<p>So I got off of the waitlist at Claremont McKenna, and I need to send my deposit to them by Friday (as in tomorrow) if I decide to go, and therefore it would be greatly appreciated if you all could reply to this as soon as possible!</p>
<p>I am having the most difficult time trying to decide where to go to school - Claremont McKenna or St. Olaf. I have already sent my deposit to St. Olaf.</p>
<p>I am planning on attending medical school after college, and I am a very hardworking student. My parents have saved up some money for college, but if I was to attend CMC then this money would be exhausted before I attended medical school. Also, I hope to attend UW medical school in particular, simply because it would be the cheapest medical school option for me.</p>
<p>I received a scholarship for $26,000 a year from St. Olaf, in merit money, but I didn't receive anything from CMC.</p>
<p>Obviously CMC is ranked higher, and they have a higher medical school acceptance rate. But obviously it would be a lot more expensive to go there. With regard to all other factors, such as how I felt when I visited the campuses and how well I liked the schools in general, the two schools could not be more equal (which I know sounds strange since they are quite different). So although very true, that "just go where you feel best" college advice is not going to be of much help to me.</p>
<p>I just really have no idea what to do right now, but thank you in advance for your help!</p>
<p>Would you regret (not) going to one or the other? If the only two factors that you are considering are really money vs rank, which choice would positively influence your current and/or future happiness/success/survival more? Don’t let people on the board or in real life tell you what to do (you’ll always wonder if it was the right “choice”), just go through all the differences again, lists of pros and cons, and know that any decision you make will work out in the end since you are obviously a hard worker, having gotten into these two excellent colleges. Good luck!</p>
<p>Take an hour or so, don’t think about it, just go for a walk/play music/spend time with friends/do whatever relaxes you and makes you happy, and then come back to your decision with a clear head. Which choice seems more rational or makes you feel less stressed or happiest?</p>
<p>Be careful with making a decision based on medical school acceptance rate. How many of their students did they tell not to apply their senior year but wait a year and then apply? That would artificially raise you acceptance rate. You need to investigate how that rate is determined if you are going to base your college choice on that alone. Be careful.</p>
<p>S came so close to going to St Olaf (now at Grinnell); he visited Olaf twice, received merit aid. D going to CMC. Go where the money is, if you will need money for medical school as well. I think St Olaf is incredibly underrated and should be 15 spots higher than it is. Not sure how the campuses could feel equal. That school is an undiscovered gem for people who live on the coasts. St Olaf will get you into medical school if you do your part. The scary articles about student debt should not be ignored. I would be proud to say my kids were at St Olaf.</p>
<p>Wondering what OP decided to do. St. Olaf is an amazing school and I think you could definitely get into medical school just as easily from there - so with the money and feeling equal about the two schools - I’d vote for St. O.</p>
<p>D was in pretty much the exact same situation as you are in, so i am curious to know what you decided?</p>
<p>Given your moniker ‘xcchick12’ , you can’t go wrong with either school there as both have very strong cross country programs.</p>
<p>Sorry for taking so long to respond, I have been very busy and things have finally cooled down for me! I completely forgot about this post and just checked back to see if there was anything new. To answer the question that all of you had, I chose St. Olaf 
Thank you all for your input!</p>
<p>Yay! Hope you have a great rest of the summer and a great time at Olaf!!! Um Ya Ya!</p>