<p>I am going into premed (I know a lot of people drop out, but I will not be one of those people). Going to Duke would cost me about $32k each year and USC (with the scholarship) would cost about $17 k each year.</p>
<p>PROBLEM: Visited both numerous times and my destiny is to go to Duke. I am a dukie and love Duke so much. However, I would also love USC. Problem is, you guesed it, finances. Going to Duke is perfectly realistic but there would be no money for med school (assuming I get in). Also, Duke grades are A LOT harder to earn (in terms of a high GPA). USC would be easier, less stressful, cheaper on my family, etc. However, Duke is an unbelievable college and I personally believe it's the best college in the country. USC would have huge class sizes (talked to premeds there). These are very disjoint ideas, but I just wanted to list a very few (out of the hundreds of things I would list if I could)</p>
<p>Overall, given your experience in premed, med school, etc.</p>
<p>What would you do and what would be your rationale? thanks!</p>
<p>I am in a very similar situation. Been admitted to Duke, and I think it’s a great school, but I can go to UMd for FREE … I am awaiting the FA award from Duke, … and hoping for a miracle … future sheBlueDevil?</p>
<p>Aghh. I seem to be in a similar situation at various schools. I’m afraid you should choose the school that you would have the least regrets with later.</p>
<p>Did you get the USC Trustee scholarship? All of us over at the USC forum are still waiting to hear back about scholarship notifications. Have you received yours already?</p>
<p>Unless you got a departmental scholarship of some kind?</p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t know much about either school’s premed program…but if financial issues will seriously be a problem, I want to remind you that medical school will cost quite a bit too. You probably won’t want to graduate undergrad with substantial debt and still have to come up with money for med school. On the other hand, if you feel that you just HAVE to attend Duke, then by all means go for it. Btw, have you been accepted yet? If you applied ED, then you would’ve had to withdraw applications to other schools, so that leads me to believe you applied RD.</p>
<p>If not, you should probably wait until you hear back from Duke before doing anything else. </p>
<p>I have some friends here at Duke who are originally from southern california who were in a similar situation: USC + Trustee Scholarship vs. Duke + some need-based aid. They chose Duke. I, myself, chose Duke over UC Berkeley on a regents scholarship. While there are probably those who chose USC/Berkeley, my personal opinion is that if you absolutely love Duke and feel that it is the place for you, an additional ~60K in loans isn’t really that big of a deal. You can always try to find more scholarships, etc.</p>
<p>I’m also premed, and so I understand your concern for medical school expenses. But as you gain experience and grow your network at Duke, you’ll likely find ways to make money/make ends meet to get yourself to medical school.</p>
<p>If you have any particular questions about this feel free to PM me. :)</p>
<p>^^^^ additional 60k in loans “isn’t that big a deal” huh! Where are you coming from? Are your parents paying for your schooling or something? 60k is a down payment on a house. 60k is a BIG DEAL.</p>
<p>The name of your undergrad isn’t going to matter when it comes to med school. You can also list any scholarships you receive as honors on your med school app. USC s a great school for bio and pre-med. And, it’s cheaper. MUCH cheaper. </p>
<p>If you get a high GPA at USC, you could do Duke med, and still be a dukie. If you really feel a love for Duke, why not make the reasonable decision and save up money for Duke med, which will mean more in the end. The name of your med school will be much more important than the name of your undergrad, and Duke is a good name.</p>
<p>The post above me has a valid point. You might be able to get scholarships for med school. They are VERY rare, and the financial aid for med school is terrible, but if you think Duke will open up opportunities for funding for med school, then that is a valid reason to go. I would look into known programs that might favor Duke undergrads in order to justify your choice.</p>
<p>I understand that you love Duke… I get it; I’m applying, too. But, is it worth $ 60,000 plus interest to you? That’s the real question.</p>
<p>Total 60K over four years for an elite private is actually not that bad. Student loans are not volatile loans… High school students may not understand this, but paying off 60K over 10ish years is not THAT bad when you’ve got your job.</p>
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<p>The NAME doesn’t matter, but don’t you think schools have their prestige for a reason? Advising, small classes for better recommendations, more resources/more undergraduate focus and funding are huge reasons why Duke does particularly well in terms of getting students to medical school. For example, my case: sure, Berkeley is a great school. And cheaper. But it’s harder for Cal students to get into medical school due to smaller finances and less distributed resources. </p>
<p>Now I agree with the above poster - Duke full pay over USC trustee is definitely not the smartest decision.</p>
<p>I chose duke over a 200k scholarship to NYU Stern, and a 20k scholarship to Columbia. </p>
<p>Duke is surely a better option than USC even w/full ride. Its all about job placement, and the strength of your program, and duke excels in both - even above most ivys.</p>
<p>^ Speaking of job placement, those not familiar with the power of the Trojan family would be surprised to discover that USC has one of the best alumni networks out there - not only on a national level but internationally as well (which makes sense because after all, USC has the largest international student population at any US school). Let’s just say that if you’re successful at USC, it won’t be THAT hard to find a good job. As for your premed path…USC offers a wonderful 8-year Baccalaureate/MD Program that guarantees acceptance to the USC Keck School of Medicine. The Bac/MD program is advisable if you’re interested in exploring other disciplines as well since you won’t be bound to the “traditional science-dominated premed path.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, since prestige/name is important to you I will relay what my Duke interviewer (who majored in psychology, went to med school, and was interviewing for a residency at the time of my interview) shared with me. One of the things he loved about Duke was the opportunity to take humanities classes despite his chosen field. Obviously for his major he had to take lots of math/science courses but his favorites included philosophy and history classes. Since I’ve chosen to major in an interdisciplinary field, that kind of academic atmosphere appealed greatly to me. I’m not sure how much this helps you, but it’s something to consider.</p>
<p>I suspect I may be making the decision more difficult for you (sorry!), but I do want you to properly look at the pros and cons while choosing between two AMAZING schools.</p>
<p>Listen, I’ll just approach this from another angle. I know you claim you “won’t be someone who drops out from pre-med.” Perhaps you’ll find that medicine isn’t right for you. In that case, Duke would be the better choice because of its reputation among grad schools and the workforce. However, if you do indeed go to med school, that’s another 250,000 dollars in debt, and in that case, I’d say USC is the better choice.</p>
<p>Dathan, I would agree with you if the OP was going into law or business where prestige can give you a significant advantage that MIGHT be worth the extra $$$.</p>
<p>But seriously, the OP wants to do pre-med/medicine, something in the bio sciences, which could turn into a research career if medicine is no longer considered. So I say you go the financially safe route and go to USC. If it was between USC and Harvard for pre-law, that would be a different story. But Duke is not Harvard.</p>
<p>I strongly disagree, and I personally would follow the money. USC is a great school, and the OP would undoubtedly do perfectly well there. </p>
<p>Dukedevil2014 - I was in your shoes a few years ago. Chicago was far and away my first choice. I absolutely loved everything about the school, it was the best for my major (Duke didn’t even offer it), etc. Their financial aid offer absolutely sucked, while Duke really stepped up to the plate. I chose Duke with misgivings, and now I am INCREDIBLY glad I made the decision I did, both in terms of finances and the fantastic experiences I had at Duke. Most people grow to love where they attend, and USC has a reputation for satisfied alumni.</p>