Do I stay at USC or transfer to UAlbany?

[sunnypremed]

Hi all! I apologize for the long post, and would greatly appreciate any suggestions!
I have currently finished my first year at USC (Southern California) as a human biology major. I am planning on finishing my premed requirements and applying directly to medical school out of college. Thus far I have done well and have been able to get straight A's, though of course I'm not expecting to have a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout my college career - the hardest (ochem) is yet to come! I have made some really amazing connections with professors, received amazing research opportunities, and added a special minor that USC offers through the Keck School of Medicine that gives you some direct medical experience. Yet, I don't feel as though USC is the perfect social fit for me. I've also realized that I don't really love living in LA - I grew up in the country and miss being able to go for a run through the mountains, without constantly having to watch my safety.
I am considering transferring back home to my local university, SUNY Albany. I come from a low income family, so I am taking out loans. USC was extremely generous and gave me almost $50k in a combination of scholarships and grants, but with the remaining tuition and living costs (dealing with the extreme cost of living in LA), I am taking out $12-15k in loans a year. Last year, I eagerly signed up for USC - after all 12k out of the 77k total cost of attendance sounds good. Of course, after actually studying there for a year, I realized how stressful it was to live in LA when you have no money and take on student loans as an undergrad when you know that med school loans will be so much more. For this upcoming semester I am on medical leave so I have some time to decide what to do, but I am seriously considering staying back home, living with my parents, and taking advantage of New York State's new free tuition. Finishing college at UAlbany would allow me to finish the following 6 semesters without taking out any loans, pay back the ~$13k that I have already taken out, and graduate college debt-free.
What would you do?
I really want to go to a top, research oriented medical school, and I am willing to put every ounce of my heart and soul into it to make it happen. I don't want to make the wrong choice and hurt my chances. I know that though USC isn't a social paradise for me, but it does provide its students with incredible opportunities. At the same time, I don't want to take on $60,000 of loans before I even start medical school and then have to limit my choice of specialty due to financial necessity. (Also, would the transfer "down" to a less prestigious university look strange to admissions?)

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[21Rush12]

Be careful - the "free tuition" doesn't include room and board and also is offered with stipulations such as remaining in NY after graduation for the same number of years you received scholarship.

My understanding is that if you graduate UAlbany and then get into med school in any other state, you're charged the tuition anyway.

I know loans are scary but in Med school it's different, you have a portion for living expenses. For the opportunities you have at USC it is worth it 100% to stay if at all possible. I say that having lived in Albany and knowing very well the community. It's a fine school, but you're comparing apples to oranges.


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[PreMedMissteps]

If you're low income, and USC meets need, why did you end up with that much uncovered costs? Does your family have property or investments or own a business?

How are you taking out that much in loans each year? Is someone cosigning your loans that aren't federal direct loans?

What was your FAFSA EFC? I know that USC is a CSS Profile school, but if your FAFSA EFC is very low or 0, then you'd have to have some situation where your home has a lot of home equity, a family owned business, or something.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

My understanding is that if you graduate UAlbany and then get into med school in any other state, you're charged the tuition anyway.

Wasn't that worked out? I thought an agreement was made.


Did you appeal your aid pkg to USC? If you truly are low income, and if you have little/no assets, then USC should be covering pretty much all costs except 5500 in direct student loans and work study.

 

[cactusman]

If you're low income, and USC meets need, why did you end up with that much uncovered costs? Does your family have property or investments or own a business?

USC is notorious for calculating less financial need than other need-met colleges.

 

[21Rush12]

@PreMedMissteps it may well have been worked out but I find conflicting sources. I think there is still a required commitment to service/residency in NY. Either way I do think OP should stay at USC if the concern is purely financial. The difference in undergrad loans is marginal when compared to med school COA and the opportunities and networking will be much better at USC. Plus, nobody in their right mind would pick upstate NY winters over California weather.

Again, purely opinion based on personal experience.


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[PreMedMissteps]

@PreMedMissteps it may well have been worked out but I find conflicting sources. I think there is still a required commitment to service/residency in NY. Either way I do think OP should stay at USC if the concern is purely financial. The difference in undergrad loans is marginal when compared to med school COA and the opportunities and networking will be much better at USC. Plus, nobody in their right mind would pick upstate NY winters over California weather.

Again, purely opinion based on personal experience.


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I agree with choosing USC over Albany. I think the OP and parent need to contact USC to find out why 100% of need wasn't met for a low income student.

 

[sunnypremed]

Thanks so much for the advice! Some clarifications - if I went to UAlbany, I would be commuting from my parents home (a little over an hour each way), saving money on living expenses.
Also, as for the high USC expenses, I am in a complicated situation with parents financial need. I appealed this year and am currently waiting for my application to be filed. I have a FAFSA EFC of 0, but long story short my parents formerly owned a business that was making them 0 profit and putting them into debt - the closed down but still own the building which hurts financial aid especially with the CSS. My father also built our home almost from scratch and it was appraised at a much, much higher cost than what they bought it for, which also hurts. Still, I'm remaining hopeful and will do everything I can to stay at USC!

 

[Sharknad0]

Try contacting the FA office and tell them that due to finances you might not be able to stay anymore and are considering switching back home, it might give them a little nudge to further things in your favor.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

I would stay at USC. Perfect life lesson here - that you can't run home every time things get tough. 12k in loans a year is not bad at all either and you seem to be doing well academically and have good extracurriculars going on with opportunities on the horizon. Maybe you're still homesick, and that's okay. But if you went back home you might lose many of those opportunities you would have at USC and LA. Not only that, but I'd reckon to say that if you're feeling this way now you might feel this way in medical school in a "big city" living with little to no extra spending money. If I was you, I'd tough it out.

 

[coralista]

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good (or, in your case, great). Continuity is more valuable than a lot of people realize, and it seems like you're off to a successful start utilizing opportunities at USC.

As a native Californian who lived in New York for six years (and upstate for four of those), I would disagree with the point that @21Rush12

 

[coralista]

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good (or, in your case, great). Continuity is more valuable than a lot of people realize, and it seems like you're off to a successful start utilizing opportunities at USC.

As a native Californian who lived in New York for six years (and upstate for four of those), I would disagree with the point that @21Rush12

...brought up about how "nobody in their right mind" would choose to live in upstate NY over CA. But it really depends on how important the weather is to you. For your individual case and your goals, I think you should take advantage of the momentum you've gained your freshman year at USC despite the downsides you mentioned.

 

[Toutie]

Thanks so much for the advice! Some clarifications - if I went to UAlbany, I would be commuting from my parents home (a little over an hour each way), saving money on living expenses.

I think this is the biggest issue. Commuting a total of over 2 hours a day? How long would that be in winter? Do you REALLY want to spend that much time on the road to save money by staying with your parents? Think about what could you be doing with those extra 2 hours a day to help boost your application.