How to choose between two colleges

College Search & Selection
1

Hi I’m having trouble deciding between 4 colleges and May first is approaching. I am pursuing the pre-med track so I’m looking for a college that is good for pre-med, has opportunities, and is financially affordable. The main decisions is between Marquette University in Milwaukee and Lake Forest College in Lake Forest Illinois. The other two colleges, SLU and Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin are kind of wild cards that I will go to if i get a good financial aid package. I have talked to lots of students and faculty members and visited admitted students day and here are the pros and cons I have thought of/heard so far:

Marquette University:
Pros-
Have liked the university since freshman year
like the campus and environment
will be a part of the honors college so I will get good research opportunities and internships around
has a 5 year PA Program that I really like and think I could get into
can apply multiple times to accelerated PA Program mentioned above
an hour away from home so I can come back if I want to on the weekends
Mid sized university
well known for premed
in Milwaukee so will have opportunities
Cons-
Cost is in the 40k’s and considering med school I would not want to go into serious debt
no absolute guarantee to PA program, only high likelihood

Lake Forest College
Pros-
Got a full tuition scholarship so I only have to pay for room and board which is very affordable
Small college so easier to stand out
like the campus, but not as much as MU’s campus
lots of research opportunities and limited internship opportunities
near chicago so will have resources for internships/resources
Cons-
Not well known for premed
20 minutes away from my house which is too close for me
i come from a big school so i dont really like small schools, LFC is smaller than my high school
no guarantee in med school
i go to a competitive high school where most people go to more well known schools that LFC and its not thought highly of (I have talked to people about LFC and they usually shake their head and say not to go there :confused: )

SLU and Lawrence also give pretty good aide and im waiting to hear back from them about more aid, so if I do get a really good financial package I will consider these schools too. Both schools are well known for premed, especially SLU, and I am leaning more towards SLU because it is larger than Lawrence.

My SAT score was 1560 and I have a 4.4 Weighted GPA, so considering that I am a highly motivated student and will most likely do well in all schools, what are other factors that I have to consider before I make a decisions. I would appreciate any advice or direct suggestions on which college, thanks!

2

You can go to any college for premed. ALL colleges work. It is the student who determines whether the school is “good for premed”. However, since less than half will get into a medical school you need a good plan B. Figure out probable majors and if you can get the classes for them at the schools. Figure out what your peer group will be. You are likely to do your best when you are intellectually satisfied, academically challenged.

Be sure you are choosing the school where you can flourish, not just do a premed curriculum and any old major. Big fish in small pond does not always mean you will shine. It can be too easy to not challenge yourself et al.

Discuss your current options with your parents. They know the family budget and the impact costs will have. You may discover along the way that being a PA is preferable to being a physician, or some other profession entirely. Figure out if the cost/benefit ratio works. School caliber may be worth paying for.

3

But keep in mind that the opinion of high schoolers isn’t what matters in the real world.

LFC and Marquette have almost identical 75-25 ACT percentiles so you probably can find Milwaukee kids who think about Marquette what kids in your school think about LFC.

SLU and Lawrence are a little higher on the 75th percentage.

Wouldn’t you know your fin aid package at those places by now?

4

You can only borrow ~$5500/year. Go to Lake Forest and save your money for med school.

5

Thanks for replying! I do not qualify for the FAFSA as I do not have a permanent residency so I have not received any aid other than merit based aid from the colleges. I emailed colleges explaining my situation and how much I will be able to contribute so I do not know whether they will give more gift aid or not, so I’m not entirely sure of my financial package even though it is late. These are the initial financial aid packages not considering need based aid right now:

SLU ~35k
Marquette ~40k
Lake Forest~13k
Lawrence University~25k

6

Those are the billed costs (tuition, fees, room and board) remaining after merit, not the amount of merit, right?

7

Yes, that is how much I would have to pay out of pocket for all the schools