Transferring from Top Ten Undergrad to Cheaper Option

[15moel]

Hello,
I am currently a freshman at Duke University in Durham, NC. I am enjoying my time here and have made great friends. However, the cost of attendance is getting ridiculous. I will have to pay over $70,000 next year to attend school here. Also, I am not a fan of the super competitive atmosphere and how difficult it is to get involved with meaningful activities. It would be extremely hard for me to leave, but it has been in the back of my mind for some time. I was recently offered a transfer scholarship for $14,000 a year from Drake University in Des Moines, IA. This would cut the annual cost of attendance down to about $30,000. I would also like to attend dental school in the Midwest and eventually practice there as well. My parents are willing to pay for my education, but I know that the cost is stressful for them, and we will also have to pay for dental school. Would it be worth it to transfer from a well-known, elite university to a small, relatively unknown one?

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[JLT223]

Where you go to undergrad has no bearing on your successful admission to dental school. Go where it is cheaper and save the money if you desire to do so.

 

[Ollivander]

You should jump on that offer immediately. Where you attend undergrad is not nearly as important as GPA and cost of attendance.

 

[DuckDS]

Hello,
I am currently a freshman at Duke University in Durham, NC. I am enjoying my time here and have made great friends. However, the cost of attendance is getting ridiculous. I will have to pay over $70,000 next year to attend school here. Also, I am not a fan of the super competitive atmosphere and how difficult it is to get involved with meaningful activities. It would be extremely hard for me to leave, but it has been in the back of my mind for some time. I was recently offered a transfer scholarship for $14,000 a year from Drake University in Des Moines, IA. This would cut the annual cost of attendance down to about $30,000. I would also like to attend dental school in the Midwest and eventually practice there as well. My parents are willing to pay for my education, but I know that the cost is stressful for them, and we will also have to pay for dental school. Would it be worth it to transfer from a well-known, elite university to a small, relatively unknown one?

Hello there,
I was in a similar situation last year. I also attended a highly ranked school, but transferred to a local public school after a semester due to all of the same reasons you have just cited. I couldn't be happier with my present situation. Save your money for dental school, since your undergrad school doesn't matter that much. Just make sure you do well in your classes, get involved in activities, and get to know your professors! If you got into Duke, I'm sure you can be successful at Drake, and it sounds like you would also be happy there Best of luck!

 

[cacajuate]

While I'll agree that the responsible route is to save your parents all that money. I will say that I attended a tier 1 private school for my undergrad and a basic state school for my postbacc and the people/opportunities/resources at the "better" school were drastically different. There are some merits to attending the more "prestigious" school.


Could you not get some scholarships/grants at duke to offset the cost some?

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

Hello,
I am currently a freshman at Duke University in Durham, NC. I am enjoying my time here and have made great friends. However, the cost of attendance is getting ridiculous. I will have to pay over $70,000 next year to attend school here. Also, I am not a fan of the super competitive atmosphere and how difficult it is to get involved with meaningful activities. It would be extremely hard for me to leave, but it has been in the back of my mind for some time. I was recently offered a transfer scholarship for $14,000 a year from Drake University in Des Moines, IA. This would cut the annual cost of attendance down to about $30,000. I would also like to attend dental school in the Midwest and eventually practice there as well. My parents are willing to pay for my education, but I know that the cost is stressful for them, and we will also have to pay for dental school. Would it be worth it to transfer from a well-known, elite university to a small, relatively unknown one?

how can an undergrad with 240k debt manage to pay it off? how these schools charge such a ridiculous price? not all BS degree holder from Duke/other prestigious universities jump on the 80-100k salary jobs

 

[Advance]

70k/yr is outrageous for a bachelors. I won't even be spending that much for my DDS.
Even 30k/yr is a ton for undergrad... IMO.

I recommend transferring to the cheaper option. Dental school is already extremely expensive as it is. Who knows how high the cost will be by the time you start applying.

 

[15moel]

Thank you for all of the replies!
Another question: Will it be advantageous to have that Duke degree in the future (after dental school)?
It would also just be really hard to leave all of the friends and the community that I have formed here, but the $70,000/year price is hard to swallow.

 

[15moel]

While I'll agree that the responsible route is to save your parents all that money. I will say that I attended a tier 1 private school for my undergrad and a basic state school for my postbacc and the people/opportunities/resources at the "better" school were drastically different. There are some merits to attending the more "prestigious" school.


Could you not get some scholarships/grants at duke to offset the cost some?

Duke doesn't offer merit scholarships and any other scholarships are extremely competitive.

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

shouldnt you think of price of 4 years before you commit to Duke? getting into Duke is no joke but why do you have second thought now?

and no, dentistry is about hand skills and clinical experience, a Duke diploma held on the wall and a Upenn dental degree held on the wall look very flashy but other than that, as long as you get into a dental school (some dental schools are bad though), you are set

 

[kholley25]

Go to hell dook.

Seriously though, I'd leave, biases aside. Not worth the cost.

 

[sumin5924]

If cost matters, why not try your state school? I'd personally go to an undergrad that's cheapest. With the current trend in dental school tuition, minimizing debt is key.

 

[tussiN1]

go to unc, just kidding. if u can save money get out of duke

 

[15moel]

.

 

[xerxes106]

I gotta ask.....why are you letting people online influence this decision? You chose Duke and said you have friends there, you enrolled there for a reason. You're literally talking about transferring schools to an entire other part of the country to an entirely different school. Des Moines isn't really right up the street. This should be something you sit down and think about and talk with your family. Letting random people online tell you "go cheaper" is kind of just trolling for reassurance as you argue with yourself, no?
If this is really about going cheaper, just go to your state school and leave with a 4.0 and no debt.