GWU vs. UT Houston

[TexasBelle87]

I've been struggling with this decision all week. I had my mind set on UT Houston, my bf and I got an apartment together and he got a new job in Houston since I was planning on being there. On Monday I got accepted to GWU off the waitlist into their 5 year program (decelerated) and i'm having a hard time choosing between the 2. Your imput is greatly appreciated

George Washington

Pros

• In Washington DC, an amazing place for school and to spend your 20's in
• Pass/fail grading system
• awesome residency match list
• I grew up in Texas so going to the east coast and to the nation's capital is an awesome experience
• track program and lots of internships available/international electives
• more non traditional students (i'm non trad)
• my boyfriend has a background in politics, he will have many opportunities here

Cons

• expensive
• they want me to do a 5 year program (splits year 1 into 2, but will allow me to possibly honor all of my classes) - but i'm only 23 and i'll have time to experience DC

UT Houston

Pros

• in the Texas Med Center
• cheaper cost of living & cheaper tuition
• 4 year program
• my boyfriend of 7 years lives in houston

Cons

• A,B,C,D grading system
• match list not as impressive as GW
• not as many non-trads
• I went to college in Houston, so i feel like I already "conquered" that city

My mom is gung-ho on GWU because she thinks its an amazing experience and I shouldn't miss out on it but my boyfriend is heartbroken I would even consider going. If I go i'm risking losing him after being together for 7 years because he's pretty pissed that I signed a lease with him and i'll just move to DC. I love him to death but my mom doesn't really believe in love so she's like whatever, theres more fish in the sea. I'm so confused. Ultimately, we could sublet the apartment or break the lease. Yeah its bad, but there are worse things.

I think its an amazing opportunity for BOTH of us to go to DC and live it up in our 20's and for him to get into the political arena in DC. Yeah the 5 year program sucks but I also want to get married so this could help me balance being a wife/med student and actually learn the material better for the board exams while enjoying DC. I would really love for him to move with me next year, but he's completely against long distance relationships (I went to NY for a year and it was really hard). Im fine with the Long distance thing for 9 months so that we can have the rest of our lives together. Everyone I talk to says that if he loves me, he'll make a way out to DC but I can't keep expecting him to follow me around and put his plans on hold for me.

What do I do? Is it worth losing the love of my life for my dreams or should I forego my "big city" dreams for my love in Texas. I really want to be a leader in healthcare and I'm scared if i stay in Texas I get comfortable and don't strive to make a difference. With all of the opportunities in DC for leadership I know that I'll have plenty of opportunities to make change and experience great things in the nation's capital

Thanks!

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[TexasBelle87]

oh...did I mention I LOVE GW and the DC Area!!!!!

 

[MDMDJDJD]

At my Georgetown interview, the dean straight up told us all that we would be crazy to attend if we had an acceptance from our state schools. The same should go for GW. Both schools are THAT expensive. And that's with 4 years tuition. I shudder to think what the debt would look like after 5.

 

[TexasBelle87]

At my Georgetown interview, the dean straight up told us all that we would be crazy to attend if we had an acceptance from our state schools. The same should go for GW. Both schools are THAT expensive. And that's with 4 years tuition. I shudder to think what the debt would look like after 5.

The tuition is the same for the 5 year program as it is for the 4 year program

 

[cher25]

I've been struggling with this decision all week. I had my mind set on UT Houston, my bf and I got an apartment together and he got a new job in Houston since I was planning on being there. On Monday I got accepted to GWU off the waitlist into their 5 year program (decelerated) and i'm having a hard time choosing between the 2. Your imput is greatly appreciated

George Washington

Pros

• In Washington DC, an amazing place for school and to spend your 20's in
• Pass/fail grading system
• awesome residency match list
• I grew up in Texas so going to the east coast and to the nation's capital is an awesome experience
• track program and lots of internships available/international electives
• more non traditional students (i'm non trad)
• my boyfriend has a background in politics, he will have many opportunities here

Cons

• expensive
• they want me to do a 5 year program (splits year 1 into 2, but will allow me to possibly honor all of my classes) - but i'm only 23 and i'll have time to experience DC

