My daughter is a senior exercise major at UD, tons of school spirit, work hard play hard vibe, plus a lot of other stuff to do besides party (but she’s a big fan of the dages and frat parties, turns 21 in a week and can’t wait to go to the bars on Main Street). She was accepted into every DPT program she applied to (10). She is graduating a year early because they accepted her AP and DE credits (30). She’s loved her experience there, even during Covid (she had signed a lease for fall 2020 in fall 2019 so at least got to be with friends).
I would be out of state for all of the universities listed so I am going to be in debt no matter the university I attend. Going from least to most expensive after Scholarships and Finical Aid.
That’s not a good way to start a future. Debt is like having a spaceship with a big hole in it, sucking everything out. The question is how big a hole do you want? Do you want to be financially crippled, or just go for financial suicide? If you have affordable in-state options, that would be a wise place to start if money is limited. Debt isn’t money, it’s simply getting what you want now, and hoping life will go well enough to pay it back later. The problem is that life doesn’t play by those rules.
With med school potentially in your future you really need to minimize debt so I’d go to one of the SUNY schools if accepted. Did you apply to SUNY Buffalo – that may be a good fit as well.
It sounds like you might just need to be patient and wait to hear from the in-state universities. Having three acceptances to very good out of state universities is at least hopeful. The in-state universities will be looking at the same information as the schools that you have already been accepted to.
Between the universities that you have been accepted to, I would be inclined to go with the one that would leave you with the least debt.
By the way, I just noticed “good party life” and “premed”. Of the universities that you have mentioned, every single one of them will have many very strong students taking very academically demanding premed classes. There are likely to be exams with the class average under 50, and the students who are getting 80’s or 90’s on the same exams (and who also are volunteering in a medical environment) will be a step ahead in terms of medical school admissions. “Party” and “premed” are not two things that go together well.
My daughter took many lab classes, weed outs where students were getting 50’s, she is in honors and has a 3.9 at UD. All of her friends are also in honors and enjoy all the Greek life has to offer, with high gps’a. When she starts her doctorate program she expects it to be very different. She has always over scheduled herself and has great time management skills (she also works part time, is a club President, a club track captain, and active in her sorority). She never sleeps more than 5/6 hours a night, same in high school.
Any but Tampa and Hofstra. Tampa because it’s not as strong. Hofstra because it misses what you seek.
Bars, parties and pre-med…sure it can be done but it could also kill your chances.
Ohio State and Texas A&M are enormous. Have you been? And will require flights.
Delaware and the SUNY are smaller than the previous two but not small.
With med school a possibility and more years of schooling, low cost is your friend.
So I would base it on what you want but an eye toward affordability. I would remove the two privates. Tampa meets the party part…but their outcomes just aren’t strong enough. And Hofstra is fine but likely doesn’t meet your spirit/party desire. They give strong merit though.
I agree with the other input you have received; to consider cost first and foremost. Outside of that, I would say UD! I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology there many years ago. It is a good education with a lively campus, both Greek and non-Greek life. School pride is evident everywhere, and continues beyond graduation.
I agree that caution should be exercised when borrowing $$ for an undergraduate degree. But I think think you need a few more facts before we get to financial crippling or suicide. Extending your spaceship logic, I would not have borrowed $300,000+ 20 years ago to buy a house worth more than 5x that amount today. I also borrowed for law school.
OP said he/she is waiting on state school options (both of which are good for psych so hopefully those work out). But he didn’t say how much he would borrow in any event.