<p>My daughter is an American and Australian citizen. She graduated from high school in Sydney Australia in Dec 2008 and was accepted at medical school (undergraduate, 6 year program). The cost for medical school in Australia is approximately $15000 per year in fees which can be deferred in total until the student earns $28,000 per year. She also applied to 4 universities in the United States. Going to university in the US is completely different than in Australia where 90% of the students live at home, unless they are from the country or are going to a different city.
D has always wanted to go to a specific university in Los Angeles and has loved it since first going to visit there in 9th grade. She learned of her acceptance yesterday and we are now awaiting the financial package. Unless she is giving significant funding, it will be very difficult for me to send her but she wants this more than anything and isn't bothered by putting medical school on hold. She wants the American "college experience".
I don't know what to do. Which is the better way to go. Medical school now with limited financial hardship, or going somewhere where she will be extremely happy (she wants to join a sorority, go to football games etc). She wants her life to be in the US. She wants to practice medicine in the US. Going to medical school in Australia will not make this impossible but...
Her father doesn't want her to go (we're divorced) and has offered her a new car to stay in Australia, however, I doubt he will offer help with funds for a US school so generously.
Please, anyone, I need some advice desperately. I have worked very hard to encourage my daughter in her endeavors and she has worked very hard to achieve the results which she has achieved.<br>
I want her to have the best, but a) she will be so far away - I'm not in a position to move home to LA and b) I have no retirement funds and I'm approaching retirement age and c) the Australian dollar is only 64 cents US right now. On the other hand she will be starting off at a great school and living in the country where I want her to live her life.</p>
<p>If you can’t afford USC, you can’t. It will cost a lot, and this /will/ close many doors when it comes to potentially attending medical school. Medical school in the USA is extremely expensive! Going by what you say, you’ll be sapped after four years at USC and she’ll probably be saddled with student debt. </p>
<p>It’s safe to say she’ll not have much funds for which to pay for medical school, so going to USC = no med school?</p>
<p>Is this a school known for being generous with internationals and do you qualify for lots of aid?</p>
<p>Others can address this in more detail, but my understanding is it’s very hard for internationals to get into US med schools. And if she can get in, she will have large debt because aid won’t be given at that level.</p>
<p>Many parents post here with sentiments similar to yours. Their children have worked hard and they feel they should have their dream school. But doing something potentially harmful for the family and her future is not a good reward for hard work.</p>
<p>Realize that assisting your daughter to make an impractical decision in the name of fulfilling a dream is not doing her any favors. She could tax your family’s finances and end up not getting into a US med school. At 17/18, do they really have any idea of financial realities?</p>
<p>I would tell your daughter the dollar amount you can comfortably afford and still retire reasonably. If the school comes through with enough money, great. But realize that kids adapt and while she may not get to live in LA and join a sorority, not being in debt will allow her to freely travel and fulfill many of her wishes as an adult doctor.</p>
<p>The student is not an international student, she has dual citizenship in America and Australia.</p>
<p>In my personal opinion, U of Sydney, U of Melbourne, UNSW and ANU are better than USC.</p>
<p>Does your daughter have the option of doing a year/semester abroad or a gap year? I’m not familiar with the educational system in Australia, but she could come here to study for a year, and then after having her ‘American educational experience,’ resume her medical studies. I have to agree with the posters who point out that medical school here will cost $200,000 and she will spend the first decade of her professional life paying off that debt. Sounds like she would graduate from medical school in Austrailia with none of that pressure. Also, praticing medicine here and in Austrailia are very different propositions-she needs to underdstand what she is getting/giving up by choosing medical school in one country or the other.</p>