<p>I have received a full ride scholarship to the University of Illinois at Chicago but I really want to attend the University of Miami (FL) in the fall. As of right now they are only giving me about $20,000 in aid o of the $55,000 total cost of attendance. I wanted to attend Miami because of the pre-med program, small class sizes, mcat test prep programs, and personal relationship that would come from the smaller learning atmosphere.</p>
<p>Should I take the full-ride or go where I will be happy.</p>
<p>If you can attend UM without having to take out excessive amounts of loans (i.e. you and/or your parents are able to afford the school minus your scholarships), then definitely go where you seem like you already know you’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Why did you even apply to UIC is you already determined you wouldn’t be happy there? Go to Miami and have $30k a year of debt to pay off upon graduation - sounds like the key to happiness! </p>
<p>@uicgrad1 - the OP has certainly made their decision at this point since this thread is two years old and I’m hoping he or she enrolled at UIC since, as you were implying, undergrad debt of that amount is not a good idea.The COA listed of $55k then is far higher now. </p>
<p>To others in the OP’s situation, since I’ve seen similar dilemmas posted here in the past, everything I’ve read about this issue suggests that for pre-meds it is a very good idea to try to avoid excessive debt during undergrad if possible. </p>
<p>Taking that full ride (hopefully that was the outcome) leaves the OP debt-free after undergrad - a blessing since med school is big bucks! $30k a year of debt will increase to a much larger amount over time as the COA will increase for each of the subsequent three years and, in the case of unsubsidized or private loans at least, interest accrues during that time, though deferred of course. </p>
<p>That’s a tough one. I’m a UIUC grad living in the Chicago suburbs, and DS is a jr. at the U. They sure are different environments. However, with med school pending, my suggestion would be to lay out your plans for paying for both undergrad and med school, and if you can afford to go to Miami, then do it. If not, maybe your plan can change to UIC undergad, and then the U for medical school.</p>
<p>Ha! I didn’t even realize the posts on this cite are aged. Lol! I’m tooling around on my phone and the date of the post didn’t even catch my eye. Well, I hope my aged reply might help the next person with a similar question. Not saying UIC is better than Miami, but I just found this question a bit rediculous and jumped at the chance to respond.</p>