UT Houston

Pros

• in the Texas Med Center
• cheaper cost of living & cheaper tuition
• 4 year program
• my boyfriend of 7 years lives in houston

Cons

• A,B,C,D grading system
• match list not as impressive as GW
• not as many non-trads
• I went to college in Houston, so i feel like I already "conquered" that city

My mom is gung-ho on GWU because she thinks its an amazing experience and I shouldn't miss out on it but my boyfriend is heartbroken I would even consider going. If I go i'm risking losing him after being together for 7 years because he's pretty pissed that I signed a lease with him and i'll just move to DC. I love him to death but my mom doesn't really believe in love so she's like whatever, theres more fish in the sea. I'm so confused. Ultimately, we could sublet the apartment or break the lease. Yeah its bad, but there are worse things.

I think its an amazing opportunity for BOTH of us to go to DC and live it up in our 20's and for him to get into the political arena in DC. Yeah the 5 year program sucks but I also want to get married so this could help me balance being a wife/med student and actually learn the material better for the board exams while enjoying DC. I would really love for him to move with me next year, but he's completely against long distance relationships (I went to NY for a year and it was really hard). Im fine with the Long distance thing for 9 months so that we can have the rest of our lives together. Everyone I talk to says that if he loves me, he'll make a way out to DC but I can't keep expecting him to follow me around and put his plans on hold for me.

What do I do? Is it worth losing the love of my life for my dreams or should I forego my "big city" dreams for my love in Texas. I really want to be a leader in healthcare and I'm scared if i stay in Texas I get comfortable and don't strive to make a difference. With all of the opportunities in DC for leadership I know that I'll have plenty of opportunities to make change and experience great things in the nation's capital

Thanks!

Just wanted to clear up a few things in your post.

1. UTH is not on an ABCD system. We are on a Pass/Fail System. We do have Pass, High Pass, Honors, Marginal, Fail, however

2. UTH also gives the decelerated option. At your own will, you can choose to split your first year into two and proceed with the five year track anytime before or during your first and second semester of first year.

3. We have a good number of non-trads though the number of nontrads should really have no bearing on deciding on a school. I'm a nontrad and my younger classmates (by about a decade) are cool as heck and don't make me feel any differently.

4. We have a great residency match list and awesome internship/shadowing/track programs and opportunities to do international electives. We even have a global medicine track if that's something you're interested in.

Lastly, the tuition cannot be beat. It is a big deal. You'll have a good experience wherever you go so why spend an extra $100K for tuition if you don't have to? Just my opinion.

 

[DocTraveler]

Go to UT Houston. Not worth the $ and losing the love of your life. You can do your residency there if you really want to.

 

[cher25]

The tuition is the same for the 5 year program as it is for the 4 year program

The tuition is the same but that would be an extra year of cost of living expenses. Which is at minimum 20K... probably much less than DC.

 

[b-real]

Go to UT Houston. Not worth the $ and losing the love of your life. You can do your residency there if you really want to.

This should be your mantra. G-Dub doesn't add anything that you couldn't get from UTH, aside from DC. Apply for a residency in 4 years if you really want to, but the tuition difference is too ridiculous to consider. Ultimately it comes down to what matters to you more: your family/BF or the city you prefer to be in.

 

[startswithb]

Go to UT Houston. Not worth the $ and losing the love of your life. You can do your residency there if you really want to.

This.

Seriously.

This is NOT your last chance to be in DC! Remember this is only four years of your life. Which at age 23 may seem like a lot, but it's not. Take a deep breath and get over the initial excitement of it all and I bet you will realize what you really need to do.

 

[Gtwn2010]

UT-Houston. I agree with cher 25. I'm sort of doing the opposite order of life track you're considering. I went to Georgetown for undergad, spent 4 years in DC and am set on going to UT-Houston med this fall unless I hear back from a few waitlists. DC is an amazing city and there are plenty of opportunities there but I think that unless you have some really strong parental financial support or a scholarship that will allow you to graduate from GW with a comparable level of debt as you would from UTH, it's not worth it.

