Help me decide! UMich (66k) vs. IU (23k) vs. CWRU (50k) vs. Oberlin (45k) for premed and classical voice! [<$50k parent contribution]

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Hello!! I’m looking for advice on which school it’s best to go to and if it’s worth it to earn money in order to better afford my options.

My parents max contribution is 50k, but understandably they’d prefer the cheapest college.

Preferences:

  1. Small teacher to student ratio (I like to have more personal connections with my professors).
  2. I don’t mind weather that much honestly, if it’s cold for 10/12 months, then of course I’d dislike it.
  3. I’m not the biggest fan of greek life, but I’d want there to be a social scene in the college I attend.
  4. I’d prefer for there to be a collaborative culture over competitive.
  5. I generally prefer classical-leaning architecture over super, super modern but there are exceptions (CWRU library).

UMich (OOS)

Major: BMA in Classical Voice (SMTD)

Net Price: 66k annually (I’m appealing this because this number is 10k higher than my NPC amount). NPC: 56k

Why: Michigan is the perfect place for me to do my undergrad in my opinion. They have the highest undergrad medical school acceptance rate with 80% (CWRU has 78%, and I don’t think I could find the rates for IU and Oberlin). SMTD is an amazing school of music and I really like my prospective studio professor already. They have many ways for undergrad freshmen and sophomores to get involved in performances and they have many performances built into the student schedule, so I believe that here I max both the premed and music parts of what I want in my college experience.

Indiana University
Major: BM (planning on changing to BSOF) in Classical Voice (Jacobs SOM)

Net Price: 23k annually

Why: I get in-state tuition and I feel as though there’s a clearer path to how I’d fit in my premed classes with my music classes. Also their school of music is great, but I’ve heard it’s focused on graduate students primarily and that it’s difficult to get practice rooms and resources because there’s so many people. I want to get the most music performance experience as I can in my undergrad because I don’t plan to get a masters in it.

Oberlin
Major: Classical Voice in the Conservatory and Undecided in the College

Net Price: 45k this year; unsure about what the cost would be going forward, but it’d be under 55k.

Why: I love the community at Oberlin A LOT. I’m unsure how balancing both the conservatory and the college would go, though, so that’s my main worry with this school. I’ve heard their conservatory is also good and I love how there’s instruments below each door – I think it’d be the most amazing vibe to return to my dorm to hear music playing.

CWRU:

Major: Vocal Pop (don’t really like this major), and Neuroscience

Net Price: 50k annually

Why: This is the perfect school for premed because of there being so many internship opportunities with their 4 hospitals around them. They have a joint music program with the Cleveland Institute of Music (I’m unsure how good that is), but I’d maybe be open to this school, but it’s not my number one. Also, not the biggest fan of the dorms.

Thank you for your advice in advance! I may be wrong on some details, so also feel free to correct me.

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It looks like Michigan is too expensive, and even if they lowered the net price to the $56k you saw in the NPC, that still would require student loans or work beyond your parents’ contribution of $50k (doable, but probably not the best idea when you have lower cost options).

Very few pre-meds survive the weed-out process to get into medical school, but those who do are looking at $400k+ medical school costs. If you attend a lower cost undergraduate school, would your parents contribute some of the leftover money to your medical (or other professional) school costs?

Music major programs can have high volumes of requirements that can involve time consuming performance, so check each college to see if you can squeeze in the pre-med courses around a music major and any general education requirements that they have.

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Michigan is pricey for OOS. Their role is for in state kids, not you.

You can’t use med school acceptance rates. You don’t know how many wanted but never applied. You have selection bias - better students will get in and Michigan has better students.some schools use committees so they decide, in essence, who could even apply. But kids from all colleges get into med school. If you like Michigan, you should pick Indiana. It’s a direct substitute. And strong in music.

Oberlin and Case are too high. With extras, you will stretch your parents too much.

IU is an exceptional school and since you were ok with Michigan, that’s where you should go.

Good luck.

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Indiana University is the easy choice based on your interests and budget.

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IU due to cost and if you want to go to med school, this would allow you more financial freedom for the future.

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That’s something I hadn’t thought of, I’ll ask and see what they think about that! Thanks!

Also, UMich and IU have majors that allow you to take outside field classes, so I think those will be okay? I’ll make sure to do more research on that though in case I’m wrong.

