Here is a little information before I delve into the intricate, and sometimes sad tale that is my college decisions. I know for sure that I want to go to med school and ideally my major would involve Neuroscience. My SAT was 2200 (800 CR, 720 M, 680 W) and my UW/W GPA is 3.5/3.9. I took 12 APs throughout high school and was fairly involved in a couple of clubs. Anyways, I was wait listed at Berkeley and accepted into Northeastern, Drexel, NYU, Stevens, and USciences. After much antagonizing I have narrowed it down to two choices which are USciences and NYU.
NYU gave me around $29,000 in grants and I would be going for the Neural Science major in CAS. The total cost would come out to around $36,000. I am visiting this Sunday, but have not seen the campus yet. What allures me about this school, despite the cost, is the prestige behind the school itself and the research opportunities present for Neural Science majors. I also feel as if this school would put me in a better place to get accepted into a high ranked med school, although this may be a misconception.
USciences has offered me $22,000 in grants and I would be majoring in Pharmacology and Toxicology, since they do not offer Neuroscience. The overall cost comes out to around $26,000. I have visited the campus and I like the small campus feel. The PharmTox professors seemed not only passionate, but also personable. The small class sizes at the school are also enticing. However the lack of “prestige”, lack of neuroscience, and less research opportunities are the downside.
I’m torn if NYU is worth the extra 10,000 a year and whether it will really help me get into a top ranked med school. On a side note my close friend is going to USciences although I’m not sure if I should consider that in my decision. Please give any opinions or advice