What would you choose? Georgetown vs. University of Wisconsin

[Elliott Smith]

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I was recently accepted to both Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin. I know this is a very personal decision and I have my own motivations for attending both schools, so don't flame me...but I was wondering if I could hear some of your voices on which school you would choose and why? Obviously it is great that I have a choice, but a definite hard one to make.😕 Thanks!

 

[sheepunite]

I was recently accepted to both Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin. I know this is a very personal decision and I have my own motivations for attending both schools, so don't flame me...but I was wondering if I could hear some of your voices on which school you would choose and why? Obviously it is great that I have a choice, but a definite hard one to make.😕 Thanks!

congrats!
which city would you be happier in?
(btw, on rep alone, i'd choose uw.)

 

[Tyronebiggums]

I was recently accepted to both Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin. I know this is a very personal decision and I have my own motivations for attending both schools, so don't flame me...but I was wondering if I could hear some of your voices on which school you would choose and why? Obviously it is great that I have a choice, but a definite hard one to make.😕 Thanks!

I would go to Georgetown on reputation alone and D.C. offers so much more than Madison does. Also I noticied your MD applicant profile said you are from Idaho. Where in Idaho? I grew up in Driggs, Idaho.

 

[Dookter]

Is one cheaper than the other? If one is way cheaper, go there. I know after taking my exam today and not really knowing what was up on some of the questions b/c of piss poor teaching I would be PISSED if I was paying $250,000 for this! Thank God for financial aid.....seriously, go wherever is cheaper.

 

[coco11]

I would go to Georgetown on reputation alone and D.C. offers so much more than Madison does. Also I noticied your MD applicant profile said you are from Idaho. Where in Idaho? I grew up in Driggs, Idaho.

IMO, wisconsin has a better rep than georgetown, if we're talking med schools.

 

[BrownianMotion]

plus take cost of living in dc into consideration and the price of gt, its ridiculous...

 

[45408]

Madison's a major college town in the middle of Wisconsin. Once you're outside of Madison, you're in a fairly rural area until you get to Milwaukee. Georgetown in Washington, DC, with great public transportation, IMO, and it's a metropolis all the way to New York City. Does that have any impact on your decision?

 

[Elliott Smith]

Well in regards to money, I have the HPSP Air Force Scholarship. So no worries there.

I was born in Wisconsin and have a lot of family there and that is part of why I am attracted to going. I am from Idaho City, ID btw...go Idahoans!

On the other hand, the girl I may someday marry is going to be in the DC area during my time in med school (though God only knows how much time I'll have for a lady). Plus DC seems great, especially the Georgetown area...I think after years of living in smalltown mountainland I've come to despise rural areas.

I see a lot in Georgetown's name...whenever I tell someone out here that I was accepted to Georgetown they say wow thats a really great school (and I think yes...for undergrad mostly though). Yet the name DOES carry on to the medical school. Comparing residency matches (which doesn't mean so much to me since I will probably end up at an AF base) Georgetown does seem to have the advantage...namesake wise, many UW people seem to stay at UW, but perhaps that is because they love it there.

Also the people at UW were amazingly friendly and inviting, also the facilities are top notch and new ones are on the way on site. Georgetown, on a superficial level, did not look like UW, but then again you are only there to learn for two years...then you are off doing clerkships (UW's being all around the state in various areas...Georgetown's in the affiliated hospitals around the DC area).

Any more thoughts and opinions? I would love to hear them!

 

[Falco2525]

Wisconsin has a much better name in terms of medical school...

 

[jash0624]

I see a lot in Georgetown's name...whenever I tell someone out here that I was accepted to Georgetown they say wow thats a really great school (and I think yes...for undergrad mostly though). Yet the name DOES carry on to the medical school.

Exactly. There are two types of "good" when it comes to med schools. The ones that are ranked high and have a good name when it comes to people within the medical community...and then those that carry their name from their undergrad. (And then there's Harvard, JHU, etc. which are both, basically)

You can get a good residency from whichever school you go to, as long as you do well. Find the environment you like, and if it comes down to it, decide who you want to brag to--fellow pre-meds who know the rankings, or your friends who are out of the loop.

 

[BNSN]

Nothing to add except congratulations 🙂

 

[Falco2525]

oh...and go to G-town if you really like the girl...no reason to do long distance if you dont have to and you really love her

 

[UMP]

I'd pick Wisconsin

 

[Elliott Smith]

I'd pick Wisconsin

Okay, how come? 😉

 

[Falco2525]

I'd pick Wisconsin

i second this choice personally...its an awesome school with a much better repuatation among the medical field...that facilities rock

 

[UMP]

Okay, how come? 😉

Madison is a great town... DC is god awful...

I'm a midwestern boy myself, and like the people around here more. I think you would too.

 

[maestro1625]

go with wisconsin... if a school needs to charge 100+ dollars on thier secondary then I seriously worry about thier financial situation.

 

[ColumbiaGuy]

I cannot speak from experience about UW but I have certainly heard great things about it. Georgetown is a great school with many opportunities that you should way in. I too am from a small town and am currently going to grad school at Columbia because I wanted a taste of the big city. I thought I was over small towns as well. The reality for me is that small towns are who I am and I hate it here. Maybe take this into consideration in your own case. Remember that you are not just signing up to have a short term change of scenery, but rather committing to live in that place for a while. After living here in New York I have withdrawn many of my apps because the quality of life here and in some of the BIG cities is a big 0. Congratulations on having two wonderful schools to choose from! Hopefully this helps a little.

