Rock and a hard place--sorry for complaining

[BoneMental]

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Let me preface this by apologizing for voicing this problem. I understand that it is a fortunate problem to have, but its actually kind of stressing me out.🙁

I cannot decide between University of Virginia School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I was accepted into both of them, but I simply cannot choose.

The environment at UVA SOM was breathtaking. The campus was beautiful, it was sunny, happy, everyone was nice (for the most part...), and the only thing that frustrated me was the occasional snobbery from a UVA student. However, I was turned off by the problems their curriculum seemed to be having. Additionally, UVA SOM is heavily intertwined with the undergraduate campus in terms of its location. I am not sure if that is good or not...

The environment at Hopkins was very different--it was very dark and not as appealing as UVA SOM. However, I really enjoyed Hopkins in terms of the curriculum. Additionally, it is hard to ignore the massive prestige that comes with such a school. I also am unfamiliar with how social life is like in a big city such as Baltimore, but I am curious.

I am worried about students being too competitive (I cannot stand that sort of thing). But at both schools, I got the same vibe--that there were students that were hyper ultra competitive no matter where you went, and although there were some, it was not out of hand. In fact, at both schools, I asked this question and got the same answer.

I am very grateful to have been accepted to both schools. I would just like to hear some opinions from people who do not know me in real life and thus can be mostly unbiased.

Thanks ya'll.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Let me preface this by apologizing for voicing this problem. I understand that it is a fortunate problem to have, but its actually kind of stressing me out.🙁

I cannot decide between University of Virginia School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I was accepted into both of them, but I simply cannot choose.

The environment at UVA SOM was breathtaking. The campus was beautiful, it was sunny, happy, everyone was nice (for the most part...), and the only thing that frustrated me was the occasional snobbery from a UVA student. However, I was turned off by the problems their curriculum seemed to be having. Additionally, UVA SOM is heavily intertwined with the undergraduate campus in terms of its location. I am not sure if that is good or not...

The environment at Hopkins was very different--it was very dark and not as appealing as UVA SOM. However, I really enjoyed Hopkins in terms of the curriculum. Additionally, it is hard to ignore the massive prestige that comes with such a school. I also am unfamiliar with how social life is like in a big city such as Baltimore, but I am curious.

I am worried about students being too competitive (I cannot stand that sort of thing). But at both schools, I got the same vibe--that there were students that were hyper ultra competitive no matter where you went, and although there were some, it was not out of hand. In fact, at both schools, I asked this question and got the same answer.

I am very grateful to have been accepted to both schools. I would just like to hear some opinions from people who do not know me in real life and thus can be mostly unbiased.

Thanks ya'll.

What are the finances involved? Personally, it sounds like you should go to UVA. Its a great school with an excellent rep.

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to the school-specific discussions forum.

 

[candav]

Hopkins. Go to Hopkinnnnssss! I've never been to Charlottesville, but it seems too much a college town for me, particularly given the massive undergrad population.

Also, Hopkins is fully pass/fail during the first two years, which I have heard eases the competitiveness greatly.

 

[Cinclus]

Hopkins. Go to Hopkinnnnssss! I've never been to Charlottesville, but it seems too much a college town for me, particularly given the massive undergrad population.

Also, Hopkins is fully pass/fail during the first two years, which I have heard eases the competitiveness greatly.

UVA is also fully P/F in its preclinical curriculum, which is only 1.5 years long. OP, keep in mind that UVA will have you traveling all over the state for rotations. I don't know if Hopkins does this, but that is a characteristic of UVA that I really didn't care for.

 

[BoneMental]

As far as finances go, it doesn't matter, simply because I am getting massive loans regardless. Plus, it ends up costing the same.

 

[deleted432862]

Hopkins

 

[candav]

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that the preclinical curriculum at Hopkins is also <2 years.

One other thing to add (and I can't speak for UVA as I know nothing about the school): I was most impressed on interview day with the level of institutional support at Hopkins for student endeavours. This includes funding for international rotations, summer research, and the like. My tour guide said >50% of med students take a fifth year to do research or pursue a dual degree, fully funded by the school. Personally, the Bloomberg School of Public Health is a huge draw for me -- if you've done any research in public health, you'll know it's practically impossible to do a literature review without Bloomberg coming up time and again.

Well, now I'm gushing, so I'll wrap up by saying that I really can't imagine a place with greater opportunities than Hopkins. But, of course, I am quite biased. Mes deux cents.

 

[nadaba]

Honestly, competitive atmosphere seems impossible to gauge based on one interview day. Both schools are P/F for years 1 and 2, and that seems to be about as much as you can ask for. For exactly the same price, I would have a hard time turning down Hopkins 🙂

 

[Blaquestar]

Hopkins! I think the decision should boil down to the curriculum and residency offered by each school. In my opinion, it seems that Hopkins curriculum and residency beat that of UVA!
Additionally, I have been in a medical school that shares it's library with college students and I didn't particularly like it. College and medical school are on two different levels in terms of seriousness. When your in medical school you don't need unnecessary distractions that college students can bring!

