<p>My top two choices are Towson University and College of Charleston. These are the only two I'm considering anymore. I've made a pros and cons list for each but it's just a hard decision and I don't know where I see myself. Towson is in-state for me so if I chose to attend there, I will save myself and parents around $120k. I guess the only thing holding me back from charleston is the money aspect. My ultimate goal is medical school and that's another 200k in debt, but I'm very interested in the HPSP scholarship which will cover the entire cost.</p>
<p>TOWSON
Pros:
-cheap
-close to home (friends and family)
-football team
-friends going to same school
-can continue to snowboard</p>
<p>Cons:
-boring city that I've been to 1000 times
-cold in winter
-not that nice campus</p>
<p>CHARLESTON
Pros:
-far away (could start a new life basically)
-nice, nice campus and facilities
-good food
-close to beach
-warm in winter
-friends will come to visit</p>
<p>Cons:
-possibly lose friends
-expensive to come home
-EXPENSIVE
-expensive cost of living</p>
<p>So I guess Towson is my school if I'm trying to save money for medical school if I decide not to pursue the HPSP. But Charleston would keep me the most happy for 4 years, and they have great connects with MUSC (neighboring medical school). Why is this so hard.........................................................................</p>
<p>Hard decision. It really boils down to the money. Will the $120 be debt or are you and your parents able to pay some as you go along? I know right now your high school friends seem very important but you will make many new friends, and probably better friends at college, whichever college you choose. I don’t know these schools at all, but aside from weather and football etc. which has the curriculum, size, and overall feeling you prefer? If money is important and you stick to the cheapest option try to branch out and get involved in new things, make new friends. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well Charleston is a Liberal Arts College and I would need to take 4 years of english and 4 years of foreign language and to be honest, I am god awful at english and foreign language. These were my weakest classes in HS and I took CP, the easiest course I was allowed. I’m visiting Towson tomorrow so I will inquire more about foreign language and english courses. But to be honest, I feel like english and language would actually be really beneficial to becoming a doctor and college/life in general. Charleston also has smaller class sizes and professors that are more caring. I just really don’t want to make the wrong decision and have a miserable time wherever I go.</p>
<p>That is a huge amount of money. Are your parents really leaving such a decision about money up to you? So they have that in the bank ready to spend? If not, then you must go to the more affordable one, that is just a nobrainer. I don’t even know why you’d consider otherwise given your goals. If you want to get into medical school, I doubt you can afford to take classes you won’t get As in.</p>
<p>Parents tell me money is not an issue, so I trust them with that. They tell me to pick the school that feels right. The 4 years of english and foreign language and distance from friends and family is the only thing holding me back. My instinct is telling me that when I visit towson tomorrow, if I don’t hate it, go there for 1 year and see how I like it and take it from there.</p>
<p>OP, you need to look at CofC’s requirements for your intended major. You do not have to take 4 years of English or foreign language (unless that’s your major). If you have to start from scratch, it looks like you may have to take 3-4 semesters of a foreign langage - I only read briefly, you can look up general education requirements yourself. Looks like you would have to take one or two semesters of English at most.</p>
<p>this is a bizarre situation. Here it is the 23rd of April and your parents seem to have had little input into your decision-making and yet they’re the ones providing the funds. Do they know what the difference in cost is? You yourself are torn between the challenge of leaving home and friends and going to a residential LAC and the comfort of 13th grade with your buds (which is not necessarily what Towson is so much as what you make of it). What a juxtaposition of school experiences. I like your compromise, but before you do it make sure of the likelihood of your being able to transfer and what GPA could make that most likely. It seems to me that you might benefit from a transitional year at Towson because the situation suggests that you’re not the most mature student going off to college. Since your parents know you much better than we do, could you take this juxtaposition to them and ask for their wisdom? This is a good opportunity to ask for their help.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine Charleston OOS being worth $120,000 more. But what I’ve learned from CC is that there seems to be lots of families that are willing to pay big bucks to let their kids go wherever they want. Perhaps the OP’s parents are very wealthy , who knows.</p>
<p>scmom12 - I remember our tour guide said you need 4 years of english and foreign language, but she could’ve/probably meant semesters. I’m going to call office of admissions tomorrow to clarify, but my major is biochemistry so I doubt that major would require 4 years. Thanks for the input!</p>
