MCG vs. BU

[SomethingCool]

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Super fortunate and grateful this cycle turned out the way it did. I am torn between the two options as I really like both programs so any advice or perspective is appreciated!

Medical College of Georgia (MCG) - Full Tuition Scholarship
Pros:

• Super inexpensive with Scholarship
• Everyone who goes there seems to really enjoy
• Condensed curriculum into 3 years so 4th year can be used for early residency, residency prep, research, or dual degree
• Lots of student-run free clinics so great hands-on volunteer experience available
• Cool simulation center and opportunities to train using ultrasound and dummies
• I'm a Georgia resident so closer to family than Boston
• Past year's match results seemed really strong (I'm hoping to do something surgical, anesthesia, or internal, but specialized, but not decided yet and keeping an open mind)
• Lower cost of living

Cons:

• Not a big city, Augusta is a small town
• Maybe not as prestigious/competitive as other programs for competitive specialities
• Larger Class size
• Graded clerkships
• Less research opportunities

Boston University - $10K per year scholarship but graduate w/ ~$325k+ in debt
Pros:

• Health Equity emphasis - things like refugee health, health equity, etc.
• Training at a safety net hospital like BMC so get to learn and see a lot especially working with diverse underserved populations which is important to me
• Get to be in Boston and experience a new city
• Early emphasis on patient exposure via Doctoring Courses (round with M4's)
• Like their mission and is a strong fit with my background and personality
• Relatively smaller class size
• Prestige/Competitive for residencies
• Lots of research opportunities

Cons:

• Cost (I did not get any financial aid besides the $10k/year scholarship)
• Cold weather
• High cost of living
• Far from family

For reference, I was also waitlisted at Cornell, although it is probably a long shot - I really like their program and the opportunities to train within New York were really cool. I would also like to do an MBA and Cornell would be a great school to do it at and lots of opportunities to study health equity and also see the business side of healthcare too via clubs and interactions with healthcare business leaders.

 

[chilly_md]

Hard to say no to full tuition, especially when your family is in the same state. Hopefully you hear good news from Cornell when WL movement begins next month.

 

[PixelPenguin]

It's hard to argue with full-tuition. From your writing of it however, it seems like you'd prefer BU or Cornell, and that those would be better programs. I guess you have to decide if the program advantages are worth the cost.
Could you ask BU to try to match the scholarship? They might offer something better which could then be your plan while waiting for the Cornell waitlist.

 

[SimplyNicole]

For the most part, the specialties you listed as being interested in are fairly competitive. It's hard to pass on the T20 school who will set you up better for those. MCG has matched some students well, but wouldn't you want to go where your odds are better and you don't close doors of opportunity? The debt is a big thing, but doable by many in those high-paying, competitive specialties. Especially if there is any scholarship matching as said above.

 

[AttackonJupiter]

I think the fact that you are having to ask and debate between X school with a full-ride and any Y school says a lot about the situation and which school either is better or you'd rather attend. Many students go into debt and are able to pay it off with a physician salary. You must really want BU or Cornell for this to not have been a no-brainer and in that argument, I'd agree with you. If the debt is worrying you (which it kinda should) it'll be okay and you should look into the various debt forgiveness options too!

 

[SomethingCool]

Thanks for the input everyone! I did contact BU for any extra assistance, but was told there was nothing additional they could provide. 🙁
I do really like BU, but debt is a big factor for me and I've heard from a lot of doctors its not worth taking on so much debt when you'll probably end up in the same spot anyway at the end hence why I'm a little torn.