GW vs Rush vs UMass

[bog21]

I can see myself at any of these schools, so I would appreciate any insight!

GW
Pros:
-public health emphasis
-Whitman-Walker Clinic (LGBTQ+ care), I can volunteer here which is very important to me
-DC seems like a great area
-Well-regarded throughout the US
Cons:
-expensive area
-Kind of got the vibe that students are in class all day and don’t have much flexibility with their own schedules (unsure how true this is)

Rush
Pros:
-top-ranked neurology/neurological surgery program, and considering this one day
-flipped classroom curriculum, students seem to like it and have a good amt of flexibility
-Chicago seems really cool
-Could potentially live with my current roommate
-community service -focused
Cons:
-not as highly regarded as the other two schools?
-interview day didn’t talk much about research and I def want to do a lot of research in med school

UMass
Pros;
-close to where I’m living now and close enough to drive home on weekends if I really want
-seems really supportive of lgbtq identities and research in this field
-great vibes on interview day
-most prestigious of the 3?
-potential to match in Boston area
-cheaper CoL than the other two
Cons:
-expensive like GW
-not a whole lot going on in worcester


Summary: I like all three schools, price is not an issue bc I’ll be in ~400k debt no matter the school rn. Financial aid/merit won’t be available until the spring, so that may help my decision. All have true P/F in preclinical years.

Thanks!!!

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[drthedude]

I live right by rush and went to UIC for undergrad, the rush and UIC students collaborate a bunch because we were right next to each other, so i would add that as a pro also!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

On the research question, research is available at NIH which is a convenient subway trip. Not sure about the facilities at Rush or UMASS, but you can't really beat NIH as a research facility among these choices.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

On the research question, research is available at NIH which is a convenient subway trip. Not sure about the facilities at Rush or UMASS, but you can't really beat NIH as a research facility among these choices.

What kind of research requires one to be physically at a facility?? Seriously, I think one should give out advice with background understanding what medical school is like. If your specialty is to get people in the door, your expertise ends there.

OP, you don’t need a “facility” to do research at med school. The charts are on Epic which is accessible from your own computer.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What kind of research requires one to be physically at a facility?? Seriously, I think one should give out advice with background understanding what medical school is like. If your specialty is to get people in the door, your expertise ends there.

OP, you don’t need a “facility” to do research at med school. The charts are on Epic which is accessible from your own computer.

Fair enough, though I think many people equate "research" with wet lab research too. Just saying that's how GW describes itself when it comes to that.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

Fair enough, though I think many people equate "research" with wet lab research too. Just saying that's how GW describes itself when it comes to that.

On that, NIH is mostly a funding organization. Even for wet lab, it’s mostly done at individual schools. OP wouldn’t be able to get better research because of physical proximity.

At med school, almost no one ever equates research with wet lab. That’s among premeds.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

On that, NIH is mostly a funding organization. Even for wet lab, it’s mostly done at individual schools. OP wouldn’t be able to get better research because of physical proximity.

I'll disagree there since NIH has a physical campus (up the Red Line, next to USUHS). Their postbac IRTA is sought after by many research-focused prehealth and pre-PhD students. Summer research and medical student research is also available.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I'll disagree there since NIH has a physical campus. Their postbac IRTA is sought after by many research-focused prehealth and pre-PhD students. Summer research and medical student research is also available.

No med student (MD) gets their pubs through summer research at NIH. That’s what I have been saying all along. Your premed expertise is not transferable to med students. I just think people should have first hand experience before giving out advice.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

No med student (MD) gets their pubs through summer research at NIH. That’s what I have been saying all along. Your premed expertise is not transferable to med students. I just think people should have first hand experience before giving out advice.

I think I have more experience than you give me credit for. We'll just leave it there.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I think I have more experience than you give me credit for. We'll just leave it there.

If you want to compare research opportunities, the most direct metric is NIH money, which is published by blueRidge research yearly. UMass is a very solid choice based on that metric for research, hands down beating GW and Rush.

 

[pierty]

No med student (MD) gets their pubs through summer research at NIH. That’s what I have been saying all along. Your premed expertise is not transferable to med students. I just think people should have first hand experience before giving out advice.

I am not sure why you are being antagonistic (maybe there is some tension between you two, but it isn't good to bring it to the forum). Nothing that @Mr.Smile12 said is incorrect. Research does not seem to be a primary concern for OP, but it was mentioned and it is fine to respond to the point.

On that, NIH is mostly a funding organization. Even for wet lab, it’s mostly done at individual schools. OP wouldn’t be able to get better research because of physical proximity.

