<p>Hi! I am feeling extremely conflicted about my college decision. I am a National Merit Finalist, and as such I have been offered what amounts to a full ride at the University of Oklahoma (about 45k over four years on in-state tuition, a laptop stipend, study abroad stipend, and early enrollment privileges) and I have been offered $0.00 at Dartmouth. My parents have (reluctantly) said that they will pay the 62k a year to send me to Dartmouth. However, they have stipulated that that will be the end of any financial help they will be able to offer me, and I would have to find some way to pay for medical school myself. Of course, this is a scary idea, since my family is apparently unworthy of need-based aid, and if I am left to pay for medical school myself I am virtually guaranteed to dealing with at least $200k of debt. Additionally, in this situation I might be forced to return to a state school level for medical school simply to make it financially feasible. Obviously, OU and Dartmouth are not even comparable when considering the education I would get at one vs the other (#11 ranked by the Princeton review vs #101...). In addition, I have lived in Oklahoma all my life, and I really, really don't like it here. The culture can be very conservative and bible-belt, and while I am religious I am a good deal more liberal than most people in the area, but not as liberal as some (there seems to be quite a dichotomy here, with virtually no middle ground that I have seen). I would love to be part of a sorority in college, but I fear that as a studious type coming from a high school career in the marching band (although I promise you, I have seen the band geek stereotype, and I am truly not aligned with it), I would not fit in with the OU Greek life as I feel I might with the Dartmouth Greek life. In short, I feel as though I am having to choose between a great education, fitting in, and monster debt or an average education, a group of students I would find it difficult to relate to, and a debt-free life. I truly have no idea what to do, and frustrated conversations with my parents have not helped. Any and all insight or advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>If you got into Dartmouth you should do very well at OU, so there should be med school options available after OU, so the debt does not seem worth it. But if you think you might change your mind about premed, then a Dartmouth degree will open far more doors for you than an OU degree. So you need to consider whether you might change your mind about med school.</p>
<p>As a Dartmouth ‘16, I hate to recommend anywhere but where I am going, but I think it would make sense, given your situation, to go to OU. Your parents would be happy and willing to support you at essentially the med school of your choice (given your caliber, as you got into Dartmouth). If you really dislike OU, chances are you could graduate early and spend a semester or year abroad. Bottom line is that no education should cost $248,000+ out of your parents’ pockets. You could cut down on 10 years plus of debt and unnecessary stress later in life by having your parents help you through med school. OU has some fantastic opportunities and is still a good school. Sorry you have such a predicament and I hope this helps (even minimally).</p>
<p>If I understand correctly, your parents have a 250K ceiling that they are willing to spend on undergrad or med school. cmarmon ^ had a good point; I’ll follow up on it anecdotally. I started out a pre-med/math major. Organic Chem took care of my pre-med aspirations. Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (don’t ask) persuaded me that I was not meant to be a theoretical mathematician. I ended up majoring in Behavorial/Skinnerian Psych and went to law school. You just can’t tell where your interests are going to lead you. Bottom line: I’d go to Dartmouth and worry later about where the money for med school will come from. My only caveat is how reluctant your parents will be about the 62K (really?) a year. In an ideal world, you should all be happy about your choice.</p>
<p>I am quite certain I will go to medical school. However, I am concerned about how difficult it is to get into top-tier medical schools from a place like OU. I was certainly not a shoo-in for Dartmouth, and I was rejected from some other top tier schools (although I was also admitted to northwestern- no aid there, either). I feel this may be my one shot for a really great school and I fear that if I choose OU for undergrad I will struggle to get out of oklahoma in the future.</p>
<p>Talk to an admissions officer and find out the steps to transfer to Dartmouth(how difficult it would be for a student like you) if you were to decline acceptance. If you’re convinced that it might be a possiblity to transfer I would give OU a year or two. While you haven’t had a good time in OK(socially? high school?), most college campuses are a bit different from your average teen/high school experience. I’m sure you’ll find more than a handful of like-minded students and find your niche and you may end up having a great experience. If you don’t end up fitting in, then transfer(again, if possible). At least you will have saved 120K AND investigated the OU option.</p>
<p>I can’t help but cringe at the reality of paying any school full price for 4 years. 240k is a heck of alot and tacking on med school loans on top of that, that’s a lot of future stress you’re looking at. Are there any merit scholarships that you qualify for? Have you applied to any? Cutting into any of that pricetag would be more appealing.</p>
