Big decision --Michigan - or Wayne w/ full tuition?

[jamaca59]

Looking for advice for someone who doesn't have quick access to SDN-

She was shocked when Wayne pulled her off of the waitlist a week ago and offered full tuition. On Friday she received a call from Michigan, which was her top choice ( she is a Michigan resident).

It comes down to her dream (with large debt) versus a LOT of money from another good school. Any opinions to help make a very quick decision?

Also - if she does choose Michigan, would it be very difficult to live half an hour away from campus?

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[LittleMD]

I did my undergrad at U of M. If Michigan is her dream school (top choice) I think she should NOT compromise that and go to UofM. You only get to do medical school once, and it'll be either the best 4 yrs of her life, or the 4 most miserable yrs of her life. Financially although money is money, she won't be that much in the hole b/c of in-state tuition. Going to UofM will open up many opportunities for her for her residency programs all over the nation. Wayne is an excellent school as well, but i think there is more of a chance that she will end up in michigan for her residency. Ann Arbor vs. Detroit,... I would choose Ann Arbor, HANDS DOWN. And also, Wayne is more of a commuter school, so it'll require more effort to have the peer-comraderie and hangout-time outside of classes. Since UofM has students that are more than half out-of-staters, that will be a benefit to her as well.

She should talk to Wayne and UofM med students before making her decision to get their perspective. Also, if her goal is to be an excellent clinician, I was highly impressed with the DMC, and the clinical experiences you receive at Wayne are probably better than UofM. UofM is a much more research/academia-oriented, institution, so these are things to consider as well.

If I were in her position, I would not make the decision based on money. I will be going to a private medical school in a very high-cost-of-living city, so my debt will be unthinkable by the time i'm done. But I chose it over my in-state institutions based on where I feel I fit, what environment I will be motivated to excel, and what school would BEST prepare me to be the doctor that I want to be.

All of this is my opinion, and she should decide her future for herself. Feel free to PM me.

 

[shreebee]

i agree with littlemd 100%

being an instate resident, she wont have as much debt as an out-
of-stater, so the money issue should not make a difference.
being able to go to your dream school is an opportunity you dont get often - and the opportunities that will come from attending umich over wayne are definitely huge.

besides, just the fact of being in ann arbor over detroit will make the experience that much better. whether you live on campus, which i highly suggest to get the full experience of that great city, or commute, michigan is definitely the school to choose.

in my opinion there should not even be a decision to make. a top 10 school over one that isnt in the top 50......???? like i said that shouldnt even be a decision. a lot of people would kill to be able to attend michigan, and she is basically throwing that opportunity away

good luck and let us know what happens

 

[Naphtali]

She would be INSANE to pass on Wayne St. INSANE. Michigan may be a better school. But is it $82000 better? (Michigan's tuition is $20525 per year)

She'll be glad when she can afford to go into FP or peds because she's not in too much debt.

-Naphtali

 

[kkrew417]

i dont think you have to have a full scholarship to consider going into fp. i'm sure plenty of people who paid the 80 grand go into anything they want not just because of the debt they are in. you make it sound like no one goes into fp unless they have a full scholarship.

as a matter of fact, wayne gave me a full scholarship as un undergrad and i went to michigan instead. and believe me i wouldnt trade it for the world. compared to my friends who commuted to wayne everyday rather than living a true college experience like i did with the more complete education, they wish they were in my position.

if i had to make the decision for med school i would once again choose michigan regardless of finanical situation. go to the better school and get a better overall life experience at the same time. Ann Arbor is one of the best cities in michigan.

now you think that med school is all studying, well believe me its not. you want to enjoy yourself as well. and if you can do that and get a better education, not only because michigan is a higher ranked school and has a stellar reputation, but also because they have a greater commitment to their facilities and students with a smaller class size.

good luck

 

[nimbus001]

I am not going to UMICH, but I will have to say UMICH. I mean, you would be crazy to pass up on such a great school like UMICH. 80k may seem a lot to starving pre-med students right now, but it will definitely seem tiny after you graduate from the medschool of your dream, and you land a nice residency because of the school's reputation. Making money is not a huge concern to me, but I really hate it when people are forced to choose schools because of money issues. I am not rich or anything, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to pay of whatever debt that I may accrue in the future for going to the school of my dream. I did not choose a medical career for the money, and I will be damned if I let it influence me before I even start. (Sorry, I am just venting, because I just don't feel that people should have to make a choice of school based on monetary incentives.) Forgive my outburst .

