What would you do? Another college topic.

[nikon50bigma]

A couple of you may remember a while back I posted a thread about college and where everyone went. Well today is like national deadline for college to send out decision letters. Kinda ironic since it is April fools... But anyway I found out that I didn't make SUNY Binghamton which was my first choice school. Binghamton offered the right combo between price and great academics.
I eventually want to go off to medical to school to become an oncologist so I'm kinda torn between what college to pick. If you were in my spot what college would you pick?
My other top schools (that I was accpeted into) are (in no real order):

1. Boston University
2. SUNY Albany
3. SUNY University at Buffalo
4. University of the Sciences at Philadelphia.
5. Hofstra University

Do you guys think I should bite the bullet and take $50,000 in loans out for Boston U. or stick with a state school and save my money for med school?

Sure I know this is a forum dedicated to aviation but I'm just looking to hear your opinion.
Lol it looks like now I can spend I lot more time on my hobby now that school doesn't realy matter.

[Art at ISP]

I just went through this with my daughter last year. She is at Georgetown, and loves it, but is leaving me poorer each year.

Honestly speaking, from what I have seen, and in the course of discussions with counselors, etc., If you are planning on continuing your education ie. grad school, law school, med school, etc., you would probably be fine going to a SUNY school--the greater part of what you will need in your education comes afterward as you specialize.

Also, did you get into or apply to Stony Brook? They have an integrated 7 year program for undergrad and med school.

Good luck in any event.

[nikon50bigma]

Yea I applied to Stony Book and got in no problem. I realy liked the idea of going there untill I saw the campus. The school is great acadmeically. But the surrounding town to me seemed none existant. And that everyone left on the weekends.

Yea Georgetown is a great school but it deffinatly cost a pretty penny.

[USAF Pilot 07]

If you're planning on going on to a post-graduate school of some sort (Med school etc...) I don't really think it matters what college you go to (unless it's an ivy league sort of schools) - as long as it's accredited...

Pick what you think will be a good fit for you, something that is financially reasonable, and do really well. I think most grad school are going to look at how you do on your specialized standardized exams (MCATs, LSATs etc...) and then see how you did in college and look at your overall picture when determining whether or not to accept you.

[T-Bird76]

Yea I applied to Stony Book and got in no problem. I realy liked the idea of going there untill I saw the campus. The school is great acadmeically. But the surrounding town to me seemed none existant. And that everyone left on the weekends.

Yea Georgetown is a great school but it deffinatly cost a pretty penny.

Turning down Stony Brook could be a mistake, its a highly respected research school. I wouldn't be to concerned with the surrounding town as the kind of education you are going to get for the money you spend. Did you take a ride to Port Jefferson? Not far from Stony Brook at all and a great town for the social scene.

[mirrodie]

1. Boston University
2. SUNY Albany
3. SUNY University at Buffalo
4. University of the Sciences at Philadelphia.
5. Hofstra University

Do you guys think I should bite the bullet and take $50,000 in loans out for Boston U. or stick with a state school and save my money for med school?

Our advice:

Ok, those are all decent schools. As long as you get as close to a 4.0 and are involved in extracurriculars, it wont make a difference where you go to if you are thinking of med school.

My wife, my ex-Gf and I all went to Binghamton or Stony Brook and are all docs now. A psych major, a bio major and an anthropology major, we are all doctors. This is to illustrate that the school as not as important as what you DO in that school.

Finally, and more direct to your decision making, I was fortunate that my parents picked up my college tuition payments. However, I am paying my med school loans to the tune of $850 a month and my wife pays slightly more. IIRC I had about 79K in loans and my wife had about 95K (partying, er, living in Manhattan did add to the cost 8) ) and we deferred payment for 1 year while we completed our residencies. Ours are considerably lower than the national average for medical school loans b/c I commuted for sometime as did she.

So if you are considering med school, save your money.

[nikon50bigma]

Thanks Tommy I'll take another look at that area over my spring break. Price wise Stonybrook can't be beat.

Mirrodie, do you think that going to a private school helps get into med school?
Like with Boston University they have Boston University Medical Center.
Like with the SUNY's they have the Upstate and Downstate Med School.
What I mean is; do you feel that a private school might prepare a student better for a 'better' med school? Or do you feel that it is all about the student and how hard he does on his MCATS and etc?

[mirrodie]

do you think that going to a private school helps get into med school?

Absolutely not. In fact, I can tell you right off the top of my head, the following are all doctors and their under grad schools:

my wife -SUNY BingHamton
my ex-GF -SUNY STony Brook
me SUNY -Stony Brook
My brother in law -SUNY Binghamton
My ex-GFs brother -SUNY Stony Brook
2 of my best friends -Suny GEneseo
my old roomate -SUNY College of Environment and Forestry (Yes, thats right.)