<p>I get it, Dartmouth is more appealing than OU but there have been wouldbe-doctors that have rolled out of OU and into med school and if you could personally exit med school pretty much debt free why wouldn’t you? Ask yourself if this whole dilemma is about a certain medschool that you covet. If you feel that a degree from an Ivy med school or a top LAC med school is what you really want then, yes, Dartmouth is an easier path, opportunity-wise, but financially speaking it’s the far rougher road. </p>
<p>So the question is: Is 4 years of potential happiness at Dartmouth worth 10+ years of potential misery chipping away at debt?</p>
<p>That truly is the question you have to ask. Hopefully your parents are truly able to pay for Dartmouth. If they can; it’s not going to be putting them into financial danger, then yes, it is a viable choice,and I would probably take it. Who knows if you’ll end up in medical school anyways? Most who go there borrow, and when you start applying OU is going to look awfully as an option even coming from Dartmouth. Friends of ours include a MD with a Dartmouth undergrad, who ended up with only one med school acceptance and it was to his home state school. He was more than happy to take it. Med school admissions is a whole other thing. You;ll be in good company with med school borrowers.</p>
<p>I want to add this–I do stress that you look carefully at your family’s financial situation. A lot of kids are so insensitive to what their families are undergoing. If they truly are going to pay you that set amount, whether through college or med school, then you are fine to take it for when you want it. But make sure there are not financial strains that are in the picture that they are not sharing with you.</p>
<p>You’ve gotten good advice here already on both sides. I just want to say that “worthiness” has nothing to do with need-based aid. It is a strictly financial equation. </p>
<p>I also think you should consider a few more points.</p>
<p>I am far from a financial aid expert. But consider this: if your family income is in excess of, say, $200K, with no other kids in college and reasonable savings in place, you may not be likely to get FA anywhere. On the other hand, if your family income is lower than $100K and your parents own a business, the situation may be more complicated, and you might benefit from an appeal. Never discount the possibility of an appeal.</p>
<p>Something else to consider is whether your parents will, if the day comes, actually be willing and/or able to help you pay for med school. If they already have $X socked away in a college fund and there is no possibility that they will need to draw on that money because of changes in circumstance such as health issues and/or job loss, that is one thing. But that is not necessarily the case.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is your siblings, if you have any. Would $60K+ for Dartmouth drain the family resources so that there would be little or no choice left for them? There is also the possibility that if you eventually have siblings in college at the same time that either you or they will be awarded some need-based aid.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse is right about really looking at your family’s financial situation. For some families, the difference between OU and D would mean forgoing a cruise or two. For others, it would mean real sacrifice, significant debt, etc.</p>
<p>Graduating from Dartmouth will not give you an overwhelming advantage over OU because the holistic approach and geographical diversity in admissions is seen at medical admissions as well. Otherwise the top medicals schools would be full of NE college grads. If you are a top student at OU while doing research at an academic hospital, a semester overseas, and volunteer at a low income/homeless shelter it will make you a stellar candidate for any top medical school. Having the financial means to pay for grad school will also make it easier to take advantage of all the opportunities offered during medical school and continue to residency without being stressed of the pitiful resident salary.</p>
<p>This is from AAMC re medical school applicants/matriculants per undergrad institution
<a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/161128/data/table1.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/161128/data/table1.pdf</a></p>
<p>Some information on what is important to get admitted to medical school.</p>
<p>[Medical</a> School Admissions](<a href=“http://www.medical-school-insider.com/medical-school-admissions.html]Medical”>Medical School Admissions - Everything You Need to Know)</p>
<p>BTW, I used to work for an MD who was at the admissions cmt both for residency and med school at one ivy medi school. The first think he did on how he evaluated the applicants was to put on the bottom any application that had spelling mistakes!The interview was extremely important (that’s why at top academic hospitals even for a job application they make you go through personal interviews with various people at the dept, and dinner/breakfast with the candidate), research experience, not shadowing or being a hospital volunteer. They want solid bench research experience. That’s what brings money to hospitals/universities and that is what differentiated top candidates from others. And of course the MCAT score.</p>