Maryland vs. Georgetown (what is P/F really worth?) *please do not quote*

[justanotherthrowaway]

Hi everyone. I'm currently choosing between the University of Maryland and Georgetown, though I am leaning towards Maryland. However, I want to get some extra input to make sure that I'm making the right choice. The main reason I'm conflicted is because there seems to be a huge emphasis on true P/F online, and Maryland is tiered P/F all four years as opposed to Georgetown. Honestly, before I spent time online reading about different curricula, I would've thought less about choosing Maryland over Georgetown. But now I feel anxious about choosing a school that's not true P/F because of how much students online seem to stress it. I have a more comprehensive list of pros and cons below, but I'm hoping to either gain some reassurance over choosing a school that's ranked & tiered P/F over a school that is not - or to receive guidance otherwise.

Maryland
Pros

• Higher ranked than Georgetown, can be considered a T30-T35 (I'm wondering how much of a difference this makes in the world of medicine - is there an actual prestige difference?)
• Overall COA will be at least ~100k cheaper overall, if not more
• Seems to be a stronger research institution
• Bonded with the students more and have already networked a bit. I felt more welcome at Maryland than I did at Georgetown
• I already have an idea of where I would live & how much I would pay etc.
• Smaller class by ~50-60 students than Georgetown

Cons

• Tiered P/F all four years, ranked, AOA. Is this truly a dealbreaker? This is my biggest concern.
• Baltimore isn't the most pleasant city to live in
• Doesn't have elective tracks I'm interested in

Georgetown
Pros

• True P/F and unranked first three years. My question is: would this really be a positive for matching into competitive residency programs, especially for someone like me who has no connections in medicine? Could it not be a downside if you're unable to set yourself apart?
• Love the city, the campus, etc. all the superficial qualities (lol)
• Has elective tracks that I'm interested in
• Layman's prestige (again, I know this is superficial)

Cons

• At least 100k more expensive overall
• Lower ranked - though the students at Georgetown seemed to be under the impression that their name carried them a lot. I'm wondering how true this is?
• Doesn't really seem research oriented to me
• Larger class size (>200 students)
• Felt less welcome and included as a minority than at Maryland

I'd really appreciate any of your thoughts/feedback on both of these schools. Am I going to regret choosing a tiered P/F, ranked school in the future over one that isn't?

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[ayoooooosauce]

Maryland: the fact it’s a T30, lower COA, stronger research would sway me. The tiered grading system isn’t amazing but if students seem happy there despite it I would go for it

 

[ACKjp]

No disclosures, rejected by both lol

I live in Baltimore and it truly is not that bad, I've had a lot of fun. I'd still choose Georgetown though, and based on their match lists there is not much difference in "prestige"