Next steps for Dean's Scholarship

fallenchemist
Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:30:11 +0000

Happy to give my feedback, but of course just my opinion. This is a subject that is so individualized in many cases, but here is how I feel about it. Jym is right of course that this might not even be an issue when it is all said and done, but makes for an interesting hypothetical.

First I think you have to split out the money issue as the primary decision point. In other words, if a family is very wealthy or otherwise somehow will see no significant impact from the potential high cost of an Ivy League school, then we can just put that aside for now. I recognize, of course, that families with very little means also can go to Harvard et. al. for little to no tuition costs. Again, if that were the case we can put that aside for now. If, however, like so many families a person falls into that middle zone where out-of-pocket would be quite high still, then I strongly feel that saving the money is the only sensible decision. As you say, med school (should he stay on that path) is a very expensive proposition, so anything that can be saved towards that just puts him on much stronger financial footing when he is done with it all. In many cases (not yours apparently) many people are looking at huge loan debt when done with undergrad, and that is simply a terrible mistake. But even though you are not looking at loans for undergrad even if he does not get the DHS, the principle is the same since you are looking at funds needed 4-8 years down the road.

If financials were not the issue, is it a slam dunk that a student should pick Ivy over a school like Tulane? In most cases students will take the Ivy invite, and that is understandable. But that atmosphere is not right for everyone. A student has to look at what is important to them for their undergraduate experience, and some just don’t like the “vibe” they get from some of the Ivies. My D was one. Now to be fair, in our case the financial considerations made the decision very easy. We were definitely in that middle “death zone” where Harvard was unaffordable while Tulane has left her (and us) debt free with regard to college costs. But she was definitely going to pick Tulane or WUSTL anyway. Something about a couple of the Ivies just didn’t suit her. And while she might be in the minority in having that feeling, she certainly isn’t alone either.

So if this is even an issue for your son, since right now this is all hypothetical based on getting accepted to an Ivy and/or getting the DHS/PTA, he should not hesitate to focus on what is most important to him during 4 years of undergraduate work. If he was comfortable with the feeling he got from one of those schools, then great. There is no question that the peer group and resources of these schools are among the best in the world.

What I wouldn’t do is use GPA and MCAT as a decision factor. I really have not heard any evidence that the brightest of students will fare any worse at Harvard, etc. than at Tulane. Yes, it is likely that the curves in his engineering courses will be harder than at Tulane, because the peer group by “definition” is overall more academically accomplished coming out of high school. But, and I have seen this many times, often students need to be challenged to perform their best. If one is able to be at or near the top of their class with less effort, human nature is to slack off some. But not always, some kids get very motivated by being one of the “big fish”. Which is one example of why this is such an individual decision. So many complicated factors. I wasn’t worried about my D in this regard, she is just naturally disciplined with regard to her work. But for me it would have been a disaster if I had not been pushed by my peer group.

So let’s see what all the results actually come back with, and then if there is some more narrow area that can be focused on, it would be a fun discussion. But maybe most important, don’t let it stress you. I can nearly guarantee that he will have a great experience whichever way it ends up. A very different experience to be sure, Tulane has so many unique opportunities for pre-meds and in general. As long as he dives into his work and embraces the other possibilities, anywhere he goes, it should be great.