SCCO with WICHE or SUNY

[RegularGuy]

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Anybody have any experience with the WICHE program? It's basically a loan where you get 16k of credit a year towards your tuition. Each 16k chunk is forgivable if you return to your home state and work in an under-served community for a year.

So, I have the option of participating in this program. That makes the tuition at SCCO roughly 10-11k a year. With the lower cost of living in LA (compared to NYC), I'll save a lot of money during optometry school if I go to SCCO.

I have no problem working in an under-served community for 4 years after optometry school, but am wondering if my income will be significantly lower during this time, making it more difficult to pay off my loans and save up for my own business. (Thus being financially penalized overall).

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

At SUNY, on the other hand, the tuition is higher, averaging roughly 16k a year. Living in NYC is really expensive, so my up front costs will be higher. But will the higher initial cost reap any financial or intangible rewards in the future? It seems that the academic quality of SUNY is well respected-- Will that lead to any extra opportunities that I wouldn't get if I didn't go there?

If you were in my position, what factors would lead to your school choice? (Just so you know, I like both NYC and LA equally. I hope to visit both schools soon.)

Thanks in advance.

 

[princesspinknes]

Anybody have any experience with the WICHE program? It's basically a loan where you get 16k of credit a year towards your tuition. Each 16k chunk is forgivable if you return to your home state and work in an under-served community for a year.

So, I have the option of participating in this program. That makes the tuition at SCCO roughly 10-11k a year. With the lower cost of living in LA (compared to NYC), I'll save a lot of money during optometry school if I go to SCCO.

I have no problem working in an under-served community for 4 years after optometry school, but am wondering if my income will be significantly lower during this time, making it more difficult to pay off my loans and save up for my own business. (Thus being financially penalized overall).

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

At SUNY, on the other hand, the tuition is higher, averaging roughly 16k a year. Living in NYC is really expensive, so my up front costs will be higher. But will the higher initial cost reap any financial or intangible rewards in the future? It seems that the academic quality of SUNY is well respected-- Will that lead to any extra opportunities that I wouldn't get if I didn't go there?

If you were in my position, what factors would lead to your school choice? (Just so you know, I like both NYC and LA equally. I hope to visit both schools soon.)

Thanks in advance.

im sorry..im just curious to know why you think you would work at an "under-served community" after coming to SCCO?

 

[RegularGuy]

Oh, serving at a shortage area won't be a result of going to SCCO. It's a condition for participating in the WICHE program.

"Recipients must agree to practice for four years in a shortage area, as determined by the state, or pay back support with interest penalties." (http://www.wiche.edu/sep/psep/stateInventory.pdf)

The more I think about it, the more SCCO makes sense. WICHE is an incredible opportunity and I do love my home state. Working in a shortage area seems like a positive more than a negative. SCCO is an awesome school and I really think I'll fit in well there.

I'm just the type of guy who likes to consider every possibility
before making big decisions. Are there any factors that I'm not considering at this point?

 

[xmattODx]

Oh, serving at a shortage area won't be a result of going to SCCO. It's a condition for participating in the WICHE program.

"Recipients must agree to practice for four years in a shortage area, as determined by the state, or pay back support with interest penalties." (http://www.wiche.edu/sep/psep/stateInventory.pdf)

The more I think about it, the more SCCO makes sense. WICHE is an incredible opportunity and I do love my home state. Working in a shortage area seems like a positive more than a negative. SCCO is an awesome school and I really think I'll fit in well there.

I'm just the type of guy who likes to consider every possibility
before making big decisions. Are there any factors that I'm not considering at this point?

My wife had WICHE for WA state.

Upon graduation every county in the state of WA was considered acceptable.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

See the thread in the Optometry forum about WICHE. You need to actually contact your state office and see what the requirements are. Some states will require you to serve in underserved areas, some states just want you to practice within the borders of the state, and some states don't even make you come back at all. Also, I'm not sure about your state, but getting WICHE isn't a sure thing. I didn't find out until May that I received it, and I was under the impression that rankings for each school don't come out until then. So, you'll have some waiting to do before you could make the final decision. (Unless you've deferred or some how already know that you got it, in which case forgive my rambling...)

 

[princesspinknes]

all i can say is..visit the school. thats what did it for me

 

[cunikki]

hey!!! i am a wiche funded student at scco... i love it here... i ended up declining my suny interview after interviewing and getting accepted at scco. i would say just go visit the schools and choose based on that.... yes it will be a lot cheaper to take the wiche; especially if you want to go back to your home state... but i dont think taking wiche or not will end up changing how much money you will make in the long run so dont make a decision based on that. i cant really think of any negative reasons for taking wiche; most states that have 'underserved' area clauses still have places that will fufill that where you can be just as successful as anywhere else

 

[RegularGuy]

Thanks for all the great feedback everybody. I appreciate everything that's been said.

 

[butterfly413]

just to add a little note on wiche - i'm looking into wiche funding as well, and i know that in AZ (i dunno if your state is the same), you are not obligated to return to your state to practice. if you don't, you just pay back 1/2 of the amount paid for by your wiche state, at a low interest rate.

also, as far as SUNY goes, you can also get residency after your 1st year, and that lowers tuition a lot. and from what i heard when i was there, if you choose to live frugally (ie in queens), you'll pay the same for rent as you'd pay in SoCal.

i think both schools are highly respected, so... it's a tough choice!