- Joined
- Apr 20, 2016
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As of April 30 I have been committed to the University of Virginia, who gave me $30,000 per year in scholarships and $10,000 per year in institutional loans. I really love UVA and I think I would be a great fit there. My family lives close to Charlottesville and I really have my heart set on going there.
However, last week Columbia admitted me off of their waitlist and today they just told me that they are giving me $74,000 a year, which fully covers tuition and some living expenses. Overall I would only be paying about $60,000 total to go to school there, as opposed to $200,000 at UVA.
The issue is that I hate New York. I have been living here for the past five years and actually working at Columbia, and while I got a decent enough impression of the school on interview day, I don't like the hospital facilities and I hate the city itself. I have friends here but I've never really felt at home and I have been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to move away. That being said, Columbia is an incredibly well-renowned school with tons of resources and I'm sure I would get a wonderful education here. The hospital is in a very diverse neighborhood and I'm sure I would get to see tons of unique cases, and I would definitely have plenty of opportunity to use my medical Spanish. I just don't know if saving the extra money is worth it at a place where I don't think I'll be happy. UVA just felt right, and I can't say the same thing about Columbia.
Oh, and I have to make this decision by tomorrow. So please, any advice or personal anecdotes about these schools would be incredibly welcome.
However, last week Columbia admitted me off of their waitlist and today they just told me that they are giving me $74,000 a year, which fully covers tuition and some living expenses. Overall I would only be paying about $60,000 total to go to school there, as opposed to $200,000 at UVA.
The issue is that I hate New York. I have been living here for the past five years and actually working at Columbia, and while I got a decent enough impression of the school on interview day, I don't like the hospital facilities and I hate the city itself. I have friends here but I've never really felt at home and I have been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to move away. That being said, Columbia is an incredibly well-renowned school with tons of resources and I'm sure I would get a wonderful education here. The hospital is in a very diverse neighborhood and I'm sure I would get to see tons of unique cases, and I would definitely have plenty of opportunity to use my medical Spanish. I just don't know if saving the extra money is worth it at a place where I don't think I'll be happy. UVA just felt right, and I can't say the same thing about Columbia.
Oh, and I have to make this decision by tomorrow. So please, any advice or personal anecdotes about these schools would be incredibly welcome.
