Its Decision day tomorrow and still not decided between USC and UMich for a Premed undergrad. Got NMSC half tuition waiver at USC so the cost will be 52k. UMich is OOS so full cost. It will be 67k.
Not sure which will be the right fit.
USC weather is great but I am not a beach person. I am an ambivert. I am not into Greek life but will join a few clubs. The hospital for doctor shadowing is not on campus and a 20-30 min commute will be needed in LA traffic. USC is not as high ranked as UMIch in research but at undergrad level it may not matter. The area around USC is not safe but I can take a metro to LA downtown when I want a break from college. Although USC is a private, it is quite big. Pre med advising is better in private vs public. Classes are smaller.
I love the UMIch campus more than USC . I also like that I can walk to Ann Arbor when I want a break from college. It is a wonderful college town. Fall and Spring will be beautiful but winter will be brutal for 3 months. Research opportunities will be amazing. Hospital is on campus. I do want to move out of the college housing in my 2nd year so Ann Arbor will be better in that respect. But is it worth the extra 15k per year?
Can you afford the difference is the key question? Usually for medicine the logic is go to your less expensive school and get great grades for a chance at med school. But this comes up a lot for California students. Your off campus rents are much higher then the ones at Michigan so factor that in. That might really close your gap. Are you planning on working? Making $3,000-5,000/year during the school year on 10-15 hours a week (less during finals or tests), can help close the gap and have some spending money. So if you can’t afford it then you have your decision.
As far as winters… There are many winters that are mild and not insane but for someone from California, I get that but there are a lot of you here so it must not be for the winters… Lol.
Professor to student ratio is 15:1… How much better is USC?
Thanks for your reply Knowstuff. Its helpful.
So for me its more about worth than affordability.
You are right that med route is expensive but I don’t want to compromise on my college experience. Cause there is always a chance that I do not go the med way (Going by statistics that everywhere half the premeds change their mind.) and these 4 years is all I do . Although most probably I will go for some masters if not med.
USC professor student ratio is 8:1 i think.
Because pre-med is a popular path, typical pre-med courses will be a lot larger than 8 or 15 students.
Do you have less expensive in state public (or other) options?
We do have some more choices but the cost is same as USC.
We got to decide today so don’t want to go back to those. USC and UMich are the final contenders.
But since u asked, the others are UW Seattle, UCSD, CWRU and Boston University.
Is one, such as Case, much cheaper. You’re going to spend an insane amount of money if you make it to med school - I say make it because most don’t by choice or by achievement.
While you may be able to afford it, you’ll have four more years of insane costs. Better to save now.
Every name you mentioned is a great school and all will send kids to medical school.
btw - USC isn’t a beach school - so you needn’t worry. You can get to the beach - but it’s not like you ride your bike a mile and you’re there.
The cost difference may not be as much as you think since LA rent & costs of living are higher than those in Ann Arbor.
Seems clear to me that if the costs were equal, then you would not be posting this question.
Thanks Knowstuff, ucbalumnus, tsbna44 and Publisher.
It always surprises me when pre-med students assume that the only volunteering opportunities are at the university affiliated hospital. Neither USC nor UMich are rural schools and there are many opportunities other than the university hospital.
Look at each school’s health advising website for a sample of opportunities in the area.
USC: Pre-health advising and volunteer opportunities.
UMich: Pre-health advising and volunteer resources
These are all great schools. Congrats.
I’m a Michigan grad living near the beach in LA. USC is not anywhere near us, so you’re looking at a 30-60 min drive to the beaches, depending on traffic.
Love my alma mater, but I question anyone paying full cost OOS, unless you have money to burn. Med school is expensive wherever you go, so saving the cost of living for the four years you’re in med school by going to USC over Michigan is appealing to me.
While I don’t love the USC campus, it’s compact, it has a heavy police presence and I never have felt unsafe there.
Regarding the distance from the Michigan med center, it will take you 20 minutes from Central Campus to the Med Campus to wait for and take the bus, unless you live in the Hill dorms. No difference.
LA as a city has excellent medical institutions. Besides USC Keck, you also have UCLA, Cedars Sinai, etc. Lots more in terms of opportunities than just UMich.
My roommate was pre med and outside our fraternity, he spent all of his time studying or going to football games. You will be so busy with pre med. And hanging out in certain parts of downtown LA are OK, others are not. Many other places to visit. Ann Arbor is the quintessential college town. Tons to do both in and off campus.
The weather is much better here. I hated the winters in Michigan, even more than Minnesota where I went to grad school. Seems the sun didn’t shine much for three months and it affected my mood. But I loved the fall and as short as it is, it’s great. I miss that. Spring is so short became you get out at the end of April. Maybe 3 weeks tops?
I’d take USC.
@tar2019 I second the opinion above to look at rents, which are very expensive near USC.
USC guarantees housing for freshman and sophomore year, but not for junior and senior year, and most move off campus by junior year, if not earlier.
An apartment right near USC might have 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, .a living room and a small kitchen. The price for one bed in a shared bedroom is approximately $1,000. If you want the bedroom to yourself, it’s about twice that.
There are places that are much more, and some that are less – but they are farther from campus although still within an area that many students live, of course.
You can search for apartments near campus for both colleges to look at prices, to see what you think. But if there is a big price differential, it may make the two closer in cost than they would otherwise seem.
Ahh, now I know what “sb” stands for. 
Yep, you figured it out. My cover is blown. 
You are obviously from San Bernardino…
For some reason I had assumed he was from Santa Barbara.
For a $1,000/month in Ann Arbor, you get your own bedroom and your own bathroom in a brand new or newer building with a gym and an Amazon Locker in the lobby. And a choice of buildings and locations. 
Duuuuuudee…