Thank you
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This is very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you!
We are having similar conversations in our house. My daughter is trying to decide between Pitt (full tuition) and UVA/UNC. She too has some concerns about UVA-particularly with the āwahooā greek culture and competitiveness of certain majors/clubs. But she also loves the campus, school spirit, and higher % of OOS compared to UNC. She also is beginning to appreciate how the 50k difference between UVA/UNC is not insignificant.
We are heading there today for their day on the lawn tomorrow. Maybe our paths will cross:) Hereās to the visit at least bringing some clarity to both of their decisions!
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As a physician myself, if she really feels she wants to go to med school, I would accept VCU in a heartbeat. I knew from the time I was 10 years old that I wanted to be a doctor, and never once changed my mind from then on. To be able to save so much money in undergrad by going to VCU is fantastic. That saved money can obviously then be spent on medical school. Also, not having to worry about medical school applications and perhaps having to move thousands of miles away depending on where you get in, would be well worth it to me. I went to a small Jesuit college, majored in biology and then went on to a state flagship for medical school. In the end, the prestige in where I went for undergrad made no difference, but moving across the country by myself at 22 was not easy. Good luck to your daughter in whatever she chooses!
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Can you afford UVA/UNC without impacting your lifestyle?
Three great names.
Best of luck.
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I personally visited UVA during a heatwave, hated it, but ultimately enrolled after loving admitted students day. It can feel clique-ish but thatās until you find your own group. Thereās a billion different clubs to sign up for that get students together all the time too. You may have to try a few things but there is every type of person and group there.
Going to UVA for pre-med can feel VERY competitive I will say (for hours at the hospital in particular). Every first year wants to be pre-med or pre-Comm (business) it seems. Having not gone to UNC, I canāt say for certain what itās like there, but if I had to do it all again, Iād much rather be a big fish in a smaller pond (such as the VCU option).
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Yes, although UVA is cheaper because we are in-state but my daughter has her mind made up against UVA. I am worried about the number of opportunities at UNC for clinical experience since there are so many pre-meds. The hospital system only allows shadowing 8 times per year.
Thanks. I will tell her that! I really do feel like our visit was impacted by the heat that day. We will see how Days on the Lawn goes.
This is what I keep thinking too, but I guess she is worried about what happens if she changes her mind. I still figure a strong GPA from VCU would get her into a strong PhD program if she does.
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Hoping your visit goes well!
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Your daughter can do shadowing when she is home on school breaks and in the summer. Many pre-meds do this.
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Iām always curious about this. It take many hours to drive N to South, E to W. Some parts of Va are closer to Chapel Hill than Charlottesville. A state is an artificially set border.
Itās immense so I always why people want to avoid the state school. Itās not HS part 2.
Is this her reason or she simply doesnāt like UVA ?
Rereading your first post, I just donāt see how the choice isnāt VCU. Med school or not, itās the option with the most flexibility, support, and frankly, if sheās in a neuro or STEM like major, either grad school or a difficult to find job is in the offing. A UNC degree is no guarantee to better success.
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Yes, UNC would be at the top end of the budget but think it is out of the running now. (UVAās Day on the Lawn exceeded her expectations today, in spite of the rain!)
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