Hello,
My son was accepted into University of Rutgers New Brunswick, so we already paid the enrollment deposit. He was wait listed and now got accepted into University of Wisconsin-Madison. He’s going to major in CS, with pre-med as an option. Both schools are out-of-state for us. He got some scholarship from Rutgers NB, so if going to Rutgers NB, he will be saving a total of $40K in 4 years ($10K/year) compared to UW-Madison. But he seems to like UW-Madison more now, mainly because it has better ranking. He said UW-Madison has stronger programs. But we question if it is really worth $40K more ? plus since he’s planning to do pre-med as well, will there be any difference between the 2 schools as for pre-med ? Which school is harder to have a good GPA ? Weather, distance… won’t matter for us. We have about 10 days to reply to UW-Madison. Please help. Thanks much in advance.
Really depends on the financial situation of the family. I am not really familiar with Rutgers, but I have absolutely loved my time at UW, and for me it was worth paying to go out of state. Of course, that is not an option for everyone, and at the end of the day it is about how much you value better rankings (which probably don’t mean a ton) and the overall experience.
CS IS absolutely better at UWisconsin.
Premed is basic everywhere and both will be equivalent in terms of support and collaborative environment (the two main criteria for premeds).
So, what you need to consider is whether you can afford Wisconsin with some belt-tightening or if you’d need to take parent loans.
Physician here with math/CS son. Being premed is an intention and any major works. Since most with the intention of going to medical school do not go it is good to have another option one likes. Either school will work just fine for premed. No advantages in getting into UW’s medical school by attending UW since he is OOS, btw.
So for medical school choose the less expensive option. There will be huge costs to consider later.
UW is a top math and CS school. However, I suspect any major U will offer enough courses to prepare one for the field. Despite top salaries in the CS industry I would not go into debt for $40,000. However, if family finances allow for a debt free UW experience I would definitely go for it because both the math and CS departments are top tier. I mention math because there is overlap- son actually added the CS major to his honors math and decided to work instead of grad school in math. He was weak in programming but picked up those skills in his first job and his math thinking was beneficial. Excellent Honors Program at UW, Greek system there but ignored by 90% of the student body.
The bottom line is financial. So many top students end up at their public flagship U because of finances. If no debts I would definitely choose UW for the school and campus. Many NJ residents do choose UW over their home state flagship.
Thank you all for your responses. Son said UW is his top choice. We already went to Rutgers NB but haven’t been to UW yet, so will need to take a trip there soon. We will have to take parent loans if son goes to UW as the school gives no merit aid. As for premed, he will need to have good GPA though. Will it be harder to get As at UW for CS/premed ?
@wis75 Is your son now working in the CS field or in the Math field ? My son was undecided between Math and CS - but we thought CS would give better job opportunity, in case Med school doesn’t work out. For Math major maybe it’s better to go to graduate school ?
Grades are entirely dependent on the student. It depends on his background knowledge and skills gained from his HS education and his intelligence and aptitude. It also depends on his interest and college study habits. btw- taking a low instead of higher number of credits does not mean better grades- too little work can yield laziness in getting things done.
You need to think hard about taking out loans. Do NOT raid any of your retirement funds to help pay for college as well. Consider your own plans and any other kids’ expenses. Remember that travel costs money. Even coming home when the dorms close for breaks adds to expenses.
As much as I love UW and think it is a better school it is not worth the kind of debt you are considering. There are no guarantees that a UW education will yield higher stats for medical school admissions or a significantly better CS job. We all make financial decisions- the main reason I went to UW, was lucky to live on campus instead of commuting, but I wanted to leave town. Most of us had to give up part of our dreams due to reality.
Given the fact that your son was waitlisted at UW he was not the strongest student admitted. It could prove difficult to have as high a gpa as elsewhere. Pure speculation here, btw.
One path would be to start in NJ and if he decides he really wants CS at UW and not medical school consider transferring for the final two years for courses available at UW and not in NJ. After being in NJ he may decide it works well and suits his needs. A ton of money saved.
Plans for medical school mean finding money for that. I strongly urge you to try to avoid undergrad debt.
Taking on parents’ loans doesn’t seem worth it. How much are you talking about in parents loans on top of student loans?
I don’t think it’ll be “harder” to get A’s at UW than at Rutgers. It’ll be extremely difficult at both. (Most premed classes will be cued to a B- so only 10-20% or so will get A’s. About 30% will get a B. Everybody else will get a C, a D or an F. )
For premeds, it’s essential not to overload - to start first semester with Calculus and EITHER chemistry or biology, and no more than 14-15 credits to ease into not just college but the demands of such a competitive track. It’s crucial to think of premed as a marathon, not a mad dash. Spread things out over 4 years, take the MCAT senior year, plan for a glide year during which you do research or have a medical-related job, and travel to interviews.
