<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I was admitted to UW-Madison as a whole, U of I DGS, and Penn State Smeal College of Business. I am most likely majoring in business (management); however, I am also considering pre-med. My family can afford to pay around $35,000/year out of pocket according to FAFSA. UW-Madison is offering me $5,500/year of loans, U of I is offering $29,000/year in loans, which I most likely won't need, and Penn State has yet to send me a financial awards letter. Is it worth going to UW-Madison or Penn State for OOS tuition (more debt) if I want go to MBA school or medical school? Any input on which school is better is appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Do your parents agree that they can afford $35K a year? Many parents do not feel they can afford their EFC and/or are unwilling to take out the necessary loans to make it happen. (If you haven’t discussed this with your parents now is the time.) Students who plan to go to med school or B school should do everything they can to avoid taking on debt as an undergrad unless they have families who will foot the bill for professional school. I am an Illinois grad, PSU parent and my father went to Wisconsin (and I have a brother who teaches there). You can have a great experience at any of these schools and they will all prepare you for med or B school. I recommend saving your money and going to Illinois.</p>
<p>To echo 1moremom as a PSU alum and current UIUC grad student I would DEFINITELY recommend UIUC in your situation. There seems to be a bias towards the Ivy League in business, but I am not aware of any substantial advantage to any of these schools so you might as well go with the cheaper option.</p>