Hey Everyone,
I am narrowing my acceptances down to Georgetown and UMass and trying to decide between the two. The main concern is cost.
Georgetown Pros:
-International / Global Health (I have a MPH in International Health)
-Diverse population (globally since DC / underserved)
-Good location ( I like DC and my long-term girlfriend will start working there next year)
-Main point: Gut feeling --> I felt really good at interview day, liked everyone I met, and had a really good feeling about the school. I interviewed at 10+ schools and this was by far the best "gut feeling" which a lot of students have told me is an important deciding factor
-Competitive / diverse match list
-Good gym close to campus (undergrad gym, this is an important factor for me)
-more presitigous / ~2% acceptance rate
Georgetown Cons:
-Cost of tuition
-This is dumb, but I have read a lot of negative feedback towards Georgetown on SDN
-Living (expensive, and QUESTION: can I live within ~10 minutes bike ride to schoo? This is another important factor
-Grading system creates competetiveness, although this might not be a bad thing in terms of being prepared for step 1
UMASS Pros:
-Cheap tuition and living costs
-Good primary care program (I am considering primary care, but really want to explore other options too)
-I can have a house very close to campus, this is important factor for me
-Close to home (45 min drive)
-Pass / fail
-Global health pathway
UMass Cons:
-I had a really bad gut feeling at interview day, I felt the school was not impressive. I think this may have to do that UMass was originally my dream school because of cost, and I was let down a bit.
-Bad match list in terms of diversity, a lot of primary care (although this may just be what students lean towards)
-Not excited about living in Worcester for 4 years
-No gym near campus / included except for a low quality small gym in the hospital
-All the information (website, interview day info, etc) about the school is lacking and seems less organized and professional than other schools
-Current students and fellow interviewees seemed less professional than at other schools
-7 hour drive from girlfriend aka long-distance relationship
-less prestigious, ~15% acceptance rate (only MA residents can apply)
Basically, it comes down to gut feeling of school vs cost. I felt really really good at Georgetown, but iti s extremely expensive for tuition and living. I did not feel that good at UMass for some reason, but it is cheap. If I do end up in primary care, UMass will be fine, but I feel that I may be limited for experiencing and matching to competetive residencies if I got to UMass. Also, it would be cool to live in the same city as my girlfriend rather than a 7 hour drive away. Most physicians I ask say to go to the cheap school and that the education I get is up to me (including a physician who went to a carribean MD school and is now a leading surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the US), where as students say go where you will be "happy" and where you had a good gut-feeling.
I will attend both second look days, but wondering if anyone had any insight? I am not currently in debt, but I will have to take out loans to pay for almost all of med school, so ~100k more in debt will mean $1000 more in monthly payments for 10 years after med school, and residency salary is only ~$4000 a month for 3-7 years...
THANK YOU for reading this long post and in advance for any comments. Good luck to everyone!
I am narrowing my acceptances down to Georgetown and UMass and trying to decide between the two. The main concern is cost.
Georgetown Pros:
-International / Global Health (I have a MPH in International Health)
-Diverse population (globally since DC / underserved)
-Good location ( I like DC and my long-term girlfriend will start working there next year)
-Main point: Gut feeling --> I felt really good at interview day, liked everyone I met, and had a really good feeling about the school. I interviewed at 10+ schools and this was by far the best "gut feeling" which a lot of students have told me is an important deciding factor
-Competitive / diverse match list
-Good gym close to campus (undergrad gym, this is an important factor for me)
-more presitigous / ~2% acceptance rate
Georgetown Cons:
-Cost of tuition
-This is dumb, but I have read a lot of negative feedback towards Georgetown on SDN
-Living (expensive, and QUESTION: can I live within ~10 minutes bike ride to schoo? This is another important factor
-Grading system creates competetiveness, although this might not be a bad thing in terms of being prepared for step 1
UMASS Pros:
-Cheap tuition and living costs
-Good primary care program (I am considering primary care, but really want to explore other options too)
-I can have a house very close to campus, this is important factor for me
-Close to home (45 min drive)
-Pass / fail
-Global health pathway
UMass Cons:
-I had a really bad gut feeling at interview day, I felt the school was not impressive. I think this may have to do that UMass was originally my dream school because of cost, and I was let down a bit.
-Bad match list in terms of diversity, a lot of primary care (although this may just be what students lean towards)
-Not excited about living in Worcester for 4 years
-No gym near campus / included except for a low quality small gym in the hospital
-All the information (website, interview day info, etc) about the school is lacking and seems less organized and professional than other schools
-Current students and fellow interviewees seemed less professional than at other schools
-7 hour drive from girlfriend aka long-distance relationship
-less prestigious, ~15% acceptance rate (only MA residents can apply)
Basically, it comes down to gut feeling of school vs cost. I felt really really good at Georgetown, but iti s extremely expensive for tuition and living. I did not feel that good at UMass for some reason, but it is cheap. If I do end up in primary care, UMass will be fine, but I feel that I may be limited for experiencing and matching to competetive residencies if I got to UMass. Also, it would be cool to live in the same city as my girlfriend rather than a 7 hour drive away. Most physicians I ask say to go to the cheap school and that the education I get is up to me (including a physician who went to a carribean MD school and is now a leading surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the US), where as students say go where you will be "happy" and where you had a good gut-feeling.
I will attend both second look days, but wondering if anyone had any insight? I am not currently in debt, but I will have to take out loans to pay for almost all of med school, so ~100k more in debt will mean $1000 more in monthly payments for 10 years after med school, and residency salary is only ~$4000 a month for 3-7 years...
THANK YOU for reading this long post and in advance for any comments. Good luck to everyone!