Hi guys,
I have received all my college decisions and now I am debating on what may be the hardest decision of my life. I’ve narrowed it down to the two colleges above. I will be paying $18422 per year for toledo and $47k for madison. For UT’s direct med, I get a guaranteed interview during my junior year of college and I do not take the MCAT, while I would be pursuing a regular microbiology degree at UW-Madison. I also get a pre professional guidance team at UT to help me with research/internship/extracurricular planning. Madison is one of the best national universities, while Toledo is hovering in the 245 range, however I can’t seem to decide if the benefits override the school’s rank and if I should just go. Where would you guys go?? I’ve been debating about this for over a month and it would be nice to hear some opinions from you guys. Thank you so much!!
Who pays the $47k and how? Are you expecting your parents to get loans for you to go to UW-Madison, or do they have savings to cover that? Any student loan over $5,500-$7,500 a year will be in your parent’s name, not yours alone.
Hello!! My parents will be funding my college education wholly as they have saved enough to do so. Also, since I plan to attend med school all the money that I save at Toledo could be directed towards medical school but right now I am struggling over whether the benefits exceed the costs or vice versa. Thank you @mommyrocks!
There really is a vast difference between UW-Madison and Toledo. To be honest, very few people who start out as pre-med majors actually wind up in medical school. They either realize the competition for high GPA in science courses is too tough, or they discover another subject and career they are more interested in along the way. I think a degree from UW-Madison will not only help you with medical school applications, but could also help you in any other direction you plan to go, compared to Toledo. If you had a full ride at Toledo I might say otherwise, but paying so much to attend that university when your parents can afford UW-Madison seems like a missed opportunity to be at UW-Madison. If you attend UW-Madison, there are ways you can bring down the overall cost. For example, you can probably apply to be an RA in a dorm after your first year and get free housing, or you can get a paid position in a lab to help with spending money, and of course get paid internships over the summer. However, getting direct into U Toledo medical school without the MCAT would be awesome! Also, possibly graduating from med school debt free would be amazing. I can see why this is a tough decision. Maybe consider how committed you are to medical school versus other paths. If it is medical school all the way and you believe you will meet the requirements for admission at Toledo med school later, then go with UT. Note that a guaranteed interview is not a guaranteed admission, and applying to other med schools from Toledo vs UW could be a disadvantage. If there is any chance whatsoever that you might pursue another career path, or not make the cutoff for UT med school (check on stats and percentage admitted from undergrad, etc.), then strongly consider UW-Madison despite the extra cost.