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I think what’s making me hesitate is that I feel as though Michigan is a crazy cool opportunity, so I don’t feel right so easily passing it up… You’ve got a point about it being made for in-state kids – if I was in-state, I’d also want the school to be more focused towards those who’ve lived in it and paid money towards it. Thank you!

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How any moreso than IU, besides being financially strangling and life limiting. You’ll be forced to do things. You won’t be able to make choices.

You are seeing a ranking. There’s, in reality, little different than IU. They are substitutes.

Don’t let a magazine put you in a lifetime financial headlock.

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Have you visited both schools?

Also I’m sure Oberlin is a great school for your vocal major, too. Much less than UMich. Maybe that may be the alternative if you don’t mind a LAC verses a mega university.

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What’s your game plan vis-a-vis voice, and do you know which studio(s) you’d be accepted into at Indiana?

Indiana feels like such a great option – Jacobs is certainly on par with Oberlin and Michigan as a conservatory (unless something has very recently changed that I’m not aware of) and if you’re hoping to head to med school, saving every penny you can is going to be important (apparently Congress is considering potential changes to federal loans for grad school.)

Having visited and fallen in love with both Oberlin and Case recently and heard great things about Michigan, I totally sympathize with your dilemma – but either way (whether you’re planning on a music career or definitely going to med school), given all the current uncertainty with funding for higher ed, I think it’s a good time to be fiscally conservative.

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Names and reputation aren’t everything, but the Jacobs School of Music is a BIG name in music. I went to the super official source of Google and typed in “music school rankings.” It popped up the top 9 results from “sources across the web” and IU was on there, while Michigan was not.

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When you click the “15 more” option it adds in other options which shows Cleveland Institute of Music, Michigan, and Oberlin (and Johns Hopkins gets another mention with Peabody…as Google didn’t pair Peabody School of Music with Johns Hopkins).

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All of this is to say that you shouldn’t choose IU because its music program is more highly-reputed than Michigan’s, but don’t choose Michigan because you think its music program is more highly-reputed than IU’s.

This also eliminates Michigan. Do the net prices you provided for the other schools include any loans? There is talk that the federal government may be changing policies regarding student loans, including the maximum amount that students can take out in loans (including for med school). So it would probably be best not to touch loans at all.

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If you like Michigan and your parents are on board with the costs, I can’t see why you would choose Indiana. I’ve been to both places. Both fine schools, but Michigan and Ann Arbor really are terrific.

I hope the Michigan finances work out for your family.

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Because they are substitutional - the parents prefer the “cheapest” option and Michigan is not within their parental budget.

So their choices are IU, CWRU or Oberlin - and IU is a pure Michigan sub.

Michigan is not affordable and therefore shouldn’t be considered. Because they prefer Michigan over the others, it makes IU the natural choice.

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As noted, this student is appealing their Michigan financial aid award. Maybe it will work out.

In the meantime, I would suggest they start to do a deeper dive into their other options. That they are a music major makes a difference. They need to find out the ease of taking the required courses for medical school applicants as electives being a music major.

My music major kid, at a different college, would not have been able to do these additional courses (many lab sciences, for example) and graduate in four years.

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I’ve been to both places, and both are fine schools, but Indiana and Bloomington are really terrific, too. I think this is a situation where reasonable people could make different choices in line with their personal preferences. As one of the options is well outside of the family’s budget, and the difference between the family’s budget can’t be closed through federal student loans, I don’t think it’s an option that should be given continued consideration.

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I think the point about figuring out what’s possible w/r/t double majoring is really critical. In the meantime, if you want to be inspired by someone who is melding her musical and medical interests into a calling, check out Musical Rounds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAoU33nRSZk&t=1s).

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Hey! I’ve visited both schools and like both IU’s and UMich’s campuses and environments more than Oberlin’s.

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That’s a good point – I think I am influenced by the rankings. Thanks for your helpful advice, I’ve tried to disregard rankings in my decision, but it’s difficult.

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Hmm that’s a really good point, I appreciate that – I didn’t realize how good Jacobs was before.

Also, none of the costs include the loans they offered.

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Thanks! I hope it works out too, but I think I’d also be okay with IU as well after hearing some of these responses. I’ll see what happens/ see how everything finalizes in late April.