Hi pals! I have already posted something similar but I now have gathered some more concrete information and I am wondering if it changes anybody’s perspective. I am deciding between UGA and Tulane. I would love to be a pediatrician (maybe special needs) or ob/gyn by the end of this. I absolutely love Tulane (campus life and vibez) but it’s a good bit more expensive. UGA would end up costing about 21k and Tulane would be about 44k. I know this is a big cost difference and that is obviously a drawback but I’m wondering if Tulane would be worth it due to their proximity to more hospitals, better advising, prestige, and programs like TEMS (you work as an EMS on campus) and Creative Premedical scholars. I plan to study something in the school of liberal arts and maybe minor in public health at either school. UGA also has a minor in disability studies that seems super interesting to me. I am a bit hesitant to commit to UGA because I know so many people going, I was hoping to go out of state, they only have 2 advisors for the whole school, and it’s not as prestigious which makes me worried that I would end up going to Medical school in Augusta (nothing wrong with that I’d just like to go somewhere a bit more prestigious because I think it might open up more doors later on.) I am also worried that it would be harder to get clinical experience on my resume in Athens as opposed to New Orleans. So is Tulane worth the money, or are my concerns unwarranted? I’d love any advice and I’d especially like to hear people who either attend or have graduated from either school. Thanks!
The $92k difference could help you reduce the amount of debt you need to take for $400k medical school.
Also, all medical schools are reach for admissions. Be glad if you get into one medical school, since most pre-meds who apply get into none. Getting into a medical school that is lower cost (probably in-state public) or more prestigious (however you define that) would be an unlikely bonus beyond that.
Tulane has the creative scholars and pathways to medicine programs (too late I believe for the accelerated physician training program). Are finances an issue for you/ your family?
My DS completed all the courses to pursue the creative scholars med school process, but decided after taking anatomy and physiology at Tulane (complete with a cadaver lab) that he didn’t want to be a physician, so changed his major to Chem E. So keep that in mind too. You may change your mind about medicine.
Tulane! Congrats
And in GA there is this option besides MCG for an MD option https://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/
@jym626 My dad is running the numbers today. We could make Tulane work but it would be a stretch and I would likely not have a lot of extra funds. If I changed my mind or didn’t get into the programs I wanted to at Tulane I would have to transfer after my sophomore year but at least I would have had the opportunity to shoot my shot there.
It seems you have your heart set on Tulane.
All that said, you would save a lot of money going to UGA, and medical school is extremely expensive. And you’ve got several choices for medical school, including Mercer which has a focus on primary care and only accepts GA residents.
@oldlaw It was my dream school when I toured… but considering the cost difference I’ve been trying to shift my sights towards UGA especially since I haven’t had anyone except TU reps say that Tulane would be worth the money in terms of advantages for med school.
@coronakid - These are personal/family choices. If money is no object, your choice is pretty clear. For our family, we told the kids we’d cover the cost of undergrad but if they went on to professional school, if it wasn’t a funded program, they were financially on their own. There are ways to fund things like med school with loan forgiveness or public service programs, and some hospital or large group employers in some cases have helped new hires repay med school loans.
$44k can be a lot for college, but it sounds like you got a sweet scholarship from Tulane. TEMS is a great opportunity, and I know stuents current;ly participaating in the program. A student many years ago was at Tuland during Katrina, worked with TEMS (might have even been the manager, I don’t recall) stayed in NOLA to help with transport/ hospitalized patients and ultimately got a large sweet scholarship to med school.
There are other intangibles. Did you get in to the Honors College at UGA? If not, you won’t get priority registration and you might get shut out of classes you want. Do you want to be at a mid sized school or a large school? For us, neither of my s’s wanted a large school, and even though we are also instate for UGA, we visited but neither applied. Are you the type of student who will go out of your way to get to know faculty, seek out research opporunities, look into getting a research opportunity in a faculty lab? What do you want to major in? Is is a program that is an auto admit, or do you have to apply after sophomore year to get in (as some do at UGA).
These are all things to consider IF you can afford either school. In today’s financial climate, that can be a big IF. So sit down and have this discussion with your parents. Do you have other siblings who will be attending college and for whom your parents have to budget? Are there other expenses, like helping out an elderly parent?
As I mentioned, one of my s’s (and his now wife) went to Tulane. I asked them , looking back, what they thought about their choice. They both loved their years there, loved the city and the vibe, made great friends, and got a great education. Both are well employed in their fields. Their one comment… though they loved their experience, they both said “don’t go into debt for a Tulane education”.
Good luck- let us kow what you decide.
We decided UGA was the best choice for us financially and will allow me to save up for med school while getting a great education. I am the type of person to reach out to people if I need to and I think I will be able to make UGA work.