 

[drizzt3117]

I didn't even apply to Hopkins for med school b/c I didn't want to spend 4 years in BMore, it's obv a great school, but the rumors I've heard about malignancy appear to be true. While you might be at a bit of an advantage applying to competitive residencies out of JHU, you have to weigh that against the location and whether it'd put you into a better position for success.

 

[Cinclus]

I didn't even apply to Hopkins for med school b/c I didn't want to spend 4 years in BMore, it's obv a great school, but the rumors I've heard about malignancy appear to be true. While you might be at a bit of an advantage applying to competitive residencies out of JHU, you have to weigh that against the location and whether it'd put you into a better position for success.

Same for me. UVA has JHU beat as far as location goes, in my opinion.

 

[Ilovewater]

I can't speak for UVA, but Baltimore isn't that great of a city. The area around Hopkins was shady and depressing.

Also, I would probably wait until the financial packages come out to make a decision. You never know what kind of aid they are going to provide.

 

[drizzt3117]

I can't speak for UVA, but Baltimore isn't that great of a city. The area around Hopkins was shady and depressing.

Also, I would probably wait until the financial packages come out to make a decision. You never know what kind of aid they are going to provide.

I heard jhu does something like the match at their 2nd look where everyone opens up their envelope with their fin aid at the same time, lol.

 

[ilikesports]

Wow! That is a tough decision.

Growing up in DC I didn't even apply to JHU because I knew how much I didn't like Baltimore, but that aside JHU has an incredible reputation globally. I'm going to UVA SOM next year and I am extremely excited because of all UVA has to offer, but JHU might enable you to get those extremely competitive residencies at UCSF, Harvard, JHU...

Hmm... Obviously there are a lot of differences between the schools.

Maybe the way I'd decide is by how I felt when I was accepted to each school. Which ever one I was more excited to get the letter from I'd probably pick. Or another way to judge--- which one did you check the status of more often???

This is a win win situation. Good luck! I hope to see you at UVA next year but I'll understand if you pick JHU

 

[Ilovewater]

I heard jhu does something like the match at their 2nd look where everyone opens up their envelope with their fin aid at the same time, lol.

Wow! If they do it that way, I hope they give everyone some sort of scholarship. It would suck if all they give you is loans. That'd definitely kill the mood of second look haha.

 

[afob100]

OP, you certainly can't go wrong with either school. You will undoubtedly get a quality medical education + training at both places. It's really up to your own preferences/weighting among 3 things: location, money, and prestige.

I'm going to take both sides of this debate (note that I'm a first year med student at UVA but will try to keep it as unbiased as I can):

Location: Charlottesville = college town - there are no doubts about it. UVA dominates the town in all regards as cville really centers around the school. There are plenty of outdoorsy-type activities to do (hiking in the mountains, picking apples at orchards, wine-tasting the surrounding vinyards, etc). Nightlife is definitely lacking unless you're into crowded bars (NOT clubs) where underage college kids are perpetually trying to sneak in.

Baltimore: Having grown up in Maryland and visited/partied in Bmore plenty of times, I would say that while Hopkins itself is in a terrible neighborhood, there is probably more to do in the city than Charlottesville. The city is full of young professionals and older students (Univ of Maryland professional schools, etc), which results in Bmore nightlife >>> Cville nightlife by a long shot. + Bmore has the inner harbor area with restaurants, aquarium, etc. But there is certainly a lack of outdoorsy-type activities that you get in cville. And don't forget about professional sports - Bmore centers itself around the Ravens and Orioles...although to be fair, cville similarly centers itself around its football and basketball (granted at the college level).

It really depends on your own personal preferences with regards to location - do you like day-time, outdoors activities, or better nightlife? medium sized city life or small town surrounded by the countryside? professional or college sports?

Cost: I'm assuming that you're OOS so...
UVA = ~$51,000
UVA has very generous financial aid packages (depending on your parents income) - OOS students are eligible for up to $17,000 scholarship per year (again dependent on parent income) and up to $10,000 in subsidized UVA loans.

This could result in a net cost of $34,000 (not including the loan). Note: cost of living in cville is cheaper than bmore. You are looking at about $500-600 per month rent in cville including utilities, etc.

Hopkins = ~$44,000 tuition + fees. Not sure about their financial aid policies/packages. So it's definitely something to look into. I was looking at rent for the area surrounding Univ of Maryland SOM (I know it's a couple miles from Hopkins) and remember it to be about $700-800 a month. This is probably close to what it costs to live near Hopkins.

For this case, you need to really just wait to get your financial aid packages and compare. Then you must decide how much $$$ really means to you in your ultimate decision...if UVA is $5,000 cheaper per year, then what? or if it's $10,000 more expensive per year, etc.

Prestige:
Now this one is pretty clear and can't really be argued.

