<p>Which One for our son?
Our son was accepted to Ohio State honors-Northeastern honors-William and Mary all biology. We live five minutes from Ohio State. We visited Northeastern last weekend pretty cool campus and the coop program is tough to beat anywhere. In two weeks we go to William and Mary for an accepted students Monday visit. What a tough decision the young man has and we are leaving it up to him. He wants to go to med school too. I work in the medical field myself as a pa and all the surgeons and physicians I know say don’t worry about undergrad as know one cares about that especially if your going to med school. I find that hard to believe but experience usually wins out! Any thoughts from students or parents that have spent the big bucks for undergrad and then went for the big debt on grad school?</p>
<p>Jeez, go to OSU for cheaper and save some cash for med school.</p>
<p>Hmm, they’re all good schools, so it really comes down to the personal “fit” and how much you want to spend. Unless your son really wants to get out of Columbus, I’m guessing it would be much cheaper to go to OSU. But, if one of the others really stands out in terms of being a place he’d love to spend 4 years, then that might be the best bet. I’m in grad school at OSU, but went to college in-state in North Carolina and avoided debt by doing so.</p>
<p>I know its getting down to crunch time too!</p>
<p>OSU has broad research opportunities but does not have the greatest pre-med advising IMO. A smaller school might have better advising/support for pre-meds but may offer fewer opportunities for research and extra-curricular activities. If your son is a go-getter who takes initiative, then OSU is a great choice. If he needs more guidance, maybe a smaller school might be a better choice. I think cost and a back-up plan are important too. Which school would offer better opportunities to find employment if his med school bid fails? 47000 applied to med school this year. All food for thought…</p>
<p>It would be hard to pass up OSU. If he is going to med school, Northeastern and their co-op approach wouldn’t be for him. William and Mary is great, but is going to cost more money. What he wants to be concerned about is which school gives him the best probability of a high GPA. That’s what med schools look at.</p>
<p>Difficult choice, is one of the “wow” factors of the Northeastern and WM the fact that they are different than what he has experienced in his own back yard ? Sometimes it is difficult to believe that something a person has grown up with and maybe takes for granted is as valuable as it is.</p>
<p>My son is biomedical engineering with premed. I agree he hasn’t had much advising for premed though he is only a sophomore, and I’m not sure he has asked for any either. In my mind it would be difficult to justify the difference in cost though. If he elective to live at home the room and board plus his scholarship would be an additional $50K savings from OSU toward his doctorate.</p>
<p>But, in the end, he has to buy into wherever he attends so he can get the grades required for med school.</p>
<p>jjw6455- At times I wish we didn’t live in OSU’s backyard-I’m sure if we lived in Iowa he would think OSU is the best University in the world- like his mother and I do! I grew up four houses away from the great Woody Hayes. I’ve loved ohio state since I’ve been 10 years old. My son is not a big sports person but his is captain of his crew team! Go Bucks!</p>