<p>Out of all the schools I have been accepted to, my top two choices are Georgetown University and University of Rochester (majoring in biology). Regarding grade inflation/deflation and overall medical acceptance rates, which school do you think would be easiest to excel in and make use of the wide array of opportunities available but, still get into top notch medical schools, preferably ivies? Although Georgetown is well-known for its Foreign Service program (I chose the College) and area in which it resides (D.C.), I am not sure if it’s better than Rochester for premeds. Rochester has a great music school nearby (Eastman School of Music) and highly ranked medical school but, its acceptance rates are rather high compared to most top ranked schools (accepted 48%, 19% enroll) and is not as “prestigious” as “one of the hardest to get into” Georgetown (accepted rates 22%, 47% enroll). The other main difference is the type of curriculum each school offers. Georgetown has a structured liberal arts curriculum (general education requirements) and at Rochester, you pursue a major from 3 divisions and you take at least a cluster in each of the other two areas outside your major. Both schools offer the option of having majors with minors and certificates. Which school do you think will give a better chance of getting accepted into a top quality medical school (main goal)? </p>
<p>Everyday my decision seems to fluctuate and therefore, I am trying to get the perspective from anyone knowledgeable about these topics.</p>
<p>Anyyy advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Well, my interviewer went to the college a while ago, and I can’t imagine that it has gotten worse – though med school may be more competitive. He went to Johns Hopkins for medical school, and is now the head of vascular surgery at one of the largest hospitals in Michigan. He started trying to talk me into medicine during the interview, so I imagine that he still has confidence in Georgetown’s ability to churn out strong med school applicants.</p>
<p>thanks for the comment escage…i was glad to hear that about georgetown. does anyone else share similar thoughts, experiences, or perhaps hold entirely differing opinions on georgetown? can anyone give some good background info on rochester and its pre-med program? i’m split between the two as well =( weird, i know~</p>
<p>thank you for your response ecsage~
does anyone know how many people got into the early assurance program to Georgetown medical last year and what the average gpa was of those who got in? Also, could any pre-med students (preferably biology students) currently attending Georgetown comment on the difficulty of their curriculum, average pre-med gpa, and what schools they chose to decline to attend Georgetown (was it the right choice and why)? </p>
<p>any opinions or information would again, be greatly appreciated by me and keylimespritz :)</p>
<p>Okay, you guys need to relax. Georgetown is one of the top 25 schools in the US. Rochester is not. If you end up with a 3.0 at Georgetown, you’ll be fine. I know a girl who got into MSU med school after graduating from a tiny school in Michigan. Things will work out. The fact that you are concerned about tiny things like the possibility that you might not have a perfect GPA in four years probably means that you will make fine doctors. If you do go to Georgetown, please introduce yourselves to me, so I remember you when I need heart surgery later on.</p>
<p>I’d say it’s about a wash, and I don’t really care that Georgetown’s an alleged “top 25” school and Rochester’s not. Both are excellent schools for undergrads. So much of these ratings are subjective and, really, based on factors that are, at best, tangential to academics. Both are small, intense undergrad environments with bright students and attached to major medical schools. GU’s boosted by its famed school of Foreign Service, while UR’s boosted by its equally lofty Eastman music school. Georgetown has more cache because its: a) in the Northeast corridor, b) in yuppie/glitzy Washington, and c) resides in the upper-crusty Georgetown neighborhood. UR, on the other hand, is in “nowheresville”, at least in many opinions. A small, crumbling Rust Belt town in the wintry, Midwestern-ish Upstate/Western New York State region just 30-50 miles east of (gasp) Buffalo. </p>
<p>If youre sneering, you right, these outside factors don’t really amount to much. You’ll get great educations at either, and both are known to educators. Just decide: what’s really important to me?</p>
<p>“A small, crumbling Rust Belt town in the wintry, Midwestern-ish Upstate/Western New York State region just 30-50 miles east of (gasp) Buffalo.”</p>
<p>Say what?! When was Rochester in the steel industry??? Have you ever been here?</p>
<p>I agree with Quincy4 about the ranking system. Both are well respected schools and are excellent in various departments. This is why I am having a hard time deciding on the two. </p>
<p>Ecsage, although Georgetown is ranked #23 and Rochester is ranked #34, it does not demonstrate a substantial difference in academic performance. For medical graduate schools, Georgetown is ranked #46 for research and is not even on the top 50 list for primary care. Rochester is ranked #36 for research and is #21 for primary care. Sole reliability on rankings, whether it being undergraduate or graduate, should not be the primary reason to attend Georgetown or Rochester, for that matter. </p>
<p>“If you end up with a 3.0 at Georgetown, you’ll be fine.” This might be possibly for people in the SFS program entering business/law school but, most likely not for students entering medical school. A 3.5 or better is what is expected to get into preferably, an ivy league institution. My main goal is not to achieve a “perfect gpa” (although, it would nice lol), it is simply to get into an excellent medical school and to do this, the main proponents they look at are gpa, mcat scores, and your personal character.</p>
<p>Another question that I had about Georgetown is, do most students pursue dual majors alongside a minor? Is the coursework much more difficult if this is done? If i attend Georgetown, I wanted to possibly pursue a dual major in biology/psychology and minor in music. Is this feasible to do while still having a pretty good social life or is this uncommon? I was also wondering if it is pretty easy or competitive to get an internship or to volunteer at the hospital and medical school? Also, any more current pre-med/biology students willing to respond as to what colleges they turned down to go to Georgetown and why (and if they made the right choice)?
It’s taking me so long to decide because both are great schools but, I definitely will have a decision by Sunday! (I wish I could have visited both schools during spring break, but due to my current location and time restraints, I was not able to :/)</p>
<p>You’re right. I’m sorry that my message had such an anti-Rochester sound to it. I wrote that remark jokingly after a long night out with some of my army buddies.</p>
<p>I’m not a doctor, and the prestigious schools that members of my own family have attended have all been law schools. I admit that my understanding of the medical school admissions standards is inadequate.</p>
<p>However, what I meant to communicate is that Georgetown (like Rochester), is an extremely well-known and prestigious school. I find it hard to believe that going to one school over the other will increase your chances of getting into a good medical school (assuming that you achieve similar grades regardless of which school you attend).</p>
<p>You’ve probably heard this line before, but I like telling the story in the context that I first heard it:</p>
<p>When people first arrive in Iraq, they often get sick. That was certainly my experience. I was horribly sick (vomiting all over the place sick), so one night after getting off shift, I dragged myself into the field hospital. One of the PAs in there was talking about how he was planning on going to medical school after his tour, but that he didn’t think he would do well. The doctor asked, “What do you call the guy who graduates at the bottom of his class from medical school?” – “Doctor.”</p>
<p>I guess that won’t be something for you to be concerned about for a while, but it is always good to remember that in 15 years it won’t matter whether you chose Georgetown or Rochester because people will still call you the same thing, and you’ll be as good at it as your talent allows.</p>
<p>In my own opinion, with no personal plans of attending medical school, I’m going to Georgetown over Yale because I think I’ll feel comfortable there and will enjoy the curriculum and the student body. Whether or not Georgetown will set me up well for what comes next isn’t my primary concern at the moment. I managed to find a way for the army to set me up for Georgetown, so I’m sure it will all work out in the end.</p>