Worth it???

Applying to College
1

I am a senior and am beginning to receive my admissions decisions. So far I have been accepted Notre Dame, U of M-Twin Cities, and Creighton. I am waiting to hear from UW-Madison, but I am fairly sure my chances of getting accepted there are very good. I got a 34 on my ACT, have a 3.9 GPA, and plan on pursuing pre-med.
Notre Dame was really the only “elite” school I applied to, and I wasn’t sure if I would get in, but now that I have, my family thinks that I should consider applying to more elite/ivy league schools.
In my junior and senior years of high school I took all my classes at Normandale Community College as part of the PSEO program, so I have roughly 60 college credits.
The problem is, elite schools like Notre Dame will not accept those credits. I guess my question is, is it worth it to go to a school with such prestige if they won’t accept my credits??
I feel like if I went to the University of Wisconsin- Madison, I would be wasting the opportunity to go to an amazing school like Notre Dame, but if I went to Notre Dame I would be wasting the 60 credits I could save at Madison.
I know Notre Dame and other private schools can be extremely pricey, and I do not have college savings, so I am hoping whatever financial aid package I receive in the spring will help my decision.

I am a self-proclamed over-thinker so any advice would help! Thank you!

2

Also, feel free to recommend other schools to apply to!

3

Did you not receive financial aid offers with your current acceptances?

4

I think my financial aid offers will come in the spring

5

You are probably not really going to have a say in this as money is your biggest issue. What does the NPC say for ND?

6

Have you run the Net Price Calculators for all of these schools? Do any look to be affordable?

7

There really isn’t any harm in applying to a few elite places. If you get in, they will send you an aid offer and if it’s enough aid you can attend that school, otherwise you can go to UW-Madison. If you don’t get in, at least you’ll know you took a shot.

8

The University of Wisconsin is not exactly a shabby choice, especially depending on your prospective major. Also, keep in mind that 60 college credits is a lot to waste, especially given that starting with 60 credits will probably put you near junior level credit wise. This may not seem important at first glance, but when it comes to registering for classes, it can make all the difference into getting into the classes/sections that you want or need.

Also, make sure that you are selecting the best school for your needs and interests - whether it be location, size, research opportunities, etc. Don’t just be blinded by what other people consider to be “elite”.

9

Remember to apply to a school that will allow you to keep your GPA at a high level. That’s what you will need to get into medical school, along with (hopefully) minimal debt.

10

Every college and university has a Net Price Calculator at its website. Run them for all of the places where you have applied. This will give you a ball-park figure for your financial aid at each place. If none of them are likely to be affordable, you need to quickly add some admission and financial safeties to your list. For ideas on that, visit the Financial Aid Forum.