Georgetown vs. University of Cincinnati

[SMCmedicine]

SDN Members,

So my life is finally working out, I got into a few medical schools. I'm trying to decide between Georgetown and the University of Cincinnati. I'm a CA resident, so I'm moving to the east coast regardless of which school I pick. For better or for worse, I was not able to stay in CA for med school

I need some help fellow SDNer's, let me know why you would pick one school over the other.

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[nygiant]

I'd suggest Cincinnati. My oldest daughter is there . Her clincal experience is excellent. Her 1st 2 years there were very good.

 

[osumd]

I don't have anything too objective to say, knowing little about Georgetown, but Cinci is a great school that you simply cannot go wrong with.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Sorry, I really have no insight into your predicament, but just for clarification, Cincinnati =/= "the east coast."

 

[immonpath]

+1
It is the midwest.

Sorry, I really have no insight into your predicament, but just for clarification, Cincinnati =/= "the east coast."

 

[SMCmedicine]

+1
It is the midwest.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[immonpath]

Well I did not apply to the other school.
But I applied to Cincy because of the seemingly happy student body- nothing but great reviews from students
updated facilities
lots of competitive residencies available from the institution
students do well on boards overall and do well on the match - so i hear but that is all subjective right?
ability to apply for instate tuition after a year
super low cost of living
lots of in house summer research opportunities


I can't throw any hate towards Georgetown except for the super duper high cost of living- but that's only hearsay. I'm sure its a fine institution that offers much of what cincy offers.

I really hope this helps at the end of the day it really just depends on what you want from a school. I'm sure you'll be happy at either one.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Hah]

I have no clue about Cinn but my friend went to a Gtown interview and the speaker apparently said something along the lines of: If you come here over your state school your stupid.


Talk about school spirit

 

[mauberley]

I have no clue about Cinn but my friend went to a Gtown interview and the speaker apparently said something along the lines of: If you come here over your state school your stupid.


Talk about school spirit

Haha. I actually appreciated that talk (that was Ms. Sullivan, Assistant Director of Admissions). It struck me as very matter-of-fact.

Back on topic: I can't help on this specific decision, only having interviewed at Georgetown, but I would ask what do you feel is important to you in a med school? If you need shiny, brand-new facilities, I'd not choose Georgetown. If guiding philosophy is important, look hard at Georgetown. If you want to be able to hit the ground running when you hit your residency, I've heard good things about Georgetown's preparation of its students.

 

[moneymill4569]

I don't know anything about Cincy, but when I was on my Wisconsin interview one of the tour guides, currently an M1, transferred from Cincy Medical School after his first year. Take with grain of salt.

 

[Barcu]

Haha. I actually appreciated that talk (that was Ms. Sullivan, Assistant Director of Admissions). It struck me as very matter-of-fact.

Back on topic: I can't help on this specific decision, only having interviewed at Georgetown, but I would ask what do you feel is important to you in a med school? If you need shiny, brand-new facilities, I'd not choose Georgetown. If guiding philosophy is important, look hard at Georgetown. If you want to be able to hit the ground running when you hit your residency, I've heard good things about Georgetown's preparation of its students.

They push this like crazy there. Hard to know for sure if it's true or not, but since they seem to drive it home much more than any other school I know (and they match into some good programs, though match lists can be misleading), I would say that it is probably pretty accurate.

Not that you can't be trained elsewhere. But Gtown really stresses that you pretty much do intern work as a med student, preparing you much faster.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about Cincy, been accepted to and thinking of attending Gtown.

In the end, cost and location seems to be brought up a lot as factors. DC is sweet, I love it. The cost of Gtown? Not so sweet. Also, a lot of people stay within the area they go to med school because residencies are easier to get (though where you do your residency is more of a factor for where you ultimately end up). Maybe that might influence you.

I don't know. It's hard to say without having been to both schools. Best of luck making your decision.

 

[KinasePro]

DISCLAIMER: this response is based largely off my recent experience interviewing at Georgetown, so take it with a grain of salt. I applied to both schools, but got no love from Cincinnati. Still awaiting final decision from Georgetown.

I’ve only heard good things about UC, so you def. can’t go wrong choosing them. They have a good rep in the medical community, and in Cincinnati, they are the only game in town so you’ll be the only med students rotating in their affiliated hospitals (a good thing).

