<p>Hello everyone! I am trying to decide if I should attend Boston University or the University of Rhode Island next year as an undergraduate, majoring in the sciences (neuroscience? biology? biochemistry?). I absolutely love BU, and Boston of course, and I know they have a fabulous science program; out of the two, I really want to go to BU. Boston is a great college town and has great connections to many jobs and internships. I have lived in a quiet town in Rhode Island my entire life, so I'm definitely ready for a city-change :). But, as many of you know, it is very pricey to attend and my parents are not rich at all. The total expenses (tuition/housing/books) that we would have to pay would be $40,000 (take out a loan). URI, on the other hand, gave me a full ride, and I would need to only pay for housing, which is around $11,000. Not bad, right? But I really don't want to go URI, because I hear that their academics are not superb and the entire campus basically reeks alcohol.
I want to continue on to a prestigious Medical School or Dental School (haven't decided yet). Does it really matter what kind of undergraduate school you attended when applying for Medical School? I hear many opinions and thoughts about this, like it does and it doesn't matter. I really want to make the right decision, considering my future career, and possibly, debt. I am determined to work hard in college and in Med/Dental School and end up with a good job to pay off my debt. Any opinions, or suggestions, or advice would be great! I sent in my deposit to BU, but I'm not sure if I should ask for it back.</p>
<p>If you have to ask, my opinion is that it isn’t even close. Go to URI. I know a number of very successful kids who went there. You are going to have to borrow, borrow, borrow for med/dental school and having the UG loans are going to really put a monkey on your back. With the state of health care and insurance and managed care these days, many MDs are not making what they used to make, and those loans can be prohibative. This is from someone who has watching another generation struggle with them. It’s one thing if you have parents that can help you pay a big chunk of those loans, but you really are not going to want that kind of debt to repay yourself.</p>
<p>URI’s entire campus does not reek of alcohol. The problem is, it’s not a flagship, in the sense of UMich or UNC or UVA or Berkeley, etc. It’s just the only game in town, the only public U in the state. So, it doesn’t have anything even remotely close to the selective rep for in-state that, say those others do. </p>
<p>BUT, go! If you’re thinking of majoring in the neurociences, you’ll be surrounded by bright, ambitious kids. When you say, “I hear their academics are not superb,” well, IMO, that refers to some of the less scientific programs that are stuffed with not-particularly competitive kids. Ooh, I sound mean. It’s a great school for pharm and one of the tops in ocean sciences. Take a hard look at the course catalog to see if you’d be satisfied with class selections- and check out th backgrounds of your potential profs- see where they studied. That’s far more meaningful than hearsay. Good luck. </p>
<p>ps. with a few exceptions, you will run into hard partying at every school in the US. And, other options.</p>
<p>I have a stock question I ask anyone who advises a student to take out huge student loans because of “prestige” or what they’re “impressed” by.</p>
<p>DocT, you’re willing to pay off the OP’s loans, right?</p>
<p>Easy to tell someone to take out an enormous amount of debt (on top of what will be even more enormous medical school loans) when you won’t be ultimately responsible for paying them off.</p>
<p>Are you contemplating $40K PER YEAR to go to BU? As in, you would be $160K in debt for your undergraduate degree? And then have to finance med school?
That would be crazy, and unsustainable.</p>
<p>Even being $44K in debt before med school is a lot.</p>
<p>If you graduated in the top 10% of your HS class, I think you can join the URI honors program. If not, you can join as soon as you have 3.3 cum. If you can not get 3.3 cum, you probably should not be looking at me school. Joining the honors program will help you meet other serious students. The Honors program has its own pre-med advisory program - [University</a> Honors Program - University of Rhode Island](<a href=“http://www.uri.edu/hpr/pre-health.html]University”>http://www.uri.edu/hpr/pre-health.html)</p>
<p>These honors programs will help you with the path to med school, help with getting research experience, getting close to profs, etc.</p>
<p>You’ll learn a lot and you’ll realize that it’s a waste to spend a lot of money for undergrad as a pre-med student. Save your money for med school.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the responses everyone. I really want to major in Neuroscience, and this is not offered at URI, but it is at BU (and they have an amazing Neuroscience department). I want to major in something that will definitely stand out for Med/Dental school, and not in Biology or Chemistry, like many applicants do. Should I risk the money problem at BU? I’m aiming to be a neurologist/neurosurgeon or oral surgeon. Any more suggestions? This has been so stressful for me.</p>
<p>And I didn’t mean to offend URI or anyone associated with the school when I said earlier that it “reeks with alcohol.” it was an ignorant opinion, and I take it back. I mean every school parties…it’s college, lol.</p>
<p>Victoria, please start out at URI. If you do well, which you will have to do to be seriously premed, you can transfer, or take some summer classes. Much of your courses work will be gened and the sciences you need for pre-med. Most of med school admissions are MCAT and GPA.</p>
<p>Do not pay extra just for an undergrad major if your goal is med school. you can stand out with many other majors…and BTW…since many pre-meds are majoring in neuroscience these days, it will not help you stand out at all.</p>
<p>How much would you have to borrow each year and who would be responsible for paying back those loans.</p>
<p>Are you aware that you cannot borrow much without a co-signer? Who would co-sign those loans for you?</p>
<ol>
<li> "I have a stock question I ask anyone who advises a student to take out huge student loans because of “prestige” or what they’re “impressed” by.</li>
</ol>
<p>DocT, you’re willing to pay off the OP’s loans, right?"</p>
<ol>
<li> “And I didn’t mean to offend URI or anyone associated with the school when I said earlier that it “reeks with alcohol.” it was an ignorant opinion, and I take it back. I mean every school parties…it’s college, lol.”</li>
</ol>
<p>In regards to comment 1, my view of URI has nothing to do with prestige. BU isn’t prestigious either. My view of URI has to do with the large number of students that I’ve known who are for the most part less than intelligent. In regards to comment 2, there is more alcohol issues in that school than most particularly off campus. As they have a severe campus housing shortage, many students live off campus.</p>
<p>URI doesn’t have the market cornered on low-down partying. It just has the reputation for having the market cornered. Yup. After I wrote about smarter, more ambitious kids in neuroscience, I realized I didn’t know if URI had neuro. Sorry. But, so many kids in the hard sciences (or whatever, but taking hard sciences to fill pre-med needs) will be smarter and more ambitious. </p>
<p>Make the best decision for you. And, that does include financial stability over the next 15 years of your life, as you budget your way through college and med school, then start to pay back loans. Good luck. BU is one of the schools giving lots of kids financial aid agita.</p>