My daughter applied to 6 different schools and it is coming down to her dream school (OSU) coming out with 20,000 debt or Wright State with no debt. (Health Sciences at OSU vs. Biology at WSU) She also knows she wants to go to grad school. She is open minded but has always wanted the whole college experience. I don’t know that she would be satisfied/have regrets going to WSU no debt is hard to pass up. This is the decision we are trying to help her make. Any advice is greatly appreciated. She is our 1st of four to attend college. Thanks in advance!
Is that 20k per year or over 4 years?
Is that foreclosed or after family contribution?
Why can’t she dorm at Wright State if she wants the ‘college experience’ ?
Would she be premed and if not what would she hope to do professionally with her majors?
Did she get into the honors college at either one?
TOSU is a MUCH better school… check out the retention rate (how many freshmen return for sophomore year) and 4 or 5 year graduation rates. Quality of health advising and peer quality would be better at TOSU. However if she ‘squeaked by’ (few AP classes and act below 27-28, for instance) AND she is premed the criteria are different.
How about a regional campus of OSU? What grad school? If it’s pharmacy, has she looked at Ohio Northern or U Toledo?
Also, are you in state for Ohio schools?
Totally different experiences at the two schools. One of the largest schools in the country compared to a small one. Very strong school spirit compared to average at best. Very well known nationally vs only known regionally. If the 20k is over 4 years it is not so bad. She could make quite a dent in it working summers while in undergrad. I say pick the one that is a better fit and where she will thrive.
Full disclosure: I am an OSU alumni, though this was many moons ago.
I fully appreciate your challenge. One potential point in OSU’s favor is that it is a research institution. Graduate school = research, so if you daughter’s plan is to go to graduate school, some experience working in a laboratory would be a huge plus. There may be plenty of opportunities for this at OSU (at least that’s what I did); I don’t know if the same applies at Wright State.
Best of luck with your decision.
If the 20,000 is total debt over the four years, I would say it is well worth it and a manageable debt to pay off. The value of OSU from education to college experience to reputation is above and beyond and I would think health sciences is the stronger program.
How does your D feel about attending WSU? It is a suburban and to a degree a commuter campus. Many of the students will live in the greater Dayton area. They would prepare students well for future health degrees. She would have a better opportunity to be at the top of her class and better grades could make her more competitive for med school if that would be her direction. Graduate school/med school/ other medical field graduate degrees are costly and pragmatism would suggest spending as little as possible for her undergrad education. However, being miserable four years is not suggested.
If she were to want to change her direction and major tOSU would offer far more opportunity in a greater variety of majors. She will definitely be a fish in a much larger pond. It is a flagship university and will feel like it. At OSU she’ll probably have to work harder to be noticed in the crowd. At WSU she’ll probably need to work harder to make the experience the standard campus experience but it can be done. They do have dorms, sports teams, excellent arts (their musical theater dept is top notch). They are affiliated with the Boonshoft School of Medicine so if that is her direction they have plenty of experience in that area.
In my opinion there would be some compromise. However, if your D has the right attitude it is a compromise that could pay benefits in the future in lower debt. This really comes down to attitude, goals and perhaps to a degree self confidence. Good luck.
If it’s $20,000 over 4 years, it’s even lower than federal loans. It’s doable.
However, the issue of what the student wants to do with her degree.
Biology or Health Science isn’t very marketable on its own, which suggests grad school, med school…?
Wright State is pretty much open enrollment (96% of those who apply get in) with an average ACT score of 22, only 25% have 25 or higher. It means the academic depth of the classes will be targeted toward that level. Fortunately through the honors college she could get better classes, but it looks like they don’t offer many “honors section” so most of her classes will be with the typical students, only 21% of whom graduate in 4 years.
That’s very different from tOSU.
Huge differences in schools for the academic peer group. I would find a way to make your flagship work (am assuming you are instate for Ohio). In Wisconsin I found ways to live on campus for our flagship instead of commuting- best decision ever! She deserves to be among her academic peers. She also will get many more opportunities to interface with the grad school world and research. Decades later she will not regret the extra money spent but could find herself limited if she goes cheap just to avoid debt.
She probably NEEDS to be at OSU. If it turns out she is only a so-so OSU student she can always transfer to the local school. I was lucky to have a great flagship within ten miles of my home. Living on campus was a HUGE plus. I also had scholarship money and have some regrets about penny pinching as an undergrad and medical student given my future finances. She needs faith in herself that she will be able to pay off the debts.
We are having the same dilemma although with different schools. My daughter could go to Michigan State with no debt or Kalamazoo College with 20K in debt. She plans med school so I am leary about debt for undergrad. K’zoo actually has a higher graduation rate, but it isn’t as known outside of the midwest. Their retention rates are very similar, but the 4 year grad rate is 77% at K’zoo and only 50% at MSU. OSU is an option for her as well but out of state tuition for essential a similar experience as MSU isn’t worth it for us. I am slowly coming to grips with $20K debt but it is uncomfortable.
Just an idea: Wright State undergraduate, Ohio State Graduate school. Long term plan, and very general. But why not?
re post #9. I’d choose Michigan State and save the money. The grad rates for a large top state school can reflect many different things. I wonder if that includes transfers to another school as an example.
MSU will have two tiers of students- the general good college student and Honors caliber students. No reason to pay more for a regionally known school (I’d heard of K college because I had a medical school friend who went there- can’t say I was impressed with it). No reason to spend extra especially with such a good choice and funds needed for medical school. Don’t worry about the competition- rates of getting into medical schools for each school. The percentages don’t mater. I was a UW (Madison) undergrad and valued my chemistry major plus the access to research et al.
re the undergrad/grad school post #10. Vastly different undergrad research opportunities at the flagship. Better education for going to a grad school, exposure to grad students et al. t would be worth the expense to be at the flagship. Very different student bodies and more likely to have academic peers (plus living on campus is the best way to start college- can’t replace those experiences).
. Wright State is very much a commuter school. Totally different experience at OSU. I would say it’s worth the 20k for the college experience.
Kalamazoo is a very good school but, most importantly, supportive for premeds rather than weedout. It can mean the difference between being able to make it to med school or not.
Not to be chicken little, but I would have some concerns about Wright State: http://www.whio.com/news/wsu-financial-chief-more-cuts-layoffs-are-imminent/AzsGenqQuTVCBwY76PDjAM/
Grad school as a goal is vastly different than hoping for medical school. Both students seem to be top tier students who deserve a top education in their states. They deserve the experiences their top public U’s can offer.
OSU definitely big leagues with professors known by others in the field plus so much more.
K college- why go into debt when at least as good an education can be had at MSU? The premed student will do well at either place if good enough for med school and have advantages if she changes her mind. Grad rates don’t affect that top tier student. btw- my Michigan friend only spent 3 years at K… College- we also had those who only spent 3 years at UW-Milwaukee so caliber of school wasn’t the deciding factor for our in WI school. Save money and go to MSU.