University of Rochester vs OSU, vs UToledo

College Search & Selection
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Hi everyone! I am struggling to make a decision between the colleges I was accepted to before the May 1st deadline and am looking for some advice as a final resort.

This post is likely to be a little lengthy, but I would really, really appreciate your help and would like to say thank you to those who take the time to read through it! I’m at a complete loss and running out of time, so any advice is extremely valuable to me.

Although I got accepted into a few other schools, I have managed to narrow my choices down to 3; The University of Rochester, OSU, and Utoledo (a local school).

Here’s where the dilemma comes in.

I thought for most of my life that I wanted to shoot for med school and have tailored my classes and interests towards that particular path. However, in the last few years, I’ve decided that this might not be the right career for me. Truthfully, I am an artist and love the idea of entrepreneurship. The passion for med school doesn’t seem to be there. I feel as though I was seeking approval from others and ‘financial stability’ more than anything.

I have gotten into the Bacc2MD program at UToledo. Basically, it’s a guaranteed interview for med school at ut as long as I maintain a high gpa. It also allows for med school application one year early without taking the MCAT. I volunteer with a lab that I LOVE and have performed well in the research world (I was named a finalist for ISEF 2022). I feel that the Bacc2MD program and my lab spot would be invaluable if I decided to stay on a med school track. But if I decide to pursue something else, I fear that I will regret not going to a more prestigious university.

But that’s when Rochester comes in. I was not admitted to any special program and will just be a neuroscience major. Compared to UT, Uroc is a lot more prestigious. I feel that the connections and opportunities that I may receive there would be better than what I would get at UT. But I’m not sure if these positives outweigh those of UT. It’s also quite far from home which bothers me slightly as much has been going on at home and I would like to be close by to help.

I feel that UT would definitely be the right option if I wanted to continue towards med school, but I’m not sure if that’s what I want to do. I could attend UT on the med track and change my mind later, but I worry that I’ll regret not having chosen the more prestigious institution. Although I’m not sure if the undergrad school name matters much for med school, I don’t know if it does for other careers.

If I wasn’t interested in med, I think I would choose Uroc. The fast track med opportunities I have at UT wouldn’t matter if that’s not what I’ve decided to do with my career, and attending a more well known institution may help if I choose a different health science, art, or business track. However, I feel that it will be a lot harder to stand out at Uroc as a med school applicant and get the opportunities I already have at UT. I think I would feel disappointed in myself for giving away my spot in the Bacc2MD program at UT. Also, Roc will cost me approximately $80,000 a year, which will blow through a good chunk of what I have saved for college. My tuition at UT would be very, very low.

OSU is a school I am familiar with and that many of my friends will be attending. I know it has strong academics and isn’t too far from home, so I find it appealing. I was admitted into the honors college and would be a microbio major. Again, I feel it might be harder to find research opportunities here and stand out as it is a very large school.

Aside from my indecisiveness about what I want to do, I also struggle with school prestige. I have heard countless times that it does not matter and that the salary I will have later in life after attending one school is likely not going to be all that much different from another, it’s still something I struggle with. Attending a school such as UT after working incredibly hard to maintain a high gpa/Act score and push myself outside of academics makes me feel a little as if the hard work wasn’t worth it. But I also know without that hard work, I wouldn’t have the opportunities at UT that I have now.

I have attended Ut for CCP classes and am familiar with counselors there as well. They have been very accepting of certain testing accommodations I have, which is essential to me. Everyone has been very helpful. So far, Roc has been helpful with any questions I have. I am a bit of a homebody and would love to stay home and struggle with the idea of leaving, but I’m also willing to go elsewhere if it would be beneficial to me.

Thank you so much for reading and for your help. All advice is invaluable to me and again, I appreciate your time.

Thank you!

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You’ve done a great job of outlining the pros and cons of each school and why they are all good options for you in different ways.

I think I would lean toward OSU. It’s kind of the middle ground, still with the honors opportunities and all the advantages of a quality flagship, yet closer to home for you and not expensive and doesn’t tie you to one career track. Also, once you are in the upper classes of your major department, the huge institution gets very small and manageable; don’t let the size cow you.

UT does sound like an amazing opportunity if you were committed to med school. But if you take that away, are you getting that many extra benefits to make “settling” worth it? Only you can decide that one.

Rochester - I don’t think any undergraduate degree is worth that much, outside of (maybe…) an Ivy. I’m sorry, I just don’t. Especially if med/grad school is in the picture.

As for prestige, I know it’s hard to let go, but truly, where you go is not who you’ll be (there might be a book by that name; google it :slight_smile: )

The place you get a degree from matters in very very few occupations. And in most of those very few occupations, it only matters in your first job; after that it’s what you do. For med school I don’t think it matters where you go to undergrad. Though I’m not an expert there, so hopefully someone else will chime in on that one.

Best of luck! I’m sure you’ll do great no matter where you go!

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Doesn’t seem like the Toledo program makes sense then.

What are the net costs of each of your 3 options? What can your family pay each year for college? Will any of these options require parental debt (you the student can take $27K max over the four undergrad years).

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I was wondering too about costs. and size dynamics. U have mid/small. Mid large. And gigantic. . Are you ok with giant ? And when you say Rochester is far from home,…define far? Personally I would not consider Rochester to be far from most any city in Ohio. It’s certainly drivable…especially from NE Ohio. If you are going to college, you are going away. You’re not going home each weekend.

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I think Ohio State is your best option. It is a well-known name and has highly ranked programs in many fields.

I have a daughter at a large state school (Michigan) and it IS possible to get the kinds of opportunities you desire and stand out, even at a large university. Michigan has a program to help freshmen and sophomores who are new to research find year-long research opportunities. Many kids keep these jobs for pay after them complete them for credit. I would bet that Ohio State has something similar as research positions abound.

I visited Ohio State with my younger daughter and was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of students there and the available opportunities. To me, it feels like your best decision in terms of offerings, location, and price.

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The best way to find a good fit is to see what the school offers if you choose a different major. The average college student changes their major 3 times. Is it a school you would seriously want to go to if you had a different major?

A BS/MD program is only for students that are ABSOLUTELY certain they want medical school. Otherwise, chances are, you’ll change your major and find out you hate the school you’re going to. If I were you, just scratch Toledo off the list.

So, between Rochester and OSU…Rochester sounds like an expensive private school, and you might wind up with a mountain of debt. That’s not a setup for success at all, in fact, it would be closer to financial suicide.

So, by process of elimination, go to OSU…you’re welcome!

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If you were 100% sold on becoming a doctor, Toledo would be the choice – they clearly want you there.

But if you decide against that path, it is probably your worst choice.

URochester and OSU will both be fine for really just about anything you wish to pursue.

So then between those it comes down to fit and cost. It sounds like you would prefer to stay relatively close to home, which favors OSU. And you’ll pay less than half there, versus Rochester. And you have a spot in their honors college, which shrinks the school a bit and probably gives you advantages in course scheduling, dorms, other things.

So – since you aren’t sure about medicine anymore, I would choose Ohio State.

While there, if you do decide to go into medicine, it will still serve you well. But it gives you many more quality paths than Toledo in case you don’t.

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