I’ve been fortunate enough to get a full-ride scholarship to the University of Oregon with $12,000 in enrichment funding (study abroad, internships, etc.) and admission to Rice University in the regular decision round where I got need-based aid, dropping my cost of attendance to half. I am a biology/neuroscience major interested in the intersection of genetics and neurological disease and pre-med, hoping to go on to medical school. This has been a tough decision to think about - what is the best choice?
–What can your family comfortably afford (no hardship, no or minimal loans) knowing med school may be in your future?
–Which school do you prefer?
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Quack!
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My family can somewhat afford Rice but given my younger sibling, there are things to think about. Loans will be minimal? I like both schools a lot, still need to attend Rice’s Owl Days (admitted student day).
You don’t want loans, especially if medical school is in the offing.
The reality is, even without, you’re likely headed to grad school and that’s more money. There’s no question that Rice is more esteemed but when you are in a special enrichment program and it sounds like you are, the experience that you can get is sometimes incredible.
If goinng to Rice would strain your family or impact your ability to attend grad school without loans, then I would go Oregon.
Congrats on two great admissions. Getting the scholarship you did at U of O is not easy.
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The edge of affordability is not a great place to be if you have other reasonable options, especially if it can result in your younger sibling having a smaller price limit for college than you spend, which could cause lasting resentment. Loans would not be a great thing to have to carry into expensive medical school if you get in (though be aware that very few frosh pre-meds actually eventually get admitted to medical school).
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I agree with both these statements.
One huge issue here is that medical school is expensive. If medical school is a realistic option, then not only is it best to avoid loans for your bachelor’s degree, it is also good if you or perhaps your parents can save some dollars to help to offset at least part of the cost of medical school when the time comes.
Medical school sounds like a possibility. A master’s degree is also a possibility, and could very well cost $200,000 by the time that you get there. While PhD’s are typically fully funded, the associated stipend is typically minimal and some modest additional support from parents can be very helpful even for someone studying in a fully funded PhD program.
Rice is a very good university. I have become a fan of the relatively small universities (largely based on one daughter’s experience). However, the University of Oregon is also a very good university, you are in-state, and you have earned a really great opportunity there. Also, you appear to be interested in an area where some form of graduate study (whether medical school or something else) seems very likely. If you are a strong enough student to get both of these excellent offers, then you are most likely a strong enough student to benefit substantially from some form of graduate study.
I think that I also would be inclined to take the great offer from Oregon.
When you get to Oregon in the fall, at least some (if not all) of your premed classes will be academically quite demanding, and they will be full of very strong premed students. The hard work that you have put in throughout high school is going to help you a lot to be prepared to do well in these classes. You should go in planning to work hard and make a very strong effort to stay well ahead in your class work.
And congratulations on earning these two excellent opportunities!
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My daughter‘s best friend has the same scholarship that you got at university of Oregon. The money for study abroad has been amazing for her. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
She spent part of last summer in Italy and next summer is going to Greece
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Great opportunities! Does this UO scholarship provide you any extra attention from faculty, staff, mentorship, internships? Although you can’t beat free, from a solid school, it’s still a large public college as compared to a small private school that may give you and afford you much more attention. And if you choose to not go the premed route, does Rice give you more opportunities in your career choice? Finally, two completely different cities with completely different settings with completely different sets of students. What fits you best?
I’d personally consider Rice but that’s just me. I think the school opens up potentially more opportunities and would give me more attention.
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As somebody who is interested in genetics and neuroscience, if you decide against medical school you will likely end up in some type of graduate school. This costs money…a lot of money. How will this be funded?
You indicated that you have a younger sibling and that your family can “somewhat” afford Rice.
Given what you wrote I would choose Oregon. The full ride plus funding for study abroad and internships will provide for a wonderful experience with no loans. The future of student loans right now is unclear - even for medical and graduate schools (factual, not political).
Best wishes!
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The Honors College at U of O is also great! They get priority registration, new dorm, connection w/ faculty, etc.
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Funding medical school is through two avenues:
- $200,000+ through the Bank of Mom and Dad.
- $200,000+ through available Federal loan providers.
Unlike undergrad, scholarships for med schools are basically nonexistent. Everyone pays, and there are rarely “low-income” funds for these fees-I believe if your family works picking crops in California, there might be some farm worker scholarships and loans.
All of my current physicians were on loans. My specialist just paid off his loans (30 years after med school)!
My daughter had 7 “flat mates” while in Med school. Only she and another roommate were able to pay the fees. The others were on loans.
TDLR: Take the full ride.
Please read this thread before assuming grad plus loans will be available for medical school. They might not be…
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Unfortunately the funding of medical education is facing HUGE changes in the next couple of years.
Med students will likely still be able to find private student loans to pay for med school, but these loans will have lower borrowing limits, higher interest rates, and offer very few repayment options. Private loans may require parents to co-sign the loans and prove credit-worthiness to borrow around $80-100K/year (which is what med school costs at private and OOS public schools.)
PSLF is also undergoing restructuring and future physicians should not count on being able to use PSLF to pay off their med school loans.
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It appears that the UO does send about 67% of its pre med students to med school. Great percentage. Some sites say 90% of Rice students. That seems high. I made a typo.
That because it is.
Rice uses Health Profession committee letter process while UO does not.
A HP committee “prescreens” med school applicants to make sure the they have a high chance of being successful applicants.
Nationally, the admission rate to medical school is around 42-45%.
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