At med school, almost no one ever equates research with wet lab. That’s among premeds.

This is blatantly incorrect. The NIH has its extramural funding program, as well as a massive intramural research program spanning thousands of labs across multiple campuses. It is the largest single organization research enterprise in the country, if not the world. It also has several research clinics on the main campus, where medical students are frequently found (usually in a funded research year. Multiple opportunities are present. See, for one: Medical Research Scholars Program | Clinical Center Home Page). Students can make arrangements to pursue research at the NIH from any school. But the proximity and connections in the DMV area make it much easier.

If you want to compare research opportunities, the most direct metric is NIH money, which is published by blueRidge research yearly. UMass is a very solid choice based on that metric for research, hands down beating GW and Rush.

This is a good measure to evaluate the strength of an institution's research enterprise, but not necessarily for evaluating student opportunities (particularly for medical students). OP can ask at second look about the individual research opportunities/programs offered at the 3 schools to have a more direct idea.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I am not sure why you are being antagonistic (maybe there is some tension between you two, but it isn't good to bring it to the forum). Nothing that @Mr.Smile12 said is incorrect. Research does not seem to be a primary concern for OP, but it was mentioned and it is fine to respond to the point.



This is blatantly incorrect. The NIH has its extramural funding program, as well as a massive intramural research program spanning thousands of labs across multiple campuses. It is the largest single organization research enterprise in the country, if not the world. It also has several research clinics on the main campus, where medical students are frequently found (usually in a funded research year. Multiple opportunities are present. See, for one: Medical Research Scholars Program | Clinical Center Home Page). Students can make arrangements to pursue research at the NIH from any school. But the proximity and connections in the DMV area make it much easier.



This is a good measure to evaluate the strength of an institution's research enterprise, but not necessarily for evaluating student opportunities (particularly for medical students). OP can ask at second look about the individual research opportunities/programs offered at the 3 schools to have a more direct idea.

Not trying to be antagonistic. @Mr.Smile12 is clearly working here as a consult to get business based on his profile here. So the standards for him are higher than for anonymous posters like you and me.

 

[YoungMoneyMint]

Not trying to be antagonistic. @Mr.Smile12 is clearly working here as a consult to get business based on his profile here. So the standards for him are higher than for anonymous posters like you and me.

He doesn’t charge for his services; he works with HPSA. Speaking as someone who has worked with him extensively as an advisee and received a lot of sage advice.

 

[NotAWalrus]

Getting this conversation back on track for OP....

Current UMass student -- If community service is something you're interested in, UMass definitely has a ton of community service projects, I think nearly everyone is involved in one thing or another. Worcester has its share of restaurants/breweries, DCU center, Polar Park, but you're right that, since it's not a huge city, you'd probably have to head an hour to Boston to fly out (sounds like you're already familiar with the area). I'm not as involved in research here, I believe UMass gets a good chunk of funding from NIH, but you could reach out to admin or other student ambassadors to get more details. Whichever school you choose, I'm sure it'll be a great fit! DM me if you have any specific questions about UMass!

 

[Chardeemacdennis60]

I live right by rush and went to UIC for undergrad, the rush and UIC students collaborate a bunch because we were right next to each other, so i would add that as a pro also!

As a current rush student, we definitely do not “collaborate a bunch” with UIC students. Or at all. Honestly have never seen a spoken with a UIC student in my life. None of my friends have either.

 

[drthedude]

As a current rush student, we definitely do not “collaborate a bunch” with UIC students. Or at all. Honestly have never seen a spoken with a UIC student in my life. None of my friends have either.

All my friends and I heavily collaborated with rush students, not everyone has but many have for research purposes at our research building

 

[LunaOri]

UMass has excellent research opportunities for students, and is well-funded. It’s less than an hour from Boston, and a little more than an hour to Northampton, which is an LGBTQ+ hub.

 

[sriracha3]

Not trying to be antagonistic. @Mr.Smile12 is clearly working here as a consult to get business based on his profile here. So the standards for him are higher than for anonymous posters like you and me.

@Mr.Smile12 actually doesn't charge for his service. In case you didn't read it or don't want to acknowledge it says HPSA under. Although I haven't directly worked with him, I've read all of the posts he made on this forum and he has offered highly useful and thoughtful advise to applicants all in a respectful and professional manner. I'm sure that he is giving great advise as well to the people that PM's him.

As somebody above pointed out, it's clear there is some tension between you two, but it's unprofessional for you to bring it to the forum

What kind of research requires one to be physically at a facility?? Seriously, I think one should give out advice with background understanding what medical school is like. If your specialty is to get people in the door, your expertise ends there.

