Help!!! undecided about ECU versus WAKE

[NCtoME]

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Hey guys....any input would really be greatly appreciated! I keep weighing the pros and cons and still come out undecided. I have no undergraduate debt and have my living expenses covered.

Tuition seems to be my only pull towards ECU. I don't want to go into primary care & Wake is close to my family. Im thrilled to get into either school, but I'm "excited" about Wake. On the other hand, I am also excited about such little debt.

ECU:
10,000/year
5 hours from family

WAKE:
40,000/year
close to home
More opportunities during/following school


Thanks so much!

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Hav eyou weighed things such as class time?? I know ecu has an ungodly amount of time spent in class and its pretty much required, which is a turnoff for me.

 

[NCguy86]

go to ECU so we can be classmates! i'm very excited about attending ECU, it's a great school. i think that spending an extra 120K at wake is crazy. plus, you have to count in the interest in the loans. most residents and doctors that i've spoken to, tell me that loans is a big burden in their lives.

 

[Aladdin]

I was worried I was going to have to make the same decision - I was definitely not looking forward to it. I would have probably ended up going to ECU just because of cost.

In my hometown, I know plenty of doctors (in nearly every field) from both schools and they are all great. Don't think that you have to do primary care if you go to ECU. They are obviously looking for people that want to do primary care, but that makes no difference. It's not like you won't be able to get a residency you want if you go to ECU.

I'd probably say 55:45 ECU.

 

[NCtoME]

Hav eyou weighed things such as class time?? I know ecu has an ungodly amount of time spent in class and its pretty much required, which is a turnoff for me.

I don't know too much about the day-to-day schedule @ ECU but I was fond of Wake Forest's cirriculum. I really don't mind going to lectures though....

 

[NCtoME]

I really have no idea how to decide.... Seeing how I can't judge how much Wake might help me in the long run over ECU. I know that I don't have to like primary care to go to ECU but it would have made my decision easier if I did. I was very excited to start ECU...and then I got into Wake and got more excited.

ughhhhhhhh...people tell me money shouldn't be a deciding factor but I like my money 🙂

 

[Premed Worrier]

For me, if I had to choose it was going to be ECU. Even though the students (on our interview day) looked ragged, they were in class all day, and it was further from home, I couldn't deny how nice it would be to have my student loans paid off so quickly. But...I don't have the choice, in fact I haven't been accepted to either, but the schools I am looking at all have comparable tuition to Wake and I am okay with that. So it all depends. Good luck with your decision.

edit: By ragged I mean they looked tired and worn out.

 

[flip26]

I really have no idea how to decide.... Seeing how I can't judge how much Wake might help me in the long run over ECU. I know that I don't have to like primary care to go to ECU but it would have made my decision easier if I did. I was very excited to start ECU...and then I got into Wake and got more excited.

ughhhhhhhh...people tell me money shouldn't be a deciding factor but I like my money 🙂

Who is telling you that? Ignore them.

As for primary care: this is not a good reason to pick WF over ECU...depending on your performance at either school, you will have as many options to "avoid" primary care from ECU as WF...this is not a good reason to pick WF.

 

[virusgirl]

flip is 1000% correct! Money should absolutely be a factor to consider. I think that many premeds have a hard time imagining at this stage in the game how painful loan repayment is going to be, whereas the allure of going to a school that has a better "feel"or has a prestigious name is very compelling in a much more immediate sort of way.

Here is what I would do: actually sit down and write out a list of all of the things you will have at WF that you will not have at ECU. I expect this list will be fairly short, as medical education is relatively standardized and not one of the schools I interviewed at seemed to be particularly innovative as compared to the others.

Then look at this (short) list and ask yourself "am I willing to pay $120,000 extra (plus interest) for these things?" Play with a financial calculator to get a sense of what your monthly payments will be for both scenarios.

If you still feel deep down in your gut that the perks offered by WF are worth the cost, then by all means go ahead and attend. Just make sure your decision takes into account all the relevant factors. Not considering cost (and it's future toll on your happiness, which I guarantee you will feel acutely when you go into repayment) is foolish.

 

[sarahl86]

I'd say follow the money but just to play devil's advocate, $40k/year puts you at about what the average medical student will be paying to go to school, if not slightly below...so things could be worse. Yeah it sucks but the bills almost always manage to get paid for by doctors.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[NCtoME]

Thanks for all of the advice...looks like a strong trend towards ECU. If money was less of an issue would it be Wake hands down?

 

[jwrigh69]

Not necessarily... the things you need to consider for yourself, in no particular order are:

proximity to home: Advantage Wake.. but trust me its kinda nice to get away from home... and i honestly think that greenville would be a better place to live than winston-salem. 🙂

cost of attendance: Huge advantage ECU... paying back those loans/lack thereof is a big factor in your lifestyle. You're talking a difference of thousands of dollars yearly.

value of education: NO Advantage. The only thing that matters is the degree, all medical colleges that are accredited will have rigorous programs and the quality of the physicians they put out is directly dependent upon the quality of students they accept. I'd rather have a good doctor from a smaller state school than a horrible doc from Yale. It all depends on the people, not so much the institution.

School Match history: NO Advantage.. both schools students match extremely well across the nation into all fields.

You need to ask yourself what it is about wake forest that has you so drawn to it... and when you can answer that question with one or two words just take a minute to decide if those words are worth an extra $200K 😱 To some people they are, to some they arent.

 

[virusgirl]

Thanks for all of the advice...looks like a strong trend towards ECU. If money was less of an issue would it be Wake hands down?

Not necessarily. It's ultimately up to you. You're the one who needs to decide what criteria are most important to you, and which school best fits your needs. Choosing a medical school is a very personal decision, and while we're happy to give you our input, YOU are the one who needs to decide if it is "Wake hands down."

I did not apply to ECU, so I can't comment on that school. My impression of Wake was decidedly lukewarm, and unless they offered some serious scholarship $$, I personally wouldn't choose it over some of the other places I interviewed at. But, I want to stress, that is MY PERSONAL IMPRESSION. You seem to have had a very positive experience there, which is great! If you really feel strongly about Wake, and the cost is worth it to you (or isn't an issue due to financial aid), then by all means go 🙂