UC irvine v Georgetown

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Serenity6

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Advice needed. I've just come off the waitlist at Georgetown and would appreciate any advice.

The schools are rated pretty similarly.

I'm from the Midwest and currently live in California. I like DC and have friends and family there. I only have a little family in the LA area.

I like the technology aspect of irvine and have heard the facilities at Georgetown school are just ok, but I like the idea of having hospital directly on campus at Georgetown. Georgetown is also much more expensive since I have instate ca residence.

I am really interested in continuing research and considering a dual degree of either an md/ms or md/mba.

Please help!!
 
People say that Irvine is really boring, whereas Georgetown is a really cool place to live by. Other than that and the larger support system at Georgetown, I don't see any compelling reason to choose it over UCI. It's up to you to figure out what matters most.
 
UC Irvine is doing some really interesting stuff surrounding health information technology; I'm interested to see how the incoming class' Google Glass program will fare. I can certainly see its clinical applications, and tech proficiency in medicine is an essential skill to develop. Not sure I'd pick a medical school on that basis though; the entire program still seems a bit 'guinea piggish' or even 'gimmicky' to me.

As for Georgetown, it is nice that the hospital is on campus, but living in the nearby area can be expensive, so you might want to factor in a commute there. Some of the students I talked to on interview day said they lived about 20-25 minutes out. Also, keep in mind that Georgetown students can rotate not only at their hospital, but throughout the MedStar network, which is all throughout DC and the MD/VA surrounding areas.
 
Where do you want to do residency? Irvine might afford you an easier time matching in California. Also, what's the cost difference (10k, 50k , 100k?)? I'm also not seeing the compelling reason/motivating factors that are driving you to Georgetown over a similarly-ranked and less expensive school in CA.
 
Interviewed at both. I like Gtown a lot better, but not enough to cover the cost difference, especially when you factor in DC/Georgetown area living expenses.

The ipad and google glass stuff does seem really gimmicky to me. Only negatives at Gtown are the facilities and the cost. Irvine negatives are boring area, distance to hospital, required attendance. Not sure if either is p/f.
 
Georgetown for suuuuure. Jesuit education and D.C. Besides, Irvine was easily my least favorite of the schools at which I interviewed. Allow me to list (some of) the cons:

-Grades in the M2 year
-Mandatory 80% attendance policy
-Traditional (outdated) curriculum
-No contact between lower and upperclassmen / disconnect between the school and the main clinical sites
-Irvine is soulless (I spent my first 18 years there and believe me I'm never going back)
 
I would probably pick Georgetown. You really shouldn't look at cost. You'll make up the difference in a couple months as a physician. Pick the school that's best for you, has the better dual degree options, is close to family and friends for support, and has the better training to make you a better physician.

Best of luck!
 
I'd vote for Irvine... There is no way Gtown justifies the cost difference.
 
Even if Georgetown is 15k more per year (60k more for the 4 years), when you're a doctor making 250k+ a year, that 60k is not going to be a big deal. Again, I think the other factors (family, dual degree, clinical training) are far more important.
 
I'd prefer going to Georgetown because having a support system and living somewhere interesting is part of my quality of life. With most of my time directed toward studying, I would probably never see my family if I lived across the country. Finally, I really didn't like the commuter mentality at UCI and how everyone says "the medical center is only 20 minute away without traffic" -- but in southern CA, there's almost ALWAYS traffic. During 3rd and 4th year, it would be a huge bummer to do that every day... and also if you wanted to shadow or do any clinical research during your preclinical years.
 
Even if Georgetown is 15k more per year (60k more for the 4 years), when you're a doctor making 250k+ a year, that 60k is not going to be a big deal. Again, I think the other factors (family, dual degree, clinical training) are far more important.

Would completely agree... if there were significant differences in opportunities. Not that US News rankings mean everything, but there is a reason UC Irvine and Georgetown are tied in their rankings (similar opportunities etc...). The only factor mentioned that I think is worth the cost difference is family... I originally read OP's post as being from California and glazed over the whole being from the Midwest and having family near Gtown thing.

