<p>So... I'm trying to decide between Rice U, U Minnesota-Twin Cities and U Wisconsin-Madison for pre-med as a transfer (my major will either be chemistry, biochem or biology for each school, respectively). Which one of these should I choose? I really like the Rice atmosphere, however I'm scared about the financial aid. My EFC is 0, I live on my own and would have to pay everything out of my own pockets, which are not very deep. U Minnesota is the cheapest out of these schools, so I may have to go there instead. </p>
<p>So basically my question is: Do you think Rice University would be worth the loans I may potentially have to acquire in order to go there, or should I just go with one of the cheaper Universities (U-Minnesota, U Wisconsin)?</p>
<p>Rice has very good financial aid - and if you have been accepted and have an EFC of zero your costs should be minimal. Have you seen your financial aid package yet?</p>
<p>Nope, no financial aid package as of yet. According to their website, they award financial aid for transfers on June 1st. Which is the cause of my anxiety, since I will have to pay a $400 deposit by May 11th without even knowing if I can afford this school. So I have to really be sure its where I want to go. </p>
<p>I’m really hoping their financial aid is as good as their website claims! :D</p>
<p>Tough one. Assuming you get financial aid (real aid – not loans) that makes Rice less expensive, go for it. It’s a wonderful school. But if you can’t take the chance that you won’t, Wisconsin and Minnesota are both great universities that are screaming bargains compared to Rice, even if you aren’t a resident. You want to be comfortable with the school you attend, but from a purely academic standpoint you certainly would be at no disadvantage at either Wisconsin or Minnesota compared to Rice in the sciences you mentioned. I don’t know how pre-med placement compares at the three schools, but Wisconsin and Minnesota have their own schools of medicine, and you may want to consider that too.</p>
<p>Meowsh, if you send the financial aid office an email and ask for your aid package sooner, they’ll send it to you. I got mine the day after they offered me admission. Consequently, I am transferring out of UW-Madison. Or trying to. Rice only offered me $750/semester, so I will probably be forced to stay here. My advice to you though is to go to Rice. If your EFC is 0, you should have no problems with financial aid. :)</p>
<p>@jym626:
I’m out of state for all of the above. I wasn’t interested in any Florida schools :P</p>
<p>@ambushey:
Thanks for the advice, I’ll give the Rice Financial Aid Office a call tomorrow. But wow, $750 per semester, that’s harsh. I’m very sorry to hear that.
Also, If you dont mind my asking, why do you want to transfer out of Wisconsin-Madison?</p>
<p>And thank you all for the comments, they’ve been very helpful. I think it’s pretty likely that I’ll be confirming for Rice, even if they don’t reveal my financial aid package before the confirmation deadline.</p>
<p>The $750/semester is, unless things have changed, the minimum National Merit scholarship. So if the OP is a NMS and puts Rice as first choice (hurry-- deadline looming if it hasnt already passed) the NMS money is added to the FA package and is income-based.</p>
<p>“Also, If you dont mind my asking, why do you want to transfer out of Wisconsin-Madison?”</p>
<p>There are a number of reasons, and a lot of them won’t affect everybody. Class sizes became a big issue (all of mine were 300+ each semester), and I felt like I was missing out on a close relationship with my professors. The other major issue for me was the campus atmosphere. I was hoping to go to a school where most of the students were as driven as I was. I’m sure there are students at Madison that are dedicated; it’s just that the general feel of the school doesn’t seem to be geared towards academics as much as I would like. Again, I’d like to reiterate that this isn’t how all students feel. It’s all about personal preference.</p>
<p>@jym626: I thought transfer students couldn’t receive merit scholarships from Rice? Maybe I read something wrong.</p>