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hey guys
well, i recently got an update on my financial package for both schools. my father retired from the military after 20 years so now he has no job and i feel that he will have difficulty since his english is somewhat limited and with the down economy. i emailed the University of Washington and Wash U and this is the new package.

WASHU: $30,500 in GRANTS. so i pay about 10,000 per year. this deal kicks ass, no?

UW: they made it so i don't have to pay a penny! this includes room&board, textbooks, etc. also, i got accepted into their honors program. this deal kicks ass too...

i'm thinking of premed. what do you guys think?? is this an obvious choice? somewhere i heard that you can't beat a free education... but 10k for a top 10 college sounds like a good deal as well. HELP!

By Cj3051 (Cj3051) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 03:57 am: Edit

10k a year for a WashU pre-med sounds an excellent deal to me. I would recommend you to choose WashU, even if you have to get a loan to cover for it.

By Skulkarni1 (Skulkarni1) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 10:05 am: Edit

i agree, 10,000 per year does kick ass, and you can work to pay some of it off during college, and the loans wouldn't be a ton....go with Wash U, much higher prestige, and better for medicine

By Barrons (Barrons) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 11:23 am: Edit

I doubt that Wash U has that much higher prestige than UW. UW has superior science programs, more research activity in biosciences, a ton of nearby biotech companies, and the #1 medical school in the US for training practicing physicians. Seattle is WAY better than St Louis in all regards.

By Demingy (Demingy) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 11:37 am: Edit

I'd have to go with Barrons, and WashU is actually one of my top picks (so it's not like I'm going with some bias here). But, for the money AND especially for the research opportunities, UW would be a great way to go for premed. And without debt it would be easier to afford med school (where they are unlikely to give ANY aid).

Just my two cents. Congrats on both though.

By Snuffles (Snuffles) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 02:19 pm: Edit

WUSTL. You're getting one of the best educations in the united states for 10k a year, quite a deal.

By Accord04 (Accord04) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 02:39 am: Edit

i think i've made my decision: University of Washington

the way i see it is that: WASHU is a great deal ONLY if i could succeed through its highly competitive premed curriculum.

as of right now, i am kind of discouraged that i will make it in such a competitive environment.

i think my chances coming out as a premed are better at UW, where i probably won't be near the bottom... plus i have nothing to lose since it is free

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 06:04 am: Edit

I vote for WASHU. If you're smart enough to get in, you're smart enough to handle the premed curriculum.

Premed is tough at any school.What gets students through is working hard, even getting tutoring as some of my Harvard classmates did.

Some of my Harvard classmates who were not star premed students at Harvard, still finished the curriculum, got into med school (as did virtually everyone at Harvard who applied to med school), and then kicked booty at some of the top med schools in the country.

Some of my friends who were not particularly distinguished premed majors at Harvard are now full professors at major medical schools in the country.

Going to a top university IMO helps one develop the skills to do extremely well in medical school, raises one's odds of getting accepted to a good medical school (because one is more likely to have top MCAT scores, plus due to the inside knowledge that one gets by going to an elite university, one is likely to submit a stronger app than do applicants from less elite universities).

I think you would serve your own career goals better by selecting Wash U. Pick the better university and the work your butt off. That's what you'd have to do in med school anyway. If you're not willing to work very hard, then med school may not be for you.

Also find out how many students from the 2 universities apply to and get accepted to med school, and to what schools they go. The adcoms can find out this info for you as I'm sure the schools keep records. And talk to premed majors at both schools.

One of my friends who is a doctor actually did graduate near the bottom of her class at an Ivy. She had had a rough time in college after her dad committed suicide while she was there. After college, she worked in a health-related field, took premed courses and then went to med school, where she was at the top of her class. She became a surgeon, has had top surgical internships/fellowships and now is a very highly regarded doctor who is one of the few women running a certain type of surgical specialty department. She is also published in major medical journals.

Despite her poor performance as an undergrad, she says going to a top college was one of the best things that she ever did.

By Fonzie (Fonzie) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 06:09 am: Edit

This board is way skewed. The majority of people here IMHO would say WashU over UW even if you had all loans at WUSTL. $0 and graduating high in your class vs 40K in debt (even 30K if you are LUCKY yet still have to work during the school year which sucks) where you have no guarentte of success? good choice

By Iluvtoshop (Iluvtoshop) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 09:51 am: Edit

Accord 04, I think you made the right decision to go to UW, it is best for both you and your family, and then at least your dad won't have to worry about your college bills and stuff. You will definitely receive a great education there. Prestige isnt everything and i'm glad you realized that cuz it wasnt worth the extra money just to go to Wash U..Congrats and good luck there in the fall!