I'd prefer going to Georgetown because having a support system and living somewhere interesting is part of my quality of life. With most of my time directed toward studying, I would probably never see my family if I lived across the country. Finally, I really didn't like the commuter mentality at UCI and how everyone says "the medical center is only 20 minute away without traffic" -- but in southern CA, there's almost ALWAYS traffic. During 3rd and 4th year, it would be a huge bummer to do that every day... and also if you wanted to shadow or do any clinical research during your preclinical years.

With most of your time dedicated towards study, one could also argue that you probably wouldn't see D.C. that much. To address the traffic issue... it is Orange County, not L.A. (very different types of SoCal) and during 3rd and 4th year you don't have to do that drive all the time because you can just choose to live in a location that is central to all the hospitals and not central to campus.


On a closing note... do you want to live 5 minutes from the beach, or 0 minutes from snow? :laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
I would probably pick Georgetown. You really shouldn't look at cost. You'll make up the difference in a couple months as a physician. Pick the school that's best for you, has the better dual degree options, is close to family and friends for support, and has the better training to make you a better physician.

Best of luck!

Wait what? You should ALWAYS look at cost.

Anyway, from the outside looking in, Georgetown would not be worth the extra money. We're talking about close to 100K a year here. If you think you're paying that off in even a couple years you're kidding yourself, regardless of specialty.
 
Georgetown because of family and lack of 80% mandatory attendance.
 
Georgetown because of family and lack of 80% mandatory attendance.

I just have to throw this out there... who misses greater than 20% of class? Is this a real thing? I feel like education is one of the few things that people pay for but don't wish to receive. If I bought a Porsche and just received a steering wheel, I would be pretty ticked off... yet somehow paying more tuition to go to a school that doesn't require you to go to class seems well justified.

Definitely cannot disagree with family though. If you are going to front the cost difference (don't sneeze at $100K), do it because it will allow you to spend four more years with your family... not for "the experience" or a more lenient attendance policy.
 
I just have to throw this out there... who misses greater than 20% of class? Is this a real thing? I feel like education is one of the few things that people pay for but don't wish to receive. If I bought a Porsche and just received a steering wheel, I would be pretty ticked off... yet somehow paying more tuition to go to a school that doesn't require you to go to class seems well justified.

Definitely cannot disagree with family though. If you are going to front the cost difference (don't sneeze at $100K), do it because it will allow you to spend four more years with your family... not for "the experience" or a more lenient attendance policy.
You need to spend more time in the Med student forums. Why should lecture attendance be mandatory when many people learn more efficiently through self-study?
 
You need to spend more time in the Med student forums. Why should lecture attendance be mandatory when many people learn more efficiently through self-study?
Note I said class, not lecture. I guarantee you that scheduled time with an expert on a subject will only benefit your learning if you've been effectively self studying.
 
Note I said class, not lecture. I guarantee you that scheduled time with an expert on a subject will only benefit your learning if you've been effectively self studying.
Some lecturers talk slowly. Wouldn't it be nice to watch from home at x1.5 or x2 speed?
 
Some lecturers talk slowly. Wouldn't it be nice to watch from home at x1.5 or x2 speed?

I'm going to leave this be... But again, you are making the assumption of one-sided interaction.
 
Washington DC is an interesting city with a lot of activity and diverse training opportunities . I think you should not underestimate the importance of having people you know in D.C. Also, For the experience, I don't think you should focus on the price difference b/c as was mentioned that amount of extra tuition each year can be made up for while you are practicing.
 
Washington DC is an interesting city with a lot of activity and diverse training opportunities . I think you should not underestimate the importance of having people you know in D.C. Also, For the experience, I don't think you should focus on the price difference b/c as was mentioned that amount of extra tuition each year can be made up for while you are practicing.


