Which college would you choose?

[indya]

My friend is a senior in HS right now. They're just starting to get acceptance letters for if they applied EA or ED now. He is pretty sure on which colleges he will get into, but he also applied for some reaches.
Safeties:
Rutgers
Seton Hall
Match:
Grinnell
UChicago
Northwestern
Michigan
Emory
Johns Hopkins
Reach:
UPenn
Amherst
Duke

Disregarding the reach schools he applied to, which college would you recommend? He is a resident of New Jersey, so rutgers would be in-state and seton hall is a unprestigious private college closer to home. I've heard about grade deflation at chicago and hopkins. Is there anything else I should tell him?

EDIT: Also, he is looking for a school good in poli sci, economics, philosophy (social studies in general) and a college which is very liberal. I don't think that $ is much of an issue for him.

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[MilkmanAl]

Personally, I'd follow the money. Wherever he can go for cheap is the place to be. If you go to a large school, the chances that you'll be unable to enjoy yourself are virtually nil, so the whole "feel" thing just goes out the window. Ideally, you'd want a place you loved that's free and easy to get good grades at.

 

[indya]

He will probably get a full ride to both Seton Hall and Rutgers, so which of those would you recommend assuming a full scholarship? If he goes to Seton Hall he will probably be living at home. How does living at home affect one's ability to get involved on campus and have a 'traditional'/fun college experience?

 

[MilkmanAl]

Living at home won't affect your chances to get involved at school, but it'll definitely crimp your "normal college experience" a lot, regardless of how cool your parents are. I absolutely would not recommend doing it. Get out, and fend for yourself. Be a college kid. College isn't just a couple years with some stuff you have to do between high school and med school. Enjoy it.

As for which school he should go to, do whichever one he'd enjoy more. I know next to nothing about either school, but I think I'd pick Rutgers for its decent sports programs and size.

 

[Barcu]

He will probably get a full ride to both Seton Hall and Rutgers, so which of those would you recommend assuming a full scholarship? If he goes to Seton Hall he will probably be living at home. How does living at home affect one's ability to get involved on campus and have a 'traditional'/fun college experience?

Tell them to NOT live at home. It would ruin the entire college experience. Even if your friend is not into raging and questionable behavior, living at home will still be miserable.

Like Al, Rutgers would be my choice too even though I too do not know much about it. I went to a large state school and don't regret it at all. The diversity of experiences and variety of opportunities is unparalleled compared to almost any private school (though some of those reaches on the list may compare).

Some people struggle at large schools because there is not much structure. Even though there are a ton of opportunities, you have to work to find them. But, if your friend can do that, go to Rutgers for sure.

Less money, more opportunities. State schools really are a fantastic deal. That is the best kept secret you don't learn in high school while applying to schools.

And your undergrad does not have a large bearing on where you go to med school (only a tiny effect that can be overcome with good gpa/ECs/MCAT), so you can't really go wrong choosing the state school.

 

[avatarftw]

A lot of analyses show that the return on investment for the expensive ivy league schools is considerably worse than your humble state college. It might annoy some overly idealistic people, but the main reason that people go to college is to enhance their earning power. Would you go through X number of years of extra education to have the same net worth as somebody that didn't have to study?

Most would probably say no. Of course, there is the argument that an education will give you a more desirable job, without considering the finances.

I would say that your friend should go to the school that offers him a good financial aid package or isn't too pricey. The word on the street (I'm willing to be corrected) is that the name of the school is a relatively minor point in medical school admissions (or most graduate/doctorate programs) in the face of GPA, MCAT, DAT, etc.

Just saw the note that money is not a consideration for him; college price doesn't matter if you are independently wealthy, of course!

My friend is a senior in HS right now. They're just starting to get acceptance letters for if they applied EA or ED now. He is pretty sure on which colleges he will get into, but he also applied for some reaches.
Safeties:
Rutgers
Seton Hall
Match:
Grinnell
UChicago
Northwestern
Michigan
Emory
Johns Hopkins
Reach:
UPenn
Amherst
Duke

Disregarding the reach schools he applied to, which college would you recommend? He is a resident of New Jersey, so rutgers would be in-state and seton hall is a unprestigious private college closer to home. I've heard about grade deflation at chicago and hopkins. Is there anything else I should tell him?

EDIT: Also, he is looking for a school good in poli sci, economics, philosophy (social studies in general) and a college which is very liberal. I don't think that $ is much of an issue for him.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The finances can be quite different at a private university/college, though there can also be more awards to even out the cost. It is worth getting the financial information and aid packages for each and compare across.

Rutgers can provide a very good education (New Brunswick campus at least), will most likely be the least expensive if he is a top student, and most importantly they host the famous Grease Trucks. Grade deflation is an issue with Rutgers engineering, as they are borderline sadistic in their curves and grading, but the other programs seem pretty on par with other universities.

As for UPenn and related prestigious Uni's....they work for some people, but not others. UPenn is in a crap part of town and it can be very cut throat depending on your major. Hopkins is fine on the Homewood campus, but 2 blocks the wrong way and you'll get mugged. They also can breed a competitiveness that can rub people the wrong way. The "I'm from Hopkins, who the heck are you" starts early.

I am a big supporter of a liberal arts education, though they can be quite pricey these days without generous scholarships. Avoiding debt in undergrad is strongly advised if you are looking towards medical school. He'll also want to check out research opportunities, as they can be helpful with admittance.

 

[mmmcdowe]

He will probably get a full ride to both Seton Hall and Rutgers, so which of those would you recommend assuming a full scholarship? If he goes to Seton Hall he will probably be living at home. How does living at home affect one's ability to get involved on campus and have a 'traditional'/fun college experience?

Then he should go to one of them. Fact of the matter is everyone of those schools on his list are great choice, except maybe Seton Hall and I say this only because I don't know enough about it to make a value judgment.

 

[torshi]

I would recommend going to an in-state school.

Save the money while you can because you don't want to be in debt before med school, then it will all pile up after med school.

Think wisely, and it really doesn't matter which undergrad he goes too, it all depends on how well he does and how strong his EC's are such as volunteering, shadowing etc during his undergrad years etc.

I would recommended going to a school with good research opportunities etc.

 

[theWUbear]

Has an ego, wants a challenge, or a better chance at a top top medical school?
- UChicago, Northwestern, or Johns Hopkins (in that order. a first year resident told me last month that he did does not miss undergrad at JHU one bit due to book stealing between premeds - the kind of stuff you hear about but never really thought happened)

Wants the easiest and most cost effective (read: best) path to med school?
Rutgers


Wants to pay like he's going to a top school and get the education he would at Rutgers?
Seton Hall