OP, you don’t need a “facility” to do research at med school. The charts are on Epic which is accessible from your own computer.

An example of a research that requires one to be physically at a facility is wet lab bench work research.

On that, NIH is mostly a funding organization. Even for wet lab, it’s mostly done at individual schools. OP wouldn’t be able to get better research because of physical proximity.

At med school, almost no one ever equates research with wet lab. That’s among premeds.

This is starting to show that you do not have any expertise in the field of research. First of all, "At med school, almost no one every equates research with wet lab" huh? Which medical school are you talking about and the statement about almost no one every equates research with wet lab in med school is just dumb.

No med student (MD) gets their pubs through summer research at NIH. That’s what I have been saying all along. Your premed expertise is not transferable to med students. I just think people should have first hand experience before giving out advice.

Now it's clear that you have no expertise in the field of research. I just google searched NIH medical school and NOT ONLY are there countless forums and posts about students pursuing research and publishing during the summer at NIH, there's literally 3 different applications on the NIH website specifically with a link that transfers you to a page that shows countless number of past publications and work done by medical students during the summer in past years.

If you want to compare research opportunities, the most direct metric is NIH money, which is published by blueRidge research yearly. UMass is a very solid choice based on that metric for research, hands down beating GW and Rush.

So, just like you, are baselessly criticizing @Mr.Smile12 for not having the "expertise", your "medical student experience" does not translate into having much research experience as anyone who is attuned in the field knows that more money DOES NOT equate to a better research experience/opportunities for students. There are many schools that receive a lot of money but if you look many of the students find it very difficult to find research opportunities. This is a real criticism and a real issue and a simple forum search here would tell you this.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

@Mr.Smile12 actually doesn't charge for his service. In case you didn't read it or don't want to acknowledge it says HPSA under. Although I haven't directly worked with him, I've read all of the posts he made on this forum and he has offered highly useful and thoughtful advise to applicants all in a respectful and professional manner. I'm sure that he is giving great advise as well to the people that PM's him.

As somebody above pointed out, it's clear there is some tension between you two, but it's unprofessional for you to bring it to the forum



An example of a research that requires one to be physically at a facility is wet lab bench work research.


This is starting to show that you do not have any expertise in the field of research. First of all, "At med school, almost no one every equates research with wet lab" huh? Which medical school are you talking about and the statement about almost no one every equates research with wet lab in med school is just dumb.


Now it's clear that you have no expertise in the field of research. I just google searched NIH medical school and NOT ONLY are there countless forums and posts about students pursuing research and publishing during the summer at NIH, there's literally 3 different applications on the NIH website specifically with a link that transfers you to a page that shows countless number of past publications and work done by medical students during the summer in past years.



So, just like you, are baselessly criticizing @Mr.Smile12 for not having the "expertise", your "medical student experience" does not translate into having much research experience as anyone who is attuned in the field knows that more money DOES NOT equate to a better research experience/opportunities for students. There are many schools that receive a lot of money but if you look many of the students find it very difficult to find research opportunities. This is a real criticism and a real issue and a simple forum search here would tell you this.

On your point of money equating better opportunities for research for students, that’s actually pretty accurate in medical school. T10 or t20 just have so many more PI’s who are willing to give out projects to med students. Does that mean you are automatically fed projects? No, not at all. I reached out to a lot of them and combed through the projects offered to me and picked ones I thought would have the maximal potentials to get published.

If you don’t find my experience to what the OP is asking about research relevant, feel free to pursue whatever you believe to be the case. But the first step is to get accepted to A medical school.

 

[drthedude]

You are a premed who hasn’t got an A to medical school yet. I am at a t5 research powerhouse with multiple first author papers in several different fields. Go figure.

On your point of money equating better opportunities for research for students, that’s actually pretty accurate in medical school. T10 or t20 just have so many more PI’s who are willing to give out projects to med students. Does that mean you are automatically fed projects? No, not at all. I reached out to a lot of them and combed through the projects offered to me and picked ones I thought would have the maximal potentials to get published.

If you don’t find my experience to what the OP is asking about research relevant, feel free to pursue whatever you believe to be the case. But the first step is to get accepted to A medical school.

doesnt take a genius nor someone who has an A to med school to see half your posts are unprofessional

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

doesnt take a genius nor someone who has an A to med school to see half your posts are unprofessional

I am not trying to be professional on an anonymous forum.

