<p>So this seems late, but I have some special circumstances and I still have a spot at both USC and UVA at their Arts & Sciences colleges as a Freshman.
I'm planning on being on the Pre-Med track either way and earning a Bachelor's in BME and/or Accounting.</p>
<p>UVA: Full ride (~23k in gift aid)
USC: 10k a yr (~53k in gift aid) - 5500 in loans - 2500 work study = 2k a year</p>
<p>I'm conflicted because UVA has a great reputation in my current area (NoVA), but it seems to me that USC has a much better Alumni network. USC also seems to be more well-known, and it is a private school. Plus, I'm originally from California and I'd love to go back there. Buut UVA's "free" price tag is making this a very hard choice. UVA also has a pretty good academic reputation. Neither are really lacking in prestige... Please help?!</p>
<p>UVA is an outstanding oportunity and widely recognized.
Also, being pre-med, it’s important to reduce debt as much as possible as you will likely take out loans for your medical education.
What you are looking at is UVA- debt free vs USC- with 22K in debt over 4 years.
You’re also a VA resident- so the VA medical schools will be most affordable to you, and all will recognize the excellence of a UVA education.</p>
<p>Can you and your family afford the extra to go to USC? If you can, it’s a great opportunity to leave the area and go for a whole other experience is my opinion. If you can come up with the money $10K is a great price to get to do this. IF you are from a family where every dime counts and your parents are struggling, it may not be such a hot idea as it leaves you with no margin, and things do come up… Going to CA means doing it all yourself pretty much and transportation costs, visis from parents, all of these things can bring up the tab, not to mention housing in future years. It’s also easier to spend money at USC than at UVA. So, it’s your call on what is affordable.</p>
<p>The alumni network at USC won’t do much for you if you’re premed. It won’t help you get into med school.</p>
<p>Keeping yourself in VA for undergrad will make it easier to get into VA med schools…especially for interviews during your senior year. It will be very hard to fly back and forth for interviews from CA to VA for your instate interviews. You’d also not likely get accepted to CA med schools because they favor instate kids. </p>
<p>Since you got so much aid, you’re probably lowish income. Flying back and forth will be too expensive anyway during your four years. Go to UVA…no brainer.</p>
<p>The thing is, I plan to move back west eventually and I’ve had many people tell me it’s better to relocate earlier on if possible. Also, for those who mention the travel costs, my mother is planning on relocating to Florida soon. So whether I choose USC or UVA, there will be travel costs, but since my older sister lives in Arizona, travel costs will actually be cheaper if I go to USC. The distance between CA and AZ is much shorter than between FL and VA. </p>
<p>Thank you all so much for replying, and if anyone else has anything to add, I would really appreciate the help!!!</p>
<p>To cptofthehouse: Because of the $5500 in loans and $2500 in work study, the resulting 2k is manageable for my family. I also didn’t apply for any scholarships this year (from the school or any outside sources), but I plan on doing so for the ensuing years.</p>
<p>Neither the loans nor the workstudy is gift money. Getting scholarships once in college is much more difficult. The senior year of high school is optimal time and even then getting anything sizeable is very difficult and you cannot count on it. You aren’t going to get the $2500 in work study until you work the hours for it, and it leaves you with little leeway. My son borrowed what he was entitled to borrow from DIrect Loans when things didn’t work out for him last year. You are leaving no such leeway.</p>
<p>BUt it looks like you 've made up your mind already. I would probably take the chance and go to CA, as it is an opportunity. But you are piling a lot of debt onto yourself; be aware costs go up, and financial aid tends to go down as you become an upper classman as nearly every school will expect students to take increasing responsibility for their college costs. You will owe close to $30K when you are out of ug studies. Also, you are limited in finding work if things get tight since you already HAVE to work to meet costs as part of your financial aid package. Also, if it means you aren’t going to see your parents/mother, then I guess going west doesn’t matter, or if they aren’t going to be visiting you. I spend over $2K a year to visit my college kid and i have place to stay for free when I do go, and I drive the 8 hours.</p>
<p>I’m not saying one way or the other, but bear in mind that it’s not going ot be an easy financial go for you. I don’t think USC has an iota more prestige than UVA, or confer any more advantages.</p>
<p>If you are planning on medical school, then where you relocate is not entirely up to you. No matter where you go to college, you will have to apply to several medical schools. Where you are accepted determines where you will live for the next few years. Then, you will apply to residency programs in many places, and the match process will determine where you live for the next 3+ years. Then you will apply for a job- in several places. At this time, you may even have a spouse and would consider the spouse’s wishes too. You may not be relocating for the long run for the next 10+ years.</p>
<p>You have NO IDEA of where you’ll be accepted to med school. Since you won’t be a Calif resident, your chances of being accepted to a Calif med school are miniscule…too miniscule to expect. </p>
<p>When it comes time to apply to med schools, you’ll likely apply to: Some Calif SOMs, all the VA SOMs, some private SOMs scattered around the US. Who the heck knows where you’ll be accepted.</p>
<p>Plus, who knows where you’ll be matched for your residency. </p>
<p>Have you figured out how much travel back and forth will cost you for start of classes, Christmas break, other breaks, and end of school year? Christmas travel to Calif is VERY expensive…plus there’s shuttle costs. My sister’s kids travel back and forth from Calif to the east for college, she spends a fortune for all those costs.</p>
<p>In addition to the very impt. issue of saving your debt capacity for med school, you also will have an easier time achieving a high gpa if you don’t need to do work study.</p>
<p>Take the money you save, and spend a summer or two doing internships in California. But go to college at UVa.</p>