<p>Forgive the stream of consciousness format of this post. I am thinking aloud...My son has gotten into UW-Madison. He has also gotten into Tulane Honors with a scholarship and University of Oregon (in-state). He is also waiting on University of Washington and Case Western. He is leaning toward majoring in Biology, Chemistry or Economics with a view toward fufilling pre-med requirements. It looks like we will be paying full fare of $32K+ if he attends either of the UW's and paying about $23K in Tulane with the scholarship. U of O will of course be a lot cheaper, about $15K. Given the fact that we (his parents) can cobble together $25K annually and the rest will have to be loans, where should he go? Does the most esteemed and august memebers of this forum have an opinion one way or the other?</p>
<p>I know that this forum may be the wrong place to ask this question, but I have been very impressed by the strong advocacy of UW by Barron, Wis75 etc. (something I find lacking in the purple W site) as well as its objectivity.</p>
<p>Incidentally, for those who are still waiting, he got in only on 1/25. His stats are: OOS obviously,GPA:3.6 UW and ACT 32. He took all the AP classes that he could which weren't that many to be honest. Thanks in advance...</p>
<p>Given the long uncertain path of pre-med I certainly would look to minimize my undergrad costs and Tulane undergrad is certainly comparable to UW. Oregon is decent but somewhat limited and I don't know how strong their sciences depts would be. I'd probably chose between UO and Tulane at this point. Did he get into the UO Honors program?</p>
<p>You need to let him discuss his reasons for going to each school with you and hash out the pros and cons, including finances. The deal breaker could be going into debt. If he intends to become a physician he can go to any of the schools you mention to be prepared for medical school. If he looks at the courses he could take to meet the prereqs at each school he may want one school over another for the preparation in that field in case he does not go into medicine. You may want to PM Oregonianmom regarding her current trip to Madison for insights. Good luck.</p>
<p>I will first get my biased recommendation out of way - just go to Wisconsin. In your case, between summer internship and PT jobs, your son could graduate close to, if not, debt-free. Just go to Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Here's my more objective view:</p>
<p>I don't think there is easy apple to apple comparison. E.g. the incoming freshman class of Wisconsin is about the size of entire Tulane undergraduate class. So, I will first try to draw a baseline on whether the schools will indeed help your son exploring his options (are you sure that son is REALLY into med school) and achieving his goals. Remember "pre-med" is an intention. If he decides something else in college, which place will best prepare him for the "next thing"?</p>
<p>Then I would say let your son decide which school is best "fit" and where he will most likely to do well. Let him decide how best to work the $100K budget for his entire education - under the assumption that extra pennies will come from his own pocket. Lay down options, pros and cons for him. </p>
<p>That's how my parents taught me. I in turn taught my younger brother who assumed a substantial loan to attend an Ivy over a close-to-free public university. We all turned out OK at the end. ;)</p>
<p>Hi bkk. I am definitely not an esteemed or august member of this forum, but I did just get back today from a visit to UW Madison - and I'm also from Oregon :) - so maybe I can help.</p>
<p>We are in a very similar financial situation to your own. Going to UW Madison means that my son will have to take out some loans, which he wouldn't have at most of his other choices. HOWEVER, it's a great school academically. I feel that he will be challenged there, more than some of his other choices. I think that with him working summers and a little throughout the year, he won't graduate with much debt at all.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about our visit, or anything else.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied. Thanks to Oregonianmom for her offer to respond to PM's. </p>
<p>As the college app. process progresses, as the picture becomes clearer, I will be seeking more input. For now, we will be sending in the housing deposit as soon as the housing brochure arrives.</p>
<p>You might me wondering where my son stands in all of this. He is kind of apathetic (that may be too strong a word but I will be one excitedly pouring over the housing package from Wisc.). He is definitely not crazy about U of Oregon but says he wouldn't mind going there if it comes to that. Tulane, neither he or I am excited about, primarily because of its location. But the Honors admit and the scholarship gives me pause...</p>
<p>If you're not excited about Tulane, skip it. Now that I've been neutral in an above post I can show my pro UW feelings. Great if medical school is in his future, but also a better than some of his other choices for an overall education. As Dallas said, premed is an intention- but most will not become physicians and the academics at UW will help for alternatives. The campus is fantastic, one reason we alumni are willing to discuss it here. The weather- cold trumps heat and bugs in my book. Etc.</p>
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He is kind of apathetic (that may be too strong a word but I will be one excitedly pouring over the housing package from Wisc.).
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Sounds an awful lot like my son. Glad it's not just him. ;) Actually, now that things are closer, he's more excited, but it's always me poring over the brochures.</p>
<p>If he truly wouldn't mind going to U of O, I guess I would lean that direction. You'd get in-state tuition and can save up more for grad school. Much easier to get him home for the holidays, milder weather, etc. Did he get into the Clark Honors College there?</p>
<p>It would be nice to have a fellow Oregonian at UW if my son and your son both go there, though. :D</p>
<p>If this helps -- - My daughter is a sophomore at Tulane and loves it. One of her closest friends is a sophomore at U of Wisconsin and loves it (lots of school pride). From what I gathered, U of Wisconsin may be a little more academically challenging- and Madison is a great college town as well as a great place to live. The students at U of W love their teams, especially football. Tulane is a little more culturally diverse and offers alot of interesting community service. And New Orleans has so much going on - Voodoofest, Jazzfest, Mardi Gras, BCS Championship Game, Suger Bowl, NBA All Star Game, etc. At U of Wisconsin, it is bitter cold most of the winter and I mean bitter - so that takes getting use to. Two interesting points - the U of Wisconsin student is visiting my daughter at Tulane for mardi Gras (Tulane is closed), and even though both love their respective schools, they may be spending their junior years studying abroad. Both schools are good choices.</p>
<p>All I can say is go to Madison. If your looking for the ultimate college atmosphere and experience this is the place to go. You won't find a better college/town!</p>