier that say I'd be crazy to turn down UVa, based on the doors that it will open for me later.

I'm tryin to think to the future. I think about if I go to MCG will I regret it when I try to get into a competitive specialty. I think about if I go to UVa will I regret it when I'm swimming in debt and malpractice rates keep rising and reimbursement keeps dropping.

There's a good argument to be made for me to go either way. Guess it just depends on which one I choose to side with and try not to think about "what ifs" later.

 

[Rampant]

My decision is biased as well, but you better be sure you want to shell out the money.. Most every doc I talk that went to a private or expensive school laments their debt. Bottom line is, your performance matters alot more than where you go to school. Btw, MCG"s residency match isn't very shabby for a class of 180. Over half, get their first choice, and 3/4 or so get one of their top three.

Rampant

MCG Class of 2007

 

[All-Star14]

Originally posted by ermonty
I'm tryin to think to the future. I think about if I go to MCG will I regret it when I try to get into a competitive specialty. I think about if I go to UVa will I regret it when I'm swimming in debt and malpractice rates keep rising and reimbursement keeps dropping.

There's a good argument to be made for me to go either way. Guess it just depends on which one I choose to side with and try not to think about "what ifs" later.

I talked with one of their (MCG's) board of admissions members not too long ago. According to her, they match people all over the country (not exclusively in GA). So, if you're worried about being competitive enough for residencies coming out of MCG, fear not.

BTW, the decision is tough, but whichever decision you make will be a good one (remember that). 😀

You're going to be a physician...congrats to that!

 

[Doctor&Geek]

******
Trivia Question: Which university has both the women's and men's basketball teams ranked #1 in the land? Don't act like you don't know!!
******

http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/

Oh you mean, Washington University, right?

Yours,

 

[ermonty]

Rampant,

Congrats on MCG '07! You mentioned MCG's match list looked good. They "told" us on interview day that MCG watches well, but I never got to see any of the lists. Did you? What percent of the class got into competitive fields (ENT, Ortho, Uro, Opth, Rads, etc.)? I don't have my mind set on any specific field, but I do want to specialize.

Also, how was your interview day experience? Honestly, I liked it least of the programs I interviewed at (UVa, MCG, and Mercer). I just don't think that I truly got a feel of what it would feel like to study medicine there. Did you? I plan on going back up there soon to shadow with a 2nd or 3rd year for a day.

Eric

 

[Rampant]

Of the school's I dealt with, Emory + a few others, MCG gave me the best down to earth feel.. I've had the chance to sit on on some of their classes and its the typical lecture style classroom experience I am used to. I've been there twice and the student body seems to be closed knit as there isn't really alot of other things to do in Augusta besides play golf or hang out with your classmates.. I would suggest you go stay with someone and get a feel for the school yourself.. It is obviously way different than Mercer, where you are basically going to have to do a ton of research and teach yourself.. Ask to see the match list if you want.. I know several grads that matched at Emory for peds, emergency medicine, and one for Orthopaedics. They try to give you some clinical exposure in years 1-2 if you want it.. I'm not familiar with UVA's program so I can't really compare them.. I just know as a Georgia resident, it was extremely difficult to pass up the value of MCG's medical education so much that I applied early myself. When I was there, a student from who graduated from Harvard undergrad actually gave us the tour. Everyone's situation is different so maybe you should take a second look at both of the schools and then make up your mind based on your own perferences. Your financial package might influence your decision as well.

Hope this helps