<p>I seriously hope that…
- OP is not an international student who does not fully understand that Vanderbilt is an elite private school.
- That 160k-200k is a drop in the bucket for his family.</p>
<p>I think Princeton is worth it. Vanderbilt is an excellent university, but it is not nearly as good as Princeton. Should the OP stick to his goal of becoming a doctor (very unlikely), I agree that Vanderbilt may have been a better choice. For everything else, Princeton is a vastly better option.</p>
<p>That said, I agree that no university is worth going broke over. So as noobcake and many others have pointed out, I hope the OP’s family is relatively well off.</p>
<p>For pre-med, Vanderbilt was the better option. Even if a family is very well-off, $160,000 is a significant amount of money–particularly for those who will have to pay for med school in a few years. “Relatively” well off is not enough to justify passing on the opportunity Vanderbilt offered, even if you mean relative to the average American. We are ‘relatively’ well off (heck, by the standards of 3/4 of CC posters, we are ‘wealthy’, ha ha), but we would have been fools to pass on the Vanderbilt full-tuition scholarship. No regrets whatever from these quarters. Great school, great undergraduate opportunities for top students.</p>
<p>But, the OPs decision has been made. Vanderbilt is busy getting offers to some of the more than 2,000 students who accepted a spot on its waiting list, and the scholarship money will be offered to some lucky student next year. The OP will probably not end up doing premed, because Princeton’s strengths are in other areas, but that is hardly the end of the world.</p>
<p>I wish the OP luck.</p>
<p>princeton!</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s really irrelevant now.</p>
<p>We don’t know the fullness of the OP’s position, although the aid at Vanderbilt was obviously unbelievable (hence my recommendation).</p>
<p>Nevertheless, no one would argue that Princeton offers some things that Vandy does not.</p>
<p>midmo, would you kindly expand on this?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Everyone made recommendations assuming OP’s family is not financially well off… that the $160,000 add’l for Princeton would adversely affect them.</p>
<p>We don’t know that, but we might infer something from OP’s statement in post # 25
</p>
<p>It is possible that between post #25, and OP’s final decision, he received assurances from his/her family that finances are not an issue for undergrad, or grad.</p>
<p>It is also important to understand that in many cultures both inside and outside the US, important decisions are NOT made by an 18 year old, but by the parents… it’s been this way for hundreds of years, and going to college in the US isn’t going to change a culture.</p>
<p>JohnAdams12,</p>
<p>Mid-thread the OP wrote:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I take that as a hint that this particular young person does not live and die the dream of being a physician or medical researcher. Given that he has chosen a school with very strong reputation, resources and contacts in fields other than medicine, and that this student has exhibited significant inclination to place a lot of value on the opinions of other young people, I suspect he will not follow through on the initial interest in medicine. Perhaps he would have at Vanderbilt, where there are a lot of pre-med students and good opportunity to interact with Vanderbilt Med. Center and participate in pre-med type organizations–or perhaps not. But I think the choice of Princeton, despite the significant difference in cost, is an indication that he preferred to keep the options open.</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean I think there are no serious pre-med students at Princeton, if that is what is worrying you. I just don’t think this student is likely to be one of them.</p>
<p>But, I have been wrong before…</p>