I have the tough choice of selecting three different schools for a Neuroscience major.
I received a full-tuition scholarship in UAB leaving me with just room and board which will amount to under 55K in 4 years
I have received scholarships at Oberlin and Reed also but the total for 4 years will be over 170K.
All of them are doable with some stretch with out budgets but UAB will be within what is already saved. I liked that the Neuroscience program is a joint program with medical school but do not care for UAB overall and it is in the south.
However I am struggling with having my family save and pay so much more but love the LAC concept and opportunities.
Can you help me decide? Is UAB on par with the others for Neuroscience? or the LACs that much better than UAB?
UAB is in the South (but in the city), Oberlin is in the North (semi boonies) and Reed out West. So what.
What’s the end goal? Is it med school?
Now, reputationally the other two are stronger although UAB has the medical facility.
More importantly, what do you hope to do with the degree and how will going to anywhere change your outcome which is likely either a low paid job or grad school?
That’s a huge savings.
I guess I would ask - if you’re so anti- UAB, then why did you apply?
Not sure your unweighted GPA - but there’s still time to get into U of Arizona and they have a neuro degree. If you have a 3.9 UW, it will be very cheap. If it’s 3.75, still cheap.
But you applied to UAB for a reason - and frankly, whether you go or not - it served its purpose. You can go for cheap.
I work for a living. I gotta tell you - $115K is a lot of $$.
UAB is certainly on par for neuro with oberlin and Reed. Obviously the college experience will be different. Why did you apply to UAB?
And it is a different experience at Reed vs Oberlin. Oberlin is more than double the size of Reed in terms of undergrads. Oberlin for all its reputation is not as liberal as Reed, and also has a sizable percentage of athletes whereas Reed has no intercollegiate sports.
Can your parents afford Reed and Oberlin without taking out loans?
Yes, it is a lot of money and that is what is making me think so much and hoping to hear opinions on the quality of the schools. Esp because while finances are an important factor, I am being asked to not think of it as the only factor.
The decision is on me and I want to make the right one where I can justify the money if I go to one of the LACs or justify the quality if I go to UAB.
School is largely what you make of it, no matter where you go.
I know you’re considering the MD/PhD path for funding, but there are some potential roadblocks. First, they’re more competitive to get into. Second, they’re more of a grind, and thus harder to get through. Third, they’re longer, delaying entry into the workforce. Lastly, most end up in less lucrative specialties.
If you spend all of your resources on undergrad, and either don’t get in or wash out of a MD/PhD, how will you complete your training?
Delete - just read @eyemgh last paragraph - that’s what i wrote. So ditto him - it’s a long term, not shot term investment decision and the longer term will cost more most likely.
If you plan a PhD and career in academia, remember that the path is long and the final pay is relatively low. Since it is in the sciences, grad school will be paid for and you will likely also receive a small stipend that covers a bare-bones lifestyle during the ~5-6 years you are getting your PhD. But it is unlikely you will ever be rich.
If you become an MD, the road is still long, the school tuition is very expensive, but the pay at the end is much better. Even for lower-paid specialties like neurology, the pay is much better than for PhDs. Even so, it is a burden to enter practice with $200,000 + loans to pay back.
MD/PhDs have the longest roads, and their pays are often in the middle, but closer to the MD pay than the PhD. Yes, the MD/PhD degree is “free” but the opportunity cost is high.This is a path you choose only if you love it so much you can’t imagine doing anything else.
In terms of location, yes UAB is Southern (which would not be my first preference) but Birmingham is a really cool town, so I would be OK with living there.
I will echo what the others have said about med school and grad school. But I am wondering: why neuro for undergrad? You can go to grad school or med school and study neuroscience with degrees in biology, biochemistry, or psych. Or even others, depending on your field of interest. Those degrees are are much more versatile should you change your mind about grad/med school, or what you want to study.