<p>Hello everyone! I am trying to decide if I should attend Boston University or the University of Rhode Island next year as an undergraduate, majoring in the sciences (neuroscience? biology? biochemistry?). I absolutely love BU, and Boston of course, and I know they have a fabulous science program; out of the two, I really want to go to BU. Boston is a great college town and has great connections to many jobs and internships. I have lived in a quiet town in Rhode Island my entire life, so I’m definitely ready for a city-change :). But, as many of you know, it is very pricey to attend and my parents are not rich at all. The total expenses (tuition/housing/books) that we would have to pay would be $40,000 (take out a loan). URI, on the other hand, gave me a full ride, and I would need to only pay for housing, which is around $11,000. Not bad, right? But I really don’t want to go URI, because I hear that their academics are not superb and the entire campus basically reeks alcohol.
I want to continue on to a prestigious Medical School or Dental School (haven’t decided yet). Does it really matter what kind of undergraduate school you attended when applying for Medical School? I hear many opinions and thoughts about this, like it does and it doesn’t matter. I really want to make the right decision, considering my future career, and possibly, debt. I am determined to work hard in college and in Med/Dental School and end up with a good job to pay off my debt. Any opinions, or suggestions, or advice would be great! I sent in my deposit to BU, but I’m not sure if I should ask for it back.</p>
<p>If you’re talking about $40,000 per year in loans, it’s not even a question. Go to URI. You will be taking out HUGE loans for medical school, and the last thing you want or need is to pile a bunch of undergraduate debt on top of that.</p>
<p>Four years is a long time to be somewhere where you don’t really want to be Victoria. Would you rather follow your dream, go to a world class University, and have memories that will last a lifetime, or go to a University where you wake up every morning & wish you were somewhere else? Dreams most times do not come very cheap. Don’t always follow the least expensive path, follow the one where you feel that you can excel, be successful & most of all, where you will be the happiest. If that means taking on some student loans, taking on a part time job during the school year or a full time job in the summer, then I say go for it. Just remember, some day you may look back on this & say to yourself that this was the best decision I ever made! I wish you the best!</p>
<p>I agree polarscribe, you certainly don’t want monthly payments like that. I guess what I should of said also is to make sure that the monthly payments associated with those loans will fit into your budget after graduation. It just depends on how much you need to borrow.
Thanks</p>
<p>I really want to major in Neuroscience, and URI doesn’t have this major but BU does. I don’t want to major in the same subject as everyone else who apply to Med/Dental School (majors like Biology or Chemistry). I really want to stand in Med/Dental School Admissions. Should I risk it at BU? Ugh, this is so stressful; it’s keeping me from sleeping each night. :/</p>
<p>Do not take out loans for your undergraduate years if you are truly planning on going to medical school. I was faced with a similar situation many moons ago. The debate was between BU and UMass-Amherst (zoo mass party school). I went to UMass, studied Chemistry, worked hard and got into a very good private medical school in Boston. I had a total debt of $40,000 after leaving medical school (the average for my class was $135,000) which I paid off in three years. In retrospect, I did the right thing and have no regrets.</p>
<p>Go to URI. Find a very challenging major. Neuroscience or cognitive science are fascinating and expanding feels of study. Work very hard. Try to do some summer internships or research type jobs in the medical field in the summer in Boston. Go to medical school in Boston.</p>
<p>I’m sure you already decided but I’m disappointed in the people here who are asking you to trade happiness for money. I have passed up at almost full-ride at UF to attend BU (with 0 financial aid) because I know if I was at UF I’d wake up every morning unsatisfied. Everyone goes broke in college, and if you did like the schools equally or almost equally, then yes, money would be the tipping factor. But you seem to be clearly favoring BU and that should be priority number 1, money takes a backseat to happiness…in my opinion, at least.</p>
<p>@megakel: Your happiness equation only factors in your college years. Yes, it’s important to enjoy college but I know plenty of people (okay, just a few) who would gladly redo their college choice if they could lose $120K in loans. College loans sometimes come up in casual conversation post college. You’ll hear it! ;-)</p>
<p>Money is not a soft factor. All things being equal, the availability of an intramural sport is a soft factor! If the difference in cost was just $50K, it’d still be a no-brainer in favor of URI. Of course, this is an opinion.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I chose UMass Amherst over BU/GW many years ago and would do it again with a massive grin on my face.</p>
<p>@Victoria1811 Congratulations, I am so happy for you. My son & I spent a considerable amount of time discussing this decision as well. In the end he chose BU as well. We knew going in that it was going to involve a significant financial commitment on both of us, but it was a choice we were both willing to accept. He’s so excited he can’t wait to go. Again, I wish you the best!</p>