@Zblue17 Personally, I completely disagree with Gladwell on that. The opportunities and connections you will have at the state school will not be comparable to that at Penn, so being top in your class is not really worth it. The opportunities to learn from really top professors and also really smart peers are definitely worth a lot in terms of stretching you as a person.
The only reason not to choose a top school is cost and also major fit issues. And both are perfectly legitimate reasons. But since Penn has given you so much aid and you really like Penn, I don’t see why you would choose a non-comparable school over it.
OP As someone from the Philly suburbs, I can tell you that you have been granted a gift that few students receive esp. those of us who live here–everyone of my local peers with 4.0+'s and other accolades applied to Penn’s class of 2020 and were rejected. For the love of Ben Franklin, go to Penn! The debt is negligible. My one concern is that if you are this hesitant, then (pardon my bluntness) you (your parents) may lack the sophistication to make this decision. As for grades? You may have a prof who curves and another who doesn’t. Many non-Ivies, for example, Fordham deflate grades. IMHO, passing up Penn would be regretable. Please do not think I am harsh–I just could not read this without reaching out to you @ZBlue17 and btw CONGRATULATIONS!
@ZBlue17 I’m going to go against the grain and recommend the full ride at Indiana. If you do end up choosing the premed route, it’s better to graduate with no debt and try for an elite medical school such as an Ivy. It makes a huge difference where you go to med school for residency. Case in point, I know a Chief Medical Officer who went to his state flagship school, graduated with no debt and went to Harvard Medical school. He did his residency at USC. Just a thought…
@ZBlue17 just curious, why wouldn’t you just commit to premed? Are you uncertain of how well you’ll do in the science courses? If your calling is to go into medicine but not necessarily the medical school route, you might consider checking into Physician Assistant schools. PAs make wonderful family practitioners. Not sure if that was what you had in mind in terms of a medical career but it’s less money and time to pursue and they pretty much do the same as docs in a clinical setting
@CALSmom While there are plenty of anecdotal stories like the one you mentioned, a brief look at the resident profiles at most of the very very top residency programs in the country shows that most attended a top college. of course this probably has more to do with the student than the school, but it is also probably true that these top schools helped these students grow a lot and gave them amazing opportunities.
i perfectly understand picking a state school over a school like Penn when cost is an issue, that is the smart thing to do, but in this case i don’t see why one would turn down Penn.
@Penn95@ZBlue17 oh I agree that Penn is a wonderful school and to attend an Ivy for minimal cost is a dream but I just wanted to give the OP food for thought. I work in the medical field and its what you put into your studies that’s most important. I work with physicians that have graduated medical school from an Ivy, a Caribbean island, and a faith based medical school. All three are excellent physicians. And actually I would rank the doc that attended the religious med school as the most competent and hardest working of the three. I guess it depends on OPs goals. All of the mid-levels I work with went to state flagship schools and our newest NPs hail from Indiana university and a Cal State school
@CALSmom the reason I’m not committing to pre-med is because I’m not as great in the sciences and math as I am in humanities. I have perfect scores on the English and reading parts of the ACT but just “ok” scores on science and math. I’ve enjoyed my biology class, but I’m not really sure if its something I really want to do or if I’m just doing it because my immigrant parents are pushing me to do it.
@ZBlue17 DO NOT go to an Ivy to study an area that is not your strength. You can easily end up at the bottom of the curve when surrounded by kids for whom this IS their strength. Also do not study what your parents tell you to do, if it’s not something you excel at and are passionate about. Parents may give good advice about choices in life, I know I try to do so for my kids, but there isn’t one correct path. There are many potentially good paths to follow, and
you need to find the one that is right for you. If you want to explore different things, sometimes a safety school makes that easier. You can get A/B grades in a subject you are not as strong if in a safety school. Less hindrance to trying new things. If you are more interested in the liberal arts, having a name like Penn on your diploma would help in whatever you seek after graduation, and having As at Penn even more so. But Cs in Bio/Chem at Penn wont do much for you.
Oh I get it @ZBlue17 I have immigrant parents too and they pushed me to either study nursing or engineering. My mind isn’t wired for science and math so I did my own thing. I ended up in business administration. That said, I agree with @blevine and carefully consider the debt factor if you really don’t want to study premed. You might feel extra pressure to perform for your parents since they are paying for part of your education. It’s better IMO to get a free education from IU (which is a great school) and get top grades in a major you’ll enjoy and you might not feel the pressure as you would at UPenn (which you will).
Because of the curve at IU, there’ll be enormous stress - and less certainty if that plan doesn’t work that with Penn, where any track will allow for internships due to excellent career services. A penn degree will lead to a career even if op doesn’t want to be a doctor.
No one guarantees that there will not be pressure at IU. Especially given the curve as the poster above mentions and also the fact about being in a larger campus with many more people, fewer resources and less access to opportunities.
Offer making a list of pros and cons for each school, it became clear that the only thing keeping me from Penn was fear (of being average, it being too hard, fear of regret, etc) and I only mostly wanted IU bc it was safe and comfortable. So I just enrolled at Penn!! Thank you all so much!
@ZBlue17 I would really like to know what you have done to get that kind of fin aid. My son is in same boat for 2018 class. I am from Philly and that is his first choice for Pre-med. His SAT 1560, GPA 3.8 , 8 AP classes with As and B+ , 200 + volunteer hours, Marching Band all four years with leadership skills, amazing essay writer etc. . It would be really helpful for me to apply for fin aid. I would be really happy for 20K debt. I have also private message you.
