Hello everyone! Although I haven’t started applying to colleges yet, I’ve found myself in a predicament.
As of right now, my top school is the University of Pennsylvania. I love Kelly Writers House and the HSOC Major–and, I would pay no undergraduate tuition since my mother works for Penn Medicine. I would go to Penn for undergrad, and apply to Elmer school from there.
But there’s also the Wayne State Direct Med Program. It is relatively new, and offers the ten accepted students free undergrad and medical school tuition. It’s an insanely unique opportunity. My family strongly believes I could get into this program. I think it’s a long shot, but there’s always the possibility that I could be accepted.
One problem–I don’t like Detroit. I don’t know if I could live there for eight whole years, and so far from my family. And Penn is literally the perfect school for me. Even though it’s also a long shot to be admitted, it would be an absolute dream to attend Penn. I love the city, the curriculum, and the opportunities for pre-med students and writers such as myself. And I’m not quite sure I want to be a doctor with all I have (I might rather become a physician assistant), so it would be easier to change while at Penn than at Wayne State.
But at the same time, who could turn down free med school?
Although I won’t even get decisions for these schools in months–and might not even get into either programs–I’d like to ask all of you what you think. Which would you choose–free undergrad and med school in a city you (quite frankly) don’t care for, far from home? Or free undergrad at an Ivy League school of your dreams, but then stress over getting into and paying for med school?
All thoughts, comments, and questions are appreciated–thank you in advance.
Can’t you apply to both? Maybe you’ll only get into one and then your decision will be made for you. Also, for the Wayne State program, the website says it will choose 10 students, giving preference to those from disadvantaged social-economic backgrounds. Would you qualify?
@Emsmom1 I do plan on applying to both! I’m just very obsessed with planning ahead, so theoretically, if I were able to get into both, which would I attend? But if I were to get into just one, that would make this decision so much easier, haha.
Also, yes, I would qualify for Wayne State’s socioeconomic preference. Thank you for commenting
Apply to both. And some match and safety schools, too.
If you actually got both, I’d pick Penn if you still aren’t 100% committed to medicine. For the Wayne State one, would you have to pay back the scholarship if you changed majors?
If you do get into both, my first instinct is to go with Penn- after all, you’re not sure you want to go into medicine and if you don’t end up going that route, a degree from Penn would be better than one from Wayne State.
That said, I can see how it would be difficult to give up free medical school tuition IF you decide you for sure want to go into medicine.
Apply to both and some match and safety schools as getting into Penn or the Wayne State program will be a reach for any candidate.
If you get into both, I would say take the free UG+Medical school at WSU. if you do change your mind about med school, you can try for graduate school at Penn. but if you are pretty sure about Med school, that WSU deal is pretty hard to pass up.
Thank you, everyone, for replying! I do plan on applying to both schools, along with multiple safeties–one of these safeties is the University of Pittsburgh, considering my (relatively) high GPA and SAT. Honestly, if I didn’t get into Penn or Wayne’s Med Direct, I would be more than happy to attend UPitt. The campus is gorgeous, it isn’t too far from home, and one of my favorite poets is a teacher there!!
I know I’m planning extremely early, but I just like thinking through the scenario, just in casebook it comes. Whether I attend UPenn, Wayne State, or Pitt–well, only time will tell, at this point.
Again, thank you all! I’m going to be doing a lot of thinking about this, haha.
@AroundHere I know the scholarship can be taken away if you don’t do well in classes/flunk your GPA. I don’t know about switching majors, though. I plan on sending an email to the admissions department about it. Thank you for commenting!
If you get both, by that time (another 9 months before May 1st, 2018) if you still not sure you want to do medicine go with UPenn and if you are so sure then go with WSU.
You are not going to go wrong either way. Getting free tuition for UPenn itself is a super deal and you need to spend another $250 or less (if u get aid for MD). But find out if you change your mind after joining WSU, do you have to pay for the UG. Also check if you can apply to other MD schools with out impact to your conditionally guaranteed BS/MD sear or you need to forfeit? That makes a big difference. In case if you don't like WSU at least you can come out after 4 years.
I am familiar with WSU (did masters) and Detroit Metro (lived 4 years) but not Philly (though visited once UPenn). But familiar with BS/MD programs since followed those threads for the last 2 years and my D is BS/MD student currently. Getting in to BS/MD at WSU is equally hard like getting in to UPenn. GL.
It has been a long time, but my recollection is that Penn would pay for undergraduate tuition for the children of their professors to any undergraduate University for four years. It was not limited to Penn. Has this changed?
This can’t be right. Or if it is, there must be some sort of limit. You’re telling me all profs potentially get a $150k bonus when their kids go off to college?
It used to be and maybe still is one perk for taking an academic job. My recollection was that the limit was for four years and no more than Penn’s tuition. Do not recall if if there was any vesting parameters. Yale had a similar program.
@mjscal, interesting. Growing up in NYC the only professor parents I knew were Columbia profs and they definitely did not give those profs a cent for any school other than Columbia. Pretty sure that’s the policy at Brown and at my current institution as well.
Nope, not misinformed just old, which is why I wrote that “it has been a long time”. Talking to my friends confirmed my recollections. I was also reminded when I was first looking for a job that the tuition benefit was looked at as a nice but not a overwhelming extra. Many public Universities did not have a similar benefit. Different Universities seem to have different policies. Since Ivy league tuition was less than 10K a year and I had no children it was not much of anything to dwell on. Location, living costs and compensation formula among other factors were much more important since private practice paid much better.
I’d pick Penn.
First, sure, you’d have guaranteed admission to med school, but you’re not absolutely 100% you want to go to med school. At Penn, you can decide whether you really want med school or something else.
Second, Wayne state is a very moderately selective university - for a student with a 23act and a 3.4 with 4 courses a year in a strictly college prep program, it’s a safety. The BS/MD students are going to be very different from the other students, which means you’ll be in a “college” of 10. It would be very difficult socially.
Third, free tuition at Penn is already enormous savings. If you went to another college your parents would have to pay something. Perhaps they can set an amount aside for you if you pick Penn v. another, more expensive college, to help you with med school?
