I am torn between UCSD and University of Iowa (which is in-state tuition for me). UCSD is a great school with a great medical grad school but is kind of socially dead, with no football team or Greek row. Iowa is an easy school to get into but theyre medical grad is pretty good (34th in the nation) and it is a party school, football is in the Big 10, and does have a Greek row. Academics at Iowa is good but it is not great like UCSD. What should i do?
The most obvious question here is that you are looking at possibly attending Medical school and you are OOS for UCSD, is it financially feasible to spend $240K for 4 years undergrad at UCSD vs. in-state tuition at University of Iowa?
My parents are willing to pay for the tuition for the level of education UCSD provides. Yes, it is expensive for us, but my parents want me to attend UCSD if that’s where I choose to go.
Going to UCSD will by no means guarantee admission to their med school just as going to U of Iowa by no means guarantees admission to theirs. So just take that off your list of things to consider right now.
If you are committed to a pre-med program, then go to U of Iowa. You will save a bundle, and can put the money saved toward the tuition of whatever med school it is that you do finally get into. And please to remember that even though U of Iowa may be slightly easier to get into than UCSD, that certainly doesn’t mean that it will be any less challenging for a pre-med student. That program is pretty much the same wherever you study because the med schools have specific expectations of their applicants.