<p>For the past few months, I've been stuck between making a decision between going to A&M or UT Arlington for my first year of college. I plan on majoring in biomedical sciences and going on to vet school, so either way, I know I will end up at A&M eventually. I'm just not sure if it will be this upcoming school year or later.</p>
<p>The problem is that A&M hasn't offered me any scholarships or anything, even after applying for FAFSA. I got $5,000 in unsubsidized loans, which doesn't make too big of a dent in the $20k. However, UTA has offered me $8,000/year on scholarship, which is almost a full ride! I could also live at home and stay with a lot of my high school friends. I'd be financially (and perhaps socially) better off at UTA. However, my heart is set on A&M. While finances aren't too big of an issue at home, I'd feel dumb to not take the nice offer from UTA. I also feel attached and close to a lot my high school friends. </p>
<p>I can feel the clock ticking away as the May 1st deadline to accept approaches. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thank you!</p>
<p>Did you apply to any other schools? How much can your family afford? If it’s less than what it would cost to go to A&M then it makes sense to go to UTA. As for ending up at A&M eventually that’s only if you get into vet school which is a very big if. It’s probably easier to get the gpa to get into vet school at UTA but you’re a lot less likely to graduate. It’s graduation rate is half that of Texas A&M. And since you seem very attached to your high school friends, I would be concerned about how much self-discipline you have to get through UTA successfully. Maybe living at home will give you someone to answer to and keep your focus on your grades. </p>
<p>I’m not saying go to A&M because that won’t necessarily improve your chances of getting into vet school and it would be nice to not have any undergraduate debt. Taking advantage of all the opportunities at UTA could actually help you stand out compared to other applicants coming out of A&M. The point is that going to UTA is going to require you to be much more responsible for your education–there will be lots of temptations to take the easy route.</p>