Hey!
I applied early decision to JHU this year and after looking at the financial aid calculator I’ll have to pay about 40,000$ a year! (My family’s Income is a little more than 100k but only my dad works) I going into pre med so I am stuck between sticking to my early application.
My family CAN afford it so I won’t be able to back out once they give the fin.aid package. I have two younger sisters and my dad said we can spend the saved money on JHU (…if I get in) but would like to see me go to Rutgers for pre-med.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?? I really just want to keep the application as early decision because I have a low chance of acceptance anyway.
Can you change your JHU application to Regular Decision? Then you are not in a binding contract and you can consider both options if you get admitted to both once you have your financial aid packages.
@NorthernMom61 Yes! I can change it to ED to RD (I emailed the office). Its just that I feel I have a ‘better’ chance to get accepted in the Early Round.
Well, you may be giving up a slight edge there, but at the same time you are honoring the requirements of the binding contract that is associated with ED, and you are being mature and realistic regarding the financial impact this potential binding contract on your family. That alone has to relieve some stress for you. If JHU is meant to be for you, it will happen RD. And for now you can try to relax about it.
It’s really hard because once I email them, I can’t undo my actions. Thank you so much @NorthernMom61 ! I think I am leaning more towards going to my state school (Rutgers).
You are right, these are really hard decisions. As a solid and mature student you can make either school work for you. It is an amazing opportunity to be able to go to college in the United States, to be able to afford it makes it even better.
There is no major advantage to attending JHU vs. Rutgers as a pre-med. On the contrary, you will be confronted by a lot of very ambitious, sharp-elbowed pre-meds at JHU with whom you will be competing for top grades. At Rutgers, which is less competitive, you have a better chance of getting the GPA you need for admission. Medical schools do not give additional weight to a JHU grad over a Rutgers grad if they have the same grades and MCAT scores and are otherwise comparable.
It is also very important to avoid going into debt as an undergrad if you are planning to attend medical school - it is wickedly expensive. I would therefore recommend that you go to RD with both JHU and Rutgers, compare the financial aid packages and make the decision in April.
The advice from @N’s Mom and @NorthernMom61 is solid. JHU is a great school and is the better choice if everything is equal. However, if it is going to cost you an additional $20-40k/year just for undergrad then listen to your gut feeling and consider Rutgers (a very fine school, BTW).