<p>jkeil911 - First of all, don’t assume that my parents have no input in my decision, it’s my choice and they’ve made that clear, however they have their own pros and cons for each school but aren’t trying to sway my opinion. Second, I get what you are saying about 13th grade, kind of, but if I wanted 13th grade I’d go to community college. Towson has decent academics but there are several things that I don’t like about the school after visiting today. Third, I’m immature for thinking about my family and relationships with my friends I’ve developed for the past 18 years of my life? Or am I immature because my parents are paying for my education? Whatever it is, I guess you just don’t understand my situation, but thank you for responding to my post and helping with my selection, I’ll think about the info you gave me.</p>
<p>sevmom - Somewhere around that. Towson in-state is $15k for me after housing, tuition, scholarships, meals, etc. Charleston is $40k after that.</p>
<p>After visiting Towson, I’m pretty set on Charleston now. Not just for the beaches, weather, and campus, but also because of their connections with the medical school and the smaller class sizes and better professors. I really don’t want to come off as selfish or spoiled, that’s not what I intended. My pros and cons list wasn’t exactly the most important things that I was considering, MOSTLY little things that would enhance my experience.</p>
<p>Are you sure the guide wasn’t talking about what you needed to get in C of C? Not once you got there? I’m a little surprised you are this close to decision time without knowing EVERYTHING about both schools in order to make an informed decision…</p>
<p>At first that’s what I thought then I questioned her at the end of the tour and she still said 4 YEARS of english and 4 YEARS of foreign language. Honestly, I just figured that LAC placed a large emphasis on those courses but after coming here, I’m realizing that the guide most likely didn’t know what she was saying, or misinterpreted something, I don’t know. What else should I inquire about each school to better help my decision?</p>
<p>Ok just looked it up and it’s 4 credit hours. Feeling kind of stupid considering I didn’t take the 5 minutes to look this up a month ago and just took the tour guide’s word for it. </p>
<p>Well one thing prospective students should do is look at the graduation requirements for each school. At Charleston they bury it in the huge catalog. See pg 19 for general discussion of degree requirements, page 20 for the Liberal Arts and Sciences specific distribution requirements, and Page 66 and 86 for biochem. Your understanding was mistaken. You have a requirement of one 4 unit English course (and any prereqs that you need to be eligible to enter. There is not 4 years of foreign languages requirement, it looks like a lower level, possibly 2 years which may be already satisfied by your high school foreign language, depending on how far you got, There are a few other distribution requirements in humanities, natural and social sciences.
<a href=“http://catalogs.cofc.edu/pdf/Undergraduate_Catalog_2013-2014.pdf”>http://catalogs.cofc.edu/pdf/Undergraduate_Catalog_2013-2014.pdf</a></p>
<p>It is pretty naive just to let mommy and daddy say to go where you want and don’t worry about the money. I suppose if your parents are multi millionaires it is excusable. But we have read about many parents here who don’t know any better than anyone else and make bad decisions. It is better to really understand financial considerations and know what medical school costs, should you beat the odds and actually get in. 100,000k in an account for medical school would make a massive difference in your life.</p>
<p>Well, to be perfectly honest, your pros and cons list seems naive and shallow…what about the strengths of the department you are interested in, the opportunities for research and internships, any outstanding professors or specific classes that excite you? I tend to agree with a prior poster - I question your maturity to start college this fall…have you thought about a gap year? At least take your choices to a college counselor at school and ask them to talk you through the two schools with a more “important” pro/con list.</p>
<p>sdgal2 - Thanks for bringing those points to light. Charleston just had their entire science department remodeled with state of the art equipment. The labs there are very nice and instead of straight bookwork in a chemistry class their are more hands-on projects. Professors often get students involved with their research. When I visited, I noticed projects/research being displayed throughout the halls of the science building. CofC has a great connection with MUSC and am sure there is a great opportunity for internships. Towson had a very old science building with older equipment. From what I’ve read online through college prowler, college confidential, and studentsreview, Towson’s professors are more concerned with their own research and don’t really involve students. However, a TA will never teach a class, only a professor. CofC has a much smaller student to teacher ratio and a much more personalized experience. Charleston’s professors also seem to be much more respected and caring based on several reviews and my own research.</p>
<p>Lastly, before you call me “immature” please understand that this pros/cons list are things that are still somewhat important, unless you’re an anti-social type of person. College isn’t all about academics (even though most of it is). I’d much rather pay to go away for 4 years to get a good education and have a great time, than to go away to get a somewhat better education, waking up unmotivated and not wanting to attend classes because it’s such a terrible place.</p>
<p>Well that post seems much more well thought out…touching on some more relevant points. If you go back and read your original post, seeing it through our eyes, you’ll see how some of us could have questioned your maturity. That, along with your English and foreign language question- which you admitted could have been answered with a quick check of the website- led me to make assumptions. My apologies!</p>