Please help me! I'm going crazy....

Parents Forum
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<p>Willy: no specific advice, of whihc you alresdy have plenty, excet to renforce what Carolyn posted anbout relyng on opnionos of strangers.
Here are two pieces of information that may help make your decision easier.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>According to Dr. Sedrish, the moderator of the CC medical school board, all US medical schools are of good quality. But don't take my word for it; check his top post on that board for general information on medical schools.</p></li>
<li><p>Miami has just announced plans to build a huge new biotech research center adjacent the campus. Don't know how long it will take to become a reality, but work is expected to start very soon.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck, whichever you choose.</p>

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<p>Willy - well, i guess i would call Columbia admissions and say it's about the money and see what happens... if nothing, hey it didn't hurt to ask!</p>

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<p>Another tidbit: The U of Miami medical school just received a $100 MILLION donation that will go towards enhancing medical education:
<a href="http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=90000023%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=90000023&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Of course, the Columbia Medical Center is nothing to sneeze at either. Have you looked into the opportunities for undergrad research at both schools?</p>

<p>And, no one has yet asked this: how do you feel about Columbia's Core requirements?</p>

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<p>As for bugs, NYC is not exactly a cockroach free zone. :)</p>

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<p>Miami....200K in debt is a big issue when you are just starting out in life. As for the intellectualism on campus, as others have posted, there are other motivated, bright, intellectual students on canpus...they exist on about every campus. One of the questions only you can answer is "why do you want to go to Columbia?" Is it the name attraction, the cache of it's competitive entrance, the environment (NYC), or was there some other overwhelming quality about Columbia that drew you to it? If it's just the element of compeitive school and the name, 200K may be a lot to pay for that. More importantly, I think those who are advising you about the benefit of having already placed yourself in a med school track/program at Miami are really hitting the point. If you want to be a doctor, isn't the Miami program the surest way to achieve that? So, you can get where you want to be (medicine) with less indebtedness....sounds good to me.</p>

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<p>My D had a friend at Columbia who transfered after a year (or was seriously considering transferring - I can't remember which.) She didn't like the core, the campus, the social life, etc. There will be many bright students at Miami - start off at Miami, and if you really don't like it, transfer.</p>

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<p>Carolyn, LOL!! Go, roach motels!</p>

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<p>All throughout college, my sister had to sleep with the lights in at her apartment at Penn State...to keep the cockroaches away! (I guess they must only crawl out in the dark?)</p>

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<p>Hello again. I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to all your comments and suggestions. I just wanted to take a day to think everything over. It was very nice to come back and see all the wonderful advice that everyone gave me; I truly appreciate it. </p>

<p>So I decided to stick with my original decision and go with Miami. I love Columbia, but in the end I felt that the debt and stress would be too much. I'm a person who tends to get stressed out pretty easily, and though I like healthy competition, sometimes it becomes too much when I'm constantly thinking about maintaing a high GPA and staying ahead of the class, and doing a million ECs to build up a resume. I felt that at Columbia, despite the excellence of the academics, I would probably be very stressed, considering the high caliber of students and wondering whether I would get into med school afterwards or not. At Miami, these two factors would not be as prominent in affecting my studies; plus, if I don't like Miami's med school I can always apply out (though I lose my place at their med school, but I guess there's always a price to pay). Also, the stress level would be comparatively low considering that I don't have to build up a resume with unnecessary ECs that I don't enjoy, just to remain competitive. </p>

<p>Carolyn, I think it was you who asked me about the Core Curriculum and how I felt about it. I personally really like the idea of building a foundation in all areas of academics, and it was one of the reasons I applied to Columbia. However, I would have taken classes in all areas of the academic spectrum even if I wasn't compelled to because of requirements. I am a very humanities-oriented person; in fact I am thinking about majoring in either English or anthropology, and maybe Biology as a second major. I am still positive that I want to go into medicine, and I think that having the guarantee at Miami will allow me to explore other areas in the humanities to a greater degree. I was worried at first because Columbia has such a great rep in the humanities, however, in the end I didn't think it was a good idea to give up the med program. Also, like a few people said, the cost would be a pretty big burden. I was probably exaggerating it a bit when I said 200 grand, it would most likely be a little less, but I was just factoring in other extraneous costs as well that might come up over time.</p>

<p>Someone also commented about whether, if I had originally chosen Columbia and then Miami had sent me an email, I would have felt the same way (confused over whether to change my choice or not). Honestly, I don't know. But I think it is what another poster said about "buyer's remorse;" just second guessing myself and my original reasons for choosing the med program. Either way, I think in the end I would have stuck with my original choice. </p>

<p>Anyway, sorry this was soo long! I want to thank you all again for your help; your comments really made me realize that whatever decision I made would be fine, something I was apprehensive about. Well, I guess now only time will tell if I made the right choice!</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>~WillyShakes</p>

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<p>Willy, I know many of us have been biting our tongue to keep from telling a stranger what to do, but now that your decision is made, let me be the first to say that I think you have made a very wise choice.
All the best to you --- may you have a stethoscope around your neck, poetry in your heart, and a smile on your face for the rest of your life!
Carolyn</p>