<p>As of right now, this is a hypothetical question, as i only know that i am into UNC. Still, i want to get a jump start on the decision if necessary. As of right now, im applying 2 three ivys: dartmouth, brown, and penn. heres how the finances work out:</p>
<p>Ivy = about that 50k they all seem to cost - 20k per year from my dads work = 120k total
UNC = surprisingly cheap at about 34k - 20k per year = 56k total.</p>
<p>so essentially, by going to UNC i save myself and my family about $64k. I eventually plan to go to medical school, so this extra money will surely help my situation financially. My family will receive 0 financial aid, and in these economic times money is considered. My parents have put little pressure on me to go to a cheeper school, as they believe i should go where ever i feel comfortable (which will later be decided from further visits), but do acknowledge that UNC is a great school for the price. </p>
<p>As far as a comparison goes, i like the school spirit of UNC through its sports, but i wonder if it is academic enough for me, if it is too large, and if there is enough student-professor interaction. Still, i like the school. My essential question is how important should i consider the money vs an ivy league undergraduate experience?</p>
<p>You have no idea what will happen to your family financially over the next four years, so don't count on having the $64K in hand when you graduate.</p>
<p>There is also no certainty that you will want to go to medical school four years from now, and even if you do there is no certainty that you will get in. I think it is safe to assume that you will probably want to go to some form of grad school, though. </p>
<p>That said, UNC for $14K per year OOS is a great deal. On the other hand, Dartmouth or Brown for $30K per year is a good deal too. (Both are probably more significantly different as an undergrad experience on size alone than Penn.) I'm assuming you are OOS, and according to the books UNC-Chapel Hill is about 82% in-state. That will affect the experience significantly: will most of the other students already know people, will many of them go home on the weekends?</p>
<p>The other factor is your family finances. If your annual income is $300K and your parents aren't supporting sets of elderly parents and don't have 3 other kids to put through school, then the difference in $$ is less of an issue. On the other hand, if their income is $150K, they have six younger kids, and they don't have a lot saved for retirement, or just lost 30% of it, things will look considerably different. (Actually, in that case they might get some money from the Ivies, and ought to apply.)</p>
<p>So it's not an easy question. But cheer up: you may be denied at all of the Ivies and that will make your decision easier! ;)</p>
<p>my grandparents are fine, but yes, they have 3 other kids to put through college. they make 300k+ per year, but lost a huge chunk in investments. my college fund dropped 30%+. im applying for financial aid, but based on calculators online my family can afford the whole thing.</p>
<p>haha and yes, rejection would be terrible but convenient?
thanks Consolation.
more advice is welcome.</p>
<p>For premed it's a no-brainer: UNC. My second choice would be Brown. The premed curve at Chapel Hill would be much easier than any Ivy -- just less 750's with which to compete. Brown's flexible curriculum enables you to boost your gpa over the other Ivies.</p>
Like most public universities, UNC offers precisely as much hard-core academics and student-professor interaction as you're willing to look for. Professors will not go out of their way to make friends with you, although they are usually eager to work with ambitious students.</p>
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Depends on how much you like UNC vs. the Ivies. If you prefer UNC, there's no reason not to go there. If you prefer one of the Ivies, you'd have to evaluate your finances like Consolation suggested, but $30k per year for a private is not overly expensive if you can afford it.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that only about 10% of those who start out as pre-med actually end up in medical school. Statistically speaking, you could very well be doing something completely different four years from now. UNC is a great school, but the privates could get you at least as far. </p>
<p>Like bluebayou, I highly recommend Brown. Did you apply to PLME?</p>
<p>(Incidentally, I love how bluebayou and collegehelp both called their opposite suggestions a "no-brainer." :rolleyes: :p)</p>
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A quick fyi - a couple years ago UNC had 16,000 undergrads ... Cornell had 14,000 undergrads ... and Penn had 10,000 undergards ... so I'd say the size is not that much different than some of the IVYies</p>
<h2>IBClass06 wrote: (Incidentally, I love how bluebayou and collegehelp both called their opposite suggestions a "no-brainer." )</h2>
<p>the difference is bluebayou's response was specific to the med school objective... collegehelp was a more general preference for Ivies (and I'll admit they can be quite the bargain for the middle class family).</p>
<p>to collegehelp, i get 0 financial aid. my parents income is too high and we have too much money saved. so it will cost 50k.
