Wake Forest vs. UCI vs. Einstein vs. Georgetown

[nbwaterman]

Wake Forest
Pros

• just the vibe was so nice and it felt really warm and happy
• awesome weather (not as good as UCI), low COL, far away from my west coast based family (i need space -_-)
• matches well (I think?) someone can correct me if wrong

Cons

• idk if this is just a west coast thing, but Wake Forest has no name here. east coast people feel free to chime and and lmk if Wake is a respected institution lol
• feels possibly less prestigious than UCI or Einstein, and people keep telling me to go to UCI
• small town, might get boring

UC Irvine
Pros

• awesome weather, southern california beach city(-ish) with a large tertiary care center
• chill vibes from students and faculty
• pretty prestigious here in California

Cons

• unknown match list. there's no updated match info, newest is from 2017??
• close to my very overly controlling family

Georgetown

Pros

• DC, new experience in a big city with lots to do
• decent match list, I would say slightly weaker than Wake though
• well-known name, lots of laymen prestige but not sure how its viewed by program directors.

Cons

• SO EXPENSIVE, tuition and COL are both crazy
• old facilities
• not known for research, which I guess we need to match anywhere these days

Einstein

Pros

• Close to NYC... could have fun on the weekends outside of the bronx
• Seems very college-esque because of on campus student housing
• Matches at very prestigious NYC programs
• technically the "highest ranked" amongst the 4 schools

Cons

• The Bronx... no matter what I read about the school's location, its still 45 mins away from Manhattan
• the prestigious NYC programs it matches at are shat on a lot (read up about NYC residencies overall and the nurses union)
• people still say choose UCI over Einstein

Summary: 4 schools that have, in my opinion, similar levels of prestige (open to having my mind changed though). leaning towards Einstein since it's the easiest to justify to my family (they insist on me going to UCI but will 100% pay for Einstein too). Stuck because I feel like WF is also just a cute school in a good area with almost everything I need (except maybe the name recognition). pls help :/ thank you in advance

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[6'0 OGFLYERCI]

Dude go to UCI. I want to be your classmate bro

 

[nbwaterman]

Dude go to UCI. I want to be your classmate bro

but its too close to home 🥲 but since you asked i'll consider

 

[6'0 OGFLYERCI]

but its too close to home 🥲 but since you asked i'll consider

Tbh wait till you hear from usc too. I am in a similar situation with fam and even one city away would get us that autonomy again

 

[nbwaterman]

Tbh wait till you hear from usc too. I am in a similar situation with fam and even one city away would get us that autonomy again

lolz i live closer to LA bro i would rather choose irvine over sc at this rate 😰😰😰

 

[sparky21]

Einsteins probation status by LCME could be something to consider too… I got in as well and it’s one of the big things holding me back. Also I think it’s important where u wanna match here and if u wanna stay east or west coast

 

[nbwaterman]

Einsteins probation status by LCME could be something to consider too… I got in as well and it’s one of the big things holding me back. Also I think it’s important where u wanna match here and if u wanna stay east or west coast

idk but i got the vibe that the accreditation won't actually be an issue since they're a huge institution. went to a meeting with admin and the LCME stuff seemed like it was basically on its way to being fixed in the coming months

 

[thefirerisen]

looks like you really don't want to go to UCI. That would be my recommendation but sounds like you want to escape to the East Coast which is totally fine.

So to me this is Wake Forest vs Georgetown vs Einstein. In terms of ranking it is Einstein > WFU > Georgetown but they are more or less similar. Einstein does have issues with probation that could be reflective of other institutional problems so its something to consider. WFU and Georgetown both have an excellent match list (Georgetown matches very well for surgery from what I've heard)

Where do you want to end up in terms of location? Wake Forest is very well-known on the east coast (think of it like Pomona College) but it is in a very small town. Einstein is the opposite in a very urban area. Georgetown, I would say, occupies that perfect middle spot and the neighborhood of Georgetown is not too crowded while being close by to the downtown area.

if none of these locations really call out to you, and if you're okay with the probation issue, pick Einstein.

 

[nbwaterman]

looks like you really don't want to go to UCI. That would be my recommendation but sounds like you want to escape to the East Coast which is totally fine.

So to me this is Wake Forest vs Georgetown vs Einstein. In terms of ranking it is Einstein > WFU > Georgetown but they are more or less similar. Einstein does have issues with probation that could be reflective of other institutional problems so its something to consider. WFU and Georgetown both have an excellent match list (Georgetown matches very well for surgery from what I've heard)

Where do you want to end up in terms of location? Wake Forest is very well-known on the east coast (think of it like Pomona College) but it is in a very small town. Einstein is the opposite in a very urban area. Georgetown, I would say, occupies that perfect middle spot and the neighborhood of Georgetown is not too crowded while being close by to the downtown area.

if none of these locations really call out to you, and if you're okay with the probation issue, pick Einstein.

you're the GOAT thank you for your help and analysis. it's really helpful

 

[m1redsox]

Graduating from Wake in May! Feel free to PM me. Looks like you have a ton of great options though! I would go with either price or location preference. There is no meaningful difference in prestige.

 

[thefirerisen]

you're the GOAT thank you for your help and analysis. it's really helpful

Np! And I would also highly highly recommend you visit Wake Forest before making a final decision. Coming from California, it might be too isolating to you.

 

[deleted1124957]

What specialty are you interested in? I would take that sweet sweet IS tuition with UCI and run.

 

[pierty]

How important are finances in your decision? If UCI would be cheaper with in-state tuition, and finances are important to you, it's something to seriously consider. However, it seems like a much greater issue for you is moving away from home to focus on your studies. It's a reasonable concern; some people thrive when they are near home, while others absolutely do not.

Einstein is a great school, and I think (based on your preferences) is a good choice. The probation issue is administrative and should be resolved quickly. I think a more important issue is whether you would like to live in NYC for school (you can do your residency outside the city if you would like later. Assuming you do reasonably well, you wouldn't have much trouble matching back in California for one, since you are a resident of the state).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

With the expansion of the ACC athletic conference, Californians will get to recognize Wake. What matters is that the med ed establishment knows Wake.

 

[6'0 OGFLYERCI]

***op just recently got into Pitt! So I think they have a clear choice now. Congrats!