Hopkins = #3 in US News - Research + world renowned reputation in medicine
UVA = #22 in US News - Research + decent but not by any means world renowned reputation

You must decide how much it means to you to go to a higher ranked school. Some people argue that rankings don't mean that much while others live/die by these rankings.

So in the end OP, it is your decision to make based on (what I believe) are the 3 most important things to factor in. There definitely is no clear cut right answer. I know a second year student here who turned down Hopkins Med, and vice versa.

You really can' t go wrong with either school...assuming you do well, you will be able to get into an elite residency program (I guarantee you that UVA won't hold you back in any way - on a related note, what if you were able to attain AOA at UVA but not at Hopkins?? You would probably land a better residency position out of UVA with AOA than Hopkins without).

In any case, good luck with your decision OP and congrats on your acceptances! Feel free to message me if you have any questions/concerns about UVA med.

 

[mmmcdowe]

A lot of people are saying "derp prestige go to hopkins", but feeling good about going to the more prestigious choice isn't necessarily going to keep you happy for four years if you didn't like the atmosphere at JH. You don't get a coupon for your life back after residency, this is the next four years of your life followed by another 6ish years of training subsequently. Squeeze as much happiness out of it as you can, because you CAN be happy. The mindset of "I just have to suffer through xyz and then I'll be happy", is not a good one.

 

[AugustBurnsDan]

1st world problem 🙄

 

[drizzt3117]

A lot of people are saying "derp prestige go to hopkins", but feeling good about going to the more prestigious choice isn't necessarily going to keep you happy for four years if you didn't like the atmosphere at JH. You don't get a coupon for your life back after residency, this is the next four years of your life followed by another 6ish years of training subsequently. Squeeze as much happiness out of it as you can, because you CAN be happy. The mindset of "I just have to suffer through xyz and then I'll be happy", is not a good one.

+1, I'd strongly consider going to uva

 

[flodhi1]

I didn't even apply to Hopkins for med school b/c I didn't want to spend 4 years in BMore, it's obv a great school, but the rumors I've heard about malignancy appear to be true. While you might be at a bit of an advantage applying to competitive residencies out of JHU, you have to weigh that against the location and whether it'd put you into a better position for success.

+1 I have lived in the DMV metro area for more than half a decade and I can assure you that Baltimore is not a place I would want to live in.

 

[Whatyousay]

I heard jhu does something like the match at their 2nd look where everyone opens up their envelope with their fin aid at the same time, lol.

Wow! If they do it that way, I hope they give everyone some sort of scholarship. It would suck if all they give you is loans. That'd definitely kill the mood of second look haha.

"Congratulations! You get nothing."

 

[BrandonR]

Bonemetal, would it be possible to post your stats or if you have a MDA id. I would like to know the kind of students Hopkins is looking for. and HOPKINS!! for sure.

 

[Blue Cohosh]

To add a dissenting voice, I think Baltimore is a great place to spend one's twenties. I spent a lot of time there and would love to return. I don't know Charlottesville at all, but I imagine for most medical students the college town atmosphere will grow old after having just spent four years in similar environs.

Baltimore is a large east-coast city, with all the benefits and drawbacks that entails. The entire city is not just like 'The Wire.' There are a number of very cool neighborhoods in which to live and party within city limits. I don't think many students live walking distance from the school (which is indeed located in an unsafe part of town). However, JHU does provide shuttles from the outlying neighborhoods (I have a friend that lives in Mt. Vernon - a very hip urban area - and she takes the shuttle) and from the undergrad campus, which is located in a nice area (Homewood/Charles Village). And the cost of living is much less than any other major coastal city in the area.

The difference in 'prestige' between Hopkins and UVA is largely predicated upon Hopkins' superlative research opportunities. There are certainly faculty members at UVA doing similar high-quality work as those at JHU, but JHU benefits from having a larger number of elite faculty with the accompanying higher level of research funding, thereby providing more research opportunities for students and residents. How interested you are in performing research as a medical student will dictate whether this is important to you.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Definitely go to both second looks btw

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Man, what a hard choice! I envy you for sure. 🙂 The prestige of Hopkins would be hard to pass up, but you shouldn't pick a school just for the name. Do you think you would be more interested in working with an urban patient population or a rural/suburban one? If you like to see lots of trauma and such, I'd go with Hopkins because it's in an urban location. Baltimore wouldn't be my top choice of cities to live in, but there are worse ones. If that isn't your thing, you'd probably enjoy UVa more. Ultimately I think you could get fantastic opportunities and a great education at both schools, so you really can't go wrong! Go with your gut, and where you can picture yourself the happiest for the next four years.

 

[BoneMental]

ok thanks all!

 

[ipodtouch]

1st world problem

Haha, I was just thinking. The title should be more like "between Disney Land and a trip to the Superbowl."
Rock and Hard place usually mean, between bad thing and worse thing


But lifestyle wise, I have heard that JHU is notorious for "I wish I was somewhere else if it wasn't for the prestige."