Full-Ride vs. Williams/Carleton/Bowdoin

Hi all,

I know I can’t go wrong with whichever decision I make since they are all great schools, but wanted some clarity.

Williams, Carleton, and Bowdoin only cost me around 17k a year. My family can pay this with no problem.

I wanted to do premed after college. Now obviously, the consensus would be to attend the fullride school (University of Richnond) and use this saved money for med school. However, my parents would not let me use the money later on as retirement nears; it is use now or never. So logically, which option should I pick? Please don’t respond and say “convince your parents to save it for later” … I’ve tried that and its not going to happen, so please answer based upon this.

Thank you

I like UR a lot, but it also seems that a school like Williams would be worth your cost should you go in that direction.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2017/04/26/10-expensive-colleges-worth-every-penny-2017/

Logically, it is a wash for you financially (for you personally, not so much for your parents.) Which college is your first-choice?

Have you visited all four schools ? If so, what are your thoughts about each school ?

Just for perspective…my D chose the full ride last year (without influence from us) and as a result we can retire a full two years earlier than planned. If 17K/year is a drop in the bucket for your parents I’d say go for Williams otherwise take the full ride.

Congratulations on having such amazing options!

Since your parents seem to be indicating to you that money is not a concern in your choice, you should pick the college that you think will provide the most intellectually stimulating experience and best overall environment for the next four years. The answer to which one will do that for you is individual.

Do you have a clear favorite? If not, see if you can narrow down your choice to two or three colleges you can visit before deciding.

I wonder, from the unusual wording of your thread about your parents emphasizing that the money is for undergrad and not grad, if there is disagreement between you and your parents about which college you should attend, perhaps with the twist that you yourself prefer the less expensive option for other reasons. If not, ignore this paragraph! If yes, then sit with them and discuss openly why you think the college you like will be the best option for you. And maybe agree to visit one or more of the others to be sure of your choice.

Your undergraduate college years can be a priceless experience that you will treasure both at the time and afterwards. It is not just a stepping stone to med school, but an intellectual and social experience in and of itself. Thinking of it that way, think about where you would most like to spend the next four years, and why. Next, visit colleges to help you clarify the answer. Then, explain your choice to your parents.

Good luck, and you are correct that there are no bad choices here!

@TheGreyKing

Thanks for the response to you and everyone else.

In regards to my wording, my parents do not want me to go to grad school because it will take me around a decade before establishing my career. This is one of the reasons they are only willing to use this money towards undergrad because they don’t see the value in spending upwards of 12 years in undergrad + med + residency. Back in my old country, we could have done med and residency in like 6 years max (combined), so it’s hard for them to see value in the 12 yrs or so I would spend if I did med school and residency. It’s a culture difference that they’re unwilling to accept, no matter how hard I explain. Additionally, since I’m middle class, I would be on loans for all four years of medical school, regardlesz of if they save the 65k or so they have for my undergrad.

Additionally, with the money they can use towards undergrad(around 70k), we can cover all four years of college. On the other hand. this will cover one year of med school down the road, so that’s also another reasoning they have as to why it should be used now rather than later.

@circuitrider I would be receiving some cash from my grandfather to pay towards my college. My parents would pay 40k, my grandfather the difference. I think we have around 100k in our savings and make roughly 70k a year. It’s not that much of a financial wash for anyone here, but it isn’t overbearing either as many middle class families in the income gap have to face. They’re willing to contribute this much and were from the start, so I think we would be fine. Would you recommend the scholarship program knowing this financial info or stick with your opinion?

My top choices were Carleton, then Bowdoin, then William’s (in this order). I did not expect to get in to any, let alone all three. I do visit Williams and Bowdoin in two weeks. Carleton most likely wont be visited and is out of the picture because of the unexpected Williams acceptance (also William’s is about 14k cheaper at the end of the 4 yrs)

@Publisher I visited Richmond. I like the school academically and its a beautiful campus. I can see myself going here and there’s nothing I don’t like about it. What makes me confused is the other school acceptances because of their prestige and more typical college experience

^So, basically, your parents don’t want you to go to medical school. That’s a different magnitude of problem than typically seen on these forums. Take a deep breath, and one step at a time. There is no premed major at any of these colleges that would force you to show your hand at this stage of the game, just a prescribed set of courses open to anyone. Most of the younger doctors I know took out enormous loans all on their own and without help from their parents. But, that’s getting ahead of the story.

One other thing to consider is how your full ride scholarship looks on a CV, resume or medical school application in the ‘honors and awards’ section. Most full rides come with benefits beyond the financial aid like special programs and advisors that will guide you to be competitive for graduate/professional schools. When we were making decisions with our kids part of what we considered was how they could differentiate themselves. A full ride scholarship/scholars program is a big head start on that front.

$17000x4=$68000. That’s not bad for a NESCAC college education, but, still twice as much as my parents had to pay fifty years ago with a similar income (adjusted for inflation.) So, I feel your parents’ pain. Still, my logic persists in the sense that you personally are never going to see the savings.

But, with subsequent posts, it seems clear that you don’t have a huge preference between the three and that all that is keeping you from making a decision is the perceived difference in prestige between Williams and the other LACs on your list. TBH, that’s not something anyone else can help you with. It sounds like your family may be the driving force here, too. All I can say is that, at some point, in the not too distant future, you will have to start making your own decisions.

So, my vote is for UofR for several reasons:

First, they want you. That counts for a lot.

Second (unless you are from Texas or New York) Virginia could be a good state for you to work on getting residency in: one of the best bets for medical school admissions is your in-state option. Virginia has 4 medical schools. If you stayed in the state over 2 summers and did summer work you could be come a Virginia citizen.

Third, Richmond has a great externship program for pre-health students, and also offer EMT training (which is one way to get the clinical experience you need for med school admissions).

Last, but not least: you like it, and can see yourself there. You stand a good chance of being a star there, which will be important again come med school admissions time. The other names are more familiar, but UR is an entirely respectable school. I’m not sure why you think that you won’t have a ‘typical college experience’ there?

(also, there is always the small chance that when you actually get into medical school there would be some family help)

If you want to go pre-med then think about:

  1. The cheapest reasonable college so you/your parents can use the money for med school
  2. The college needs to prepare you for MCATs but still allow you to get a good GPA
  3. Access to volunteering opportunities (e.g., near a hospital)
  4. Success in graduates getting into med school
  5. Options if you don’t go to med school

Also keep in mind: you may change your mind about med school

Since you may not pursue graduate school, you might note early career salaries from these schools as part of their overall financial aspects. Williams graduates lead your group, followed closely by those from Bowdoin, who are followed narrowly by those from Richmond.

In the real world, a degree from either Bowdoin College or Williams College carries a lot of clout in the NE US. Of course, grad schools across the country understand the quality of all 3 LACs.

Go to Williams, pay them back by earning during summers and rest after graduation. This way you attend a better school and they don’t loose anything. IMHO $17K is not worth loosing this opportunity.

U of R two reasons 1) if you are getting that much financial aid at Williams your parents could obviously use the money and you never know what financial incident (health etc) could arise 2) you would be higher up in the stats for your class at U of R which can often mean better grades.

@CupCakeMuffins if the OP is getting that much financial aid at Williams, any money s/he earns in the summer should offset the aid amount, meaning Williams pays less not the parents. Unless this is all off the books money no one knows about and is not legally reported.