(Senior in HS) Trying to decide whether to go to private (lots of debt) or not

[Flufeeh]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello. I'm a senior in high school and I'm trying to decide on which college to go to.

First of all, I don't know how much financial aid I will be receiving. It's too early for that. So I'll make the assumption that I will receive no help whatsoever.

I am currently living in NY and want to stay here. If these schools accept me (likely) I could go to St. Johns for the 0-6 program or LIU for the 2+4 program. Both are private and very expensive for me.

Now my question is, would it be smarter to go to CUNY Hunter and complete all the pharmacy pre-reqs for the first 2 years there and then finish the last 4 years at LIU? I will be saving tons of money in the process if I do so. I'm not even sure if I can. I can, right? LOL

I still don't understand. Do I pick a major like Chem at Hunter and then add all the other necessary classes into my schedule? I don't know how college works.

Thanks in advance.

 

[varsityblue]

Hello. I'm a senior in high school and I'm trying to decide on which college to go to.

First of all, I don't know how much financial aid I will be receiving. It's too early for that. So I'll make the assumption that I will receive no help whatsoever.

I am currently living in NY and want to stay here. If these schools accept me (likely) I could go to St. Johns for the 0-6 program or LIU for the 2+4 program. Both are private and very expensive for me.

Now my question is, would it be smarter to go to CUNY Hunter and complete all the pharmacy pre-reqs for the first 2 years there and then finish the last 4 years at LIU? I will be saving tons of money in the process if I do so. I'm not even sure if I can. I can, right? LOL

I still don't understand. Do I pick a major like Chem at Hunter and then add all the other necessary classes into my schedule? I don't know how college works.

Thanks in advance.

1) Go to whichever school you think will open the most doors for you academically, extracurricularly, and socially. The four (or six) years you spend in college will likely be the most formative of your life. If you want to get the most out of it, pick the place where you feel like you really belong. (This is best determined by actually visiting the school through an overnight visit, talking with current students, and talking with other prospective students.)
2) You're able to do prereqs alongside your major. At most schools, people don't declare until their sophomore year. For example, I'm majoring in Literature but am taking all of the med school prereqs as electives.
3) Money shouldn't factor into your decision at all. If you're unhappy at the cheaper choice, you won't get as much out of your college experience.

Feel free to PM me with questions.

 

[spacecowgirl]

1) Go to whichever school you think will open the most doors for you academically, extracurricularly, and socially. The four (or six) years you spend in college will likely be the most formative of your life. If you want to get the most out of it, pick the place where you feel like you really belong. (This is best determined by actually visiting the school through an overnight visit, talking with current students, and talking with other prospective students.)
2) You're able to do prereqs alongside your major. At most schools, people don't declare until their sophomore year. For example, I'm majoring in Literature but am taking all of the med school prereqs as electives.
3) Money shouldn't factor into your decision at all. If you're unhappy at the cheaper choice, you won't get as much out of your college experience.

Feel free to PM me with questions.

The bolded is terrible advice. You are in Canada. Remember that an expensive college in Canada is not the same as an expensive college here.

OP - it is important to find a college where you will be happy and feel like it's a good fit for you, however I could not disagree more with the previous poster's advice point #3. If you are planning on grad school for any field, go to the cheapest undergrad school that will still make you happy and fulfilled. Money should be a HUGE factor in your decision! The #1 factor besides whether the school offers the major you want. School loans cannot be dismissed except under a few circumstances. I pay $800/month just for the minimum payment on my loans. And that's just from a public grad school. Imagine if I had another 80K (at least) in undergraduate loans to pay in addition to that! I make a good salary as a pharmacist but if I had changed my mind and wanted my MSW and was making 60K, I would not be able to pay off the sort of loans I would have from a private undergrad education.

The college experience is awesome and important and I never regret that I did 4 years undergrad and then went back to school (I'm not a fan of the 0-6 plan but that's just me). However as an old fart, I can tell you in the scheme of life, college is 4 short years. Student loan repayment can be 20-30 years. It is a HUGE deal that it is very hard to comprehend when you are at the very beginning of it. A lot of what you experience at college will be what you make of it and the experiences you choose to explore. You can thrive or flounder at any school regardless of how cheap or expensive or average or prestigious it is supposed to be. My advice there is to seek out as many opportunities as you can and find a few good faculty members to mentor you.

Regarding planning your classes - an advisor will help you with that. You can basically pick any major you want as long as you have room in your schedule for pre-reqs. Some people do bio or chem but it's not necessary. Keep an open mind, you might find that you love a field you never considered.

 

[varsityblue]

The bolded is terrible advice. You are in Canada. Remember that an expensive college in Canada is not the same as an expensive college here.

OP - it is important to find a college where you will be happy and feel like it's a good fit for you, however I could not disagree more with the previous poster's advice point #3. If you are planning on grad school for any field, go to the cheapest undergrad school that will still make you happy and fulfilled. Money should be a HUGE factor in your decision! The #1 factor besides whether the school offers the major you want. School loans cannot be dismissed except under a few circumstances. I pay $800/month just for the minimum payment on my loans. And that's just from a public grad school. Imagine if I had another 80K (at least) in undergraduate loans to pay in addition to that! I make a good salary as a pharmacist but if I had changed my mind and wanted my MSW and was making 60K, I would not be able to pay off the sort of loans I would have from a private undergrad education.

