Hello everyone! After a long and grueling college admissions process, I have narrowed my college search down to two specific programs. I received the prestigious Stamps Leadership Scholarship at Georgia Tech, which is in essence a full ride (tuition, fees, books, room, and board) along with an addition $15,000 stipend and numerous study abroad, networking, and internship opportunities. More recently, I have been selected for the Rice/Baylor BS/MD program, an eight-year combined medical program with guaranteed admission into the Baylor College of Medicine if a minimum MCAT and GPA requirement is met. In addition, I was awarded a half tuition scholarship (around $24,000) at Rice. In essence, I am very conflicted as to which program to attend next year. I am curious to see what the College Confidential community has to say on this matter?
A little bit about myself:
I was born and raised in the southeast, attending only public schools.
I plan on majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Bioengineering at Rice.
My end goal is most certainly medical school, eventually becoming a surgeon of some sort.
I am interested in studying abroad, conducting world-class research, and doing other medical/engineering extracurricular activities while in college (i.e. robotics, EMS, and volunteering).
While I would like to save as much money as possible, cost is not necessarily that important of a factor. In other words, my family can afford to pay COA at either school, although the less money that we must pay, the better.
Rice/Baylor:
Pros - Guaranteed medical school
Rice/Baylor name can open a lot of doors for research and other opportunities
Ranked Top 5 in BME
Residential College system
Private school/small school and all of the added benefits (i.e. small classes, more student/teacher interaction)
Texas Medical Center (access to seven major hospitals within walking distance of campus)
BioScience Research Collaborative
Holistically a top-ranked school (#19 school in the country with top programs in many areas of study)
Half-tuition scholarship
Cons - About $34,000 more expensive than Georgia Tech
No structured program (only 6 people are in this program so student interaction is minimal and no planned activities)
No planned study abroad activities
Georgia Tech:
Pros - Full ride scholarship
Part of the President’s Scholarship Program
Significant study abroad opportunities
Access to an extensive alumni network
Large, engineering school with a wealth of opportunities (i.e. internships, etc.)
Ranked Top 5 in BME
Atlanta-area hospitals and medical facilities
Cons - Must apply to medical school in four years
Very difficult to maintain a good GPA, potentially jeopardizing medical school chances
Primarily an engineering school with much weaker arts and sciences programs
I thank you all for your opinions in advance.