<p>Hey folks! I have a friend who is an international student. He has gotten offers at both Union and Grinnell. At Grinnell, he will have to pay about $20,000 per year. At Union, he will have to pay $15,000, $5000 less than Grinnell. He wants to go premed and then medical school, so money is an issue.. However, Grinnell has a much better ranking in the LACs... Do you think Grinnell's higher reputation is worth the extra $5,000 each year? Is the difference between Grinnell and Unity that great?</p>
<p>My son was accepted at Union into their pre-med program - their pre-med program is very strong; in fact, when I mentioned to a physician in our town that he’d been accepted there, he said “Oh - they’re known for that”. Union also has a strong relationship with Albany Medical College. They have a joint degree program where if you’re accepted into that particular program you can receive a bachelors, masters and MD degree in (I’m pretty sure) 8 years. </p>
<p>$20,000 ($5K a year x 4 years) is a lot of money.</p>
<p>Does your friend want to be in an urban area or rural? Union is in Schenectady and next-door to Albany, which is the capital of NY state whereas Grinnell is in a rural location. Would he like living in NY better than Iowa? The two places are quite different!</p>
<p>I don’t put a lot of stock in reputation, particularly when there’s a $20,000 difference. And the ranking to me is neglible. My vote would be for Union.</p>