But, realistically, most high school seniors who hope to be doctors change their minds (or are weeded out). And out of these, only about half get into even one med school. So, odds are overwhelming that your son will not get into med school. If you feel he has a realistically good shot, then Rutgers is a better choice since premeds should have as little debt as possible.
If you feel he has a decent shot at a CS degree, the total debt (his and yours) shouldn’t be over 50k and preferably below 40K.
If you’re hesitant in your evaluation and feel he may not make it, keep debt at federal-loan levels (27K student loans).
He has some outside scholarships and also will be doing a paid research internship at NIH this summer. So he will have some money there. But that won’t be enough. We still need to take parents loan regardless.
He took AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Physics, AP Calculus BC…already. He will be retaking Chem, so hopefully he’s already familiar with some of the materials, he can do well with the class. He’s taking AP credit for both first year calculus. We have to wait to see what he’ll get on the AP Biology and AP Physics exams to decide.
@wis75 thanks for reminding me about the retirement and other children. This is also important but as parents sometimes we forget that we need to look after ourselves too 
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@MYOS1624 for Premed, I thought they need to complete at least these by end of sophomore year: 2 semesters of General Chemistry, 2 semesters of General Biology, 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry, 2 semesters of General Physics, 1 semester of Math, 1 semester of English. So if he just sign up for Chemistry in 1st semester, when can he sign up for Biology ? Will that be too many of science/premed courses in 2nd year ? also I heard the Organic Chem is really hard. So far his schedule for 1st semester: General Chemistry (4 credits), Multivar Calculus (4 credits), Philosophy (3 credits), English (3 credits), and 2 other fun classes with 1 credit each. So that’s total 16 credits. Do you think that’s ok or too much ?
UW STEM classes are so much more than the AP versions. UW has more than one general chemistry class- his AP version will help him do well and he will need to decide which of perhaps three work best for him (as a chemistry major I have continued to follow that department and took a lot). However, most premed students would be expected to have had the same AP classes in HS and he will have no advantages over other students there. Likewise most students who get AP calculus credit are advised to start with first semester calculus as they will not be well prepared for UW’s second semester class. With an interest in CS he may want to consider Honors versions of various classes- for his own interest and the knowledge gained. The Honors math sequence is theory as opposed to problem solving based- son had the AP 5 but started with the first in the honors sequence (getting college credits for both- they are different courses). With the overlap of math and CS he may want to consider a lot of math if he is at UW. Even a double major or honors degree in his major. He will also need to check on medical school requirements- AP classes may not substitute for courses taken while in college.
The above is for UW, I have no clues about the NJ school.
My son is at least as smart and chose the math/CS route. He had no interest in medicine, his parents’ profession. Your son will need to figure out WHY he wants to become a physician. He can be intellectually satisfied with CS and do good work. A preference for working alone or with people can be one of the factors. Many smart HS students see physicians as a way to use their brains and help people. But, there can be better ways. It will be interesting for you to find out where his path goes. With a stronger math/CS bent than chem/biology he may choose to not do medical school.
It is a hard choice for him. Who knows if medicine is his primary interest or CS. He can change majors as well. If being a research person is more up his alley he can go with that without needing all of the medical school et al stuff.
Feel free to PM me with any questions et al that are too personal for this public forum.
In regard to your @MY… response. 16 credits is a typical college load. Many classes can yield more work than fewer higher credit ones because he has to shift gears more often. Would be physicians can handle heavy loads. Also, if one intends to be a physician one will be immersed in science- and like that. Organic chemistry is not necessarily that difficult (especially compare to other chemistry fields!). Your son needs to look up courses required for medical schools, especially those for which he is an instate resident. Just needs courses before taking the MCAT and applying seems most logical. At UW he may want to wait and take the honors Biocore sequence courses that require organic chem instead of others. IF he is premed he needs to have some interest in biology along with the math/CS of his major.
The most competitive students for medical school will be like the most competitive HS students are for colleges. They will exceed average expectations. It may not be enough meet minimum standards when there can be so many students exceeding them by a big margin. Each school should have a premed site which will give suggestions for courses and timing.
Another thing about first semester. He is presumed ready for it and able to do the work by any school that accepts him. Signing up for more classes means he can drop one if need be.
I look at college from an elitist view. Getting as much out of it as possible. Doing more than the typical college student. This seems more your son’s style. Jump right in and don’t be timid.
Finally, relax mom. Things will proceed with fine results, even if they are not what you expected.
wierd- have no clue why some of my posts came with “registered user” and others did not here.