UTH is a great medical school (I don't put a lot of stock into USNR but I believe they place higher than GW for research in the rankings they put out) and many would say the opportunities in the TMC for research and networking are more noteworthy than the ones you've mentioned are available at GW. You can always pursue these DC leadership/internship opportunities in the summer, or do an away elective and perhaps pursue your residency in DC.

I think it would be a different story if you were deciding between an Ivy and UTH, but in this particular case I don't think the cost/benefit ratio comes out in GW's favor. Paying off those hefty loans may leave you asking "what if?" and feeling bitter down the line about passing up UTH-- especially if GW doesn't end up being everything you hoped it would be.

All that being said, if you're loaded, have a scholarship, or just can't bring yourself to pass up the opportunity to live in DC, then forget what everyone else says-- go to GW and live it up!

 

[AutumnChild]

Ok, so I might sound like i'm contradicting myself, but hear me out first. Purely comparing both schools, I think I would advise you to choose UT-Houston. GWU has been going through some major accreditation issues among other things, it would make me nervous to attend if I had the choice not to. Yes it's in DC, which would be super fun, but you won't have a ton of time to enjoy it all anyway. It's more about the school and less about the city, though you should consider location to some extent. (I don't know if UT-Houston has any such problems as GWU, but I assume not). Plus, tuition difference just pushes it even further towards Houston.

IF you were deciding between Houston and different school (with no accreditation problems, in a fabulous city), this would be my opinion. Obviously we're only getting one side of the story, and we know he's the love of your life, but are you the love of HIS life? I would assume so since you've been together for 7 years, but what you've said about his opinions are giving me mixed messages. I can understand that he'd be a little upset, I mean you had it all planned out and even got an apt and then all of sudden you say, actually can we scrap all that and move to DC? But after the initial shock and anger, you guys should be able to talk it out and see if you can work something out if you are deeply in love. You're 23, i'm assuming he's about the same age, he can't be THAT settled in Houston unless he graduated really young. In my opinion, if this is the school of your dreams he should be open to the idea of making it work for you. Especially since it would be a great career advantage to him as well. It's not purely for your sake. Plus, I would want to live a little, get out of the comfy hometown and explore other places when you don't have to worry about bringing home the bacon, taking care of kids and all that.

That's my two cents. I added the last part, even though I think you should stay in Houston, because I think this might be hinting at possible issues with your relationship regarding real commitment and difficult life decisions as a couple. The test of a true relationship is the hard, life changing stuff. I'm by no means an expert though, of course. Just what I gathered from your one post.

 

[Overfloater]

Don't let other people talk you out of what YOU want. Everything you have written says that YOU want GW.

 

[dekiru]

I'd pick UT Houston. It is a good school and will not offer you any less than what GW can do for you. There is really no financial aid if you go to GW, and the living cost and tuition will add up after your medical education. I've been living in DC for the past few years and I absolutely love this place. But I think you should see where you fit best, where you will be the happiest, and think long-term about financial support when you make your decision.

Hope this helps.

 

[byurazorhog]

Texas Medical Center + significantly cheaper tuition --->UTH by a landslide

 

[doctur]

I feel like this is a no-brainer. GW and DC is not worth the mountain of debt you will incur and losing the love of your life as you put it. Besides, you can always end up in DC for residency and at that point your BF will have alot more experience which will lend itself well to getting a job in DC.

 

[TexasBelle87]

Wow, everyone is pro-UTH

I know UT has high pass, pass, marginal pass, etc but isn't this essentially A, B, C?

My boss, a dermatological surgeon, says that don't let student debt be the deciding factror, she says debt sucks but u can refinance it at 1-2% after u graduate and live your life and not be bound to it. Idk how I feel about this

My mom will KILL me if I choose UT over GWU, I'm surprised she hasn't already called admissions and withdrew my app. This is the hardest decision ever, I don't wanna look back and regret losing him or missing this experience

 

[TexasBelle87]

Don't let other people talk you out of what YOU want. Everything you have written says that YOU want GW.