I was somewhat underwhelmed by Georgetown on the interview day. Here are some random thoughts (remember your grain of salt):

Gunnerism: Ms. Sullivan estimated ~15% of the class are gunners. She comes across as a very honest and straight forward person, but I would wager that she has an incentive to underestimate that figure a bit. So I got the feeling that >15% of the class are gunners, and the student tour guides were constantly on the defense about the gunner reputation. Not good form, IMO. Made me feel like it’s an unduly stressful place during MS1 & 2.

Cura Personalis: 99% of medical schools already abide by this philosophy, and to me it is a red flag if that is being used as a selling point by both students and faculty. I just didn’t see why this idea was novel or special, and it bothered me a bit when students cited it as their sole reason for choosing georgetown. You can abide by this philosophy at any MD (or DO) school, and I believe most students do.

Clinical Training: You will get smoked during 3rd & 4th year at both schools, and will be well prepared for residency either way. I wouldn’t put much stock in the “superior clinical training” claims, as every top 50 school will absolutely tan your hide in years 3 & 4. Read the match lists with caution. You can match into Derm at Mass General from either school if you put in the sweat.

Name factor: If it matters to you, you’re grandparents will recognize georgetown more readily than UC. However, PD’s won’t discriminate between the two when you’re applying for residency. Both are solid, and USNWR gives the nod to UC in both ranking categories (difference is arguably negligible, though).

IMO, the only real upside to georgetown: Opportunity of rotating through Walter Reed (not guaranteed though) and living in DC.

I’d pick UC, but you’re definitely in a good position with this dilemma. Good luck and congrats!

 

[mauberley]

(Note: I'm tossing these ideas out there so that SMCmedicine gets the most bang for the buck--for whatever worth can be assigned to Internet advice --and not to be argumentative. I've interviewed at Georgetown, but haven't received a decision yet.)

Gunnerism: Ms. Sullivan estimated ~15% of the class are gunners. She comes across as a very honest and straight forward person, but I would wager that she has an incentive to underestimate that figure a bit. So I got the feeling that >15% of the class are gunners, and the student tour guides were constantly on the defense about the gunner reputation. Not good form, IMO. Made me feel like it’s an unduly stressful place during MS1 & 2.

I did also notice that they brought this up rather quickly. I didn't notice if one of the other interviewees had asked a question about it, but I don't recall it being a pressing subject at my other interviews (apart from the standard "are people competitive?" question that usually elicits a "people are pretty chill" response). It does make it seem like that will be the case, but I didn't get an overly defensive vibe about it, but more like a "heading it off at the pass" kind of thing. That having been said, I don't care much about competitiveness since I'm fairly confident in my own abilities (but I'm by no means a gunner myself), so I wasn't too affected by that.

Cura Personalis: 99% of medical schools already abide by this philosophy, and to me it is a red flag if that is being used as a selling point by both students and faculty. I just didn’t see why this idea was novel or special, and it bothered me a bit when students cited it as their sole reason for choosing georgetown. You can abide by this philosophy at any MD (or DO) school, and I believe most students do.

Every school's going to have marketing gimmicks. (7+ years in the corporate world and I'm pretty desensitized to mission statements.) At some level, there will be truth to the claims; but the key for anyone is to see whether it's all talk or if there's actual substance behind them. You'll have to decide that for yourself. "Cura personalis" happens to be their tagline because Georgetown is a Jesuit school. The question is, do their actions match their words? Were there any unique aspects of their curriculum aligned with this philosophy that interest you that either aren't available or difficult to find at another school? Otherwise, I would say it's a moot point.

Clinical Training: You will get smoked during 3rd & 4th year at both schools, and will be well prepared for residency either way. I wouldn’t put much stock in the “superior clinical training” claims, as every top 50 school will absolutely tan your hide in years 3 & 4. Read the match lists with caution. You can match into Derm at Mass General from either school if you put in the sweat.

I know this is purely anecdotal, but read the experience of one Georgetown grad (here and here). For balance, see if you can get similar details from a Cincy grad.

The poll results have Cincy in a landslide (at least the last time I checked--I didn't vote because I don't know Cincy), so this may just end up being a stretching exercise for my fingers. Good luck!

 

[DoctaFuture]

don't a majority of schools have a good amount of gunners?