What is most important is that you excel in your major,
stay involved in extra curriculars

and do well across the board. I was taking an avg of 17 credits per semester and that prepared me for 24 credit courseload semesters in med school.

They want to see you take a heavy courseload and excel at it as well as live a outside life (hence the extracurriculars).

What I mean is; do you feel that a private school might prepare a student better for a 'better' med school? Or do you feel that it is all about the student and how hard he does on his MCATS and etc?

Its entirely the latter.


But that is my advice and the experience of several others I know. You have to look at your financial situation and decide if an extra 50K in loans just out of college, on top of anticipated med school loans, is worth the 'prestige' of going to a private school. Some people need that chip on their shoulders psychologically. Others have a need of belonging, hence Private schools or fraternities. I am a product of private schools but decided against it for post-high school work. I certainly have a 'bond' whenever I meed other grads of my high school, yet I doubt I'd send my son to the same school.

Lastly, talk to your guidance counselor. You have to pick a major you love. If you simply choose biochem b/c you think it'll help with premed and you really hate it, and end up not doing well with Mcats, then you are stuck. You just have to take the pre-med pre-requisite courses.

I chose Anthropology with a Bio minor, graduated Honors and LOVEd my major.

[moose135]

my old roomate -SUNY College of Environment and Forestry (Yes, thats right.)

He became a tree surgeon, right? :D

[nikon50bigma]

Mario thanks for your imput I greatly appreciate it!
What did you think about Stonybrook? Were you one of the ones that stuck around on the weekends or were you a commuter? Its really a shame that, that school doesn't really have weekend life since most of the people go home.

Do you have any expereince or thoughts about SUNY Albany?

yet I doubt I'd send my son to the same school.

I saw that and I started to laugh. Why wouldn't you send him there?

I'm thinking (or were thinking) of doing a double major in Bio and Psych.

[mirrodie]

I was a commuter with my own cars. My college "life" on campus was non-existent until my last year since I worked and had a gf and friends near where I live. I'd highly recommend living there.

My brother also commuted there, but he crashed many nights in the dorms of his friends. In return, my mom would cook tons of food and send it with him. So the kids in the dorm and my brother had a real good bartering system. However, my brother ended up graduating from Dowling, as he did not like the big school that USB is.

Many of my friends from Queens either went back on the weekends or got jobs on campus. Face it, you are there to study and possibly get into med school, not to party on the weekends.

In my last year, we started a Crew Club and I got a lot more out of the whole school experience. Lots of partying and the like,( which I could afford to do by then as my next chapter was already laid out.) One of the guys had a house off campus and that was where the weekend life was.

Tom can tell you about living on a campus: His home was 2 minutes from his college and yet his still chose to live on campus. Obviously, he really wanted that whole college experience of living there whereas I didn't put much importance on it at the time.

Looking toward the future, I knew my "campus" was going to be living in Manhattan, which I did for 4 years with colorful roommates and good times.

No clue on SUNY Albany but my wife was a Pyscho-Bio major.

-I Won;t send my son as I KNOW the selection process to get into my old HS is flawed and corrupt and thus the 'prestige' of getting in has since diminished. Further, I didnt like that, in my HS, all my friends were spread out across the island, from Speonk to Mineola. The simple act of getting together with friends was a huge inconvenience that I tried not to impose on my parents too much.

[nikon50bigma]

Time is still marching towards the deadline of May 1st, ugh.

Tommy, care to comment about your expereince at SUNY SB? Were you bored at all even with Port Jefferson near by? Btw what did you major there?

Art at ISP, why did your daughter pick Georgetown? If she was able to get into there she should have been able to get into Binghamton and Geneseo no problem. Did she feel that it would serve her better than a SUNY school? Or was it the simple fact that it was 'Georgetown'?

Mario, thanks again for all your imput I really appreciate it. So after finishing off SB did you go to downstate or upstate? Or did you take the private school route again?
Mario,
I'm just so worried; picking a college is like picking the next four years of my life.

[mirrodie]

Funny but since your post, this topic has come up as several patients' parents have been asking me the same question as you.

It's not an easy choice but college is what you make of it.

After StonyBrook, I was in Manhattan for 4 years followed by a residency at a VA Hospital for a year.

[nikon50bigma]

Just wanted to give some of you guys an update.
Anyway right now its about 12:15 Saturday morning of May 2nd... a little bit after the May 1st deadline.
Just thought I'd let you guys know that the winner is....... Boston University.
That if all goes according to plan I'll be attending there for pre-med in Fall '09.
I know the SUNY system seemed better but for me I truely thought that BU would be the better fit for me. I know it is a lot more money than the any of the SUNY schools but that will make me even more so take full advantage of every day I'm there and not slack off.
Of course that isn't the main reason why I'm going there or any reason at all but just a mere motivational thought.
Thanks guys for all your info and advice!

Hopefully spotting at Boston Logan will be just as good as here in NYC. :D