Yeah, I DO want it. But how awesome can it be if I don't have the one person I love to share it with

 

[Nefertiri]

Texas Belle, I kno how you feel. I'm ready to get out of Houston too. I think if you can get your boo to come around (yeah I said boo), then go to DC.

It's nice to have a change of pace; it can really help you grow.

And yes, debt is an issue, but it's always manageable just like your boss said. Drs who have trouble w/debt usually have probs managing their $$..that's not u.

GL deciding

 

[Prateek]

Just an inquiry, I thought May 15/16 was the deadline to decide which schools you wanted to go? Or is this more of a loose deadline?

 

[Geekchick921]

My boss, a dermatological surgeon, says that don't let student debt be the deciding factror, she says debt sucks but u can refinance it at 1-2% after u graduate and live your life and not be bound to it. Idk how I feel about this

Firstly, your boss sounds like her specialty makes bank, and on top of that, there is no doubt she incurred a LOT less debt than you will at GW.

Go to Houston. Live with your boyfriend and, if it lasts, get married. If he agrees, try to match in the DC area and move there together and start your married life with a FRACTION of the debt you'd rack up at GW. Like Startswithb said, 4 years seems like a long time but it will FLY, and you can still be in DC in your 20s and "live it up" and have to pay back a lot less money in the process. You will be so happy on the other side of this when you don't already have a mortgage-sized debt load BEFORE you want to buy a house.

 

[Geekchick921]

Just an inquiry, I thought May 15/16 was the deadline to decide which schools you wanted to go? Or is this more of a loose deadline?

You have to decline all of your acceptances but 1 by that date, but you can stay on as many WLs as you want. OP was accepted off GW's WL.

 

[doctur]

Wow, everyone is pro-UTH

I know UT has high pass, pass, marginal pass, etc but isn't this essentially A, B, C?

My boss, a dermatological surgeon, says that don't let student debt be the deciding factror, she says debt sucks but u can refinance it at 1-2% after u graduate and live your life and not be bound to it. Idk how I feel about this

My mom will KILL me if I choose UT over GWU, I'm surprised she hasn't already called admissions and withdrew my app. This is the hardest decision ever, I don't wanna look back and regret losing him or missing this experience

The part in bold is just not true

 

[TexasBelle87]

The part in bold is just not true

Why would she make that up? She did 2 residencies ( peds and then derm) and then a fellowship and she said she took loans through all of them. I know for a fact she has a lot of debt!

 

[doctur]

Why would she make that up? She did 2 residencies ( peds and then derm) and then a fellowship and she said she took loans through all of them. I know for a fact she has a lot of debt!

Understood, but refinancing at 1 or 2% is just not possible. Maybe she meant refinancing and reducing her interest rate by 1 or 2%?

 

[Geekchick921]

It may have been true years ago, but I don't think you'd find anything like that now. 1-2%? Not bloody likely.

 

[doremi2010]

I am in the UT-Houston camp also because GW and DC is ridiculously expensive. But it also seems like you've already made up your mind. If you are okay with being in school for an extra year, tagging on a higher debt (and paying them back over a longer period of time like 10 vs. 30 years), and leaving your bf, then so be it.

How much time and money will you have to enjoy DC while you are in med school? And as others have said, you can go there for residency or fellowship. If you are really going to regret not going to DC, then go to DC. Regret is harder to live with than debt.

 

[ddalgi]

texasbelle, i'm not sure why your mom is so adamant with you going to GW over UT Houston. UT Houston has a slightly better repuation AND it is cheaper. Based on your posts thus far, it seems as though she isn't a fan of your bf and just wants to separate you two. Just my two cents.

 

[Geekchick921]

I am in the UT-Houston camp also because GW and DC is ridiculously expensive. But it also seems like you've already made up your mind. If you are okay with being in school for an extra year, tagging on a higher debt (and paying them back over a longer period of time like 10 vs. 30 years), and leaving your bf, then so be it.

How much time and money will you have to enjoy DC while you are in med school? And as others have said, you can go there for residency or fellowship. If you are really going to regret not going to DC, then go to DC. Regret is harder to live with than debt.

