My S17 is trying to decide between University of Toronto and Brown University. He is interested in studying Biology, and may want to go to medical school. However, he has plenty of other interests including political science and world languages.
We are dual citizens. UToronto would cost $20K per year, which we can pay without any debt. Brown would cost $75K per year.
He would greatly prefer a Brown education, but I am unsure if the extra cost is worth the Ivey education …he wants to go to MED school and I hear that Brown has a good premed program
Would Appreciate any guidance …
I don’t want to wade into the financial arguments, for that is a very personal, family choice, but…
Brown seems like a fantastic place for premeds. You might’ve seen this link. They say that about 150 grads apply each year to medical programs with a 85% acceptance rate.
https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/advising/health-careers/medical-admission-data-snapshot
There is a lot of really good info here - https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/advising/health-careers/
And in the event that your son decides not to pursue medicine and decides instead to pursue something like Economics or CS or Applied Math, Brown would put him in a great position among top employers.
Brown University offers outstanding academics & an amazing quality of life. But, for one contemplating medical school after college, an $80,000 degree from the highly regarded University of Toronto will work just as well as a $300,000 degree from Brown.
However, if COA is not a concern, then Brown University is the better choice due to it being a residential campus with superb academics and social life. Nonetheless, if cost was not a concern, then OP probably would not have noted the cost difference in the original post in this thread.
Even if you are affluent the $220,000 that you would save going to UToronto could go towards medical school tuition 4 years from now.
As a Brown student, I can say that I’ve absolutely loved my experience here (both academically and socially). That being said, it is expensive; and if your son is set on doing medical school, it’s probably a good idea to save up and use the money for later as other commenters have mentioned.
I’d encourage your son to visit both places / do as much research as possible to figure out where he feels he will fit in and thrive more. That certainly helped me make my decision.
Are you aware that U of T can be a real grind, and tough on the GPA? It is also a huge school in the middle of a very big city…very different from Brown.
Some people love U of T, and all that it has going on both on campus, and in the city surrounding it. Others find it too much.