WUSTL
-35k/year (could possibly go down with third-party scholarships, with the lowest possible being 20k/year)
-Would probably major in either biology or pnp while on the pre-med track, with a minor in either economics or entrepreneurship
-Smaller campus (I prefer these)
-A lot more research/clinical opportunities
-Beautiful campus
UT Austin Business Honors Program/Health Science Scholars
-17k/year (with potential third-party scholarships could go down to 10k/year)
-Would double major in finance (through the renowned Business Honors Program) and biochemistry (through the Health Science Scholars)
-Business Honors Program is very well-respected in Texas, with 100% job placement and a large/useful alumni network
-Health science scholars will help me pursue my possible pre-med interest on the side of BHP
-Both honors programs can provide the small college feel I am looking for
-The university as a whole, however, is way too big for my liking
-I know way too many people going to UT and would prefer to have my collegiate experience with a different set of people
I would be focusing on pre-med with a business/econ side interest at WUSTL, whereas I would be focusing on business/finance with a pre-med side interest at UT. Both focuses (premed for WUSTL and BHP for UT) are extremely well-regarded and I know I can do well in either field.
Basically, the main questions are:
- Which field, medicine or business/finance, is more lucrative/stable in the long-run?
- Is UT BHP more respected in the business world than pre-med at WUSTL in medical school admissions?
- Is WUSTL worth double the price of UT BHP and HSS? Our family can afford either, but more money saved is always good.
- How viable is Health Science Scholars as a pre-med option? How viable are WUSTL economics and business options?
At this point, if all finances were equal, I would give an edge to WUSTL solely because I want a fresh college experience with new friends and people.
Sorry for reposting this so many times, but I want as many opinions as possible across all biases. Thanks so much in advance!
There will always be sick people, so medicine is a stable field…
Seriously, why do you want o be a doctor? To make money or to help people? The economic background of medicine is in flux, so it may be less lucrative than in the past, but you will have a steady job (see above) and a comfortable if not outrageous salary.
Okay, putting that aside, I’d go with UT because of the quality and uniqueness of BHP and HHS, the energy of the UT campus, and the excitement of Austin. However, I do see your point about wanting to try something and somewhere new. You are a Texan? Finances are not an issue? Back when I was a high school senior, I was dying to get out of my home state and see the world. I did go far away from home for just that reason and never looked back. You do learn and grow from trying out a new environment where no one knows you. If that is your gut feeling, I say go with it.
Thanks so much for your input! I want to be a doctor because of both the money and the helping people aspects - who wouldn’t want a job that provides for a steady life while giving you the warm fuzzy feeling we all love?
My main dilemma is that UT appears to be more feasible, career-wise and financially: it appears that UT can provide me comparable (albeit slightly inferior) pre-med opportunities through the Health Science Scholars program while offering me a world-class business education through BHP at half the cost (I was offered a 10k/year scholarship from the Business school). Thus, I would be treated as the cream of UT’s crop, allowing me to access more resources than the typical UT student.
Nonetheless, WUSTL is the type of elite, OOS, private university that I have been striving towards all throughout my high school career.
Finances are not too much of an issue as we are somewhat well-off, but I do care about my parents and don’t want them to stress even more than they already do. 
How did the WUSTL price go down to $35k?
Ultimately a Texas resident will most likely end up in Texas medical school. So this is your opportunity to attend an OOS school if you can afford it. WUSTL trains premeds well which means it is in your hands whether you to make it to medical school or go another route. It will cost about $120-150k to attend medical school in Texas and student loans usually cover all of it.
We (magically) received around 30-35k in financial aid/scholarships, even though we are somewhat well-off as a middle class family. Thanks for your the info! Do you know how viable (if at all) Health Science Scholars is for pre-meds?
Any other opinions? Thanks so much!
https://www.cns.utexas.edu/images/CNS/Health_Professions/PDFs/2013_Stats_JH_FINAL_med_with_toc_final.pdf
The document above shows UT med school acceptances by major. I don’t see anything related to HSS but business majors do alright getting into med school.
Med school won’t be cheap. Even if you can afford WashU undergrad, you still have a lot to pay after that. You have a great opportunity with BHP and HSS. Once you go to medical school, no one cares where you went to undergrad and once you do residency, no one cares much where you went to medical school.
You say UT is too big but you know too many people that are going there. Even if you go to a school with a class of 800, you likely don’t know more than 80 people going there. Out of 50,000, that is really not many. Unless you want to see them or they also ended up HSS/BHP, you won’t see them.