I have narrowed down my college choice (thank goodness) to two schools, but now I am completely torn between USC and Minerva. I want to go into Neuroscience, and eventually do an M.D./Ph.D., and I want to combine that with another major more in the humanities (if USC, probably economics, but at Minerva, probably Philosophy, Ethics, and the Law). I am having such a hard time choosing because I really see myself enjoying both, even though they are polar opposites. I received about the same level of financial assistance from the two, so that is not a factor in my decisions (although it would be easier if one was substantially cheaper, as that would make my decision for me).
First, the case for Minerva: I love the idea of being able to travel throughout the world, and the curriculum and emphasis on experiential learning both make the school stand out to me. Because I want to go into med school, I would need to take the MCAT, which I am not sure correlates exactly to the curriculum, but I am good at learning things on my own. The longer summer break would be helpful in conducting research in various places, so that is a plus. Alongside this, I want to someday work with the WHO in combating neurodegenerative disease in the developing world, so the international experience and the connections I would make would be immensely helpful for my future career.
Then, for South Carolina. I have been accepted into the Honors College, which is such a wonderful opportunity, and I would love to be in south carolina as I have always loved Columbia. Because of my AP scores and the classes I have taken dual enrollment, I would enter as a freshman with 75 credit hours completed, meaning that I would be classified as a second semester junior—I would have a lot of flexibility to explore outside of my major, study abroad, do research, and take higher level courses earlier in things that I think are super interesting. I would also be able to visit my family more often, which is something that I do want to take into consideration. However, I am not super into sports, although I would join greek life as it is so integral to the social dynamics in the school.
I know that I should not stress over this decision too much, that I will love either place I choose, but I want to make the most well-informed decision possible. My main goal for college is that it challenges me, makes me view the world differently, and sets me up to possibly attend one of the few fully-funded M.D./Ph.D. programs, all of which are uber-selective. Please let me know of any input you may have, any help is greatly appreciated.