Unless you regret all your debt.

 

[WhiteCoatFuture]

Don't let other people talk you out of what YOU want. Everything you have written says that YOU want GW.

This. Go where you want to go. It sounds like you're considering the important factors. If after all of that, you still want to be at GW, go. I say this b/c I always try to make sure that if I have any regret about a decision I made, I at least want to know it was MY decision. That way there's no bitterness towards anyone who may have talked me into it. Follow what you truly want and you'll be fine.

 

[addo]

So what did you decide OP?

For the record, im also in the UTH camp... its the smart and right decision to make when you look at it from an objective point of view.

 

[TexasBelle87]

So what did you decide OP?

For the record, im also in the UTH camp... its the smart and right decision to make when you look at it from an objective point of view.

I haven't made a decision yet. It makes things even harder that my bf isn't talking to me right now. He's so hurt I would even consider going after we got the apartment and everything and I'll be leaving him and sticking him with a $1200 rent. He said he's giving me time to make this decision alone bit if I decide to go we are done. Ahhhhh!!

I'm staying with my family in cali now but I'm going to houston next weekend, hopefully well talk and figure this out!

 

[mauberley]

I really want to be a leader in healthcare and I'm scared if i stay in Texas I get comfortable and don't strive to make a difference. With all of the opportunities in DC for leadership I know that I'll have plenty of opportunities to make change and experience great things in the nation's capital

I haven't seen anyone address this particular point (everyone's been zeroing in on cost + boyfriend). if you're really motivated to be a leader, you'll do it wherever you are. Don't use location as an excuse for not accomplishing what you want to do.

get over the initial excitement of it all

I read this as "excrement" when I was skimming through the thread.

I haven't made a decision yet. It makes things even harder that my bf isn't talking to me right now. He's so hurt I would even consider going after we got the apartment and everything and I'll be leaving him and sticking him with a $1200 rent. He said he's giving me time to make this decision alone bit if I decide to go we are done. Ahhhhh!!

I'm staying with my family in cali now but I'm going to houston next weekend, hopefully well talk and figure this out!

Well, good luck. I completely sympathize with your romantic notions of moving to DC, but you have very compelling reasons to go to Houston. You're going to get stuck with a "what-if?" question bugging you for a long time, regardless of what you choose.

 

[Brachyury]

Here's my two cents: I think Houston is the butthole of America. If a giant hurricane destroyed Houston, I wouldn't shed a single tear. To be honest, my vision of hell looks like a mix of Houston and Phoenix.

That being said, I'd choose UT-Houston. The Texas Medical Center would be a wonderful and exciting place to learn, and the tuition is cheap! I'm normally part of the 'happiness is more important than cost' bandwagon, but not in this case. If someone is deciding between their state school (and in-state tuition is expensive like in CA, IL, or MN) and a private school, then I support them going where they'll be happier. However, in this case, Texas tuition is ridiculously low. The cost difference between UT and GWU is much larger than that between UC Davis and USC.

Debt load can affect your career and personal life: if you have a lot of debt and your husband doesn't make well over 6-figures, you're going to have to be a working mom in order to pay-off your debt. If you want to go into a low paying field likes peds, have a high loan burden can be crippling.

Finally, you mother is not the one who has to sign off-on thousands of dollars worth of student loans, you do. So when it comes time to make a decision, its none of her business.

Good luck

 

[addo]

Here's my two cents: I think Houston is the butthole of America. If a giant hurricane destroyed Houston, I wouldn't shed a single tear. To be honest, my vision of hell looks like a mix of Houston and Phoenix.

lol ... thanks for your very valuable opinion.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I haven't made a decision yet. It makes things even harder that my bf isn't talking to me right now. He's so hurt I would even consider going after we got the apartment and everything and I'll be leaving him and sticking him with a $1200 rent. He said he's giving me time to make this decision alone bit if I decide to go we are done. Ahhhhh!!

I'm staying with my family in cali now but I'm going to houston next weekend, hopefully well talk and figure this out!

