<p>*Turn down a top 20 college, we'll call it college A, to go to another college, college B, where the average SAT score for each section is <480 (yeah, that's not a joke).
*Fantastic College A gave me a full scholarship in which I only need to maintain a 2.0 GPA to retain it, whereas the partial scholarship of Crappy College B needs a 3.2 to maintain it.</p>
<p>But........ I like the location, campus, and the fact that I will be able to keep my grades up at College B with less intensity (I'm planning to go to med school, so having excellent grades and being at the top of my class is a must). I also want to transfer to a program that only College B offers -- they won't let me even TRY to transfer until my junior year though because the spots are all filled.</p>
<p>My mother agrees with me (she went to both campuses and likes B better too), but my father ... who is perhaps blinded by that glimmer of hope that if a conversation about college should come up amongst his friends one day, he'll be able to utter the precious words "My Child Goes To A Top 20 University" ... thinks that I'm insane.</p>
<p>"I also want to transfer to a program that only College B offers -- they won't let me even TRY to transfer until my junior year though because the spots are all filled."</p>
<p>You and your mother need to work on your father because College B sounds like the place for you. I think you've made a well thought out decisions about what's best for you and no father should ask for more justification that that!</p>
<p>If you like college B better then go there. However, I think that going to college B because you will be able to get "easier grades" for Medical School isn't the best idea.</p>
<p>If you really love College B then go there. But be aware that you may really have to focus on your studies to get the easy grades you seem to think may be coming your way. You may have to tune out a lot of distractions because those "lower" SAT kids at College B may be doing a bit more partying than the kids at College A who are probably a bit more academically oriented. (Not to be stereotyping...) Are you self- motivated and able to tune out distractions?</p>
<p>If the fact that you can maintain higher grades at college B is a factor with a lot of weight, I think you should reconsider. College A accepted you out of all of their applicant pool because they thought you could do well there. You might not be the tippity top of your class, but if you really want to go to med school, you will be able to maintain decent grades. Being in the top say 5-10% at College A with a high GPA will look much more enticing to a med school than being in the top 1-3% at College B with an equally high GPA. </p>
<p>If other factors like the program and the campus have more weight, then maybe you will flourish more at College B than College A and you should follow your heart.</p>
<p>**Boston University is not a top 20 college. Maybe in your major, but the impression you're giving is deceiving. </p>
<p>So, with that in mind, you're not sacrificing as much as you're putting out as a perception. The university is known for HORRIBLE grade deflation, and that's a big worry (prevented me from applying there).</p>
<p>I would still pick that university with the knowledge that you have full ride there, but it's perfectly reasonable to choose "college B" which I"m going to assume is either Worcester Polytechnic Institute or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.**</p>
<p>I'm not talking about BU (I got into BU, but this is a different one that I'm talking about that I also got into). I assure you that it IS a top 20, according to USNW at least. Also, who is talking about WPI or RPI? What are they?</p>
<p>"...but it's perfectly reasonable to choose "college B" which I"m going to assume is either Worcester Polytechnic Institute or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute."</p>
<p>Actually, no university in tier I or tier II of the USNWR has an average SAT score below 1000. The OP is considering chosing a school ranked out of the top 130 over a university ranked in the top 20...and there is no cost difference involved. In fact, I cannot even think of any tier 3 university with a mean SAT score under 1000. Sounds like a very poor choice if you ask me.</p>
<p>The only way the OP can justify chosing college B is if:</p>
<p>1) He/she really doesn't like college A. For one reason or another, he/she may not fit in at all at college A or just hate the atmosphere at A.</p>
<p>and/or</p>
<p>2) He/she is planning on majoring in a specialized field that is excellent at college B and not even offered in college A.</p>
<p>It seems like you have already made up your mind about college b. What I would do if I were you is go to college A because it will get you looked at by the medical schools. But you should just do what you think is best for you.</p>
<p>I understand that med. school is MCAT and grade point driven. However I seem to recall some thread that explained that prof. schools have a grade inflation conversion factor to adjust for more/less challenging college grading. Med school is also very expensive- the cost savings on the full ride may be worth a lot to you in and graduating from med school.</p>
<p>Seriously, tell us what colleges A and B are. </p>
<p>Whoever said that college A is Boston college and college B is WPI/RPI is nuts. WPI/RPI and BC have virtually identical Math SATs, although the verbal is about 30 lower for WPI/RPI. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, unless college A would involve incurring a HUGE amount of debt, choose college A. If you want to go to medical school, a good GPA at a great school with vastly outweigh a perfect GPA at a school with an average Math/Verbal SAT of 400. </p>
<p>Planning to go to a school in part because it allows you to slack off and still get very good grades does not set you up for the rigors of med school. The philosophy on that is definitely flawed. Go with college A. You are sounding like a huge underachiever here. Sorry, no personal offense.</p>