Is it worth taking the Presidential Scholarship at Rutgers vs paying 65K at Georgetown for pre med studies?
It really depends on so many factors. Can your family afford the difference. Will they take out the loans necessary if funds aren’t available?.
Gtown is wonderful but so is Rutgers. With med school being a data driven admission process you can do equally well at either. Is you goal to become a doctor or a doctor from a particular undergrad school.
If you were talking about a flagship with no med school connections or rigor that’s one thing. But Rutgers has both.
I think the Rutgers Honors College with smaller classes and newer dorm, priority class scheduling is hard to pass up. But my thinking is middle class perspective. Would Georgetown tuition be a hardship? Did you attend RU last weekend on the warm, sunny day?
MD2026,
Congrats on your college acceptances. Choosing between colleges can be tough.
Here’s my advice:
- Focus more on college than medical school. Career plans can and often do change in college. This is especially true for pre-med students.
- Don't consider the college investment you will make without also factoring the return you will receive. That return is not limited to the graduate school you attend. It will also include the quality of your college experience.
- Don't obsess over college prestige or completely disregard it. It is unimportant for some things but can be significant for others such as the quality of your first job.
- Don't rely upon transferring to Georgetown if you decide to attend Rutgers. The fact that Georgetown admitted you as a freshman does not guarantee it will admit you as a sophomore or junior.
- Be sensitive to your parents' financial concerns. Parents who don't want to disappoint their children often say yes when they really want to say no.
Good luck!
@privatebanker: My goal is to become a doctor regardless of school. My worry is how my resume and stats can be competitive in med school. I understand how hard it is to get in med school. I know a lot of premed from RU
who didn’t pursue med school because they were not accepted. That’s my worry. Assuming the same GPA & MCAT, will an undergrad from GU do better in med school acceptance than an undergrad from RU? My parents will be able to afford GU but that will drain their savings and possibly take some from their retirement money. They want to retire in 2-3 years.
@3sonsmom : Yes, I attended the ASD at Rutgers on 4/14 but was disappointed. We had to take 2 buses from Campus Ave to finally get to our destination. Lots of guides (student ambassadors) who are just as confused as an incoming freshman.
@espenser : Thank you for taking the time to post your advice. Very helpful!
@MD2026 I was with one twin and he was rattled by the packed bus (third ride) at the hottest part of the day. But the student ambassadors I spoke with were helpful. At the dorm tour I started a “no air?!” round of questions but they all handled things. He also sat in on a mock class at the Academic building. Our oldest is a RU graduate, I like the big campus and activity on College Ave but looks like the twins are choosing their other finalist!
I do not know Rutgers process for pre health advising or if they have a formal committee process. Gtown assuredly does. If you have the same mcats gpa experience and recommendations at Rutgers it will not matter. Research opportunities gpa mcats and other activities are the most important. Rutgers is state flagship research uni not a community college. It will have equal weight. But the committees and access to research are very important. Thr committees usually will try to guide you and prevent a lot of denials by suggesting a few years of work experience to bolster your application.
I recently heard the average age for medical school first years is now 26. Indicating that many are not trying to apply while a jr or sr. That can be tough to study for hard courses and prepare for mcat. I was also told that a third apply jr year a third apply after grad and a third apply a few years after that. And better results from the last group.
You can certainly get all of this at an elite school like Georgetown. But if the finances make the decision more palatable for Rutgers all of the same opportunity is open to you.