to IBClass06, i did NOT apply plme, because i had too many application essays believed i lacked the background for one of the essays. it asked me to name a specific experience as to why i wanted to be a doctor. while i did do research for 2 years in a lab, i felt like i lacked the clinical backing to answer this essay. furthermore, i may want a change of scenery instead of attending the same school 8 years. still, i would have applied plme if i felt secure enough. (and in retrospect somewhat wish i had)</p>
<p>however, i AM applying to Brown! it is very high on my list (if not #1) and i have legacy, and my dad worked there 13 years.
thanks so far, im intrigued by the contrasting opinions</p>
<p>Like someone else already said, it really depends on what you really want to do. If you want to go to Penn, Dartmouth, or Brown, and you get into one of those schools, and your family can handle the $30,000 a year -- then go to one of them. If you want to go to UNC-Chapel Hill, then go there.</p>
<p>If it comes down to a wishy-washy situation where you like both choices and you just can't decide -- personally, I would choose UNC-Chapel Hill. It is an awesome, nationally known public university, has an amazing research presence and its school of public health is ranked #2, its medical school is great too -- you will have the opportunity to get clinical and/or research experience with many great professors there. And you get to save $64,000 (plus whatever you shell out in interest).</p>
<p>UNC will provide the best all around experience of those, followed by Penn. UNC is one of the best public schools in the country, let alone one of the best schools period, and if you're interested in sports and having school spirit, it's head and shoulders above all the others combined.</p>
<p>You wont be at a disadvantage in the future with a degree from UNC.</p>
<p>i dunno. when i hear someone goes to UNC, i think "UNC is a great school" but when I hear that someone goes to Dartmouth or Penn I think "this person might be a genius"</p>
<p>^ in all likelihood he won't even apply to med school. and if he does, i don't think going to an ivy will hurt him. if anything, he will have better opportunities for research and internships at the ivies anyway.</p>
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i don't think going to an ivy will hurt him.
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<p>Of course not. But med school is all about gpa + mcat scores. And, A's will just be easier to achieve when you are competing with kids who don't have an average SAT score of 2200 -- all premed courses, whether taught in an Ivy or state Uni, are curved. (Yeah, I know, Harvard just has a high curve.)</p>
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he will have better opportunities for research and internships at the ivies anyway.
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<p>Not necessarily true. A kid with Ivy-stats is gonna be near the top xx% of the Chapel Hill pool (excluding Roberston scholars). When the Chapel Hill profs start looking for kids to work on research projects, who they gonna give preference to, those with the 1500 SATs (extreme example for effect) or those with the 2200 SATs? Think about it!</p>
<p>And, of course, UNC has big time D1 sports which can be important for some kids.</p>
<p>Listen, here is the effin deal! UNC is a great school, but an ivy is an ivy! Not to mention at UNC the kid might not get the one on one opportunities or faculty that he could have at an ivy. UNC awesome, I wish I had applied out of HS. But with that being said, Penn is Penn, Brown is BROWN, and Dart is Dart.</p>
<p>about the gpa and class rank difference, my dad is an admissions officer for Wash U Medical School. He says that a 3.8 at an ivy vs a 3.9 at a school like UNC are essentially equal in their book (give or take a little), since they know the rigor and competition at an ivy league school and take this into considereation. </p>
<p>That said, im no solely concerned with how my undergraduate school will effect my medical school admissions. im far more conerned about my EXPERIENCE as an undergrad, both academically and socially.</p>
I suppose one could say UNC is UNC, but that's a bit unclear because there are multiple UNC campuses. UNC Chapel Hill is UNC Chapel Hill might be better, perhaps.</p>
<p>I have to admit, I'm curious to know what special merit Brown has that affords it a uniquely capitalized status. :confused:</p>
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i dunno. when i hear someone goes to UNC, i think "UNC is a great school" but when I hear that someone goes to Dartmouth or Penn I think "this person might be a genius"
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<p>A genius? LOL sorry, but I know at least 40 people who go to, or graduated from Penn and none of them are geniuses...</p>