 

[Kennysdn]

I'd go to Wayne for sure.

 

[Sprockette]

I think your friend should DEFINITELY go to umich, IF it is her dream school. It's also a possibility to use the full tuition offer from wayne to try to swing michigan into giving her more money....you know, do the whole "i really want to come here but another school has made me this really great offer" kind of thing. I know someone who did this and was successful.

I just finished my first year at umich and loved it. I don't know a single person here who is unhappy with the school, the city, the facilities, the social life, etc. The first year is pass/fail, which is great...we were able to have a lot of fun this year and get to know each other and not be too competitive. Plus I feel like everyone keeps hammering it into our heads that because we are Michigan students, we have a GREAT shot at good residency positions in a few years. All in all, I'm very happy with my decision to come here (I too chose to come here over Wayne State).

I have several friends who just finished their first year at Wayne STate. from what I can tell, their class was farily competitive; they have Honors/Pass/Fail in their first year so my friends were studying literally ALL THE TIME. One of my friends also expressed some distaste for the city, commenting that he missed some of the aspects of Ann Arbor that he had taken for granted during his undergraduate years here.

As for commuting half an hour to umich....well I certainly wouldn't RECOMMEND it, especially on those days when she'll have to be at the med school at 8am for class (should she choose to go to class, that is)...it's just an unnecessary pain to have to deal with. But I suppose it would be doable, and if she REALLY wants to come here, she will make it work.

Congrats to your friend for getting in, and I hope she makes a decision that makes her happy!

 

[fun8stuff]

just curious... i'll be applying to wayne next year and i was wondering what kind of stats & extracurrics it takes to get a full ride to wayne, if your friend doesn't mind me asking... thanks.

 

[jamaca59]

Thanks for the responses; she will have some good points to consider.

I am unsure of her stats, but I do know that great recommendations along with strong interviewing skills carried a lot of weight.

 

[SarahXXOO]

Hey, I'm the girl jamaca59 wrote in for (thanks by the way)...now I have computer access again and can reply. Thanks for the insightful responses. I chose U Mich, and (incredibly) after I accepted and said goodbye to the scholarship from Wayne, I ended up getting a huge scholarship from Michigan anyway! I'm so glad I made the right choice.

To answer your question, Fun8Stuff, my overall **statistics** were pretty low. 28 MCAT, 3.80-ish GPA. But statistics don't really count for that much, I've learned. Writing is my strength and when I interviewed there they just raved about my essays (Wayne requires 3 in addition to the personal statement, Mich requires 1).

I also had a ton of extra curriculars...some medical-related, others not at all. They were very interested in my experiences teaching violin lessons, conducting a youth orchestra, my Spanish minor, etc. I was very relaxed at the interview and I think they liked that as well; my advice is to smile a LOT (if it's sincere), laugh when it's appropriate, and try to think of the interviews as a chat with an old friend.

Also, having good letters of recommendation carries a lot of weight. And so does enthusiasm for the school. They asked me a lot about why I wanted to go to Wayne (and Michigan did as well), what were my experiences with diversity, etc. (Wayne is very well represented by minority groups). Show some initiative: I told them at my interview at Wayne that I wanted to start a string ensemble for the medical school.

Lastly, I would stress again to pour your heart and soul into your essays. Mine were borderline mushy (I literally gushed about wanting to devote my life to becoming a great doctor and helping others); but I was sincere. It didn't occur to me that when I was writing these essays to get IN to the school, I was also applying for scholarships as well. They're really worth the effort. I sacrificed studying for my finals to write these things, but I'm glad they did (my secondary for Wayne was due back during my fall semester finals). Grades your senior year of college don't count, really: med school apps do.

Good luck.