<p>@kayf Thank you for your comment!</p>
<p>Medical school is expensive, and very few grants available, only loans. Save the loans or money for med school. The student will be much better off with less debt.</p>
<p>Although Fordham is an excellent school, Georgetown’s name really can’t be beat IMO. The fact your son got in is incredible…I think you should wait to see if you get any financial package from Georgetown and not decide anything just yet. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you, Madame Defarge! Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>Med schools do not differentiate much by name of UG school. The lack of pressure the kid will feel by having scholarship will be a big help.</p>
<p>@kayf Thank you for your comment. It is a hard decision to make.</p>
<p>Congrats to your son! </p>
<p>He should take the full ride. A friend’s D was accepted at UofMichigan and Wayne State. Wayne gave her a full ride and a word of advice …the counselor told her that during the med school admission process they do look at your debt and they have been know to tell a student to take a year or two off to pay down student loans. </p>
<p>Good luck with your choice!</p>
<p>As others have said, wait and see what the financial aid package is at GT. If the cost is such that it is going to be a true financial stretch to go there, or to any school vs a full tution scholarship to Fordham, i think the choice is pretty clear. I’ve seen others faced with the exact same choice, by the way, and most of them end up taking the full tuition scholarship. Those whose kids end up choosing the more expensive by far school, can afford it and also that is their big splurge for their kids. They don’t have other kids following them and they have some buffer financially. These days, it’s just not a good idea to put yourself out for that kind of money unless you truly can afford it. How much doctors will be earning with all of the health care changes, especially in health insurance makes it uncertain as to what a doctor’s earnings will be. In my area, it’s tough going for most doctors. An old class mate of mine who is considered top flight in his field has been very clear with his kids that this is not the profession to choose to make money, especially in the NYC area. After loans for medical school, getting onto one’s feet is not easy. </p>
<p>Congratulations to your son, on two great “catches”. I think he’ll do well either way he chooses.</p>
<p>@happimom Thank you for your comment and the anecdote about the counselor. I didn’t realize med schools look at undergraduate debt. But it makes complete sense.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse Thanks for your comments. We probably will not qualify for a lot of FA because we are solidly middle class. Although we have saved some for our son’s education, I tend to agree that in this economy we should be conservative and save it for med school.</p>
<p>Funny, Happimom, one of my close friends’ kids went to an expensive private, took out the loans, both kid and parents and had a tough time making those payments but she got the degree. When it came to medical school, the choices came down to Wayne State, I believe which was local to them or some private medical school. Looking at the loan situation and the prospects after medical school, speaking to some young doctors as well as seasoned ones, the decision was made for her to commute and go locally. It was a tough go after 4 years a way at a private school, and both the daughter and parents felt that had she gone to a state school, had they not already been in debt, that the medical school debt would have been barely doable, but with everything together, it was not a go. Young woman is now a doctor and though is doing well by every measure, it’s still not as easy as one would think. It’s not so easy to get into a lucative practice these days.</p>
<p>Talk to some doctors, both young and established and having take on young associates, and get some idea what the market is these days. I don’t know actual numbers, but you and your son should, as he is considering going down this route. Is he thinking about going into research, a specialty? Look at what it takes and costs for a number of choices. My friend’s DD works for an urgent care type of a practice and is very unhappy, has been looking for something else. isn’t happy with the pay, the work rules, the clientale, the hours. She definitely thought she was going to be paid more than she is. The cost for her to go private as she would like is enormous and unaffordable for her, and getting a spot at a good practice is much more difficult and competitive than she had thought it would be.</p>
<p>I work in a large teaching hospital in NYC and dealing with all the interns and new residents I have learned one thing: your undergrad school has NO BEARING on your success in medical school. I have seen interns from an Ivy League school flunk out and have seen kids from a little state or third tier private school excell. In other words, going to a top school does not guarantee success in medical school. Do the best you can, do research, get great grades and MCAT scores…no matter where you go to college. </p>
