Decisions...Decisions...to make

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello. I am currently struggling to make my college decisions. My parents want me to stay in Texas, but they are willing to pay for everything. So...these are my choices </p>

<p>-Texas A&M ($5,000 for the first year)
-Texas Tech ($30,000 + scholarships) made honors
-UT Austin ($8,000 for the first year)
-Austin College (full ride + living expenses) </p>

<p>My goal is to become a doctor. I am mostly deciding between Texas Tech and UT Austin. Although I made honors at Texas Tech, I was not selected as honors for UT Austin. I always worked hard at school (top 3% at my school with good ACT score) so being rejected at UT Austin honors "hurt" me a lot. I am worried that I would feel depressed if I went to UT Austin.</p>

<p>Where should I go considering my goals for becoming a doctor? Do you think it is something that I can handle?</p>

<p>Also....Is it hard to get into the honors program as a sophomore or a junior? I emailed the admission director, and he said it gets harder each year. </p>

<p>Thank you so much for your help!!! :) I really appreciate it!</p>

2

<p>It isn’t necessary to be in an honors program in order to apply to medical school. Don’t worry about that. You should look for a place where you feel confident that you will be able to get the high grades in the pre-med sequence, the high over-all GPA, and be prepared for the MCAT that you will need for med school admissions.</p>

3

<p>UT Austin. No one really knows who is in the honors programs like that or not, especially at huge schools.</p>

4

<p>I second the vote for UT Austin.</p>

5

<p>Do I have better chances of getting into the honors program when I am a sophomore for Natural Sciences??</p>

6

<p>I would say go to UT and you will still get a great education without being in the honors program.</p>

7

<p>Life is full of decisions. It’ll all work out in the end.</p>

8

<p>Are the dollar amounts your final costs or the amount of scholarships you’ve been offered?</p>

9

<p>Those are the scholarships that I have been offered, which excludes the loans. One of the major reasons that I am considering Texas Tech is for its special medical program. Since it allows you to skip the MCAT, I could save whole bunch of time. In terms of what I want to become, Texas Tech offers a better deal. I heard UT Austin was more challenging to earn the GPA. Although EVERYONE around me is suggesting to go to UT, I still can’t make up my mind.</p>

10

<p>Use this calculator to look at the numbers more closely, and to evaluate some of the non-financial issues: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Advanced Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid) To me it looks like your most economical options are Texas Tech and Austin College. If you take the others out of consideration, how do these two look next to each other?</p>

<p>Remember, you are going to have to shell out a lot of money for Med School. It makes sense to keep your costs low for the first four years.</p>