I was admitted to both UMass Amherst and Penn state University Park. I am out of state for both. Both are great schools and as a result it’s been tough to decide which one would be better for me.
I was accepted into the Commonwealth honors college at UMass and was offered a $14,000 scholarship and $5,500 in aid. This will bring the cost down to around $32,000.
Penn state offered me no merit. I did receive $5,500 in financial aid and after the aid the cost would be around $42,000.
I would be majoring in biochemistry at both schools. I heard that the undergraduate research opportunities given at Penn state are great and I love the spirit the students there have. However I do not know much about UMass yet in terms of research and potential internship opportunities. I will be visiting UMass in April and hope to learn more. Please share any information about either of these schools that would be helpful for me to consider. Thank you!
I do plan on applying to medical school. I’m from New York. SUNY Binghamton is a school I’m considering in NY and the cost is around $28,000. I didn’t apply to Pitt or Temple.
Penn State. = $168,000
UMass-A = $128,000
SUNY-B = $112,000
How much debt does each one leave you with? All three schools will give you everything you need for a biochem major and any sort of grad school options you want- but debt clings to you for decades- esp once you add med school debt.
Being part of the Honors college at UMass-A has some useful benefits that might be worth the extra $6K over SUNY. I can’t think of anything that Penn State has that would make an $40,000/$46,000 of extra debt worthwhile.
The “$5,500 aid” that you mentioned from UMass and Penn State is misleading because that is the federal student loan limit amounts for freshman. I hate when colleges don’t make it clear that the $5,500 aid is not free money. So the real cost is:
Penn State = $190,000
UMass A = $150,000
SUNY B = $112,000
SUNY B is really your best option if you want to go to grad school. Save your borrowing for med school because debt is a killer. UMass in my opinion is not worth an extra $38,000 over Binghamton if you need to borrow that money. My patients couldn’t care less where I went to college.
If you are serious about med school, I’d recommend going to the school where you have the best chance to 1) earn a high GPA, and 2) minimize debt. I wouldn’t do PSU due to debt. So between UMass and SUNY, where are you more likely to get a 3.7 GPA and above? Research experience will help build your resume, but won’t count for squat if you don’t have the GPA to get beyond the first screening. Many premeds make the mistake of going to a reach school when, in reality, it may be a better strategy to go to your in-state flagship school.
IMHO, I’d do SUNY.
And I’m almost positive that $5500 is tied to a subsidized or unsubsidized loan. My son got the same one from every school. This makes SUNY your best investment.
I’d go with UMass Honors.
If you got into SUNY Bing Honors it’s worth comparing but IF Umass Honors is affordable it’s orth the slight cost difference ith SUNY Bing.
Where would the difference come from -can your parents afford UMass out of pocket (without parent loans?)
Go to the school you think you will excell the most. I personally consider that you can be a best student in X school due to your commitement but it is really up to you where you are planning to go.