<p>I need to make a big decision on where to attend college. I eventually want to go to medical school. I have lived in Florida for one year and
was accepted at USF, UCF, UM, and UF...I liked the campus at UCF the best and I was also accepted to their honors college which makes the attending a large university ok. I did NOT like the huge size of UF (although I realize it is the best school in florida) Through UCF, there is a 7 year medical program guaranteeing admission into USF Medical School as long as the benchmarks are met...it sounds good, but I just don't know how I feel about having a degree from UCF and medical degree from USF and please don't get offended, but I feel as if I might be limiting myself by attending a state school. Both my parents are Ivy league graduates and my father attended georgetown medical. </p>
<p>I was accepted at Bryn Mawr and Smith College and am wondering if it is better to attend college there since they are more prestigious than UCF and then apply to medical school from there. I think it would give me a better chance of attending a more prestigious medical school?</p>
<p>I'm not sure. UCF is of course MUCH cheaper tuition wise....I did get some scholarships so attending Smith or Bryn Mawr will cost around $20K per year. What are your suggestions? </p>
<p>I guess it's because ivy league education is the norm in my family so I may feel like somewhat of a failure for attending UCF for college.......please no one get offended. I'm just confused and need a little guidance besides my parents telling me that smith and bryn mawr are no big deal and that I should have applied to ivies. ahh.</p>
<p>Well, FWIW, my husband attended an Ivy, and I attended an HBCU ( historically Black blah blah blah…).We both went to medical school. I paid off my loans long ago. My husband is still paying (and it’s been at least twenty years).</p>
<p>I think small woman’s LAC vs big state u is the real question.</p>
<p>From what I understand, if you are going to Med. school, you need to worry about GPA and MCAT score, not the name of your undergrad. That is what my D. is aiming for and saving $$ by going to state college where she has extremely challenging classes. She graduated #1 in her class and never applied to any prestigious / elite / ivy school, we figure there is no reason in her case to go for the name. By the way, she has guaranteed spot at Med. School in her program at state college.</p>
<p>I think you might try thinking in a larger sense. I can personally say that two of my siblings attended Bryn Mawr, both of whom went into finance after graduation before attending graduate school (one now in a Top 25 law school, the other in business school). I am very confident that Bryn Mawr helped them towards this path, not only in the sense of it’s name as a more prestigious LAC, but also just generally making them more critical, intelligent people. They weren’t like this before attending college, but they definitely grew a lot during that time and I’d venture to say that Bryn Mawr played a large role in that.</p>
<p>Also remember that many people go into college very certain they will pursue medicine, only to find another discipline, career, or interest that they find more enjoyable, OR alternatively realizing that their interest in medicine was more superficial than they thought. It’s a very natural thing to do, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket. </p>
<p>Thus, my suggestion would be to choose a place you think you’d enjoy being at the most. Take into account that a place like Bryn Mawr is a small, single sex community of 1200 students vs. a large state university with a much more active social life. Think about location, money, etc. I wouldn’t suggest basing your college decision on “where’s the best place to get into medical school from.” This should certainly be a consideration, but I’d implore you to weigh other things just as much.</p>
<p>And keep in mind that exploration of other interests could be pursuit in any place. D has 2 minors in addition to her major, as most pre-meds in her state college have at least one minor. And, yes, she mentioned that a good number of pre-meds have changed their major into totally different one (like English).</p>
<p>seeing how you said you got scholarships at bryn mawr and smith that would only make tuition 20k a year, i would definitely recommend going to one of those (I assume you like those schools better… if not then go to state school obviously). 20k is a great price for smith or bryn and if you like the feel of those schools, just go there! :)</p>