<p>m currently a high school senior still applying to undergrad. I am applying to out of sate and in state public schools in addition to some private schools. However I REALLY do not want to stay in Texas. I need to travel around and explore the country, and I would like to do that with college and med school.</p>
<p>Tuition for out of state and public schools is expensive though, so is it worth it to stay in a place I am sick of and have very few friends in or spend the extra money to attend a better ranked school in a place I know I love (philly, d.c., atlanta). Any advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>Texas is a huge state. Surely you can find a univ in another part of the state that would give you a different experience. What part of Texas do you live in?</p>
<p>That said, if you have high stats, you might qualify for large merit scholarships elsewhere. What are your test scores and GPA? </p>
<p>Do you know how much your parents will pay each year? If not, ask them.</p>
<p>I agree that if you have (reasonably) high stats you are likely to have other affordable options out there. Share your stats and folks can offer suggestions.</p>
<p>Is your EFC affordable for your family? That can make a difference too.</p>
<p>Check out Case Western, private, huge Merit awards are offerred to the top caliber kids. I bet there are other places like this. Got to do lots of research.</p>
<p>I live right smack in between NYC and Philly - both cities are slightly less than hour away from me. I commute to NYC every day. I used to live a few hours away from Atlanta. I am not big fan of DC, through. While I am not a big fan of living in any metropolis, I do know a lot of people whole love it. It all depends on what you are looking for, I guess :D.</p>
<p>…they are hugely expansive in every aspect of life and living is soo difficult, everything involves such a ligistical nightmare of planning, it takes a very special and dedicated person to love living in NYC, Atlanta, DC, or for that matter Chicago and such, these are for very brave souls and know many of them…</p>
<p>The one piece of advice that seems to be written over and over again is if a student plans on going to graduate school they should go to an undergrad program that challenges them but will also cost them as little money as possible. Med school tuition and your living expenses will have you spending and/or borrowing a pretty penny. If you can, save your money up front.</p>
<p>Not being friends with the people you currently know that are planning to stay local for undergrad may seem like a big deal right now but there will be plenty of other people to connect with. If you have the kind of transcript that will have out of state schools offering you incentive money/financial help it it s totally different story but big undergrad debt plus graduate school debt is really tough to pay off. </p>
<p>Out of state internships, summer educational programs or volunteer opportunities may be something worth exploring to satisfy your wanderlust during undergrad. My niece, who ended up at a well regarded med school, was a camp counselor in Italy one summer. Both she and my D did a lot of medically related “stuff” during their summers but they fit in some travel. </p>
<p>If you can be academically satisfied at an undergrad school that costs less - do it. JMHO.</p>
<p>I can only speak for NYC and Philadelphia but many, many young people enjoy being in cities during their educations. Others move there after, having gone to school in suburban or rural settings. They add a wonderful energy to wherever they are and if what I see on a nice day in Central or Prospect Park is characteristic, they are enjoying city life very much. Housing is expensive but you don’t need a car. Many cultural opportunities are “donation suggested”. Life requires planning and there are challenges no matter how and where you live it. (OP, so sorry that I took your thread astray - carry on.)</p>
<p>I used to live 20 minutes from philly and have visited new york several times. I also used to live in the city center of Hanoi, Vietnam.</p>
<p>Currently, I have a 4.52183 gpa and am in the top 8% of my class of 978.
I got a 1930 and 2040 on my SATs (will take again)
I was vp of my interact club
Treasurer of my school’s community service organization
Im in Unite for Health
National Honor Society
National Spanish Honor Society
Was on the freshman volleyball team
I work at the Kumon learning center 2 days a week.
I also have an older sibling in a state college</p>
<p>Im also an upper middle class suburban white female. I know my stats are below average when it comes to financial aide and scholarships, so for the most part it’s debt or in state.</p>
<p>Read through the threads on automatic and competitive merit scholarships that are at the top of this forum. Your GPA and SAT put you in the range for some of them. Howard University in Washington, DC has one that could work for you if your CR+Math scores are high enough, however it is first-come-first-served, so you would need to apply very early.</p>
<p>Howard University is a historically Black university. The scholarship will work for you if you wish to attend this school as a white female.</p>
<p>Texas is a HUGE state. If you plan on attending medical school, you really need to keep your undergrad debt to a bare minimum. OOS public universities may prove unaffordable for you.</p>
<p>Look at the threads for guaranteed merit aid, and see if you quality for any of those awards.also, discuss college finances with your family and find out how much they will be able to contribute annually for your undergrad costs.</p>
<p>Seems plenty of kids in Texas don’t want to stay there for their education. But you may hate yourself later if you do head to med school and add that debt to undergrad costs. This has to be a wise decision.</p>
<p>Wait a sec, earlier you said your family earns 150-180k after taxes. Have you had the convo about what they can contribute to costs?</p>
<p>Im also an upper middle class suburban white female. I know my stats are below average when it comes to financial aide and scholarships, so for the most part it’s debt or in state.</p>
<p>What is your Math + CR score? If it’s strong enough, you could get some merit scholarships to some schools.</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year? If you don’t know, ask them. Your parents earn too much for need based aid.</p>
<p>If that’s accurate, you may be in the same situation a lot of people are: too much income to get substantial financial aid, but not enough to pay full sticker price at a private or OOS university. Best bet for kids in this situation is to stay in-state, unless they have good enough stats to get a large merit award at an OOS school. You need to research the merit possibilities and hopefully raise your test scores on the next round, or else find your best fit in Texas.</p>