The college experience is awesome and important and I never regret that I did 4 years undergrad and then went back to school (I'm not a fan of the 0-6 plan but that's just me). However as an old fart, I can tell you in the scheme of life, college is 4 short years. Student loan repayment can be 20-30 years. It is a HUGE deal that it is very hard to comprehend when you are at the very beginning of it. A lot of what you experience at college will be what you make of it and the experiences you choose to explore. You can thrive or flounder at any school regardless of how cheap or expensive or average or prestigious it is supposed to be. My advice there is to seek out as many opportunities as you can and find a few good faculty members to mentor you.

Regarding planning your classes - an advisor will help you with that. You can basically pick any major you want as long as you have room in your schedule for pre-reqs. Some people do bio or chem but it's not necessary. Keep an open mind, you might find that you love a field you never considered.

I pay $55K a year to attend my current institution as an international student from the States, actually. (Granted, I do have ~$35K in merit scholarships and am ineligible for financial aid.)

I repeat: money should NOT factor into your decision because schools have substantial financial aide programs. The more important thing to keep in mind is whether you're going to get any kind of return on your investment by attending the undergrad institution you pick.

 

[owlegrad]

lol@"money doesn't matter"


No one will care what undergrad you went to. No one has ever even asked me where I went. No one. Go where you want, but to pick an institute without concern for the cost/debt...

 

[Corpseman]

lol@"money doesn't matter"


No one will care what undergrad you went to. No one has ever even asked me where I went. No one. Go where you want, but to pick an institute without concern for the cost/debt...

Pfft...He doesn't have to pay the enormous debt.... oh wait...

 

[spacecowgirl]

I pay $55K a year to attend my current institution as an international student from the States, actually. (Granted, I do have ~$35K in merit scholarships and am ineligible for financial aid.)

I repeat: money should NOT factor into your decision because schools have substantial financial aide programs. The more important thing to keep in mind is whether you're going to get any kind of return on your investment by attending the undergrad institution you pick.

Firstly, I'm old enough to be the OP's mother and I know a lot more than you do about what the financial future of a pharmacist will look like.

Secondly, don't assume financial aid will be such that you don't have to consider cost.

Thirdly, a Geo Metro and a Mercedes will both get you where you need to go. Did you finish your pre-reqs? Do well? Good PCAT? Good LORs and ECs? There's no incremental ROI improvement to consider when comparing undergrad schools. There might be for law, business and certain medical specialities. Not with pharmacy.

If you don't want to believe me, that's fine, I don't care how much debt you accrue. But this is going to be one of those times when I'm going to pull the "I know better" card. Because I do.

 

[pharm B]

Yeah, when I hear about people graduating with mountains of debt after attending a private undergrad and a private graduate school (medicine, pharmacy, etc), I thank my lucky stars that I've attended public schools with veterans benefits.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

OP, if you are dead set on pharmacy then I say apply to both 0-6 programs and the surrounding CUNY/SUNY schools with a two year pre-req intention. It seems you prefer to stay on the island/tri-state area but also look into Buffalo and Albany's pre-pharmacy programs (these are also public schools so they'll run way more less than St. Johns or LIU).

I completed five years of undergrad, got my degree from a SUNY school, and fortunately I owe <$30 in debt. DO NOT listen to the poster saying to disregard the cost of tuition. For ever student like him who receives a substantial amount of aid/scholarship, there's a handful of others who could pay for four years of state school in one year of private school tuition.

I do say apply to St. Johns and LIU because you never know what aid they might offer in the way of aid. It could end up being within the ballpark of a state school and grant you the security of a better chance into their professional pharmacy program as well.

As for deciding on a major if you go to a four year institution, I believe you only have to choose by the end of your sophomore year to continue receiving aid. Chose a major that will coincide and give you the best access to the pre-reqs needed for pharmacy (Usually a general bio major fits the bill).

Good Luck!

 

[usechopstix]

i agree with Rockinacoustic, i'm also from new york and i decided to go to binghamton for my undergrad. i had a hunch i wanted to do pharmacy so i felt it was a good middle ground. i got to go away for college while getting my bachelors for an affordable price. was it the cheapest choice? no, but do i regret it? not at all. college is probably going to be the best time in my life and i didn't want to miss out on that. it all depends on what you're looking for. if you're looking for the cheapest and quickest way there, go to a CUNY then apply; if you're looking for a place to mature socially and academically before pharm school, go to a place reasonably within your price range and have fun

 

[Flufeeh]

The social aspect of college doesn't influence my decision. I can make friends of all ages anywhere I go. So far it seems like I'll go to Hunter to save money and finish up at LIU.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[phathead]

The social aspect of college doesn't influence my decision. I can make friends of all ages anywhere I go.

That's a pretty damn mature response from someone in high school. Kudos to you. 👍