Miami vs. Georgetown

[mangochief]

i’m really struggling between two schools, an absolute battle between the head and the heart. both of the schools are similar in rank and are quite comparable in terms of standard of school. both have wonderful student groups, research opportunities, good work-life balance, great match lists etc. it’s a difficult decision between family/location and money.



Georgetown: this is my dream school and has been for ages. walking on the campus feels like home and i know i’d be very happy.

- close to home and family (and my SO’s family) which is very important to me.

- this is the area i want to stay and settle down so networking in the area could increase my chances of matching to a residency program in the area (ofc i know this isn’t a guarantee)

- service oriented and strong values that resonate with what matters to me in medicine

- more exposure to public health/other career growth opportunities that i’m interested in

- preclinical P/F and clinical tiered P/F (which i’m okay with)



biggest con:

- around $100k COA/year, super expensive



Miller School of Medicine (UMiami):

- school known for strong clinical training

- $25,000k merit scholarship per year ($100k scholarship total), this would make my COA around $70k/year

- very focused on innovation, making a lot of improvements

- farther from home and cost of living in the city is very expensive and increasing

- internal ranking of students (little stressful) so though preclinical is P/F, grades matter. clinical is graded.



if cost wasn’t an issue, i would 100% choose school 1. however, school 1 is $120k more expensive total (unless they give me some aid which seems unlikely) not considering interest and it’s very hard to say no to a $100k scholarship over 4 years. i would have significantly lower loans with school 2. on the other hand, being away from family (dad has health issues, brother is young) is terrible and i’ve been far away for this past year for my gap year and it’s absolutely sucked. thinking about another minimum 4 years of that is not fun especially because it’s not very easy to visit. i’m stuck in what seems like an impossible decision and would really love some insight from others. thank you!

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[avhu10]

I feel like Georgetown would be the better option due to the proximity to your support system and the fact that it matches well in the northeast, plus it has the mission/programs that you’re looking for. You will eventually repay your loan, choosing Georgetown will probably delay it, but not by a lot since Miami is becoming very expensive. And Georgetown will probably set you up with more opportunities related to your career interests/public health imo

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Live like a resident an extra couple years as an attending and you'll knock out the loan difference. If it were me, I'd go to Georgetown. You seem like you would be far more comfortable and productive at Georgetown.

 

[mangochief]

I feel like Georgetown would be the better option due to the proximity to your support system and the fact that it matches well in the northeast, plus it has the mission/programs that you’re looking for. You will eventually repay your loan, choosing Georgetown will probably delay it, but not by a lot since Miami is becoming very expensive. And Georgetown will probably set you up with more opportunities related to your career interests/public health imo

thank you for your response!

 

[mangochief]

Live like a resident an extra couple years as an attending and you'll knock out the loan difference. If it were me, I'd go to Georgetown. You seem like you would be far more comfortable and productive at Georgetown.

thank you for your answer! it’s definitely where my heart is 🙂

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

It’s worth paying the extra for convenience and what your heart desires. In the long run, you just have to pay like 1000 extra a month for a couple years to make up for the difference. But when you make 300+k a year, it’s not bad at all.

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

It’s worth paying the extra for convenience and what your heart desires. In the long run, you just have to pay like 1000 extra a month for a couple years to make up for the difference. But when you make 300+k a year, it’s not bad at all.

Just pointing out that it’s definitely not $1000 a month for a couple of years. if you’re paying $1000 a month for $120k it’s going to take about ~15 years w interest, not a couple.

Personally, I don’t think Georgetown is worth the difference, but I understand where others are coming from. really depends on your own short and long term goals. Financial freedom is important to me in my future, perhaps to a greater extent than most people.

 

[JStarMD]

The difference in money is an overriding decision maker. The choice to attend a much more expensive school locks you into a young life of debt and delayed "other stuff" (the house, the boat and most important, the retirement (! yup !). Miami. You do not need to be "comfortable in med school". You need to work hard, learn a lot & make faculty friends so your excellent test scores and recommendations get you the residency you want near where you'd like to practice one day. Miami has more to teach you than you could possibly learn in four years and has influential alumni literally everywhere. Good luck!

 

[mangochief]

Just pointing out that it’s definitely not $1000 a month for a couple of years. if you’re paying $1000 a month for $120k it’s going to take about ~15 years w interest, not a couple.

Personally, I don’t think Georgetown is worth the difference, but I understand where others are coming from. really depends on your own short and long term goals. Financial freedom is important to me in my future, perhaps to a greater extent than most people.

agree and i definitely also value financial freedom which is why this has been SUCH a difficult decision for me. i also value family and don't want to regret being absent and missing a lot of time with my family in the future. so i have no idea how to choose between those two, family is always the most important but $120k isn't like nothing

 

[Detailsmatter]

as a current student at Miami, I say choose Georgetown. the ability to be able to be near family/SO and that support is invaluable if it is important to you. Its why I chose to stay in Miami myself. theyre both great schools that'll get you wherever you wanna go if you put in the work but it'll be much easier on you being nearby your support system. 120k is a lot but its not like were saying its a 300k difference