So, I have narrowed down my college decisions to two, but they are very different and I honestly can’t decide.
I plan to major in Biology and pre-vet or pre-med. My current GPA is 3.9 and my ACT was 33, so I know I’ll do well at both. Also, my parents health are failing and I would like to stay close to them as they grow older.
My first choice is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It has an enrollment of 40,000 and is public. It’s an hour from home and when I visited campus I REALLY liked it. However, their biology academics are slightly not as good as my other choice. I would have to pay around $15,000 a year to go there.
The other choice is Augustana College. It is private with around 2,500 students. It’s 2 and a half hours from home, but I HATE the area. Their academics are good, though, with higher than average vet and med school acceptance rates. Also, they have no TA’s and clad sizes of around 25. I would have to pay around $8,000 a year.
The only thing holding me back is the town of Augustana. I felt unsafe and felt like I would get bored and burn out.
Any suggestions? Thanks
pick the one that costs you or your parents less.
I know the Quad Cities are nothing exciting (except for Whitey’s ice cream), but the Augustana campus is lovely, and you will spend most of your time on campus. Also at a small college, you will be offered substantial one-on-one support as you prepare for med or vet school, and this will be invaluable, especially if your parents are not doing well at the moment. Attending a small LAC is a unique experience, and you can later also have the big university experience when you go to grad school. You’ll be saving lots of money, which is important if you are continuing school after undergrad. Also, when my sister was at Augustana, our dad died and our financial situation changed considerably. They gave her substantially more financial aid and were so kind and supportive. And if you play the cello as your name suggests, you will really enjoy being in the orchestra there. I suggest going for another visit and concentrating more on what the college has to offer rather than the nearby area. U. of I will always be there for your next step in education, and, overall, for pre-med, I think you are better off somewhere small for undergrad.