@circuitrider. Not sure where you got the idea I live paycheck to paycheck. If that were the case rice would be a done deal.
That’s a good guideline. And even that is a lot when it comes down to monthly payments for someone.
While I agree that debt must be avoided, no one should pretend that your kid’s experience at Rice (with average SAT scores of 740 or so) will be intellectually similar to that at LATech (scores well below 500). Perhaps LSU or others will be affordable.
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Not in primary care, it’s not. I live in a high cost part of the country and pediatricians and anyone with a primary care practice would KILL to be loan free at this point. If you know dermatologists and orthopedic surgeons than sure- loan payments are a small line item. But they are HUGE for physicians who serve the disadvantaged, who are employees and not owners of their own practice or partners in a multi-specialty practice.
This kid is 17/18 years old. Who knows what medicine is going to look like when he’s 30? I would never tell a HS kid that med school loans are a trivial consideration. I think that’s insane advice.
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You have to be careful about “cheapest” v. “best value”.
If he’s been admitted to UAlabama Honors, UTD (likely Collegium V/AES), and TAMU, even if those are less highly ranked than Rice and are likely to be more expensive than LATech, I’d pick one of these because the level of funding and opportunities offered there are different from those at LATech (access to top notch labs, internships, career centers, etc. not to mention avoiding a certain financial instability. If that’s what you’ve got, it gets you to a degree and you’re debt free which is terrific… but let’s be real: UA/UTD/TAMU will all provide services and stability LATech can’t, not to mention better peer quality. ) In short, these three may cost more than LATech but are a better value.
Do run the NPC on Lafayette and Lehigh, as those do offer merit and are more likely to offer merit aid for a Rice-caliber student.
Did he apply to Tulane (would likely offer merit to a LA grad with Rice stats).
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@roycroftmom.
You are the winner and hit the nail on the head.
This is exactly my concern. Will he find intellectual peers. I’ve to talked to faculty at la tech and have been assured there are plenty of high achieving kids.
Carrying a little bit debt for better experience and education may not a bad thing. There is talk about government forgiving $50k student debt. You are giving up some free money if you don’t have any debt.
This. My kid and spouse have med school only loans, and have a $2,700 per month loan repayment AND they live in an expensive city. Please dont ever tell any prospective pre med/Dr that their loan is a line item.
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Have you investigated med school acceptance rates, or destinations for those continuing into a science doctorate? To be frank, I fear LATech will limit his future options in ways the others do not.
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And remember too…as residents (3-7 years) these newly minted doctors don’t get paid the big bucks. Sure, they can do inc8me based repayment but all that does is stretch those loan repayments out over more years.
Every young doctor I know wants to pay off their loans. These are debts that they just don’t want hanging over their heads.
With a clear conscience, I can’t advocate taking on undergrad debt if medical school is a possibility.
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My good friend son is at Rice pursuing pre-med. He said the support and internship opportunities at nearby hospitals were fantastic. I imagine not all public univs have that kind of support system for pre-med kids.
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The issue is that the bright kids at LATech (the top 25% at the university) have a 500 Math/470EBRW, and 75% are below that. In the Honors College, the work and pace will be tailored to kids with a 28 ACT/1300 SAT, but not all his courses will be with Honors College kids.
If he’s got Rice-level stats, it may not be easy for him to find people who’ll challenge him intellectually (always good for growth) or even be peers.
Some kids will be okay with that, others, not so much, and we don’t know your son.
The trick is finding a college that’s appropriately challenging, won’t limit opportunities, and is affordable (as well as financially stable). Tall order 
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Everyone is making some very good points. And some of the fears with finding those peers at Tech is a real concern. He made a 35 on the ACT. And SAT subject test for math level two and chemistry he made a 800 for both
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U Alabama has not only an honors program but also a special premed honors program (McCullough Scholars). I hear good things. The scholarship deadline has probably passed, though it may be worth a call to see if automatic scholarships might still be available. Out-of-State Freshman Scholarships – Scholarships | The University of Alabama
Apply – McCollough Scholars (“priority” deadline was Dec 15 but it sure sounds like they’d still be taking apps)
(You’d need to figure out the cost of attendance after subtracting the scholarship.)