<p>Georgetown is a great school, ranked higher than Fordham and that is a fact. However, I will take issue with the mother who claims GTs academic superiority over Fordham. Would you then say the education at Georgetown is de facto inferior to schools like Yale? Emery? Notre Dame? Cornell? Columbia? Northwesten? only because they are ranked higher? Are the kids at Georgetown any less intelligent than at the aforementined schools? The professors?</p>
<p>Just something to consider…</p>
<p>If the OPs goal is to go to medical school (I apologize but cannot remember and dont have time to read back right now) ask Georgetown and Fordham for the MCAT scores averages and ranges of their graduates. That will give you something constructive and objective to go on. You can also ask each for data on how many they send to medical schools and to which medical schools they send them.</p>
<p>Thanks RamRay and dowzerw! I appreciate your comments.</p>
<p>For 2012 the Fordham acceptance rate for students in the pre-med program into medical schools was 90%. I think Georgetown’s is the same.</p>
<p>@Ram Ray Thanks!</p>
<p>"“However, I will take issue with the mother who claims GTs academic superiority over Fordham. Would you then say the education at Georgetown is de facto inferior to schools like Yale? Emery? Notre Dame? Cornell? Columbia? Northwesten? only because they are ranked higher?”"</p>
<p>Dear RamRay:</p>
<p>The fact that Georgetown is academically superior to Fordham has NOTHING to do with how either school is ranked. Rank was never mentioned in my previous post so why mention it now. </p>
<p>I gave Omzac factual experience from a parent and alumni who has expereince with both Universities. There is no comparison - two complete different entitites, even the Jesuit qualities, which Georgetown lacks. In case you haven’t noticed, Georgetown is listed as one of CC’s top Universities, so it’s not just my opinion. Leave it at that. Hoya Saxa.</p>
<p>@NYmama I truly appreciate your comments as well as everyone else who has taken the time to post. It truly helps me to get different opinions and experiences as I try to guide my son in making the best decision. I noticed that you mentioned that Georgetown lacks Jesuit qualities. Could you please explain? Is Georgetown that much less Jesuit than Fordham? Thanks.</p>
<p>Each person is an individual and that means their opinions are based on their life experiences, genetic makeup and such. I dont agree with NYMama on some points. I also dont wish to argue with her,as that detracts from the essence of this thread which is to help you decide (and others to read and decide). People pick colleges for all sorts of reasons. Some of them are objective and some of them are highly subjective and based on personal perceptions, which may or may not comport with what others perceive to be the case. That is my honest caveat here.</p>
<p>Georgetown is often written about in college admissions directories and books as being less jesuit than the other 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States. Some Georgetown students, alumni, parents and administrators may disagree with that, particularly in the Theology Dept. There are Georgetown graduates on faculty at Fordham. I happen to “generally agree”, in the sense that Georgetown is first and foremost a school for those intending a career in Washington/public service/foreign service etc. It is also a prime school for preparing for Law and Medical studies (either at Georgetown or elsewhere). In essence, its more secular, perhaps. But it does have a stellar Theology Dept with many scholars on faculty, who may or may not be Jesuit. Georgetown has a high percentage of students who are not Catholic, and select Georgetown for its prestige, not its Jesuit foundings. </p>
<p>Fordham is both a Jesuit and erstwhile secular school. What I mean by that is there are plenty of kids at Fordham who are not there for the Jesuit influence, teachings, and faculty. Though Fordham does have one of the highest number of Jesuits on faculty in the 28 Jesuit schools. Sadly, the Jesuit order is dwindling as they retire and pass on, with fewer entering the order each year. It takes on average 7 years to become a full Jesuit. </p>
<p>I think NYMama is correct however in her general perception that Fordham is regarded as more Jesuit than Georgetown. That is also my perception. But you may differ upon your visits to both campuses. </p>
<p>I do not agree that a Georgetown education is superior to a Fordham education. Nor that it means necessarily you will get into the medical school of your choice upon graduation. What would I do in your situation (or my kid?) I would take the Fordham scholarship, be very glad and embrace Fordham like no other. JMHO.</p>
<p>@sovereigndebt Thank you for you wise input. My son and I really appreciate it.</p>