Opinions on Georgetown

[Generic Member]

I've been hanging out on SDN for a little while and I perceive that people are pretty down on Georgetown but I don't know why. Am I seeing things incorrectly, or are there good solid reasons some people don't like the school? Vote one way or the other and maybe say why you voted as you did.

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[Droopy Snoopy]

I've been hanging out on SDN for a little while and I perceive that people are pretty down on Georgetown but I don't know why. Am I seeing things incorrectly, or are there good solid reasons some people don't like the school? Vote one way or the other and maybe say why you voted as you did.

DC's not the most hospitable place to spend 4+ years, so I imagine that has something to do with it. Otherwise I don't think G'town was particularly great or particularly bad (I interviewed there several years ago), it's just a middle of the pack private school like so many others.

 

[njbmd]

Georgetown is a great but expensive school located in a very expensive city. If you are attending Georgetown as an undergrad, you get to spend four years there but as a medical student, you can do your fourth-year electives elsewhere (cheaper cost of living).

The Georgetown medical class is quite large and their clinical affiliates are quite diverse in terms of patient population and location. Again, the biggest drawback to Georgetown is that it is a private school located in a city (metropolitan area) that enjoys a very high cost of living. (1 BR apartment $1,200 + range). Excellent faculty and school facilities but parking is a beast and rush hour is more like "rush day" i.e. long and frustrating. If you are lucky, GUTS (Georgetown U Transit Service) will service where you live.

 

[chaldobruin]

I loved Georgetown when I visited, and I am most likely headed there next year. I've noticed that people mostly complain about

1-the expensive secondary fee, which is really stupid because most schools are close to or at $100 anyway, what the hell is another $30 extra when you end up paying thousands for the AMCAS/secondary total,

2-"Cost"..the school is expensive but not much more than any other private scool..the area is expensive but its a georgeous upper class area, what did you expect? Would you rather be in the ghetto?

3-Problems with admissions, e.g. Mrs. Sullivan's attitude, the fishbowl, crappy interviewer etc.

4-The fact that Gtown rejects early and quickly, and bruises a lot of SDN egos since it looks for a certain mold of applicant and doesn't care as much about numbers.

I've noticed that these problems have no bearing on your medical education (once you get past admissions, thats that). Form your own opinion about the school and don't pay too much attention to the crap thats on here.

 

[Bubblehead-to-MD]

I loved Georgetown when I visited, and I am most likely headed there next year. I've noticed that people mostly complain about

1-the expensive secondary fee, which is really stupid because most schools are close to or at $100 anyway, what the hell is another $30 extra when you end up paying thousands for the AMCAS/secondary total,

2-"Cost"..the school is expensive but not much more than any other private scool..the area is expensive but its a georgeous upper class area, what did you expect? Would you rather be in the ghetto?

3-Problems with admissions, e.g. Mrs. Sullivan's attitude, the fishbowl, crappy interviewer etc.

4-The fact that Gtown rejects early and quickly, and bruises a lot of SDN egos since it looks for a certain mold of applicant and doesn't care as much about numbers.

I've noticed that these problems have no bearing on your medical education (once you get past admissions, thats that). Form your own opinion about the school and don't pay too much attention to the crap thats on here.

Agree with you 100%! I'm still waiting before making my final decision, but Georgetown is near the top of my list.

 

[freetheyaz]

They were my favorite when they asked to interview me 2 days after I was complete..but since I am still on a CAP waitlist, they are losing my interest.

 

[ssquared]

DC's not the most hospitable place to spend 4+ years, so I imagine that has something to do with it. Otherwise I don't think G'town was particularly great or particularly bad (I interviewed there several years ago), it's just a middle of the pack private school like so many others.

I would have to disagree with you regarding DC; I've lived there for over 20 years and I think it's a wonderful city. The Georgetown area is especially nice. The parking situation sucks, the traffic is pretty awful, and it's expensive, but such is city life. DC's got a lot to offer (not to mention tons of hospitals in the area).

What I do often hear about Georgetown is that their faculty is great, but the facilities kinda suck. I shadowed a current M3 a few months ago and she seemed to enjoy it there, but did say that the facilities were lacking. But no med school is perfect, for sure.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

I loved Georgetown when I visited, and I am most likely headed there next year. I've noticed that people mostly complain about

1-the expensive secondary fee, which is really stupid because most schools are close to or at $100 anyway, what the hell is another $30 extra when you end up paying thousands for the AMCAS/secondary total,

2-"Cost"..the school is expensive but not much more than any other private scool..the area is expensive but its a georgeous upper class area, what did you expect? Would you rather be in the ghetto?

3-Problems with admissions, e.g. Mrs. Sullivan's attitude, the fishbowl, crappy interviewer etc.

4-The fact that Gtown rejects early and quickly, and bruises a lot of SDN egos since it looks for a certain mold of applicant and doesn't care as much about numbers.

I've noticed that these problems have no bearing on your medical education (once you get past admissions, thats that). Form your own opinion about the school and don't pay too much attention to the crap thats on here.

I really don't think it's an "Everybody Hates Georgetown" kind of thing. I withdrew after my interview because the more I learned about the school, the more I realized it wasn't for me. None of my reasons are in your list except cost. Which, I think is a valid reason because while all private schools are expensive, the cost is different because they distribute aid differently. Cost of living is an important factor too. I wouldn't blame people for considering that. Also, a lot of times cost is a comparative thing. I decided that I wouldn't choose Georgetown over my state school because of the cost, so I withdrew.

The thing I loved most about Georgetown was Ms. Sullivan. She straightforwardly told us, "This is was Georgetown is, this is was Georgetown isn't. If it's right for you, great, if not, that's fine too, you should look elsewhere."

 

[Bubblehead-to-MD]

I really don't think it's an "Everybody Hates Georgetown" kind of thing.

What chaldobruin is referring to is the general bashing that Georgetown receives on these forums, and in the Medical School Interview Feedback. The people do not typically state that they are withdrawing because of the higher cost - they bash the school for the various reasons chaldobruin listed.

 

[Generic Member]

Thanks for all of the opinions. I'm glad to see that no one has posted a critical flaw that I never noticed.

 

[stereochemistry]

Georgetown = good basketball team