<p>Here is my dilemma...
I love the campus (size especially) and the vibe at Miami; however, I would have to take out about 12K in loans.
I think the Honors Program at OSU will be awesome but campus is very large. I received full cost of attendance.
University of Pennsylvania is surely prestigious. Additionally I have been invited into the Vagelos Scholar Program . Campus is large and 8 hours from home. I would have to take out about 5K in loans.
I am not sure that I can be happy on either of the large campuses so I am really leaning toward Miami. Am I crazy?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take out loans for Miami. What do you want to major in?</p>
<p>I will major in Biochemistry and attend medical school. I am interested in doing a lot of research and the Penn Vagelo Scholar program offers a great opportunity to research over sophomore and junior year summers (with a stipend!).</p>
<p>I would go with UPenn – 5k in loans is a great deal</p>
<p>I know everyone has different preferences, but I sometimes think people get unecessarily worried about the size of a college. Really, you deal with the kids in your dorm, the kids in your class or EC activities, the professors you come to know through classes or activities. To me, the only difference is that you have to take more of the initiative to take advantage of the resources/programs at a large university. But if it’s a good university (such as Penn) the programs are there. People will be willing to help you if you ask. You can create your own little world within the larger university - a world you thrive in.</p>
<p>I went to Penn State. I was a very shy 17 year old as a freshman. But other than the first week, where I didn’t know where the heck anything was on campus, the size of it never really mattered. I had my friends, my classes, my job, my life. And by my junior year, it was amazing how many people I knew and how often, when I met someone new, I found a common connection between us at the college. I didn’t even need seven degrees of separation. 
And the size meant there was always something new to discover, in terms of classes, activities, etc. </p>
<p>I don’t know you. I’m not guaranteeing Penn is your answer. But it seems like a great opportunity for you, so don’t assume “large” is as intimidating or scary as it seems.</p>
<p>I assume the loan amounts are annual amounts? If so $12K is too much/year. BTW, is the MU or U of M? Why do you say Penn is too large? It has the same number of undergrads as U Miami and fewer than Miami U. $5K/year is very manageable debt. That being said, keep your UG costs down if you intend to go into Med School.</p>
<p>
I’m a bit confused by your comparison of the relative campus sizes of Miami and Penn (assuming you mean Miami of Ohio). Penn’s total campus size is 300 acres, which includes its medical school and hospital complex, School of Veterinary Medicine and hospital, Nursing School, Dental School, Law School, and 24-acre Penn Park, all of which are around the periphery of campus. Are you sure that the “undergraduate core,” so to speak, of Miami’s campus (which encompasses a total of 2,000 acres) is smaller than the “undergraduate core” of Penn’s campus?</p>
<p>Plus, Penn has about 20,000 students total, compared to Miami’s 16-17,000, but Penn’s undergraduate student body of 10,000 is 2/3 the size of Miami’s undergraduate student body of 15,000.</p>
<p>Have you actually visited and toured the Penn campus? While relatively large for an urban school, I can’t imagine it being described as “large” compared to a campus like Miami’s, and certainly not on the scale of a large state flagship like OSU.</p>
<p>Miami of Ohio and yes, annual loan amounts. I have not yet been to the Penn campus but I am going to the admitted students session on Monday, April 22nd. So, maybe this angst is premature and I will end up loving Penn. In the meantime I am just stressing out over making my decision. Even though Miami is physically larger, the surrounding community is smaller and the vibe was very laid back, unlike OSU. I went to OSU on a Friday evening/Saturday morning that happened to also be Little Sibs weekend and Greek Weekend. The campus was crazy busy and it didn’t even feel like what I thought college should feel like.</p>
<p>Well then DEFINITELY wait until you visit Penn to analyze this or make any decisions. It really will come down to what is most important to YOU. Just be sure that you learn as much as you can about what each school has to offer YOU, and how well each will serve YOUR priorities.</p>
<p>For example, in the area of research, Penn is clearly the winner. It is consistently among the top 2 or 3 recipients of NIH research funding in the nation, and places strong emphasis on undergraduate involvement in that research. Plus, being a Vagelos Scholar would put you at the forefront of those research opportunities.</p>
<p>But in terms of a laid-back campus vibe, Miami most probably would be the winner.</p>
<p>You just have to decide what’s most important to YOU, and then make as well informed a decision as you can.</p>
<p>Good luck–and have fun at the Penn Preview Day!</p>
<p>Are you interested in Greek life? Miami has a heavy Greek presence.</p>
<p>Check out OSU and PSU. $5K a year, probably going up each year, is typical but no loans is even better and OSU is not a school to sneeze about. You can do an awful lot with $20K+ like buy a new car, insurance when you graduate instead of having that loan payment.</p>
<p>I absolutely will not make a decision before visiting UPenn. Would anyone be able to offer any thoughts on my choice of schools in relation to then getting an acceptance into medical school?</p>
<p>No, I am not really interested in Greek Life.</p>
<p>So…you got full ride to tOSU, got into Penn and only got a small scholarship to Miami? That seems odd to me? Living off campus at Miami is pretty affordable so if the $12/k per year includes Room and Board it can be significantly less year 2-4. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>SweetiePi, your grades and MCAT scores will dictate your chances for getting into medical school. I don’ t think there will be a whole lot of difference for you whether you go to one school or the other in that regard.</p>
<p>I would not call Miami of OH small. Not as big of a difference between that school and the big state schools as there would be between a LAC and the smaller state schools.</p>
<p>Miami’s top merit awards cover up to full tuition only (not room & board). I had not really thought about living off of campus, but I will definitely investigate!</p>
<p>Penn’s certainly worth 20k over four years. I wouldn’t make a decision until you visit Penn, and if the vibe is good, that’s where i’d personally go.</p>
<p>Miami requires freshmen and sophomores to live on-campus except in special circumstances.</p>
<p>After visiting Penn, I have narrowed my choices down to OSU and Penn. I felt the most comfortable at OSU but wonder if I am passing up a great opportunity by not choosing to go Ivy. I believe that I can be successful at either school; however, my fear is in the unknown advantages that I hear come from an elite school like Penn. There is another thread on CC discussing merit aid at state schools vs paying for an elite school. My situation is different in that I would not be paying that much to go Ivy. I welcome any opinions!</p>
<p>SP</p>
<p>I rarely speak in absolutes on this forum, since intangibles are important, especially if schools are reasonable close in reputation. </p>
<p>However, meaning no disrespect to OSU, its reputaton is simply not close to Penn.</p>
<p>Unless you absolutely love OSU and absolutely hate Penn, Penn is the clear choice.</p>