 

[drthedude]

I am not trying to be professional on an anonymous forum.

yikes

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

yikes

yep, in real life, I let a lot of BS slide because I want to be professional. But here, I just feel like calling out BS when i see it.

 

[pierty]

yep, in real life, I let a lot of BS slide because I want to be professional. But here, I just feel like calling out BS when i see it.

You did not call out anyone's "BS". You displaced anger to an anonymous message board, got caught knowing little about the field you arrogantly projected/blamed others for misunderstanding, and then sought validation for your quarrel with a premed by saying you were at a "top 5 medical school."

Aren't there better ways to spend time?

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

You did not call out anyone's "BS". You displaced anger to an anonymous message board, got caught knowing little about the field you arrogantly projected/blamed others for misunderstanding, and then sought validation for your quarrel with a premed by saying you were at a "top 5 medical school."

Aren't there better ways to spend time?

Oops, you got me. but I am really curious how you interpreted my posts as me displacing my anger and how about misunderstanding, and I sought validation on an anonymous forum from a premed? It might surprise you that I don't need any validation at all because I am already at a top med school doing pretty well. You must be a strong candidate for psych.

 

[sriracha3]

Oops, you got me. but I am really curious how you interpreted my posts as me displacing my anger and how about misunderstanding, and I sought validation on an anonymous forum from a premed? It might surprise you that I don't need any validation at all because I am already at a top med school doing pretty well. You must be a strong candidate for psych.

I really do hope that you're just joking around on STN or trolling. If not, I pray for you and sincerely wish nothing but the best for you and that you become a wholesome physician that doesn't treat your patients like the way you treat other people here. As @pierty and others have pointed out, you really are full of hatred and anger and seize upon every opportunity to demean people. Please take some time to do some self reflecting and I do apologize if my original post bruised your T5 research powerhouse ego.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I really do hope that you're just joking around on STN or trolling. If not, I pray for you and sincerely wish nothing but the best for you and that you become a wholesome physician that doesn't treat your patients like the way you treat other people here. As @pierty and others have pointed out, you really are full of hatred and anger and seize upon every opportunity to demean people. Please take some time to do some self reflecting and I do apologize if my original post bruised your T5 research powerhouse ego.

seriously though, it's an anonymous forum (why would anyone have an ego here? No one knows who I am..). I am only telling you what the reality is in medical research on the level of medical students. if you want pubs to have a leg up for residency app, you don't do wet lab. If anyone who has an ego here, it's probably you. I am comfortably being who I am already. I am only here to tell what I know about medical research. When I see wrong information, I just call it out. I have nothing to gain here, other than giving out the right info from my experiences. When I mention that I am at a t5 powerhouse, I am giving you a data point so you can judge whether to believe or not my statements.

How did I demean you? When your post kept saying I didn't know anything what I am saying. All I pointed out is that you are really not in a position to make that judgment. And the truth is that you need to get into med school first. And I sure hope you do get in, but before that happens, you really have no clue what's going on at medical school research.

 

[esob]

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[CassavaCake77]

Congratulations on your acceptances! I'm a current UMass med student and was facing a similar decision as you during my cycle (GW vs UMass vs another school). Can't say much on Rush + Chicago, but I lived in DC for a time and I can attest, it's a fantastic place to live (lots to do, lots to eat, good public transportation, easy access to other fun cities/areas with the Amtrak/airports). However, COL is quite high and GW is a pretty expensive school (they don't seem to give much financial aid but could just be my experience).

I ultimately chose UMass because of finances and though it wasn't my first choice when I was applying, I've been incredibly happy here. Here's a list of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Student body is incredible... fun and collaborative atmosphere (people seem happy here)
• Block finals are taken on Mondays and if you pass, you have the week off to do whatever you want (shadow, travel, do nothing, etc.)
• Supportive and receptive administration (always looking for feedback and ways to improve new curriculum)
• Seems like a school that's on the rise (recent donation from Chan family, new research building, new partnership with Lahey hospital)
• Worcester is not as bad as I thought it'd be... reasonable amount of stuff to do, decent restaurants, proximity to Boston
• Close relationship with Worcester community... lots of community initiatives like free clinics and mentorship opportunities

Cons:

• Worcester is not DC or Chicago... not a super exciting place to be and some parts are pretty rough (like any city)
• Feels like we are in lecture a lot (trade-off for having week-long breaks throughout the year)
• New curriculum can feel disorganized at times
• Need a car to get around
• Weather

Hope that helps. All 3 schools are fantastic. Wait for financial aid packages and that will help you narrow things down. And visit the campuses/cities if you can! Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info about UMass and good luck!