<p>I am a senior from New York and was recently accepted to UT Austin which was my top choice. However, I was also admitted to University of Washington in Seattle, and University of Denver. </p>
<p>I received an $84,000 over 4 years scholarship to University of Denver, and was deferred from the honors college. </p>
<p>I received a $36,000 scholarship over 4 years from the University of Washington.</p>
<p>I didn't receive any financial or merit aid from UT Austin.</p>
<p>I am planning on going to medical school after undergrad. I was accepted for Medical Lab Science or Cognitive Neuroscience at all 3 schools, but I am still considering Engineering since I love Calc and Physics. </p>
<p>I've visited all 3 schools, and I am in a dead split between all 3 of them. I could literally pick from a hat and be happy with any of them. </p>
<p>While money is not a big problem as an undergraduate, I will be paying for medical school out of my own pocket. Therefore I'd like to save a little bit of money. Also, I am a ski patroller, and would like to continue skiing throughout college (however it's not a necessity). If anyone can help make this decision a little easier for me I would really appreciate it. </p>
<p>Any insight on the social scene at Denver? </p>
<p>Even though I’m a proud Texas Ex, I wouldn’t go to UT if I were you. It is VERY expensive for OOS. I would go to the school that cost me the least. You will need so much money for medical school! Denver and Seattle are both great towns. I don’t think you can go wrong at either place. Good luck!</p>
<p>What is the 4-year net cost of Denver and of UW?</p>
<p>If you are down to the point of picking from a hat because you love them all, then going with the cheapest one is a perfectly rational choice. Especially since both of the schools where you got scholarships are reasonably accessible to ski resorts.</p>
<p>Rather than the scholarship amount, can you give us cost for each university - actual number you’ll have to pay after subtracting scholarships/grants but BEFORE you count any loan.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. If I were to go to UT, I would likely declare residency after freshman year. That way I could pay in state tuition after a year as a Jr and Sr. I would probably try and do the same thing at Washington. </p>
<p>Texas net cost: 34,000 + 34,000 + 10,000 + 10,000 + room and board = about 90,000 + room an board</p>
<p>Washington net cost - 30,000 + 30,000 + 12,500 + 12,500 + room and board - scolarship = about 50,000 +room and board</p>
<p>Denver: 42,000 x 4 years - scolarship + room and board = about 84,000 + room and board</p>
<p>Have you looked into becoming in-state? As I understand it, Washington will not let you declare residency if you have been a full-time student. I would assume Texas is about the same.</p>
<p>A lot of the UW ski club kids teach at Snoqualmie Summit, about an hour drive and they have a house at the mountain, in exchange for a season’s pass.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can declare residency unless you’ve lived in the state for 12 months, not enrolled in any school or college, and have been working the whole time. And some states still won’t consider that for in-state tuition since they base themselves off where your parents live until you’re 24. Check but I’m afraid your plan isn’t workable - it’d be roughly 35,000X4 for UWA, 48,000X4 for Texas…
So your best option at this point if UDenver. Fortunately for you it’s a great school, in a great city. Congratulations And I’m willing to bet that if you commit, they’ll admit you to the Honors College too (you could email Admissions and ask the odds of your getting into the Honors College - say it’s a key factor in your decision).
I hope your parents can pay their part of the costs, keeping in mind that you’re only allowed to borrow $5,500 for your freshman year (it’s not reasonable to borrow more than the federal maximum for all 4 years, ie., $27,000 for all four years). You can also expect to make $2,500-4,500 from working full time in the summer as well as throughout the year so you could contribute about $9,000 to your education through loans and work, plus the $21,000 scholarship you earned, and the rest (tuition, room, board, miscellaneous costs) would have to be picked up by your parents. Are they okay with that?</p>
<p>You should assume that you will not be able to become a resident in either Washington or Texas as far as the flagship universities are concerned. So Denver is actually your best-priced option.</p>
<p>It actually IS possible to become an in-state resident after being a student for one year in Texas - my son did it in 2011. BUT they have tightened the rules since then, so that it is much harder. You have to buy real estate that you live in. Your parents can’t pay more than half of your support. You need to move to the state at least a little while before school starts. Etc., etc. I definitely wouldn’t count on it. It was hard enough when the rules were looser! Ugh, I went through the long process, then my son ended up having to drop out and move back home. We never even got to take advantage of the in-state tuition.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the input everyone. I was recently admitted to Cal Berkeley. I would be happy going to any of the 3 schools listed above or Berkeley. I’m wondering if the Berkeley name is worth the price difference for applying to medical school? Berkeley will likely cost me 36,000 a year plus room and board. Any input would be much appreciated. </p>
<p>I didn’t get any financial aid to any of the schools, but saving for medical school is important. I know that there isn’t skiing in Texas, but I would likely be coming home and skiing over breaks. </p>
<p>Berkeley would be around 144,000 + room and borad
Denver: 84,000 + room and board
UW Seattle: 90,000 + room and board
UT Austin: 86,000 + room and board (I would declare residency after two years. I looked into buying real estate)</p>
<p>I’d go with either Denver or Seattle. Denver: more personalized education, skiing: Seattle: large D1 school. Both cool cities.
Med schools won’t care where you went to school. However they WILL care that you have the highest possible GPA, high MCAT scores, internships/relevant experiences, and good letters of recommendation.
UDenver may even be the smartest choice for you in that respect but check into what their pre health advising looks like. Also, email them re: honors college as the only thing that holds you back from committing.</p>
<p>For a pre-med, wouldn’t it make sense to attend a low cost undergraduate school (like a SUNY at $20,000/year all-in for a New York resident) so that you can save money for medical school?</p>
<p>[Medical</a> school is expensive](<a href=“https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/]Medical”>https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/), so you could be facing large debt when you graduate medical school. If you have less debt, you may have more freedom to choose a medical specialty without the large debt pushing you to chase the highest paid specialty over the one you really want to do.</p>
Congratulations