I’m with the crowd on this one. Case. And you are right there by the Cleveland Clinic which is a world class hospital. No brainer.
I’m really grateful for all the advice. Today a school teacher and knowledgeable college parent told me to just go to Cornell and not worry about the loans. My dad asked if she would be willing to contribute to my tuition 
@Momofadult I thought Cornell’s appeal process was only if you had a more favorable package from one of their “approved” schools or if you had some sort of financial crisis (impending separation, hospital bills, etc.). Do you think an appeal would work in my situation?
It sounds to me as if Case is the perfect school for you at the right price.
Probably won’t make a difference for medical school. These three are very different: One is a large ivy, one is a large STEM focused school, another is a religiously affiliated LAC (and one that takes its religious mission/heritage seriously)
It should come down to preference and where you think you will grow and thrive for the next four years. Ultimately, your admission to medical school will come down your grades and MCAT. Not school name.
Also, how many undergrads at Case actually get to do research at Cleveland Clinic lol. I’m assuming a very small number. The opportunity to do research at Cleveland Clinic should not be too weighty in your consideration.
I would say Case (shadowing opportunities) or Wheaton (price).
I wonder if there is much competition for shadowing positions at Wheaton. I imagine there is a great deal of competition at Case – though probably for more positions. You might consider that. (on the other hand, there are other schools in the Chicago area, so your competition for spots probably would not come only from fellow Wheaton students. But having a hospital a few miles from Wheaton seems promising.)
As a parent, if my child got into Cornell and needed to borrow $40,000.00 over 4 years, I would probably support that. With a degree from Cornell, you will be able to pay that $40,000.00 back quickly. Cornell is a tough school though and I have heard of suicides there from the pressure. Cornell is very good school and very well regarded and I think that will go a long way in many fields. Case Western appears to be a good second choice.
I would definitely say Case Western! You will have awesome research and volunteering opportunities.
Cornell parent here. If you are certain you will be going to medical school than it is probably not to have much debt. Of course, many students change their mind about what they want to do after few years. Cornell is a tougher school to have high GPA, but it is doable. I know some pre-med and pre-law students take some tougher required courses over the summer at their local school to get easier A.
$40K is fairly easy for a Cornell graduate to pay back if you are not going to medical school.
I don’t think $40k is easy for anyone to pay back.
Is this 40k after the loans in your financial aid package? If yes, we are taking about your mom taking on 40k in debt on top of the 27k of loans that you will be taking on for 4 years. add to that a few hundred thousand dollars in med school loans.
Your mom cannot transfer over the PLUS loan to you and the PLUS loan will not be part of any income based repayments plans that you set up.
Will your mom afford to repay the PLUS loan. I understand that you plan on going to med school getting a good job and helping to repay. However, she may not be able to defer the loan long enough for you to finish med school. In addition, depending on where you are accepted, med school may still ask for your parent’s income/assets as well as your (and your spouse should you get married), to determine any need based aid that you receive.
@sybbie719 the $40k includes all loans, including the (small) amount given in my financial aid package.
For medical school, it’s more about the grades than the school. The max you can take out in federal student loans ise $27k. Your parents would have to make up the difference. I would go for Case Western, especially if you have a scholarship.
Thx
So basically you are talking about taking an additional small loan every year. I would definitely recommend getting a partime job now to help offset some of the cost. You can make about 6k with it out changing your EFC ( @twoinanddone ). Maybe between your job and your mom you may be able to handle this without a loan.
First add up all of your direct costs: tuition fees, room and board. Are those things covered?
If yes, you can control the misc expenses. It may mean renting books vs buying bugs. It may mean using the reserve library. It may mean signing up for events where there are free refreshments and doing low cost activities. If work study is part of your package, start looking for work study positions asap.
Are you eligible for TAP? Is it already part of your financial aid package. If you are eligible, see how your school will handle the excelsior scholarship (you shoul be able to get ~ 3k if they participate in the program). The deadline for Excelsior is July 23. Talk to Cornell”s FA office asap about this.
@sybbie719 We are unfortunately not eligible for TAP or any NYS excelsior program. I already have a pt job and am hoping to put a couple thousand per year towards costs. All direct costs were included in pricing for all schools I mentioned, including Cornell.
Even with my mom working a bit extra and me trying to cut personal expenses, I think we would have to take some kind of loan out for Cornell. Parents said I could be loan free for the first two years at Cornell, but would need around $20k for junior and senior year there. I’m just wondering whether it’s prudent to graduate Cornell with $40k of loans when I could avoid it and still get a great education elsewhere.
Thank you for the advice about work study positions- for Cornell specifically, where could I start?
If you were a senior in my school asking me for advice, I’d be recommending Case if you enjoy research and Wheaton if you prefer their Christian atmosphere. I’ve seen students do very well from both places. There’s no way at all I’d recommend taking on 40K in debt when you have two other terrific choices. Med school is pricey. Even if you change your mind, you won’t be hurt by your degree coming from either Case or Wheaton and the extra savings will help you get started in whatever is next.
It is a personal choice, but if I were your parents I would take out 40K home equity loan, @5% it is a little bit over 200/mon.
If you know for certain you are going to med school then it may be better to graduate without debt.
It’s also good to consider if you have other siblings coming behind you when thinking of finances - and how close to retirement your parents are.
As others have mentioned, it is a decision that you have to make with your parents, as to whether or not to graduate with debt. If you took a loan each year, you would have 27k of debt from government loans. We are talking about your parents taking 13k of debt over 4 years
Testing for understanding;
You state that your direct cost are covered in your financial aid package. Can you meet your direct cost without taking out loans (Your Parents EFC and your financial aid)? Or will you need loans to meet your EFC?
Your maxing out on what you can borrow as a student (27K) is not an onerous amount. I think you and your parents can cobble together the additional 13k with you working, and cutting back.
How about just borrowing the subsidized portion of your loans- $3500 freshman year and $4500 sophomore year and banking the money. The loan would be interest free while you are in college.
This way you have 8k plus the $7500 junior year, which would be 15.5k then add some summer earnings and a small balance from your parents.
Senior year, you can borrow the $7500 and then add some summer earnings and the balance from your parents.
Case - for cost and access to top medical centers. It is an excellent school. Look at the RD thread to see how many exceptional students were not admitted. I don’t think the added prestige of Cornell is worth it.
I think it is a personal decision and you should discuss with your parents. It is not a loan that you take, but a loan in their names. If it were me, I will for it. But it really depends on their jobs and their overall earnings and expenses.