Georgetown University School of Medicine

About Georgetown Medical School

Georgetown Medical School was established in 1851 and is located in Georgetown which is in the neighborhood of Washington, DC. A Dental department was also founded in 1901 but in 1951 it became an independent school, School of Dentistry. In the year 2000, the University entered into a clinical partnership with MedStar Health which is a non-profit organization of seven Baltimore and Washington hospitals. The School of Medicine has 8 Basic Science departments and 16 Clinical departments, two Interdisciplinary Training Program Grants that are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and it also has a Cancer Center. School of Medicine is located in Georgetown University Medical Center which also has the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The School of Medicine was founded on the basis that people of different cultures, faiths, ethical and spiritual understanding will not be treated differently. The school also aims to produce physicians that are respectful, compassionate, and should embrace all dimensions of diversity.

Georgetown Medical School Mission Statement

The School has a well-thought mission statement which is: “Guided by the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, care of the whole person, Georgetown Medical School will educate a diverse student body, in an integrated way, to become knowledgeable, ethical, skillful and compassionate physicians and biomedical scientists who are dedicated to the care of others and health needs of our society.”

Admission Requirements & Prerequisites

Academic Degree

All applicants to the Georgetown Medical School are required to be in possession of a bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) from an accredited institution prior to matriculation. Applicants do not need to have obtained the degree prior to application, however:

- No applicant will be considered unless the applicant has completed 90 credit hours of course work at the time of application.
- Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses will fulfill the pre-requisite requirements if the individual courses and credits awarded are detailed on the applicant’s college/university transcript.
- Courses taken as Pass/Fail can count toward the 90 credit hour requirement.
- Only the last 6-8 hours of pre-requisites may be taken in the year prior to matriculation and must be completed by August 1.
- Online degree programs and/or online pre-requisite courses will not be considered. This includes “hybrid” style courses where a portion is completed online.

Pre-requisite Courses and Course Hours

Academic requirements for admissions to the School of Medicine include adequate preparation in Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The following courses are required:

- 1. General Biology: 1 year with lab (8 semester hours)
  2. General Chemistry: 1 year with lab (8 semester hours)
  3. Organic Chemistry: 1 year with lab (8 semester hours).
  4. Physics: 1 year with lab (8 semester hours)
  5. Mathematics (college-level): 1 semester. Calculus is not required; Statistics is acceptable.

MCAT

Almost all U.S., as well as the Canadian Medical Colleges requirement for the candidate, is to take the MCAT and every school has a test marks threshold. MCAT has the following four sections:

- 1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
  2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
  3. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
  4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Letters of Recommendations

Letters of recommendations have to be submitted electronically in the AMCAS application. A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 letters are to be submitted. The letters should be a balance of academic, clinical, and service recommendation letters.

Applications

AMCAS Application

Complete your primary application through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a centralized online application service sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Once AMCAS has received your application and transcript(s), it takes approximately four to six weeks before it is sent to the medical school.

Secondary Application

After the AMCAS application, the applicants have to submit the secondary application. An email is sent to the applicant regarding the secondary application from medicaladmissions@georgetown.edu with the subject line: Secondary Application Invitation. If an applicant does not receive an application then they should check in their spam or junk folder. The completed Secondary Application, essays, application fee, and uploaded Letters of Recommendation (via the AMCAS system) must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., EST, on the due date provided. Along with the Secondary Application, a non-refundable application fee of $130 is required. Fee waivers are only granted to AMCAS FAP-approved applicants and the fee waiver must appear on the verified AMCAS application. When the applicant’s application will be completed they will be notified via email

Interviews

Interviews are conducted in-person at the School of Medicine and are by invitation only. Applicants invited to interview will be notified approximately 4-6 weeks in advance.

International Students

The applicants without regard to residency, citizenship, or visa status should:

Applicants are required to hold a bachelor’s degree – or foreign equivalent – by the time of matriculation.
Along with the Secondary Application, please submit an official transcript evaluation – demonstrating degree equivalency – from an organization such as World Education Service (WES) if you studied outside of the United States or Canada. This should be submitted after you receive a Secondary Application invitation.
Course work may be completed entirely outside of the United States as long as it is deemed equivalent in the transcript evaluation.
No additional requirements are necessary for the application. If admitted, additional financial and immigration paperwork will be required.

Georgetown Medical School Departments

School of Medicines departments are organized into 11 academic divisions that are:

Cardiology
Dermatology
Endocrinology and Metabolism
Gastroenterology
General Internal Medicine
Hematology and Oncology
Hospital Medicine
Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine
Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Nephrology and Hypertension
Rheumatology

Georgetown Medical School Programs

- Anesthesia
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Biomathematics & Statistics
- Cell Biology
- Dermatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Graduate Biomedical Education
- Medicine
- Microbiology & Immunology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Pathology
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacology
- Physiology & Biophysics
- Psychiatry
- Radiation Medicine
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology

Special Programs

- Mini-Med School
- Allied Ophthalmic Personnel Training
- Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies (GEMS)
- Georgetown Summer Medical Institute (GSMI)

International Programs

The school offers international programs in various locations worldwide. Students can go for fourth-year electives. Below are the steps to apply for these programs:

Step 1: Choose your Location

You have to set up an appointment with Dr. Irma Frank, Associate Dean for International Programs where the applicant will discuss opportunities available or explore private initiatives in other countries.

