<p>I was admitted to UChicago with substantial financial aid and Boston University with financial aid and a $20,000/year scholarship. I am leaning towards the University of Chicago, but I am unsure if I will be able to afford the school after my older sister finishes college and my financial aid increases. </p>
<p>I'm also worried about my future graduate school acceptance. If I attend Boston University, I will be in the honors program and the top of the freshman class (based on my test scores and GPA). However, if I attend UChicago, I will be in the middle/bottom half of the class. I have head rumors about grade deflation at UChicago and am considering medical school, so I am having a hard time deciding whether or not to attend.</p>
<p>It depends what kind of student you are. Do you want to be comfortable at BU, or challenged at UChicago?</p>
<p>Medical school admissions know how difficult UChicago is and will not simply discount that fact if they see you have a slightly lower GPA.</p>
<p>It also depends on how much strain going to UChicago will be for your family, financially. If it’s manageable, I would choose UChicago. The undergraduate experience you’ll get there is far beyond that which you could get at BU.</p>
<p>UChicago is indeed a better place in terms of peer group, faculty quality, and brand value for continuing education at the graduate level. In my opinion, UChicago will provide you with the best of opportunities, even in the job market. Now, the sole consideration will be the extra funding required. It is a call you and your family will have to take. </p>
<p>Okay, I know my post will be against popular opinion, but I suggest you go to BU. Med schools care about three things (in no particular order):</p>
<ol>
<li>Undergraduate GPA.</li>
<li>The applicant meets all prerequiste requirements such as biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, etc…</li>
<li>MCAT scores.</li>
</ol>
<p>I know students at Harvard Medical School who went to Arizona State for undergraduate studies, which many consider a “joke” school. Medical school could care less about where you went for undergraduate studies; they generally put more weight on what I listed above. </p>
<p>So, if I’m in your position, I would choose BU, because well it would be easier to maintain a higher GPA than at Chicago. Also, you would have a lot more time to study for the MCAT, one of the most important factors in medical school admissions. </p>
<p>Also, you have 20K to go to BU, take the money, and don’t look back.</p>
<p>I would definitely go with University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I think a medical school knows that a kid in the middle of his class at UC may be just as good, or better, than a kid at the top of his class at BU.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago is the major leagues. You should push yourself to reach your full potential.</p>
<p>Additionally, at 17 or 18, are you 100 percent sure you’ll attend medical school? Tons of undergraduates change their minds and UChicago’s overall well-roundedness will certainly serve as a safer option.</p>
<p>There is some validity in this statement but NOT in the way you intended.</p>
<p>Note that all the money issue was U Chicago vs. public in state college tuition OR, U Chicago vs. schools that are NOT U Chicago’s peer that gave MERIT scholarship. Boston U IS NOT U Chicago’s peer by any wildest stretch of imagination. And, also these cases were the cases for students with borderline need based fin aid eligibility. If you come from a household with, say, less than $60k income, we won’t have this discussion.</p>
<p>For these two cases, you can substitute ALL tippy top elite colleges that do NOT give merit scholars with U Chicago, and you will still have the same issue. </p>
<p>Note that tippy top elite colleges do NOT give merit scholarship. In that regard, U CHicago is an exception: it does give out a very small number of merit scholarship and that’s because some anonymous donor gave the college a lot of money ear marked as merit scholarship.</p>
<p>That said, it does appear that U Chicago’s NEED based fin aid could improve vis a vis it’s peers such as U Penn, Columbia, MIT etc. If you limit your point to these cases, then you are right.</p>