Boston vs Cincinnati

Started by button23
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button23

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Cincinnati
Pros
  • In state tuition (with COL and everything, I think it will end up being around $270k all in over 4 years)
  • A really great school with excellent opportunities, nothing bad can really be said about the curriculum or facilities
  • The school seems like it has a great vibe and I think I could get a great education here
  • Great medical spanish program
Cons
  • I don't know anyone in Cincinnati (my family lives a couple hours away)
  • Cinci is not where I want to live and I would really prefer not to be in the midwest (where I grew up)
Boston University
Pros
  • I love the city of Boston, I have lived here for the past few years so I have friends and a boyfriend here, as well as a connection to the area
  • Really mission-focused school with a hugely diverse, immigrant-heavy patient population as well as a lot of opportunities to work with substance abuse research/patients (lots of things I am passionate about)
  • Slightly better ranked
  • I don't know where I want to settle down as I get older, and I have the feeling that going to medical school on the east coast may keep my options open for getting a residency spot/eventual job over here??
Cons
  • Mad expensive, even with the measly 40k scholarship they gave me (will probably be 340k all in over 4 years)
  • Older facilities (doesn't really bother me much tho)

Summary: I just can't decide if it is worth it to take out 70k more in loans plus interest (I won't get any need-based aid) to go to BU because, while it is a slightly better school, I don't think it would increase my future earning potential. I am a pretty laid back person so I do think I could be happy at Cinci, but I think I would be happier at BU. BUT is a littleeee bit of happiness worth 100k? None of my friends or family will help me make this decision so I am turning to you, internet strangers!
 
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I wouldn't underestimate the value of being happy over 4 years of pretty intense schooling and training.

$70K plus interest seems like a lot now. Just estimate your cumulative earnings over the rest of your life, no matter what specialty you end up going into, and ask yourself how significant $70K plus interest is in the scheme of things.

The great thing is, there are no wrong answers. OTOH, no one can decide for you! Two great choices. Good luck!!
 
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I think they are comparable in terms of prestige, so I wouldn't factor that super heavily into your decision. Based on how you even describe the schools, it seems like BU is what you really want, taking away the financial aspect. So the issue remains the very high cost difference. Personally, I think being somewhere where you want to live during med school is important. Boston is awesome and it seems like you have a lot of positive supports there. It also seems you are less than thrilled about living Cincinnati. But also, if you think you would be on edge the entire time in Boston thinking about your debt, that would be a major downer. To be perfectly honest, it's not as though you have the option to go to Cincinnati for free, so you're going to be in some amount of debt either way. Maybe I'm financially naïve, but I don't think the difference between the two schools is significant enough for you to choose Cincinnati over BU, since it seems like everything else about BU is exactly what you want. It's also a notoriously expensive school, so you wouldn't be alone in navigating that. That's just my opinion, but congrats on having two great schools to choose from! I'm sure it will work out either way.
 
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70k is not a whole lot of money in the grand scheme of things. 100k plus difference and paying that much extra for BU would be a shortsighted decision, I believe. However, I think 70k to go to the school where you'll be happier is, in and of itself, a reasonable decision. Throw in the fact that BU is the better school (yes, ik they're largely comparable, but let's be honest here. BU is most certainly a way bigger name than cinci, although cinci does certainly hold it's own in the field of medicine) and it's really a sound decision to pay extra. Also, if you want match back into Boston area for residency, this will be significantly easier coming out of BU. They're both really good options, I just think one is a bit better. Ya really can't go wrong here though; each place will come with its pros and cons that more or less balance out. I'll add a pro for Cinci: COL. Also, better sports teams collegiate level wise (and I guess even NFL this year shockingly lol)

Best of luck and congrats on the A's!
 
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