Ivy League vs State School pre-med track (pls help)

I recently got into Columbia university, the school that has been my absolute dream for two years. However, after a lot of thinking and research online, I feel that for premed students the much smarter thing to do is attend a state school, (where it might be a little easier to stand out), do great there, and get admitted to medical school. Would I be exhausting myself too soon by going to such a rigorous place right out of high school? Am I making a decision I will regret if I decide to attend?

I realize I sound like i’m talking to a therapist, but any input that might be useful would be of help. thanks

Are you 100% certain that you will go to medical school? Does the “state school” you are thinking of attending offer a rigorous STEM curriculum?

with “state school” i’m referring to either Binghamton or Syracuse university, both of which are state schools that are considered to have really good pre-med programs. their stem curriculum would definitely help with getting into med school as their classes are also rigrouous. As for me actually going, I think there’s a high probability for me going there/applying so for now I’m really trying to base my decision around that.

Syracuse is private…and I would choose Columbia in your case. If you were 100% certain, I would have probably recommended Binghamton to save money, but since you are not certain, I do not think you can risk it.

Syracuse is not a state school.

What are the net costs for each school? And how would those net costs be paid???

Syracuse is not a state school. Syracuse is a very expensive private school.

I am also curious as to the cost of these schools and how they would be paid.

Do you mean SUNY ESF in Syracuse? That could be a very interesting place to take the pre-med coursework!

Hehe! I like it happymomof1. ESF is indeed awesome. But I doubt the OP was referring to it.

I was able to get good financial aid from all these schools since my family’s low income, so im trying to make a decision based on whats based on whats best for me. Binghamton and syracuse actually would cost me a little more, believe it or not, but not def not so much more that I couldn’t attend. I have to pay more for syracuse than for Binghamton though.

would Binghamton still be the best choice for pre med if money wasn’t a big factor? not saying I won’t worry about money still but just curious

im sorry i meant syracuse the private school

cryinglightning4, if you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are going to medical school, I do not think it matters. However, if you opt out of medical school, as do 50% of incoming premed students, you better off going to Columbia.