Help Deciding (GT, CWRU, Emory, Tulane, FIU, UM)

College Search & Selection
1

Hello all!

I just got my final acceptance today from Case Western and I’m having a hard time deciding where to go.

The following list is the order from lowest to highest overall cost.

Florida International University - Tuition, Books, & Fees Covered (French)
University of Georgia - Tuition & Fees Covered (Romance Languages)
Georgia Tech (Summer Admit) - Tuition Covered (Applied Languages & Intercultural Studies)
Case Western - $32,500 Scholarship (French & Francophone Studies)
Tulane - $30,000 Scholarship (French)
Miami - $20,000 Scholarship (French)
Emory - Unknown, Waiting for letter on March 20th. (Latin America & Caribbean Studies)

I want to do pre-med and I’m dead set on becoming a doctor. My mom died from pancreatic cancer last year and I’ve never thought about being a doctor until that point. I can’t see myself doing anything else at this point. I will most likely not be majoring in a science, rather in language/cultural studies.

Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve toured all the schools except Case Western which they are paying for my flight to visit April 11th. I think FIU would be the smartest choice due to cost and most of my family lives in Miami, but I don’t know if it’s worth going to a lower ranked school.

I placed a deposit on GT as I wanted to secure a good time ticket for choosing dorms, but I’m not 100% confident in going there with all the bad “pre-med” vibes over there.

Thank you.

2

These are terrific choices. Congrats!

How will you pay for the remaining costs? Can your family help?

3

My dad can pay for the rest, but he said if I choose the cheapest school, he could help me with med school costs, but couldn’t if he had to spend it on undergrad. I’m just wondering if it would be worth it to spend money during undergrad…

4
  1. Your interest in primary care medicine is recent and driven by one of the most profound losses a young person can face. Given how many students start out as pre-med and change directions- for dozens of reasons- imo that should be a relatively low priority in deciding which college to choose.
  2. If your interest in primary care medicine does hold the most important variables for admission are grades and test scores, so a school in which you are able to be at the top of your class is important. The ranking of the school is not important. On the other hand, medical school is expensive so a school from which you can graduate with little / no debt is also important.
  3. If your interest in primary care medicine does not hold, which of the programs will take you closest to where you want to go? (btw, good for you for staying with your original interests as a major either way).
5

Wow, great list, congrats! If you are really thinking Med school, you want to go somewhere where you’ll get the 3.8 and have $ for Med school. The only ones I’d advise my own child against would be GT and Emory (lots of premeds trying to make the grades). My cousin is at FIU and doing really well. If you like it, that sounds like a very good option. But, you also have a great deal at Georgia, and that would give you a new experience. I think you just need to decide where you felt you’d have a good 4 years, and feel comfortable with the $.

I’m so very sorry for your loss. If you haven’t yet, look up PanCan. They have great resources not only for patients but for survivors.

6

So sorry for your loss. I do not have adequate words to soothe, and it feels trivial to transition to college talk. However, that is the business of this site, so proceed we will. You seem to be a perfect candidate for Tulane’s Creative Premedical Scholars program (https://advising.tulane.edu/pre-health/creative-scholars). It is designed for students like you who are intent on going to medical school but want a broader, liberal arts focused undergraduate experience. If you are interested in Latin American Studies, Tulane is tops on your list: http://stonecenter.tulane.edu/pages/detail/20/Undergraduate-Program.

That being said, if you feel you will thrive at another school because you feel comfortable there, you cannot go wrong with Case Western Reserve, Georgia Tech, Emory, or U. of Miami. University of Georgia is an excellent state school, with that whole experience, and FIU keeps getting better and better. Congratulations on a stellar record. You are certain to honor your mother’s memory.

7

What are the net costs?

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

Keep in mind:
My daughter was dead set on becoming a doctor since 4th grade. She volunteered at the hospital, went to Mini-med programs, Did ALL the pre-med courses in college (Bio, Chem, O Chem, Calculus, Stats, Sociology, Physics), Shadowed doctors and then after her first semester of SENIOR year in college decided that she did not want to go to medical school. She looked how stressful the next 7-10 years of her life will be and what doctors seem to do these days and decided that was not for her.

So you want to take into account:

  1. Never say I will take out loans for undergraduate because I will make a doctor’s salary and can pay them off
  2. LIke others say above: What will i think about my college if I do go to medical school? What will I think if I don’t go to medical school?

I, of course, am partial to Case. They are very good in pre-med and have hospitals next door. Case was formed from the merger of a Liberal Arts College and a Technical School. However, when you visit find out how many students are in your major.

FYI

Pre-Health Advising at Case…

Case has a dedicated Pre-med Advisor, Wesley Schaub.

The pre-health advisor also maintains a Pre-Health Professions Canvas page for current and past CWRU undergraduate students interested in the health science professions. The Canvas page provides additional resources for students and is used to communicate information about group advising sessions, application preparation and workshops, clinical and research opportunities, and guest speakers on campus. Students may request access to the Pre-Health Professions Canvas page by sending an email to Wesley Schaub.

https://case.edu/ugstudies/students/pre-professional-programs/pre-health

You will need to take the pre-med pre-req courses.
Info can be found here:
https://case.edu/ugstudies/students/general-new-student-information/recommendations-for-first-year-students-interested-in-pre-health

You may want to get involved in research. Info is here:
https://case.edu/source/

You may want to volunteer at a hospital:
Case is literally surrounded by hospitals. For example:
https://www.uhhospitals.org/locations/uh-cleveland-medical-center/volunteer-services/volunteer-opportunities

You may want to get more info about applying to med school:
You could attend activities such as:
https://case.edu/studentsuccess/node/346

You might want to join a medically related student organization:
https://case.edu/ugstudies/students/pre-professional-programs/pre-health/health-related-student-organizations

8

Thank you all for the information. I’m in the process of filling out FAFSA and CSS and I’ve contacted Case Tulane and Emory to make sure it was not too late. Hopefully I will get the awards back soon so I can make a decision. Thank you !

9

Congratulations on all these fine scholarships to study French.

Being a summer admit to GaTech is an advantage to settle in and meet other freshman. There is a small cohort of students in international studies at GaTech.

Note that GaTech has a campus in France, called GaTech Lorraine, that is 90 miles east of Paris, and also programs in Senegal to improve your French language skills:
https://modlangs.gatech.edu/languages/french

Gatech is about 4 miles from Emory and there is a shuttle bus between, and joint biomedical research work.

I like Case Western too, as an undergraduate experience. Both Gatech and Case offer inner city experiences, clinical experiences are readily available, and service work in the two cities.

10

Let us know where you wind up!

11

I decided on FIU! Emory CWRU and Tulane came back with aid packages and Tulane and CWRU was just loans and Emory was only $22,000 in grants.

I’m really excited and I can’t wait to be with my family.

12

Congratulations! The sky is the limit! Go get em!

13

@disneydatknee why wouldnt you just go to GTech?