Step 2: Complete the Application Process

- Apply to the Office of International Programs, with a photo
- Sign and submit the Insurance Information and Waiver Form (with the signatures of 2 witnesses)
- Submit a copy of your resume
- Make sure that you have on file the necessary Away Elective paperwork from the Associate Dean’s Office

Step 3: Plan for Your International Elective

Submit flight information to the Office of International Programs
Make sure that all necessary immunizations are completed. Information regarding this can be obtained through the Georgetown International Health Services Office at (202) 687-6845 or through the Center for Disease Control website.

Georgetown Medical School Learning Societies

Harvey Society
Hufnagel Society
Knowlan Society
Rose Society
Stewart Society

Student Clubs

American Medical Association (AMA)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)
Anesthesiology Interest Group
Arts & Medicine
Association of Women Surgeons
Beautification Committee
Benjamin Rush Institute
Big Hoya Little Saxa
Big Sib Lecture Series
Blue & Grey Scholars
Business & Leadership in Medical Practice (BLIMP)
Cardiology Interest Group
Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at GUSOM
Catholic Medical Association
Christian Medical Association
Correctional Health Outreach
DACA and Undocumented Student Awareness Club
Dermatology Interest Group (DIG)
Do No Harm Coalition
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF)
Domestic Violence Awareness Group
Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG)
Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)
Georgetown Eye Health Initiative
Georgetown Medical AIDS Advocacy Network (GMAAN)
Georgetown Medical Review
Georgetown Street Medicine Outreach (GSMO)
Georgetown Transplant Procurement Program
Global Health Interest Group
Global Surgical and Medical Support Group
GUSOM Dance
GUSOM Generation I
GUSOM Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)
GUSOM Med Eats
GUSOM RAK
GUSOM St. Baldrick’s
GUSOM Teen Promise Project
Healing Through the Arts
Holistic and Integrative Medicine Interest Group (HIMIG)
Hoya Health Academy
Hoyas Interested in Psychiatry (HIP)
Hoya MedAlliance
Hoya Med Families
Hoya SIMS
Infectious Disease Interest Group (One Health)
Inmate Wellness Interest Group
Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG)
Interventional Radiology IG
International Health Interest Group (IHIG)
Interprofessional Interest Group
IronMed Triathlon
Medical Students Alumni Ambassadors (MSAA)
Medical Students for Life (MSFL)
Military Medicine Interest Group
Neurosurgery Interest Group
OB/GYN Interest Group
Oncology Interest Group
Orthopaedic Interest Group
Pathology Student Interest Group
Patient Safety Interest Group
Pediatrics Interest Group
Physicians for Human Rights
Plastic Surgery Interest Group
PM&R Interest Group
Population Health Interest Group
Precision AND Analytic (PANDAs) Medicine Interest Group
Radiology Interest Group
Resiliency in Medicine
Sports Medicine Interest Group
Street Medicine Interest Group
Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN)
Student Research Advisory Committee
Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC)
Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
Surgery Interest Group (SIG)
Urology Interest Group
Vascular Surgery Interest Group

Georgetown Medical School Facilities

Housing

The students can find housing off-campus and close to the university. Residents in nearby areas of Burleith, Glover Park, and Georgetown rent houses, rooms, or apartments to the students, and the metropolitan area also offers many high-rise and garden apartments within a 15 to 20-minute walk or a 5 to the 10-minute car or bike ride. Also, some first and second-year students and many upper-class students live across the Potomac River in the Rosslyn area of Northern Virginia with free bus service available to campus.

Transportation

Georgetown University Transportation Society (GUTS) bus system offers limited service in Washington and Virginia. Regular service operates Monday through Friday starting at 6 a.m. and ending by 11 p.m., with express buses every 10 minutes to Dupont Circle and Rosslyn Metro stations during morning and evening rush hours. For further information, you can call (202) 687-4372. Many students choose to ride bicycles to class. The School of Medicine maintains space for 75 bikes with lock facilities directly adjacent to the Med-Dent Building. Public buses to the Medical Center run approximately every 20 minutes.

John Vinton Dahlgren Memorial Library

The library is spread over 31,000 square feet with four levels, 25 employees, and 625 seats. The library has open book stacks, lounge seating, tables, study carrels, group study rooms, and a reserve reading room. The library is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 am to 8 pm ET, excluding University holidays. Georgetown University Alumni and the general public may visit the Dahlgren Memorial Library Monday through Friday, 9 am to 3 pm ET, excluding University holidays. The library holds over 2,000 notable prints, 6,446 journals, 19 points of care tools, and 4,451 online books. The library also provides access to 140 databases. The library also has wireless internet service and computer stations. Inside the library, there is a Biomedical Academic Computing Center (BACC) which is spread over 5000 square feet. The Center is equipped with computing and audiovisual equipment and software available for use by the GUMC and MGUH communities. It also has a computer classroom with 20 work stations. The Center has printing, scanning, copying, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It is open from Monday-Friday, 8 am to 7 pm.

