I struck a deal with my parents and it goes something like this…
A. I can go to Rice, study bioengineering, and my parents will pay for it. However, they won’t pay for Medical School or anything after undergraduate. Keep in mind that Rice is ranked #5 in the country for bioengineering and Texas Medical is right next door.
B. I can go to UVA, which is in-state so $11k annually, and study engineering/pre-med. My parents will also pay for Medical School after.
What’s the better deal? I feel UVA is definitely the way to go but I’m interested in seeing what other people have to say.
It sounds like B is a better option for you. If you want to go to Med school study In-state, unless your rich and go to Harvard or something.
It’s no contest, not even close, B. If you really want to go to med school you have to have long range thinking,–you have to be able to pass the marshmallow test.
Going to UVA is a better deal by far. Kind of confused by the numbers though $11K must just be tuition right? Total cost would be closer to $30K. To get into Med school you need a very high GPA and a great MCAT score. Where you go to undergrad is less critical than how well you perform academically. Having said that UVA is one of the top few public universities in the US. Med School is going to cost between $200K and $300K+ depending upon public or private. Going to a great public university like UVA is very smart
I thought that both of those schools met need?
OP, it is clear to me that you want to go to Rice. So far you have not gotten anyone to support you. But the night is still young.
UVA, no question!
Rice is a very fine school, but so is UVA. to get help with med school costs is HUGE.
@BobNotBob His family probably doesn’t qualify for aid.
What are your your stats? Rice is a reach for everyone, so you may not get in.
““Texas Medical is right next door.””
Yes, a whole bunch of medical centers are all lined up near Rice. However, as an undergrad, that may not mean as much as you think it does.
Aren’t there any fab medical centers near UVA?
@mom2collegekids
Stats are as follows:
ACT Comp: 34
Reading: 36
Math: 32
Science: 33
English 36
Writing/English Comp: 34
However, I think you are right about UVA. It definitely seems to be the best and help with Med School costs will be extremely important.
@mom2collegekids Since UVA does have a Med School for graduates, they do have a couple of medical centers. I think you are right about undergrads though; they probably don’t get to use them all that much.
@Wje9164be Correct, tuition is approximately $25K annually. Rice is closer to $60K annually.
Yes…sometimes more is just more. All those med centers by Rice are just more. You’ll have plenty of medically related EC opportunities near UVA
@CoolBeansBro - Here’s my $0.02:
It sounds like your parents are like we were with our son. There was a “pile” of money ds could use for education. That pile would cover anywhere he wanted to go, but once it was gone it was gone, and if he used all of it up for undergrad, we would not be helping with any grad school. Med school, however, is not an interest of his. Ds was admitted to Rice with similar test scores - you don’t share any other stats, so I can’t really compare the two of you. Rice does consider demonstrated interest, and we did go for a visit. He received a merit scholarship from them of around $22,000 per year. In the end, he wound up matriculating at a full-freight school that does not offer merit, only need. We didn’t qualify for need. Thus, his pile will be gone at the end of four years. I guess my question is, could there be a middle ground for your parents? In other words, if you were to get some merit money at Rice (or somewhere else), could the amount saved from a merit scholarship be put toward medical school? I think you should ask them this. Apply to Rice and see what happens. We did not expect a merit award at all and were pleasantly surprised. So, I would ask your parents if they would consider a “pile/total amount for education” approach with you as well. Not saying this is necessarily the best decsion, but it might be a third option for you. You would still incur debt for medical school, and choosing UVA may definitely be the better way to go.
Hoggirl, we did the same with our kids: It worked very well because it puts the incentives in the right place and got us out of the ‘is this worth it?’ loop, which at some point we couldn’t answer any more for our kids. And because the incentives were right, S and D would apply for grants, scholarships, and other awards while they were in school so they could conserve their ‘pile.’ CoolBeansBro, see what your folks have to say about the approach.
And yes, UVA is a great school. No advantage to paying more for Rice. Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply and see if there is merit money available that would equalize the two.