I am dead set on being pre-health (still deciding pre-dental or pre-med)
At Rutgers NB Honors, I’d major in cell biology and neuroscience
At my local Uni Stockton, I’d major in biochemistry/molecular biology
I’m on the waitlist for Lehigh’s 3+4 pre-dental program, though if I get off, it is likely that I would be accepted into just Lehigh (not the 3+4) – in this case I would major in molecular & cell biology
I’m also on the waitlist for JHU, though I am not hopeful (also heard it is cut throat/competitive)
Currently the main concern is financial. If I stay local for college (~30-40min drive) I would pay way less (commuting), but I would have to get a new car (I’m surprised the one I have is still running–it needs help and is 21yrs old). However, I do know that there will be more opportunities if I go to Rutgers (bigger school, more people, better networking)
Stockton is ~3k/yr
Rutgers NB (honors) is ~25k/yr
Is Rutgers Honors worth the extra 20k or should I just stay local? Please help.
A bit confused with the car thing and how far Stockton is - but you need an 8 year plan - and that includes medical school.
Government backed loans can only be $200K (so maybe half the cost) including undergrad.
So will the Rutgers experience be better - I’m guessing yes.
Can you afford it? Only you can decide.
Lehigh is need aware for the WL so if you have that much need, it’s unlikely to happen. In other words, my assumption is they don’t want kids they have to provide significant aid to. But good luck nonetheless. They did admit 80 of 4K offered a WL spot and 2K that accepted last year….so you never know. But I’d just assume it and JHU aren’t happening.
Rutgers honors is very difficult to get into. My son chose Rutgers New Brunswick ($0 merit) over Stockton ($10,000 merit), but his twin had several friends at Stockton (all of my kids had friends at Rutgers, closer to Rutgers). He transferred to Montclair after the first semester (having nothing to do with Rutgers). He commutes 10 minutes, sometimes goes back and forth (he’s also a special events director so goes to campus for that). There is a difference in experience between living at campus vs. commuting. My oldest got her 5 year master of accounting at Rutgers in 4 1/2 years, due to leases she commuted 40 minutes her last semester, and it wasn’t ideal (ancient car as well). Her tuition was probably closer to $30,000 a year, my son’s $40,000, after annual increases over the 7 years. Neither had a car on campus, they could take the train home.
No, he did like Rutgers, his transfer had nothing to do with Rutgers, just some mental health issues that needed to be taken care of back at home. My husband and oldest daughter are alumni.
A 30-40 minute commute is burdensome. Remember that this is just drive time; at many commuter-heavy campuses, looking for parking or walking in from far-flung parking lots needs to be figured in as well. Gas prices could hit you hard. And I always worry about sleep-deprived college students having to be on the road.
Can you manage the 25K for Rutgers? Between the overall strength of the school, the added benefit of honors, and the opportunity to live on campus, there’s a lot of value-added there.
When considering the cost differential, add the true costs of car/gas/insurance, plus the food you won’t be getting from a meal plan, to your budget for Stockton. And at Rutgers, consider that the 8hrs/wk you won’t be spending in a car could be reallocated to a campus job. The cost difference may begin to look a bit less stark and quite possibly worth it.
The above ^ points are all very true and important.
In addition, being a full time student at Rutgers and part of the Honors College will offer you opportunities (experiences, research, jobs, study groups..) that will be difficult to match as a commuter to Stockton. If you can afford the 25k, the difference is worth it, especially since it’s definitely not as stark as what you said once you’ve included car repairs, gas (*), meals, time not spent on your career goals/studies, and opportunity costs.
Finally, even if you’re sure you want to work in Health, what if you discover something that interests you even more? Rutgers would have more choices and a greater reach in the region&nationally.
If your parents would have to take on loans for you, obviously Stockton can be an acceptable choice but if you can afford Rutgers there are enough benefits there that it’d be worth it imho.
(* Likely to reach $4.50 a gallon soon and up to $5 should be expected for the summer. It’s unlikely it’ll go back to around $3 because that would cause/be indicative of stagflation so high costs are here to stay. People with ecars/ebikes must be overwhelmed with relief.)