For some context, I got into Dartmouth (no scholarships) and the QBReC program (82,000 scholarship) at Brandeis. Not worried about money for undergrad but probably want to go to med school (where I would put the extra money from Brandeis). Which school do I pick? Is it worth possibly sacrificing 82,000 to go to Dartmouth?
Med schools aren’t going to care about the name of the institution on your diploma. They are going to care about your GPA, your MCAT score, your volunteer/shadowing, etc. If you save 82k by choosing Brandeis, you can put that money toward your MCAT exam prep, med school interview travels, and first year of med school.
But you haven’t told us an even more important thing: are either of these places possible for you without taking on any debt or putting your family into any debt? If you do have a college fund sitting somewhere, is it in a vehicle that isn’t going to be affected by the coronavirus economic trainwreck? Sit down with your parents or whoever it is who is going to help you pay for your education, and have a grownup conversation about the money. Here is a calculator that might help you: https://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
Note : super grateful for both acceptances and ability to attend! Leaning to Dartmouth for the feel and people so I have some confirmation bias 
Dartmouth would be my choice.
hello @happymomof1 - thank you so much for your comment and the helpful resource. Looking into my 529 now.
If you find Dartmouth appealing, it certainly could be worth a substantial financial premium over many other colleges. However, Brandeis offers attributes of its own that may have motivated you to apply there — such as the emphasis it places on its biology program — which might make it a good choice in this comparison depending on your personal criteria.
If the $82,000 difference can be paid mostly without debt, then I would go for Dartmouth.
I suggest saving the money and going to Brandeis, especially if you are pretty set on medical school, the admission to which is largely based on GPA and MCAT scores. You may even have a better outcome at med schools coming from Brandeis since your grades should be at least as high than at D, a much tougher admit. Getting into Dartmouth RD is impressive and bodes well for your performance at Brandeis and your ability to have great ECs there. That assumes no grade inflation/deflation at either school – may need to look into that as well as the pre-health advising and med school acceptance rates.
Dartmouth would only make sense if your parents can easily stroke a check for the D tuition (and are happy to do so) AND you are less certain about med school. The D brand could help you, say, if you wanted to work on Wall Street or in certain consulting firms.
But for a likely med school application and if the money matters at all, it’s Brandeis. One of my doctors actually went there for undergrad!
An Ivy League degree is like a wedding: if you can afford it, go for it. If not, save the money for a house.
A significant proportion of HS kids who think they are going to medical school don’t end up going. Sometimes it’s because even after doing everything “right”- the grades, the endless cramming for MCAT’s, the shadowing and volunteer work, etc. they don’t get INTO any med school. Sometimes they fall in love with something completely different in college. Sometimes they continue to be interested in healthcare but find another field more compelling- health policy, biostatistics, hospital management. Sometimes they realize they can’t afford med school- and pivot to PA. Sometimes they discover they’re happier in Allied Health- speech, PT, etc.
DO NOT make a decision to attend Dartmouth because you think it’s going to help with med school admissions since there’s a not-insignificant chance that you won’t end up in med school.
I’ve known a LOT of doctors who went to Brandeis, and they describe a pretty intense, competitive cohort there. I would not assume that getting a med school quality transcript is easier at Brandeis than it is at Dartmouth, nor would I assume that Dartmouth would help “more” than Brandeis in admissions.
Both are well known and rigorous-- you’re not comparing a directional state college with an ivy league university.
Walking away from that much money would be tough though…bird in the hand and all that. How many years did it take your parents to save up the amount of money Brandeis is prepared to give you???
Thank you @Sunny66 for your insight. I’m really not sure about medicine. I’ve had internships in that area and I am more familiar with it, but it would be my ideal to shadow in other fields to get a clear perspective.
Since my dad had a rocky relationship with his father, my grandpa refused to pay his college then, but my step-grandmother insists on paying for my college (and is able to do so anywhere for undergrad which I am incredibly grateful for).
@Username1111 given the above, in your shoes, I would take Dartmouth. I’m a current Dartmouth student, and I love it. We have a wonderful community vibe and a laid-back and collaborative rather than competitive atmosphere.
Furthermore, our undergrad focus, with the professor involvement, small class sizes, and greater access to funds and research that that brings, provides an amazing undergrad experience. But we still have an incredible research presence to take part in.
The Dartmouth brand value is also, needless to say, a wonderful advantage to have. Feel free to PM me any Dartmouth-related questions.
Do you have enough $ saved for med school, too?