Wake Forest vs GWU

[JuJu5851]

So I just got off the waitlist at Wake Forest Univ over the weekend and must make a choice b/w there and GW within a week (I leave to go out of the country on May 14 for a month) . Before, I was pretty sure I'd go to GW, but now I'm rethinking b/c I hear good things about Wake. Wake is ranked, while GW is not, but it seems that GW still has a great reputation. Any input about the pros and cons of each would be much appreciated!

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[146233]

What were your impressions when you visited the campuses for interviews? You need to decide where you'll feel most comfortable and where you feel you're most likely to enjoy four years of hell.

-z

 

[stereochemistry]

Winston-Salem has more churches and cigarettes than any city in the country.

 

[alwaysaangel]

So I just got off the waitlist at Wake Forest Univ over the weekend and must make a choice b/w there and GW within a week (I leave to go out of the country on May 14 for a month) . Before, I was pretty sure I'd go to GW, but now I'm rethinking b/c I hear good things about Wake. Wake is ranked, while GW is not, but it seems that GW still has a great reputation. Any input about the pros and cons of each would be much appreciated!

GW is unranked by choice. They don't submit their info. Although I doubt they'd be up their with Wake. They don't have the research money coming in like Wake does which is so much of the rankings.

You need to decide whats more important to you: rankings or where you felt best at for interview. Why did you think GW before?

 

[UVABranch]

I say Wake. The cost of living is MUCH less expensive and the school is ranked for a reason. Even if GW did submit their info (which I didn't know that they didn't just that they are unranked), they don't have many ranked schools within the univ. For ex: UVA, UNC, Duke, and Wake all have many ranked schools w/in their univ (med, law, edu, undergrad, etc....and all ACC ) GWU has a good "name" and they do have access to advanced technology, but I'm sure that wake does too. GWU (if I reacall corretly) only has Law and Edu as ranked grad progs, which could be indicative of the Univ as a whole....and I know many people who once they got there (non med students) felt like they were paying too much for their education :-\ (i.e. they were not getting their money's worth) ,not to mention just the cost to live in DC. Although DC is a very cool area to live in...it really is very expensive, and foggy bottom is by and far the most expensive place to live within the city limits. I think their tuition goes up to 42k for 07-08...which is bananas! Wake too has a good rep, and I think the main benefit of GWU is the "name." If I were you I would look at both the financial aspect and the criculim and research oportunities and see what works best with what you want from your medical education. Either way, you'll be a Dr when you're done so I'm sure either choice will work out!

 

[tank2k7]

Go to where you feel is the best place for YOU. Rankings really dont matter. Wherever you think you will be happiest at is where you should go.

 

[NervousNed]

DC >>>>>> any city in north carolina

 

[tdd340]

DC >>>>>> any city in north carolina

Don't tell that to Petey Pablo

 

[TakingBakSunday]

I have a friend at Wake who seems to love it and can't stop talking about it. She has a lot of fun and only would have gone elsewhere to UNC if she had gotten in there (she's from NC). If you have to take out loans, I'd say go to Wake hands down and save some money. It's all the same in the end.

 

[Dooooom]

True Wake's rank is higher, and that generally correlates to a more competitive match list, which is pretty important, I do believe that where you match is completely dependent on you and how much you study/do on your boards. If you get the same grades/score on your boards at both schools I would assume you would match in the same place, because the name GW carries as much weight as wake's ranking if not very close. If that is the case then I would consider cost of living and where you would do your best work/enjoy living the most.

 

[JuJu5851]

I've decided that cost isn't going to be a primary determinant bc I am going to take out loans anyway.

I wonder how well GW takes care of the students and meets their needs. I have revisited both schools this week and found that Wake's staff seemed very helpful and attentive to their students. I was nicely surprised that they were able to find a 3rd yr student to take me on a tour and ask questions to, with no more than 3 hrs notice (I called at 10:30 and had my tour at 1:30-2). I think I just got lucky, but whatever. At GW I was slightly disappointed bc I setup an appt and the admissions lady skirted my questions w/vague answers and couldn't get me in touch w/anyone who could give me better feedback. My interview day left me with an awesome impression, but today I was just confused.

Everything flip-flopped bc interview day was better at GW, while my second visit was better at Wake!

Is there much time to spare in med school to enjoy the city? If so, I would vote for GW, bc DC is great. Does anyone know what the scene is like in W-S...nightlife, young ppl, etc.

help!