Okay, I think some posters are really missing the point here financially. Let's do some math: The average indebtedness at Irvine is 139K, though of course that includes some students with instate tuition, so add on another 15K and call it 154K if you'd like. The average indebtedness at Georgetown is 223K, and since Georgetown - as I was told - has the highest number of HPSP students in the country, you can assume that number is going up as well. My assumption is you would owe much more than that, close to 300K before interest, probably closer 400K after.

Now think about that number. Do you realistically think you're going to pay that off easily? Go on the calculator and do the math, we're talking about 400 dollars A WEEK JUST INTEREST, and that's before residency! I don't care what specialty you go into, if you think you're not going to miss an extra 1600 dollars a month BEFORE paying down the principle, you're wrong. You're really wrong. This stuff matters, do not overlook how this will impact your freedom in adult life.
 
I have a background in finance and I believe the cost should not be a big factor in your decision making process. I looked online and found that the difference in total cost of attendance is 20k per year, or 80k for 4 years. This really comes out to only 6 months of salary out of the 40 years that you will be practicing medicine. So, the question to ask is- are those 6 months more important than being happier and being somewhere that I want to be for 4 (or perhaps 8) years during the prime years of my life.
 
I have a background in finance and I believe the cost should not be a big factor in your decision making process. I looked online and found that the difference in total cost of attendance is 20k per year, or 80k for 4 years. This really comes out to only 6 months of salary out of the 40 years that you will be practicing medicine. So, the question to ask is- are those 6 months more important than being happier and being somewhere that I want to be for 4 (or perhaps 8) years during the prime years of my life.
It seems that your coursework in finance hasn't given you a good understanding of how that debt will affect you. Understand that after medical school, you don't just become an attending physician and get a 200k salary. You spend 3-7 years as a resident starting at 50k/year, or about $2000/month after taxes. Increasing your debt by a $100k translates into additional hundreds of dollars per month of payments from the meager salary you need to support yourself, and potentially your family. Is it worth it for you to suffer through those years living at close to the poverty line, just so you could attend a marginally better school? Maybe, but the answer isn't the same for everyone.

Also realize that for many types of loans, the debt begins to accrue immediately after it is issued. So what appears to be a difference of 80k for 4 years can easily become much more after you factor in interest.
 
It seems that your coursework in finance hasn't given you a good understanding of how that debt will affect you. Understand that after medical school, you don't just become an attending physician and get a 200k salary. You spend 3-7 years as a resident starting at 50k/year, or about $2000/month after taxes. Increasing your debt by a $100k translates into additional hundreds of dollars per month of payments from the meager salary you need to support yourself, and potentially your family. Is it worth it for you to suffer through those years living at close to the poverty line, just so you could attend a marginally better school? Maybe, but the answer isn't the same for everyone.

Also realize that for many types of loans, the debt begins to accrue immediately after it is issued. So what appears to be a difference of 80k for 4 years can easily become much more after you factor in interest.

This exactly. I am absolutely floored by the lack of financial literacy on this specific comparison thread to the point that I might believe individuals are being directly misleading. It's a 23K COA per year difference, which after origination fees associated with the Grad Plus loans the OP will undoubtedly need to take out at this point is an easy 100K. Compound that at a 6.75% interest rate and you are in deep (And you cannot look at this in isolation. You're going to have a lot of loans regardless, but this 100K is what's really going to make them hurt).
 
This exactly. I am absolutely floored by the lack of financial literacy on this specific comparison thread to the point that I might believe individuals are being directly misleading. It's a 23K COA per year difference, which after origination fees associated with the Grad Plus loans the OP will undoubtedly need to take out at this point is an easy 100K. Compound that at a 6.75% interest rate and you are in deep (And you cannot look at this in isolation. You're going to have a lot of loans regardless, but this 100K is what's really going to make them hurt).


New account named Joe Shmoe with a background in finance, only posts on this page with the advice to ignore cost. Seems like s/he might be a waitlister at UC Irvine to me.
 
I was just giving my honest opinion on how cost shouldn't be the main factor in your decision. That's just how I feel. You may disagree but I didn't think I would receive so much backlash for posting my honest opinion. I apologize if I've offended anyone.
 
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