<p>The answer depends on what you mean when you say it would be a struggle to pay for Columbia. Does that mean getting rid of cable? Eating ramen everyday? 100k in student loans?</p>
<p>Also consider that your son may not stay on the pre med track. Is the chosen school good for other potential interests?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1486654-premed-resources-thread-start-here-first.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1486654-premed-resources-thread-start-here-first.html</a></p>
<p>He should go where he can get the highest GPA, and brace himself for brutal “weed-out” process. (D is college senior–only about 1/4 of her freshman pre-med/pre-health group remains. . .)
I’d pick the state school. Plenty of debt to get into later, if med school works out.</p>
<p>ALOT of people change their mind on their major. I vote for whatever can financially work and what he is comfortable with. I know my answer if different than the others, but just saying what I would do.</p>
<p>Physician here. Ditto rocky… Only spend the extra money if Columbia has a major/program far superior to the state school and the student is gung ho for that program. Not a likely scenario if the student is interested in medical school. Premed is an intention, any college will be fine. And many students change their minds once they discover college fields. Save your money for medical school. Do not try to play the game of attempting to pick a college to get into a medical school. Do well at the least expensive U and the MD from any medical school will lead to being a physician. You don’t need a prestigious undergrad college or medical school to be a successful physician. Be sure to enjoy the undergrad experience- take courses to enrich, you will be far too busy in medical school and beyond (or you will have wasted a lot of time and not follow that path).</p>