PLEASE HELP ME CHOOSE: GW vs. UVA

[Yogurt the Kid]

hey folks,

i am trying to decide between matriculating at GW or at UVA. I have been at uva for 4 years undergrad already and have had an absolutely amazing time. the school is obviously well ranked, has a solid (though intensely rigorous) MS1-2, and places its students in great residencies. GW is not ranked, it's far more expensive as well. yet, the culture at GW is very appealing--a very honest and genuine group of students, DC provides a medium in which there are REAL health care and community needs. uva is in a posh, fairly affluent southern city (Charlottesville) and much of the culture there can often be "bubble-wrapped." As can happen anywhere, organizations are sometimes created for the sake of having organizations. additionally, UVA sends you to Roanoke, Salem, Norfolk, and Richmond...all sorts of places for 24 weeks of your 3rd year for rotations. it is clearly not the center of clinical care medicine and cannot provide the concentrated rotation experiences that GW can. uva is big on research which is not a major factor in my consideration. i feel that a change in education perspective would be great and did feely genuinely happy at GW. but my friends insist: UVA. my interests lie in going into a surgical specialty and UVA would definitely help place me in a solid residency. but then again, i'm not necessarily interested in getting that big time Hopkins residency--i know i will excel as a physician wherever i train and would ultimately like my career and educational decisions to be based off of the ability to meet the real needs of my community, family, and profession and my personal fulfillment (not based on a list of ranking and perceived prestige) like I said, the prestige and reputation matter less to me than the quality of education and fulfillment during my training as a physician. I would GREATLY appreciate your objective comparisons of GW and UVA, and factors that would help you to make this decision and lean one way or the other?

yogurt

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ccCrazie]

YK I can see you're pretty torn on this decision. I've been accepted to UVa also, but I did not apply to GW. It seems like a lot of your observations about UVa are based on your knowledge of the school and charlottesville. If you went to GW undergrad I'm sure you could identify the warts of that school and DC in general. Basically any place you're spent 4 years allows you to see the the ugly side of, so don't worry too much about that stuff. I was a little surprised at a couple things you said about UVa such as the fact that it was intense because that's not the impression I got at all from visiting there, especially since they're going to be switching to P/F next year. Also, why do you say UVa is big on research? I'm looking for research opportunities in med school and I thought UVa probably had the least of any school I applied to and there's no time set aside for it. Essentially you're penalized for doing research because you have to do it on your own. But keep in mind that for many residencies research is a must, or at least a huge plus. So I wouldn't hold that against any school. Do you have any idea where you want to do a residency, as far as geographic location? That's important to consider and UVa does a lot of placement in the south, including some great places like duke. I don't know where GW residencies are concentrated but I'd imagine they're spread over a lot of the east. Also, remember that DC is insanely expensive. Charlottesville is pretty darn affordable and you could probably get a real nice place for cheap. In DC you'll be living in a very small apt and paying a lot of money. All things to consider. If you like cities and a million things to do then DC is great. Are you a VA resident? I can't give you a hard answer because everyone is different, but personally I'd choose UVa because it's 1) in my opinion a much better school 2) it's a cheaper area, and very nice 3) I don't particularly like cities 4) Great tradition there

Also remember that while you may not be really into reputation and prestige, there could come a time in 3 years when you decide you want to do a highly competitive residency such as derm or optho and then you're going to be glad you're at a prestigious institution because it most certainly opens doors for you. Good luck in making your decision. Let us know what you decide.

The length of this post should indicate that I'm at work and don't feel like working.

 

[aquaboy]

I loved UVa and will most likely be attending there in the fall, even though I am not from VA. It is such a great school and I loved the surroundings and the students. The only thing I didn't like are the 3rd year rotations done elsewhere but it's for our benefit. You can't beat the price if you are an instate resident. If you are looking for great clinical exposure I'm sure GW offers more of that in a big city. I like the smaller setting of Charlottesville and don't think I want to live in a big city like Boston, DC, etc.

I can't offer a ton of info on GW because I didn't interview there but I do know that most people that go there are about 200k in debt upon graduation. Are you willing to trade 60K in debt from a great school like UVa for 200K for GW? That would be an easy question for me, but if money isn't an issue then choose whatever school fits better with your personality. Hope this helps!

 

[pillowhead]

well, I didn't visit UVA, but I did interview at GW, and I'd have to say it wasn't that impressive. OK, but not great. I think someone in a previous post put it very well by saying that if you had been at GW for undergrad, you'd likely find just as many irksome things about it as you are finding about UVA. UVA is better ranked, much cheaper for you as a resident, and has a cheaper cost of living. But that said, if you just have to get out of Virginia and got a really good vibe at GW, don't discount those either. (I for one could not stand being at my undergrad institution for another four years.) You are taking a risk though that DC might not be all it's cracked up to be and that you may be suffering from "the grass is always greener on the other side " syndrome. Are there any other schools you are holding acceptances at or have yet to hear from, or is it really down to these two at this point?

 

[capnbuckles]

Howdy Yogurt,

To me, if you are a VA resident, the tuition issue is important -- assuming it is an issue and that you are not filthy rich.

The overwhelming advice I've gotten from doc's old and young (like my just-finishing-residency college buddies; I am a post-bacc) has been that all Virginia schools (UVa, VCU-MCV, EVMS) are great values. I know from experience that C-ville is fun when you're 21, but once you get a bit older it seems small, isolated, and insulated -- especially compared with D.C. and even Richmond.

If you are a Virginia resident, have you considered VCU-MCV? I think its program and setting are closer to the GW-flavor (but slightly more "ghetto" setting). I think I was told by someone that MCV hospitals does more indigent care than any other hospital system in the Commonwealth. My buddy is at U Penn for his residency and said, for medicine at least, all Virginia medical schools are recognized as quite solid. Anyway, not sure that just contributed much. Cheers!

 

[Yogurt the Kid]

what's up guys,

i definitely feel ya on the whole tuition bit. being in-state, uva would be very cheap. as far as residency placement goes, i'd like to place somewhere near the dc area (at the most a 6 hour drive away). do you truly believe that uva would open doors to residency positions such as orthopaedic surg, dermatology, etc. that would otherwise not be availble to a GW grad? or does a student who does well on his/her boards, makes AOA, and has great rotation recs have a good chance regardless of institution?

yogurt