Georgetown vs. Williams for UG

[mulans_matchmaker]

Hi friends!

I was very interested in both these schools, and was wondering which one of them was better for undergrad if I wanted to apply to med school in the future.

Some specific questions I wanted to ask were:

• How hard is it to get a good cGPA and sGPA at Georgetown vs. at Williams? (By "good," I mean at least a 3.75)
• How accessible is hospital volunteering at Georgetown vs. at Williams? (I know that Georgetown is near a lot of hospitals, but Williams is pretty much in the middle of nowhere..)
• How easy is it to get a research internship at Georgetown vs. at Williams? (I've read in some other posts that it is pretty easy to get into a lab at Williams, as class size is small and professors are pretty open to taking in students, but I'm not so sure about Georgetown.)

If someone could take some time enlightening me, I'd really appreciate it! (I apologize if I come off as arrogant, ignorant, or pretentious... that is by no means my intention ) Thanks again!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Are you referring to Williams College in Mass? If so, Georgetown.

 

[PapaGuava]

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Georgetown from friends that went there in the past. I come from a smaller private university, it was easier to connect with professors and get into research. However, If you’re persistent and have a good work rate, it won’t matter where you’re at in terms of finding research. The same goes for volunteering opportunities as well.

 

[mulans_matchmaker]

Are you referring to Williams College in Mass? If so, Georgetown.

Yes, I am referring to Williams College in Massachusetts.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Georgetown from friends that went there in the past. I come from a smaller private university, it was easier to connect with professors and get into research. However, If you’re persistent and have a good work rate, it won’t matter where you’re at in terms of finding research. The same goes for volunteering opportunities as well.

That's awesome! I just worry that if I get into Georgetown and go, I'll be drowning as a small fish and a big pond. I don't mind being challenged, and in fact, I welcome challenge, but I don't want it to get to a point where all I'm doing all day is trying to keep my GPA afloat while neglecting volunteering or extracurriculars.

 

[PapaGuava]

@mulans_matchmaker

Honestly, the biggest thing is just having a balance. I witnessed a few classmates every year struggling in courses because they placed too much on themselves in regards to ECs or other activities. Granted, you will need clinical experience and things like that, but its best to be organized and plan things out according to your class load each semester. You will work harder than most majors at a university, but the biggest thing is having a balance. GPA is priority while your clinical experience and research is the icing on top.

 

[mulans_matchmaker]

Thanks so much @PapaGuava!! That was really helpful!

 

[PapaGuava]

Thanks so much @PapaGuava!! That was really helpful!

Hey no problem at all! Be sure to let us know what school you decide on

 

[mk536]

For academics/general premed related things: Williams hands down. GPA from Williams is inflated, especially for certain subjects that tend to not be as inflated at other schools (i.e. calculus). Lots of premeds, but good record of med school acceptance/acceptances at top med schools if that matters to you. Extremely supportive professors with small class sizes. Research (good research, unlike some small schools!) is highly available. Since you have no grad students to compete with, you are more likely to be put in charge of a meaningful research project as opposed to doing grunt work. The only downside is that shadowing and volunteering options are limited. My understanding is most Williams premeds compress volunteering and shadowing into summers or take a couple gap years.

Other things to consider:
1) Cost of attendance. The schools have similar tuition, but one may provide you more aid. I would strongly consider the cheaper option if you have to take out loans.
2) Location. Most Williams students seem to love living in Williamstown and the Berkshires, but it's not for everyone. If you're a city person you might be pretty unhappy there. If you love sports and/or the outdoors, you'll be far more likely to love William's culture/location.

Source: family members associated with Williams, personally connected with Georgetown

 

[mulans_matchmaker]

Hey no problem at all! Be sure to let us know what school you decide on

Will do!

 

[mulans_matchmaker]

For academics/general premed related things: Williams hands down. GPA from Williams is inflated, especially for certain subjects that tend to not be as inflated at other schools (i.e. calculus). Lots of premeds, but good record of med school acceptance/acceptances at top med schools if that matters to you. Extremely supportive professors with small class sizes. Research (good research, unlike some small schools!) is highly available. Since you have no grad students to compete with, you are more likely to be put in charge of a meaningful research project as opposed to doing grunt work. The only downside is that shadowing and volunteering options are limited. My understanding is most Williams premeds compress volunteering and shadowing into summers or take a couple gap years.

Other things to consider:
1) Cost of attendance. The schools have similar tuition, but one may provide you more aid. I would strongly consider the cheaper option if you have to take out loans.
2) Location. Most Williams students seem to love living in Williamstown and the Berkshires, but it's not for everyone. If you're a city person you might be pretty unhappy there. If you love sports and/or the outdoors, you'll be far more likely to love William's culture/location.

Source: family members associated with Williams, personally connected with Georgetown

It's helpful that you mentioned grade inflation between the two colleges, because I had never considered that. I guess the main part that stresses me out about Williams is the compressing volunteering/medical experience into the summers, but to each their own. Thanks @mk536!

 

[mk536]

I guess the main part that stresses me out about Williams is the compressing volunteering/medical experience into the summers, but to each their own. Thanks @mk536!

You're welcome!

I'm frankly not an expert in the summer (or school year) volunteer opportunities pursued by premeds at Williams, but I've never gotten the impression that it was a hardship to round out ECs for the Williams premeds that I have met. I would recommend speaking with the admissions department about your concerns in this regard, since they will best be able to address this for you.

You definitely should consider GPA inflation when making your choice. Filling out ECs can always be done. It just requires showing up. Fixing a low GPA or trying to recover from low grades in prereqs is a much harder road to walk.

A final consideration that I didn't mention above is that Georgetown SOM has an "early assurance program" that guarantees entry into Georgetown SOM for select undergrads after sophomore year. I don't know how easy it is to be accepted if you fulfill their requirements, but if this is of interest to you, you should investigate that.

 

[mulans_matchmaker]

You're welcome!

I'm frankly not an expert in the summer (or school year) volunteer opportunities pursued by premeds at Williams, but I've never gotten the impression that it was a hardship to round out ECs for the Williams premeds that I have met. I would recommend speaking with the admissions department about your concerns in this regard, since they will best be able to address this for you.

You definitely should consider GPA inflation when making your choice. Filling out ECs can always be done. It just requires showing up. Fixing a low GPA or trying to recover from low grades in prereqs is a much harder road to walk.

A final consideration that I didn't mention above is that Georgetown SOM has an "early assurance program" that guarantees entry into Georgetown SOM for select undergrads after sophomore year. I don't know how easy it is to be accepted if you fulfill their requirements, but if this is of interest to you, you should investigate that.

Good point about the hardship with bringing up GPA rather than rounding out ECs. And you're perfectly right - another reason why I had been so interested in Georgetown was because of that program you mentioned