To be perfectly blunt, what the hell else were you expecting? I don't even know if your relationship will survive now even if you stay in Texas considering that you're making it perfectly clear that you're "settling" by staying in Texas. The fact that you're willing to risk throwing away a long-term relationship and spend a ton more money to go to medical school elsewhere speaks volumes to me, as an outsider. I can't imagine your bf not getting the same message.

Best of luck with whatever choice you make.

 

[cher25]

Wow, everyone is pro-UTH

I know UT has high pass, pass, marginal pass, etc but isn't this essentially A, B, C?

It's not really the same because HP, P H, MP, F system is not associated with a class rank or GPA alike ABCD.

Also, you'll only realize it after you start med school but the extra debt WILL NOT be worth it and you'll be so busy with school that you really will not have the opportunity to enjoy the city much at all in your first couple of years. I had a tough time a couple of years ago trying to decide on a school and once I started I realized how irrelevant some of the things I considered were and how insane it would have been for me to go to a school where tuition was 30K to 45K vs the 13K that I pay at UT H. All med schools will give you what you need. To me, unless you're headed to an ivy, I don't understand why anyone who had a choice would choose a 200 to 300K debt load over an 80 to 100K debt. Just my opinion.

 

[eli20]

1) For the many reasons above, I'd pick UTH.

2) Houston is consistently one of the most underrated cities in the US...

3) Based on your responses in this thread I suggest you go to GW because I'd prefer not to have you as a classmate

 

[addo]

3) Based on your responses in this thread I suggest you go to GW because I'd prefer not to have you as a classmate

based on this response im going to like you as a classmate

 

[medicalmystery]

I hate to be crass, but texasbelle87 has had this dilemma before. She picked houston over a long dawn out internal (and well publicized) conflict about loving UTMB and wanting to go there forever but getting into UTH as well. Now she is having the same conflict with GWU over UTH. If everyone decided to post like this, SDN would be horrid. I hope texasbelle87 doesn't get into a 'better' school than GWU because I just don't want to keep on reading about it.

Texasbelle:
I have to agree with eli20 in that I would selfishly recommend that you go to GWU just so you leave texas. We take pride in having down-to-earth students with a positive and healthy world view. The fact that you would leave your BF of 7 years to go to a different medical school (who cares where you go? Oh...no one) when you could be with him in houston makes me kind of ill. Please enjoy your stay in Washington D.C, I know I will.

 

[Thom1986]

I hate to be crass, but texasbelle87 has had this dilemma before. She picked houston over a long dawn out internal (and well publicized) conflict about loving UTMB and wanting to go there forever but getting into UTH as well. Now she is having the same conflict with GWU over UTH. If everyone decided to post like this, SDN would be horrid. I hope texasbelle87 doesn't get into a 'better' school than GWU because I just don't want to keep on reading about it.

Texasbelle:
I have to agree with eli20 in that I would selfishly recommend that you go to GWU just so you leave texas. We take pride in having down-to-earth students with a positive and healthy world view. The fact that you would leave your BF of 7 years to go to a different medical school (who cares where you go? Oh...no one) when you could be with him in houston makes me kind of ill. Please enjoy your stay in Washington D.C, I know I will.

Down-to-earth? Yikes.

 

[dbeast]

I hate to be crass, but texasbelle87 has had this dilemma before. She picked houston over a long dawn out internal (and well publicized) conflict about loving UTMB and wanting to go there forever but getting into UTH as well. Now she is having the same conflict with GWU over UTH. If everyone decided to post like this, SDN would be horrid. I hope texasbelle87 doesn't get into a 'better' school than GWU because I just don't want to keep on reading about it.

Texasbelle:
I have to agree with eli20 in that I would selfishly recommend that you go to GWU just so you leave texas. We take pride in having down-to-earth students with a positive and healthy world view. The fact that you would leave your BF of 7 years to go to a different medical school (who cares where you go? Oh...no one) when you could be with him in houston makes me kind of ill. Please enjoy your stay in Washington D.C, I know I will.

[Family full of doctors in Texas- as much as I love them, I could not imagine a less "positive and healthy world view"... at least until we have a republican president again]