 

[DoctorMom78]

Georgetown. My dad got his MD there and loved the school. Plus, your future fiance will be there. Congratulations and good luck!

 

[sotired]

tough, i'm from wisconsin and madison is a wonderful school, but personally i'd pick georgetown. being in dc right now, i can't imagine going to madison

 

[yobynaes]

i'd take wisconsin anytime.

 

[Elliott Smith]

You guys all sound like my own head!!! 😛

 

[wolverinefan]

Wisconsin in a heartbeat!! This is a no brainer. I've heard rumors that Georgetown's financial situation (the medical school's, that is) is so bad that they may shut down the school altogether. I think whoever pointed out that the secondary cost $130 nailed it on the head. Not to mention the fact that Wisconsin is a MUCH better medical school, and it's got the things that make a school great, other than academics: Big Ten sports, reasonable price of living, etc.

 

[notdeadyet]

Georgetown in Washington, DC, with great public transportation, IMO, and it's a metropolis all the way to New York City. Does that have any impact on your decision?

This is true. Though I personally have always been troubled when the best thing you can say about a city is its proximity to other places.

Madison is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the U.S. to live. Washington DC... isn't.

 

[45408]

This is true. Though I personally have always been troubled when the best thing you can say about a city is its proximity to other places.

Madison is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the U.S. to live. Washington DC... isn't.

Oh, I was just getting started. Madison has lots of bars, tons of drunken college students, and huge parties that are dispersed by the police. DC has the Smithsonians, the Mall, the National Cathedral, tons of memorials, and a pretty cool downtown area.

Btw, remember that Madison makes you do 16 weeks of away rotations. That was a major turn-off for me. As for seeing your lady friend, I've had a lot more time than I thought I would for my wife during my first half of M1. I wouldn't mind more, but we haven't been deprived by any means.

 

[UMP]

go with wisconsin... if a school needs to charge 100+ dollars on thier secondary then I seriously worry about thier financial situation.

yeah, no kidding

and DC is awful for the type of people you'll meet there outside of your class. I've had a few friends move there after graduating and it changes you a lot more than even NY does

 

[notdeadyet]

Madison has lots of bars, tons of drunken college students, and huge parties that are dispersed by the police.

Yeah, if you go to Madison, there's definitely the "college town" experience.

DC has the Smithsonians, the Mall, the National Cathedral, tons of memorials, and a pretty cool downtown area.

Lots of tourist stuff to see, definitely. I just can't imagine that after living there a while that you're still heading over to Arlington, The Wall, or the Air and Space too many times a month.

I'm sure DC has a lot going for it, but it always left me cold and none of my friends or colleagues who live there have too much to say for it. But to each their own.

As for the schools themselves, that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. The away rotations would be a huge issue for many, including me.

 

[Elliott Smith]

Thanks all, I appreciate the input about both places. I think I will have to make an extensive comparison list for myself with everything I can find out along with my own impressions when I visited, then make my decision. A big part of it is I have to see where my lady friend is going to be stationed...her first choice was right in DC but we'll see about that; never ever a guarantee with the military. I lean either way with both schools, and that may be a big deciding factor. I'm sure no matter where I go, its all what you make of it and how you approach it as well.

Again thanks for the thoughtful comments. Who knew that this decision would be the hardest one...after so many months of just having no idea if I would even get in!

 

[leahmaria]

When I interviewed at Madison, there were some things I really liked--the facilities, the opportunities (oh there are so many--medical spanish, a school of global health!, i think that one could do whatever they wanted at Madison..so many things are offered!). Madison offers in that way what no other school I've interviewed at offers--the oppotunity to get whatever I want out of my education no matter how different it may be from any of my classmates.

The students didn't like that they only did half of the disections in lab, and that lab is far away...but that might be changed for this year with the new lab being built. Another thing that turned me off from Madison (and maybe unfairly so) is that there is no parking for students. It gets cold and snowy in Madison and the public transportation is far from great. Nothing makes you feel more like a college kid than biking to class everday in the snow 🙂

I know nothing about Georgetown, but these are some of the things I'm thinking about with Madison, hope it helps!

 

[bluegto70]

east coast is a lot more expensive that midwest

 

[abj]

It gets cold and snowy in Madison and the public transportation is far from great. Nothing makes you feel more like a college kid than biking to class everday in the snow 🙂

It depends on what the public transportation you are comparing Madison to. For the most part, you can live 30 minutes away on a busline and still make it to all the lectures you want to attend (many of the areas west of the hospital, all the way into Middleton are very doable... Bus passes are free for students). But most people end up living in the area south of the hospital, there is a bunch of nice apartment complexes and homes, which are all within a 10 minute walk to HSLC (or if you are really lazy, you can take a 2 minute bus ride). North of the hospital has some decent complexes, all on a busline that runs every 8 minutes during the school year. I currently live in a house that is barely a 5 minute walk to the currently under construction, new children's wing, with another 5 minutes taking a shortcut through the hospital, so half of my 10 minute "commute" is spent indoors. The problem, of course, is navigating the hospital, which is funny since I'm slowly becoming a tour guide for my classmates in how to get around the hospital. Apparently I'm one of the few that knows the various routes to get to the HSLC.

And you can park near HSLC after 4:30 pm for free, and all weekend long. So there is parking, just not during classtime or "optimal" times for students.