Do a quick check on different websites (individual airlines or Travelocity and similar) just to see. Both Philly and Nashville are sizeable airports. I think Nashville can be a little more expensive, but it probably varies depending on airline. Travel costs do add up, so if you’re not within driving distance, it’s worth looking into it. It shouldn’t be the deal breaker or main factor (after all, you will only fly home every so often), but if the difference in cost between the two schools is a few thousand per year, then cheaper travel in and out of Philly might actually make up for a portion of the tuition discount you’d get at Vanderbilt.
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Depending on where you live, you might also be able to travel by train or bus. Philly has good service for both.
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Can you or your parents contact Haverford with the Vanderbilt offer? You could explain Haverford is your #1 choice (it does sound like the best fit for you) but being low income youre worried about the cost differential: could they (H) decrease or eliminate the loan?
I don’t think there’s much risk in asking.
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If there isn’t much risk, I will email Haverford about Vanderbilt’s aid package soon. Thank you.
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Just make sure to frame it as “Haverford first choice but low income so must consider cost differential/financial offer and loan situation”, then keep it open (eliminate or decrease loan amount).
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Others have already highlighted most of the main points. I just want to say there is zero reason to worry about name recognition of Haverford. Everyone who matters for medical school, grad school (if you decide to go in a different direction) and other similar things know that Haverford is a top notch school. I don’t think those groups will think of Vanderbilt as superior to Haverford in terms of reputation. Both are high quality, and the people who matter know that. Liberal Arts Colleges are not as well known by the average person because of size and no big-time sports, but don’t get that confused with their reputation in the academic/grad school/professional school circles and high prestige jobs. Reputation should not be a factor at all when you are deciding between these two schools.
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Thank you so much that’s definitely a super helpful advice
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I know people who finished the pre-reqs and still decided they didn’t want to go onto med school as well - so another here chiming in to go to the school that seems a better fit overall.
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Exactly…the use of a committee letter…or not can affect the supposed %age of accepted to med school students.
No.
And you don’t need to go to a top 20 medical school to become a doctor.
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I always wonder what that means - I mean, there’s so many doctors and what’s important to people are - are they on my insurance and are they accepting patients. And often, you have no choice who you see - like emergency rooms.
I’m not sure what Top 20 means - when it comes to medicine. I like at the top hospitals (in my case Vandy) and see a who’s who of non-selective undergrads represented.
There is no such thing as a Top 20 medical school. Even US News has abandoned that nomenclature. Most because most of the formerly top 15 or so medical schools refused to participate their charade and stopped releasing data to US News. US News now stratifies medical school into “tiers” based largely on the level of NIH research funding a school receives and quantity of faculty publications. Neither metric has the slightest bit to do with the quality of medical education.
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It’s not the school brand name. It’s your grades, MCAT scores and maturity level that gets you into medical school. Also, in college, as you explore, you find out where your real passions are. That’s why there’s such a low medical school attence for premeds out of high school. Medicine is a great career, and it’s definitely glamorous, but it’s not for the vast majority of people who value their sanity and mental health. The rigors of medicine are inhuman.
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I love that you are back !!
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??? Glamorous?
I’ll introduce you to my young friend still in residency whose catch phrase is “Four years in college, four years in medical school, and I get to spend my days asking “when was your last bowel movement” and then cleaning out an impacted digestive system (gloves that go beyond the elbow) when the answer is “last Saturday, I think”.
Or my gynecologist who has seen bodily fluids that most “coolguys” don’t even know exist.
Or virtually anyone in an ER, anywhere in the country, who has tried to save a four year old who was accidentally shot in the head by his or her older sibling with an unsecured handgun.
On what planet is medicine glamorous?
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I can’t speak for the other poster, but I think it is true that among HS kids, there is often a certain glamour to being a doctor, fueled in no small part by pop culture depictions of doctors.
What I think you are pointing out is the reality of being a doctor can be very different from what is usually depicted in pop culture. Which is a big concern of medical schools, and one of the reasons they want to make sure their applicants have spent a serious amount of time with real world patients.
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I think you misread the quote.
On paper, it is glamorous - you are a doctor, at the high echelon of societal respect etc. But the comment was followed up with “but it’s not for the vast majority of people who value their sanity and mental health. The rigors of medicine are inhuman.”
When we take pieces of quotes - as we often seem to do on the CC, we mis-represent the overall intent of what was stated.
To the OP…if you want to become a doctor, then go for it. The doctors I know do not have mental health or sanity issues. They love their jobs and don’t view themselves as doing something “inhuman”.
But also…no glamour.
You can achieve your goals at either of these colleges! Which one did you choose?
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Not my quote - it was a requote from @coolguy40 to give credit where credit is due.
Please move on from the discussion on doctors being glamorous or not. This is not the cafe!