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OP, I am still a bit confused by the $110k figure. You say this is in essence your 4 year EFC after factoring Rice’s aid based on post #11. Rice at $27,500 a year is not such a bad deal unless you and your kid have to borrow this amount each year and it creates a strain on your finances. I understand that at some level whether you are paying out of savings or borrowing that there is some fungibility (money coming out either now or later over time), but the real premium cost of Rice is the differential between the $27,500 and the EFC of alternatives. In state LSU COA is like $34K. Unless Rice is routinely stingy with FA, your EFC for LSU will still be close to $27k. Even if it were $20k, the differential between Rice and LSU would be less than $8k. Sounds like a bargain to me. The only way to be out of pocket close to $0 is to get a true full ride including R&B somewhere. Not knowing the FA/merit aid situation on the specific colleges you listed, but a good merit scholarship might cover tuition. That still leaves you with R&B, travel, incidentals which is easily $10k plus (R&B at LSU is $12k).
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Yes this! I was thinking the same thing. My ex husband graduated med school with $250k in loans and then I can’t even remember what they were worth when he had to start repaying them after he deferred them through a 5 year residency. But for anyone going into primary care medicine, good luck paying those back within 30 years. And if you’re a woman who wants to stay home and have a family? That isn’t happening. This was 20 years ago. I can’t imagine the cost of that school today. If someone chooses primary care they’re best going into some service to get it paid off for a few years or else a specialty that they can earn well more than the $2k/monthly payments they will need in order to pay it down. Otherwise, even med school loans at that amount aren’t worth taking out. Between insurance reimbursements and malpractice insurance, Dr’s definitely don’t make what they used to. The best news to my ears was that none of my 4 kids had any interest in going to medical school. Kids nowadays are actually better off being a PA or nurse practitioner. Still a great living and lifestyle but not the debt.
He can also do an MD/PHD route if he’s interested in research and get his MD for free. The problem however is it is a LONG haul.
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One other thing, you mention the mental stimulation. I never thought this was something that important to any of my kids, but I have heard one of my kids say it on more than one occasion. First last year, and then again in the summer before she went back to school. She said something like “I can’t wait to go back to school where everyone is so smart”. Her other comments have been, I love being around smart people. She’s always been in the higher classes throughout high school, but other than her sibling, her friends were not in that track. She feels challenged by these people in her surroundings at school.
If he has to forego Rice, then by all means, push him to go where he can be in an honors track as it will make a difference and it will open doors for him.
Being around Rice there are obviously amazing hospitals in Houston, etc., but you can get those experiences really anywhere. It’s what you make of it and what you do with it that counts.
There are several public universities I can recall that have med schools on their campus and offer generous undergraduate merit aid. Rice is a fantastic school, my son has applied RD, but it’s far from the only school that offers opportunities for pre-med students or those (like my son) who have interest in biomedical research.
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Just saying.
It’s hard to tell whether the issue is that you are cash strapped - which could be for any number of reasons - OR whether you just feel college should be free (which is understandable if your state flagship is charging you -$0-.)
The subject line and the way it is worded sort of suggests a little bit of both.
`_()_/’
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It is not necessary to be at an UG with or near a hospital for somebody who wants to go to med school. The UG schools that are near one are usually huge schools, with hundreds of students trying to get their way into any spot. And no, you can’t just assume because you are at a school with a med school attached that you can easily get some research position. More than likely, you will be lucky to wash beakers or whatever labs use these days. Going to a small school, which my kid did, not near a hospital just makes your EC’s a little different. My daughter volunteered at a Ronald MCDonald house, tutored low socio economic kids etc during the school year. Did her other medically related stuff in the summer… a REU, shadowing Dr’s. I guess my point is that there is no need to go into debt just because Rice, or any other school is near a hospital. Your kids opportunities will be what he finds wherever he ends up.