<p>So I was recently accepted to the schools listed above and am having trouble deciding where to go. I haven't really been to school in the last few years. From 2008 to 2012 I was being treated for cancer, so no school, and this last year I was in community college. I'm majoring in psychology and taking the pre med courses required.</p>
<p>I've been debating on all three, and I think Michigan is the best, at least my gut says so. But Loyola is offering me a 10k scholarship plus 5k in loans, which makes it very affordable. Plus I live only 15 minutes away. UNC, which is a far better school is only offering me a 5k loan and no scholarship which makes it only slight more. However, Michigan is only offering me a 5k loan, so that makes it the most expensive. When it comes to price, I'm more leaning towards UNC and Loyola, and Loyola offers me comfort of a familiar environment and my oncologist isn't that far away. Yet UNC and Michigan are far superior in my opinion. I always wanted to go to Michigan, as my dad went there and absolutely loved it, but it is very expensive. Any advice and help would be great. Oh and I'm also sober so I don't want a big party school.</p>
<p>There are homers everywhere you look, OP, so take our advice with the salt it deserves. You don’t say what your family can afford, nor how much cheaper Loyola would be than the other two. You’ve done very well to be accepted to all three, but this is about what’s best for the next leg of your life. There are good oncologists in Ann Arbor and Chapel Hill, and for any serious recurrence you can always get back home. You are in a situation in which many people find themselves at this time of year: choosing what they can afford or what they want. </p>
<p>You don’t say what you want to major in, although that isn’t always important, nor what your family can afford. Could you tell us that, please?</p>
<p>Like stated above, my major is in psychology and I’m going to be taking pre med courses as well. As far as what my family can afford, they can maybe give 20k a year, which is quite a bit, but if I get into medical school, they won’t be able to help that much. Loyola tuition is about $35,000, and I would get a $10,000 scholarship plus a $5500 loan. Both Michigan and UNC are only offering me $5000 in loans. </p>
<p>The main reason I am considering Loyola is the cost and the location, but like you said above, I want Michigan and UNC more. Loyola is just offering me more aid. My parents said they would support any decision, and my dad feels Michigan is the place to go, but my mom is encouraging me to stay here and go to Loyola because ever since I got sick, she has been very overprotective. You described it perfectly, choosing what I can afford or what I want</p>
<p>Are there any more options besides these three? They all sound expensive given that your parents can only pay $20,000. Loyola sounds like the only one that is financially doable from what you’re describing. Are there state schools in your own state that you were also accepted to that would bring your cost down more to the $20,000 total range? If you’re planning on med school , you need to be minimizing undergrad cost and debt. So sorry you have been dealing with health issues for so long. </p>
<p>Thanks, and honestly, I’m used to all of the hospital visits and treatments, it still sucks, but I know what to do to handle it. As far as schools in my state, my oncologist is helping me with picking schools, and he discouraged me from going to U of I or UIC. He said Michigan or UNC, and I also applied to Northwestern and Stanford. I’m still waiting on those two, but if I get into those, my uncle said he’d help out, but I’m sure he’d help out any way. As for medical school, if I can get into Rush, I would qualify for a scholarship which would almost pay for the entire thing, so I’m working towards that right now. </p>
<p>It could be that your oncologist knows as much about colleges as most adults of college-age kids, i.e., not much. He’s right that UNC and UMich are preferable schools, but he doesn’t take into consideration cost to your family and that is the key factor for most families. If you’ve been accepted to your state flagship, UI?, and that would certainly be cheaper than UMich or UNC, think about going there. Whether Illinois or Iowa or Indiana, they are all good schools and will serve you well in preparing you for med school. Did you get into UIUC? did they give you any aid?</p>
<p>Can you give us
(tuition+ R&B) - (grants+scholarships) = ?
for UNC and UMich?</p>
<p>So far we have budget = $20,000 and Loyola = 35K, no R&B because you would commute
so (35k +0) (10k) = 25k
with 20k budget and 5k loan = Loyola doable.</p>
<p>But we dont have the numbers for the other two schools, which we would need to perform a good cost/benefit analysis.
In particular, I don’t understand
<p>My aunt and uncle will cover room and board for me wherever I go. My parents can afford 20k at the moment, but if they sell there house then they can cover everything. So the most important thing for me and for them is the quality of the education and where would I be better off (both academically and socially, I am sober so I don’t want to go to a BIG party school). The second is cost, I don’t want to overpay for an education, but at the same time, my parents are going to cover the loans as long as they think its reasonable. I’m leaning more towards Michigan at the moment because I have family there and they are willing to work with me on some financial aspects given that I burned through my college fund on cancer treatments and other related things</p>
<p>Once again, biased and bad advice from a Michigan hater. In your case I would honestly pick Loyola, followed by Michigan. The main reason is your health history. You do not want to be too far away from family in your current situation. Close by support should be your number one priority at this point. UNC is just too far away from your home base to offer that. Best of luck to you whatever you decide. Please stay well!</p>
<p>I would pick UNC. Both have worldclass academics and a great college town, but Michigan is too expensive. It’s not worth that amount of loans. UNC even has better weather.</p>
<p>Normally I would also recommend UNC for the value inlvolved, however not with the current situation of the OP. I think all of you who are recommending UNC as “a clear choice” are not taking into account the very important circumstances that the OP is enduring. </p>
UNC even has better weather.</p>