Georgetown Medical School Affiliated Hospitals

The following are the affiliated hospitals:

- Arlington Hospital
- C. General Hospital
- Fairfax Hospital
- National Naval Medical Center
- Sibley Hospital
- Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Food

Meal plans are available for medical students in the Darnall and New South cafeterias. Full board (19 meals a week), partial board (14 meals a week), lunch only (5 meals a week), or selective (any 7 of the 19 weekly meals) plans are available. Cafeteria, fast food, a pub, and a convenience store are available at the Leavey Center. Vending services are available in the Med-Dent Building and the Hospital.

Organizations

There are many societies and organizations which are:

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
George Society
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)
Osler-Garrison Society

After Getting into Georgetown University, School of Medicine

Firstly, if you make it this far, then congratulations! Because getting into a medical college is no less than a challenge, not only in India but all over the world too. And if you get selected for George Town Medical School then you are probably one of the hard workers who deserve that their talent is groomed by one of the best professionals of the medical industry. By the intention of warning you, and not scaring you away, we would like to point out that life at a medical college is not easy, may it be any college. Even the most intelligent and hardworking people sometimes get frustrated and tangled in all the work along with extra-curricular activities. So to give you a heads up and a few guidelines on how to deal with basic issues that students may face in a medical college are listed below:

Managing Time:

To stay on top or even survive in a medical college you need to stay up to date on everything. Managing time can be hard and a lot of work can go to waste, deadlines can be missed, marks can be lost and it can even affect your health if a proper schedule is not formed and followed. The minute the studying starts you need to start organizing your tasks according to their importance and impact. You can either make a schedule by hand or use applications available for this purpose which can even remind of tasks to be done. Never leave something on tomorrow, try to get every assignment/worksheet/homework you get as soon as possible. Keep a track of your classes, carefully read your college time table so that you don’t end up accidentally missing a lecture because you read the time table wrong (believe us, that happens).

A Little Formal Education and a lot of DIY:

Once you are done with your school and then intermediate studies, do not expect things to run that smoothly from there onwards. Because you have to enter professional life after college, college is your trial where you learn how to deal with people around you and do most of your work on your own. Hence in college, it will be your and only your job to make sure you’re on top of your work, your friends, teachers, or anyone else will not take the responsibility of making sure you understand everything and complete whatever work is required. Teachers will give lectures and that is probably all the formal education you will be getting, there will be no spoon-feeding so you will have to add a lot of do-it-yourself to it. Research, practice, and ask questions. “Practice makes perfect” it is said. Do not depend on lecturers to teach you every single thing; it is not even humanly possible for them to do so with such a high number of students. The point being, a lot of self-help will be involved in helping you achieve your goals.

Dr. Najeeb Lectures:

As stated previously, there will be numerous times when self-studies will be required. There can be plenty of reasons for that i.e. you might have missed some lectures or the teacher assigned to you might not be so good at delivering the lectures, or their way of delivering lectures might not match your way of learning. For that, you can either ask Teacher’s Assistants or your classmates to help but even that can fail at times. For such times, Dr. Najeeb’s lectures will be your guiding star. Dr. Najeeb’s Lectures are the world’s most popular medical Lectures, covering all the topics of Gross Anatomy, Neuro-anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology. They are video lectures that cover almost all the topics in the current medical curriculum of most medical colleges. They contain visualization of what you study in your books. The hand-drawn illustrations in these lectures make it very easy to grasp the concepts. Furthermore, one can get lifetime access to these lectures and even download the app to avail them anytime, anywhere.

Clinical Learning and Long Term Retention:

Just as no two human beings can ever be the same in their life experiences, no two students can have the same clinical experience. Your experience will be what you make of it. Keep in mind that whatever you learn is not to be forgotten. You are opting for a career that requires retention of this knowledge for a lifetime. To look at the short term aspects, what you learn will be there again in your finals, and again during residency when you start treating actual patients. So whatever you learn, make sure you understand it completely now, casual look=ups are fine to jock up your memory when required but if you don’t understand the concept you will have to do it later on.

People Management:

Throughout your life, you will get to meet new and different people. Consider your life at this college as training for that. Here too, you will meet different kinds of people. You will have to learn how to assess a person; it will be for your good. Avoid trouble and steer clear of bad influencers. Even if you end up having a bad experience with some, do not get your hopes down, instead, consider it a lesson. In the end, we would like to assure you that there are always ups and downs in life. Don’t lose hope, keep our tips in mind, and Good luck! For more information, visit https://som.georgetown.edu/.