Hello, so I know I have a ton of time but I was just looking for opinions. I’ll Be going for pre-Med so both schools are fine even but I’ll put my pros and cons below:
Ohio State:
Pros:
-Closer to home (3 hours). I really want my extended family to be able to come to visit and come to football games.
-Higher ranked and better for what I want to study. I really like international studies and neuroscience. The IS major i like better at OSU and they also offer a major or minor in neuroscience.
-I like the snow.
-I LOvE the social scene and the city that is nearby.
-I really like the campus and the school spirit.
-i feel like my personality fits better here.
-I like that they have nice, traditional dorms
Cons:
-About $4,000 more a year than Alabama but my family can afford.
-The weather in Alabama is nice lol.
-I never had that “this is where I need to go feeling.”
Alabama
Pros:
-cheaper
-really nice campus
-Everyone is so nice
-I am in a group chat with people also potentially going to Bama next year and I already feel like I found friends whether or no they we stay together for four years.
-My mom loved it(not that this matters so much, she also really likes OSU but she can’t shut up about Bama)
Cons:
-far from home
-I don’t like that first year you can either pay a ton for really nice suites or go to crappy traditional styles.
-I know this shouldn’t keep me from going, but Greek life is massive and I think it would be fun to join but I think is no expensive and it seems like everyone wants to join.
-Not as highly regarded academically if i decide not to do medicine.
-Columbus>>>>Tuscaloosa.
I can see myself more at Ohio State but I am not necessarily saying that’s where I would rather go!
*Let me know if there isn’t something else I should consider. And please help!
So no matter where I go, I will be taking out atleast $5,000 a year in loans so that I can get the “full college experience.” Ahah. I’m getting about $20,000 a year from my parents and Ohio state would cost about $14,000 while Ua costs about $10,000.
@SouthFloridaMom9 I’m also considering UF but I don’t think I’ll get in and I don’t Know if I would go there.
Two important things to consider as a pre-med student…
Undergraduate GPA is extremely important. You might want to consider the school where you are academically stronger relative to your peers.
You’ll need plenty of money for medical school. The more money you save now, the more money you’ll have for med school.
Ohio State certainly ranks higher than Alabama, but its more expensive and may be slightly more academically challenging - JMO. In any case, two great choices. Good luck!
@STEM2017 for your #2, I know I should pay more attention to finances. One school that I kind of crossed off my list (usf) would not be about $1500 a year in tuition + the honors college but my parents and I kind of decided that’d not the best choice for me. I am also an instate Florida resident so uf and fsu would be about $7,000 tuition. I just haven’t been able to see fsu and don’t think I will. I do however think I am more responsible financially than a lot of people my age and my parents have told me time and time again that if Phio State is where I want to go, do it because we can afford it.
I have thought about #1 a lot and I probably would do better at UA(nothing bad against UA) but I am willing to work hard and will and don’t want to make my decision based off where I may be able to get a dlghkty higher gpa.
@STEM2017 probably because I like Uf a lot but their admissions is so sporadic and I don’t want to count on getting in. Also, what I don’t like about Alabama is very similar to what I don’t like about UF.
Now that I think about it, pre-med might be more advantageous at UA (somehow I skimmed the pre-med part).
If our son was going to take out loans, we would absolutely go to the less expensive school, so long as it was still generally a good, accredited school and we didn’t blow through alot of $$ on travel expenses.
Pre-med at UF is going to be competitive, I do know that. My son’s STEM classes are tough weed-outs, and he’s a good student in CS. We have a friend whose son was pre-med at UF and then UF med school. Outstanding student. Still a tough road.
@SouthFloridaMom9 you make good points. I know pre med at UF is very cutthroat competitive. I will have to think about money and maybe I will get more from ua when they send out their scholarships in March.
Just something to consider since you come from Florida. While the snow may not be an issue (even a positive) what do you think of days upon days of cloudy, gray weather? The fall and the spring can be beautiful but we still get much less sun than you are used to. It will probably seem pretty dreary compared to Florida. Columbus OH averages about 22 inches of snow a year. Usually they come in 1-3" snowfalls that can be pretty for a short period of time but quickly just becomes dirty and brown. OSU is a great university and as others have said you have some great choices.
If your parents are willing to pay the $4K difference between OSU and UA, why don’t you see if you could avoid the $5K loan every year and go to UA. I would not want to come out of UG with $16K in loans and be going to med school. Both schools are great and I am sure you would enjoy both. OSU obviously is higher ranked, but in the end your MCAT’s and GPA matter the most.
^^so true. I went to school in the Midwest, and my son didn’t apply to any Midwestern schools. None. Maybe that was dumb on our part but we just knew he would hate the winters having grown up in Florida. He’s never been into snowboarding, skiing, any of that stuff (when we’ve gone on vacation).
@lvvcsf I live in PA so I am used to snow. I have Florida residency but have lived in Pa my whole life. I also want to be able to ski.
@jeepgirl you’re right I don’t want many loans either. My parents and I have been talking about college since sophomore year and I just don’t want a comparatively small loan to be my deciding factor.