Please help...I'm going crazy!

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
1

<p>Hi, I know I've posted this everywhere, but I'm desperately seeking advice, and I'd like to get as many opinions as possible.</p>

<p>Ok, so, here goes...</p>

<p>I know the deadline has passed for informing schools of decisions, however, Columbia just sent me an email today saying that if I still wanted to attend, I could reply by Thursday, May 12th. I already sent in my enrollment fee to the University of Miami, where I was accepted into the 7 year guaranteed med program, and I was pretty much dead set on it. Columbia was always my dream, I never figured I'd get in, and when I did, it was even more disappointing because of the price tag. After Columbia, I'd be in about 200K of debt. Miami, with its guarantee and scholarship aid, seemed more practical, so I chose it.</p>

<p>However, I'm having second thoughts, mostly because I don't think I'll be happy at Miami. I go to a public school, and honestly, I'm sick of the general apathy students have towards academics here. I've spoken to many students at Miami, namely those in the program and a few regular students, and they have all said that the general atmosphere of Miami, though pretty laid-back, is much like a public school. I'm more of an "intellectual" type of student, and I feel I won't fit in at Miami. The thing that attracted me to it was the guarantee, the scholarship, and how I'd be pretty relaxed with not having to apply to med school again.</p>

<p>Now that I think about it, though, I feel like I'm sacrificing the great educational and social/extracurricular experience of Columbia for a med program that might not be so great after all. I know I want to become a doctor, but I also want to have the best college experience as possible, academically and otherwise, which I think Columbia will offer to a greater extent than Miami. I'm willing to work hard to get into med school again, even though I know I will be more stressed, but I keep thinking Columbia will be worth it.</p>

<p>So, do you think its best that I stick with the "safe" option and go with Miami, or sort of fulfill my "dream" and go to Columbia?</p>

<p>I'm sorry this post was so long, but any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated. This whole ordeal is driving my parents and me crazy!</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Personally, I would take the security of the guaranteed med program. (I am also from up north and would really prefer the nice weather in Miami!)</p>

<p>I feel it offers a great college experience because that guarantee relieves a lot of stress and pressure. All you have to do is meet the necessary GPA and then you can go enjoy yourself.</p>

<p>But if you really have your heart set on Columbia, then perhaps you should do that instead. As you already said, it will probably be a bit harder but then again, it might also provide you with more rewards. And you'll never get to realize that dream if you pass on it now!</p>

3

<p>if columbia univ. is your dream school in terms of being more academically challenging, if money is not an issue, if you are willing to work extraordinarily hard, and if you understand that med school admission is not a given (even for top graduates from ivy league schools), then go to columbia.
personally, i would go with the combined program at miami, and then try to land a residency at columbia univ.
i'm sure that what ever you decide, you will be happy and successful! good luck!</p>

4

<p>i would seriously think it over these next two days willyshakes, and if you still come to the same conclusion that you're willing to work hard to get into med school and u think u'd be a better fit at columbia, and you talk it over with your rents (esp. since they'd be shelling out a lot more money for columbia), then perhaps consider accepting columbia</p>

5

<p>I agree with qtpie...I gave up my dream school, Duke, for the penn state/jefferson program. But it's not like I can't ever be at Duke. I will definitely try for residency there. I would stick with the med program.</p>

6

<p>I'd also advise sticking with the med program. Even though you're not sure about the intellectual atmosphere about Miami, I'm a firm believer that you'll be able to find people like you wherever you go...there are always going to be people who turned down top universities for full-rides or special programs at a university like UM. Though Columbia would certainly offer a different experience, consider whether that experience would be overshadowed by stress about getting into medical school- I personally think it would. Along with more intellectual students comes more intense competition. Then there's the issue of money- $200,000 is a huge- HUGE- amount of money. You didn't get any financial aid from the university? Considering that you're going to go into at probably $150,000 more debt after med school, that raises your total debt to around $350,000...are you really willing to accept that in order to have an experience that may or may not be better than UM's? </p>

<p>In the end, you have to go with what you're comfortable with. If after all those above factors, you still want in your heart to go to Columbia, nothing will change that, and maybe it's better if you do go there. Then there's always the option of going to UM for a year and trying to transfer if you really don't like it.</p>

<p>Good luck- I know you'll make the right decision :)</p>

7

<p>First, let me say that I can fully relate to your concerns about enrolling at a college that is intellectually challenging and being in an environment where you have other students of your calibre and academic focus.</p>

<p>Having said this, I would suggest that you stick with Miami's program. My rationale for suggesting this is really quite simple. You struggled with whether to go with Columbia vs Miami and finally decided to go with the latter. Absent some significant new factor that would argue for the former, I generally don't like second guessing a decision that I made. You were aware of the different academic environments at Columbia and Miami before you chose the latter so an extention of the deadline by Columbia should not be the basis for now changing your mind. I assume that your original decision to go to Miami was one that you made on your own without feeling pressured to go that route.</p>

<p>If going to Columbia would mean that you or your parents are going to be in debt to the tune of $200K, by the time you finish med school, that would be yet another reason to adhere to your original decision.</p>

<p>About the only other reason to now change your mind is if you genuinely feel that you would be miserable at Miami. Given that you will be spending several years at Miami, it would be the worst of all worlds if you were unhappy there. You would need to ask yourself what you are aware of about Miami today that you were not aware of when you made your original decision.</p>

<p>Quite frankly, when one is confronted with several excellent options it makes the final choice very difficult. I know this from personal experience.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>