UICOM (Chicago) vs. Georgetown

[Muq]

Hi everyone, I’m grateful for the acceptances and thank everyone here for all the help throughout the cycle. I’m waitlisted at my dream school, so currently choosing between Georgetown and UICOM.

As context, am interested in surgery (or anesthesia).

Georgetown (Tuition: $67k/yr)

Pros:
+++ Pass/Fail for first two years AND core clinical rotations, tiered grading for the last phase, no AOA: I am super neurotic about 3rd year. I’m introverted, so it may take me time to get comfortable performing during rotations, and a whole year without worrying about subjective evaluations would be such a relief
++ 1.5 year preclinical: early clinical experience is a plus
++ match list for ortho and anesthesia was insane (18 people into each, and many more in other competitive specialities)
++ MedStar is a big hospital system, well known in east coast
++ students during second look mentioned that school name helped a little, especially since Step 1 is pass/fail
++ research is accessible for most specialties
++ students mentioned that the class is tight knit
+ would be nice to live in new location after being around Chicago all my life
+ very beautiful surrounding neighborhood
+ feel like I really connected with others during second look day


Cons:
- - - higher tuition and cost of living
- - - not near Midwest, where I want to match
- - exams are in-house
- the inside of the buildings seem really old/ugly


UICOM (Chicago) ($47k/yr)

Pros:
+++ in the city I want to match in
+++ cheaper tuition
+++ near family and friends
++ lots of research, especially considering Rush is a block away and two other schools nearby as well
++ NBME style exams the first two years
++ may get accepted to IMED Scholarly Concentration (innovation focused) related to my computational background
++ UI System is also gigantic
+ newer, better, and more modern buildings (and a really nice simulation lab)

Cons:
- - - tiered grading for third year and AOA, makes it seem more stressful (I’d rather do research and get a higher Step 2 score to stand out)
- - there is a chance my family would want me to commute from home, and I’d be miserable driving 40min-1hr through Chicago traffic
- - not as many people match into surgery
- didn’t connect as well with students on second look day (this could be my own fault)
- I tried joining a NSGY lab this month, got invited to one of their weekly meetings and then got ghosted afterwards so it left a bad taste (I know this is probably not a big deal)


I will comment more if I remember anything. If there is anything I missed, please let me know.

I’m also on the waitlist for Carle and Stritch which have a lot of waitlist movement, but I am unlikely to choose these two (unless someone mentions a good reason to highly consider them in the case I get accepted).

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[Muq]

@Mr.Smile12 @wysdoc Would love some insight from you all as well

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So consider Loyola and Georgetown as very similar. If you get off the WL at Loyola, you can give up your Georgetown seat.

Clearly if you want to match closer to the Midwest, UIC will be better strategically, as would the other Chicago schools you are waiting for. What is your most important concern?

 

[wysdoc]

@Mr.Smile12 @wysdoc Would love some insight from you all as well

If Chicago is your target for the future choose UIC. I don’t know much about the student morale there so I can’t help much.
However Loyola students love their school so if they come through from the WL consider boosting them to #1. They are Catholic based like Georgetown but not “so very impressed with themselves” like GT lol

Oh and if you end up in Chicago lovingly turn down your parent’s offer to live at home.🏡

 

[Muq]

So consider Loyola and Georgetown as very similar. If you get off the WL at Loyola, you can give up your Georgetown seat.

Clearly if you want to match closer to the Midwest, UIC will be better strategically, as would the other Chicago schools you are waiting for. What is your most important concern?

My most important concern was the difference in match lists and no 3rd year grading + no AOA at GT. I feel like at UIC I’d be fighting for the top 20% to make sure I am competitive. Outside of that, nothing too important.

 

[Muq]

If Chicago is your target for the future choose UIC. I don’t know much about the student morale there so I can’t help much.
However Loyola students love their school so if they come through from the WL consider boosting them to #1. They are Catholic based like Georgetown but not “so very impressed with themselves” like GT lol

Oh and if you end up in Chicago lovingly turn down your parent’s offer to live at home.🏡

Thanks for your insight, I’ll definitely give Stritch a look if I happen to get off the waitlist

 

[SynapticHype]

I have some interesting insight into both of these. My close friend from grad school is finishing up their M1 year at UICOM Chicago and I have a cousin in Georgetown who just matched for Ortho this year!

My cousin a Chicago native loved everything about Georgetown and the name helps tremendously with matching into competitive residences. The strong support system, supreme match list, and grading system that matched with his learning style especially the pass/fail for third-year rotations were among the many reasons why he chose it. He found it easy to get involved in research and made lifelong friends in his program. Overall super happy that he took the plunge to move to a new place being a Chicago native his whole life and was really pumped with his match. After 4 years he didn’t even care about trying to match back to Chicago.

My friend in UICOM Chicago loves the team-based learning aspect and he was close to his HS friends and family but doesn’t have time to see them. He was a commuter at first to save money but that ended quickly not enough time to study. He is a little worried about the subjective grading system for the third year and heard some wild stories. Once you start school you begin to experience how dated the inside of some of the buildings are. He strongly dislikes the cadaver labs it’s super dated and has no ventilation! He doesn’t have time for research right now but he finally found a lab after a lot of emailing. Downtown is awesome but a lot of his med school friends aren’t trying to go and do things for fun. A lot of gunners at UICOM that’s forsure. So far he is just surviving but not enjoying the experience as much as he thought.

Shoot me a message if you want me to connect you with them!

Overall UICOM has its merits, especially location and lower cost, but I think Georgetown is the stronger choice here considering it aligns more with your learning style, and the supreme match list and resources.