Need help! urgent! Please! UF or Miami with loans?

<p>So here is my dilemma and please please please give me your best input. at this point i really dont know what to do. Im still trying to decide between UMiami (UM) and UF. I want to major in biochemistry or neurosciences, and like alot of other people out there I want to be in the pre-med track. Here are my thoughts.. </p>

<p>Since start of this whole college decision process I had made up my mind that I did not want to take loans because I was keeping in mind that medical school was really expensive. As a result, I came to turn down UMich, Wake Forest, Emory and pull out of the Johns Hopkins waitlist, which truly hurt me because I love those schools, espcially Emory and JHU. So here I am today, trying to decide between the two schools that turned out to be the least expensive UF (florida resident), and UM (I got a scholarship). All I want to do is increase my chances as much as possible to go to an excellent medical school-- I know this is highly dependent on my grades and my own performance so I guess (correct me if I am wrong) it comes down to which one has a better national recognition?</p>

<p>I feel like UM would be better for me, being a private school getting more attention from my profesorss. I feel like its more up close and personal and that could make a difference in my performance eventually. However, I live in Miami and I would have loved to go out of town or even live on campus, but If i want to attend here and live on campus for at lease the first year I have to take a 25k loan, which I did not want... but Im seeing it as sort of a sacrifice... </p>

<p>What is keeping me from going to UF is the class size, and the lack of attention I might receive from my profesorss. I also dont know how good research opportunities are there considering it is Ganisville and Miami has a HUGE medical center... I would not be paying more than 5K for attending UF. </p>

<p>Basically I dont know what to do. I just want to pick the school that can get me into a recogniezed medical school like UPenn, JHU, Emory... I know these are very ambitious but it is something I am willing to work unbelievably hard for.</p>

<p>So, UM or UF? Should I take the loans? Please.. please please help. Any sort of input is greatly appriciated.</p>

<p>I would not take the loans. There is a reason Stafford loans are limited to $27K for a four year college undergrad. The “better national recognition” of one school has very little to do with med school acceptances. Your grades and MCATs are what carries the day. Whether you will learn/do better in a more intimate environment is a valid thing to consider.</p>