 

[KinasePro]

don't a majority of schools have a good amount of gunners?

Probably. I just found it noteworthy how often the words "gunners" and "georgetown" end up in the same sentence, on SDN and on the interview trail. It doesn't really bother me personally, but the concept of H/HP/P/LP/F breeding competition was brought up multiple times throughout the interview day.

Keep in mind, some people actually like this aspect of G'town. Not everyone wants straight p/f and an "invisible" class ranking that ends up on your dean's letter. It's all a matter of personal preference.

 

[moneymill4569]

Don't most schools have H/HP/P/LP/F? If they do, won't this stimulate gunner mentality regardless of whether its Gtown or any other institution?

 

[Barcu]

Don't most schools have H/HP/P/LP/F? If they do, won't this stimulate gunner mentality regardless of whether its Gtown or any other institution?

Some are graded like that.

Some use Honors/P/F.

Some are just P/F, but have internal ranking systems.

Some are true P/F.

Most on this forum tend to think that going to a P/F school is the way to go or an H/P/F. However, from my experience from a minority on this board as well as talking with med students, the grading system does not really affect collaboration that much. That is, even at schools with this grading system, the student body (for the most part) is collaborative and helpful. Gunners are everywhere, no way to get around that.

 

[doremi2010]

Don't most schools have H/HP/P/LP/F? If they do, won't this stimulate gunner mentality regardless of whether its Gtown or any other institution?

I think Georgetown's grades are based on a curve which makes it have a more "gunner" environment

 

[Barcu]

I think Georgetown's grades are based on a curve which makes it have a more "gunner" environment

The way it works is that the class average gets a pass. Two standard deviations above the mean gets honors, one st dev above the mean gets high pass, and one st dev below the mean gets low pass. Below that is a fail.

At least that's how it was explained to me. So, everyone can pass, it pretty much depends on how you do versus the class average.

 

[moneymill4569]

The way it works is that the class average gets a pass. Two standard deviations above the mean gets honors, one st dev above the mean gets high pass, and one st dev below the mean gets low pass. Below that is a fail.

At least that's how it was explained to me. So, everyone can pass, it pretty much depends on how you do versus the class average.

This seems to be the norm at other institutions I have interviewed at (basically every school) which use the H/HP/P/LP/F

 

[BigEast55]

The way it works is that the class average gets a pass. Two standard deviations above the mean gets honors, one st dev above the mean gets high pass, and one st dev below the mean gets low pass. Below that is a fail.

At least that's how it was explained to me. So, everyone can pass, it pretty much depends on how you do versus the class average.

These seems off somewhat just based on the fact that given that 16% of the class would fail any given exam! That seems extreme. Though maybe that is how GTown works I have no knowledge.

 

[Barcu]

These seems off somewhat just based on the fact that given that 16% of the class would fail any given exam! That seems extreme. Though maybe that is how GTown works I have no knowledge.

No, everyone can pass, so maybe I'm a little off on something.

There may be a certain percentage you have to get over to pass.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I was accepted to Georgetown and didn't even consider it.

Old facilities; jesuit thing; grades; competitiveness; not great ranking = no way.

(Note: of course I would have gone if I had no other options.)

 

[SMCmedicine]

Hello fellow SDNers,

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I'm amazed at how many of your took the time to write responses and participate in the poll. We really are a unique group of people here on SDN.

After reading the comments and doing some serious research on the schools, I've reached a conclusion. I've picked the University of Cincinnati!

Thank you all again.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Hello fellow SDNers,

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I'm amazed at how many of your took the time to write responses and participate in the poll. We really are a unique group of people here on SDN.

After reading the comments and doing some serious research on the schools, I've reached a conclusion. I've picked the University of Cincinnati!

Thank you all again.

Good choice. So what if your great aunt Sally won't recognize the name as well? Everyone here knows that UC is a wonderful program, and so do residency directors. I would have chose the same . Congratulations and good luck!

 

[escesc]

I was accepted to Georgetown and didn't even consider it.

Old facilities; jesuit thing; grades; competitiveness; not great ranking = no way.

(Note: of course I would have gone if I had no other options.)

Don't forget the high tuition/unrealistic school expenses, horrible administration and terrible technology.

Op, you made the right decision. Congratulations!