Top school or money?

[Rapunzel]

Oh, my husband interviewed at a top-notch East coast school (not the one that he ended up with). But, after getting the position he has he found out that that particular program tends to stick to those on the East coast or, at the very least, on the eastern side of the Mississippi and north of the Carolinas. That same program director informed my husband's group of medical school interviewees that anyone with a family was not going to be accepted by the program. So, he had two strikes out even before the interview. Maybe they had to interview him because he's hispanic or something. And, this is a program widely regarded in the top five for his specialty - THE top program for some other specialties in the nation. Institutional snobbery at it's finest.

Looking back, it would have made much more financial sense for my DH to go to a state school for med school. It wouldn have saved us soooo much money, money that we will now be paying for the next 30 years. Depending on the type of person his is and what his ambitions are - I say go to the least expensive place. Cheri does have some good points, though. Hindsight is always 20/20!

[Laker]

DW went to a state school, however factor in my education loan debt and it is a very scary amount. Thank goodness for the 30 year repayment and low interest.

[Tenacious_D]

We decided, as a family, that the top name school would be better for us both over the State school primarily because of location and increasing the chances of a great residency match after graduation. It's hard to ignore the stellar results in terms of residency matches that come out of the top 10 schools. it's definitely a decision for both people in a relationship to make together.