 

[FlipFlops33]

I've decided that cost isn't going to be a primary determinant bc I am going to take out loans anyway, and I went to a state school and saved LOTS of money in undergrad so my parents are willing and able to spend whatever additional $$ is needed for me in med school.

I wonder how well GW takes care of the students and meets their needs. I have revisited both schools this week and found that Wake's staff was very helpful and attentive to their students. They were even able to find a 3rd yr student to take me on a tour and ask questions to, with no more than 3 hrs notice (I called at 10:30 and had my tour at 1:30-2). The admissions rep was also very knowledgeable about the school and ALL of its features. At GW I was slightly disappointed bc I setup an appt and the admissions lady couldn't answer many of my questions or just skirted them with vague answers. My interview day left me with a much better impression then today.

Also, what do GW's labs look like? Wake boasted about and showed me their anatomy labs with their state-of-the-art tables, etc. But during the tour at GW they said they couldn't show the anatomy lab bc of regulations...weird bc at some other schools they definitely showed off the cadavers. GW also didn't have much to say about residency placement. They showed a small sample list of about 10 hospitals that students got into, while Wake gave me the entire Class of 2007's list.

I'm so confused bc interview day was better at GW, while my second visit was better at Wake!

Then, there is the city. DC vs Winston Salem. If it was just city, I would choose DC, but of course the decision is never that easy. With that said, I was raised and went to undergrad in a small city, similar to Winston-Salem. So I know that 4 more years in a small city wouldn't kill me. I've always wanted to try a bigger city, but I get conflicting opinions about how much I would get to utilize my environment. I understand that my nose will be stuck in a book for the greater part of the next 4 yrs. so will I really get to enjoy DC?

help!

I don't know you, but from this explanation, it sounds like Wake would be a good choice for you.

Sounds like you have done your research.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[medstylee]

i can't imagine how gw would be able to set you up with a 3rd year student on short notice - they're all busy with rotations all over dc, northern virginia, and maryland at the moment. first and second years are all in the midst of finals (well, second years were at that time). i found that, for the most part, my first year went very well here at gw. you can't judge a school's support structure based on the admissions office staff. i don't see what you can really get out of a match list either. i have no idea why george washington doesn't disperse their list.

in any case, it sounds like you really like wake forest. i think you should go there. it sounds like you like the more intimate med school environment. i know wake has a pretty small class size, right? i think the most important aspect in choosing a school is being able to see yourself beeing a student there (whether that has to do with location; student body; schedule; etc). best of luck.

 

[JuJu5851]

So I just ate my words! The GW ppl called me with loads of info on residency matches and whatever else I needed. Awww, so nice!

Random question about GW...what do students take to class? Laptops or printed notes. Rumor has it that they stopped giving printed handouts to students...true? Not like this will sway my decision, but just wondering...

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

So I just got off the waitlist at Wake Forest Univ over the weekend and must make a choice b/w there and GW within a week (I leave to go out of the country on May 14 for a month) . Before, I was pretty sure I'd go to GW, but now I'm rethinking b/c I hear good things about Wake. Wake is ranked, while GW is not, but it seems that GW still has a great reputation. Any input about the pros and cons of each would be much appreciated!

I wouldn't let reputation play a role in this decision. Ranked or not, Wake and GW are pretty equal in that regard.

The biggest difference between the two is location. DC and Winston-Salem are very very different. You need to think about the environment where you'll be spending the next for years and cost of living issues. Personally, I love DC (and GW is right in the heart of DC, walking distance to the National Mall) and hate Winston-Salem (and I have pretty low standards; I'm not some "gotta have the big city" guy, but Winston-Salem is just drab.)

Beyond that, you could also look at cost but I'm sure they're similar in that regard.

Go with your gut, go whereever you think you'll be happier. They are both good schools

 

[tacrum43]

So I just ate my words! The GW ppl called me with loads of info on residency matches and whatever else I needed. Awww, so nice!

Random question about GW...what do students take to class? Laptops or printed notes. Rumor has it that they stopped giving printed handouts to students...true? Not like this will sway my decision, but just wondering...

They gave you residency match info? Man, who did you kidnap and torture?

As far as lecture notes, I heard that thing bout the handouts too, but so far we're still getting them. I think there might be a riot if they wouldn't print out the handouts for us after we pay them $42,000/year. Generally, people do not bring their laptops to class. Either they take notes on the handouts (as I do), or in a separate notebook or they just listen. There's a notetaker service that's student run and generally pretty good too. The notes are posted on blackboard in a word document about a day or two after the lecture. Powerpoints that the professors use are also often available on blackboard.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[lina123321]

choose wake forest