<p>Thanks for your input, mom2collegekids, sybbie719 and others. I will be sure to discuss these points with my son. Surely, money is a consideration. If we pay close to full freight for college, there will be little left for med school. If DS chooses the full tuition option, he could graduate from med school with very little debt. I am grateful to have this option, just have to convince ourselves that its the best choice.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your your son’s award. Don’t know your financial situation, but if you are eligible for financial aid, BC and GT will have an aid package for your son as they do meet full need. As you say, you have until May1 to make the decision. Something to discuss as a family.</p>
<p>My son got a nice scholarship from Fordham some years ago, not full tution, but most of it. But he truly had his heart set on a LAC in the west and that is where he went, though it cost us double for him to go there. He did get a merit award from there, but it was not anything like what Fordham offered. But it was the right school for him. He loved every minute there, did well and graduated with a double major. It also widened his horizons quite a bit. My other son could have gone to Fordham also for about the same as what his OOS public is costing, but he wanted to go further away for school–we live local to Fordham. </p>
<p>So a lot of factors go into such a decision. Financial is certainly important, however. My nephew’s first choice was Fordham but ended up at his state school due to finances. it would just put his parents into too diffiucult of a financial pinch for him to go OOS and private. So money should be an important consideration, but if one can afford it, and feels it important, having the funds does alllow one to make the choices as to how to spend it and if our kids truly prefer one school over another, thta is something to choose to buy for them IF one can. </p>
<p>You and your son have some nice choices to make. Again, congrats.</p>
<p>While GT &BC both meet 100% demonstrated need, OP does not believe that they will receive much, if any need based aid. This is why they are on the fence deciding what to do.
Have you run your numbers through the net price calculator at GT and BC? What was it about Fordham that appealed to your son enough for him to apply? Do you think that Gtown and BC ate better fits for him?</p>
<p>300/400k debt will have a major impact as to whether or not he will be able to own a home, get married or have a family of his own.</p>
<p>Exactly! And that’s what’s so scary for a future doctor. Both of our sons full tuition+ scholarships for undergrad because of anticipated grad/med school costs later. They both had very high stats. The older one luckily received a fully paid PhD offer. The younger one is currently in the med school app process. The fact that neither will be burdened with big debt is a big relief. </p>
<p>I can understand not wanting to accept the Fordham offer if the school is “in his backyard” and he wants to “go away.” As a likely NMF, there are other full tuition+ offers that he could take. </p>
<p>Also…since premed prereqs are “weeder classes,” and a limited number of A’s are given in those classes, the premed student who goes to a tippy-top school and ends up with a “lesser GPA” will have a harder time getting accepted to a med school than the student with the higher GPA from a “good school.”</p>
<p>Thanks again for your responses. My son applied to Fordham because he is familiar with the school as I graduated from there. In addition, several students from his high school end up going to Fordham every year. DS always thought he would go to Fordham. Yet, he has been pleasantly surprised by his acceptances and has several higher ranked choices now. He is still waiting on some Ivies. I guess the prestige thing never mattered much to him until recently. All of you present some powerful arguments for accepting the full ride and I agree with most of what has been stated. I just hope that my son comes to this conclusion on his own.</p>
<p>For those who cannot afford more than $X, something like this is a no brainer. For those who have enough money that they don’t have to even thing about cost, it’s also much easier to choose. The student just picks the schools s/he likes the best for whatever reason. But for those of us in between those extremes, we have to juggle and considere and figure out what is gained and lost with each decison.</p>