MCG vs RWJMS

[vaticancameos_777]

MCG
Pros

• cheaper IS tuition + cheaper CoL
• 1.5yr pre-clinical
• curriculum done in 3 years with flexibility for 4th year
• pre-clinical seems less stressful with quizzes on Fridays; friends have told me they feel like they can rest on weekends which is a plus
• feel like I could be a "big fish in a little pond" due to a variety of personal factors, which could be helpful in wanting to go into a competitive specialty
• close to home
• has the option for hybrid lectures
• can access my IS network
• a fair amount of people matched into competitive specialties
• warm weather
• p/f preclinical

Cons

• don't know if this is necessarily a con, but match list could be stronger and is definitely very southern-focused. Competitive specialties were not always at the most competitive programs (but it seems every year the match list is getting stronger so does it matter?)
• could be competitive if other students want competitive residencies; school definitely tries to emphasize primary care which I'm not sure I want to go into yet
• small town that is 2+ hours from any major city (I'm used to being in big cities with a variety to do); friends have confirmed there isn't much to do
• would have to move somewhere else in the state during clinical years, possibly more in the middle of nowhere than Augusta
• graded clinical

RWJMS
Pros

• stronger match list including within competitive specialties (more northern focused)
• more research funding to my knowledge
• program distinctions
• name might carry more recognition when applying to residency
• close to NYC and Philly in terms of major cities
• cool service opportunities as well as public health research
• also has an under 2yr preclinical
• p/f preclinical

Cons

• way more expensive being OOS (almost 2.5x the cost of MCG)
• hate the cold
• potentially more competitive; have heard rumors about a pressure-cooker environment
• can't remember much more about the school; interviews were separate from info sessions and neither were memorable
• graded clinical

Summary: Essentially want to figure out if the prestige + match list RWJMS may offer is worth that much of an extra cost, and if anyone knows more about either school than I do please feel free to inform me!

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[chilly_md]

No, RWJMS is definitely not worth the extra cost. It is a nice state school, but not a research powerhouse school like some of the ones in NYC. Go to MCG. MCG is essentially all GA residents, they likely want to stay in the South (especially if they had multiple acceptances and declined others to go to MCG in the first place).