Another Acceptance!!

We came home from school today, sis checked the mailbox, and then beckoned excitedly to me saying that I have a letter from University of Minnesota!! I screamed, ran towards her, and used my car key to rip open the packet. IT WAS AN ACCEPTANCE LETTER!!! (So that's why my eyes were twitching so frequently today!!) I have waited for almost a month for this piece of news from my dream pharmacy school, to the point of almost giving up and deciding that I definitely will be going to University of Tennessee because it was the only college that accepted me. Right now, despite being in the midst of excitement, I began to feel the pressure to choose a school. I have already accepted Tennessee's offer two weeks ago and now Minnesota is giving me only until next Wednesday (4/28) to decide and place a non-refundable $500 deposit. Actually, I can choose to pay the deposit to hold my place first and then decide later.

Dear God, please reveal Your plans for me and let not my mind be clouded by my own limited vision and selfish desires. Guide my heart instead to follow Your will for my life, that whatever I do will be to glorify You and You alone will receive praise and glory for what You have done and will do in my life. 

It will be a tough decision and until God choose to reveal to me, I will not be able to know what my next step is. These coming weeks and months will see me dedicating my prayers significantly to this matter. If anyone would like to help, please do say a prayer for me. The financial commitments for these two schools are very different, that's why it's such a tough choice. 

A short breakdown of pros and cons of attending both schools. 

Tennessee's program is top 16 in the US and total costs of attendance for 4 years is estimated to be $160,000 not including housing because I'll be staying with my aunt's family. Their actual program is 2.5 years, leaving students with 1.5 years to complete 12 5-weeks mandatory rotations for which they offer 12-13 international rotation sites in Canada, Europe (no Germany though), Australia, New Zealand, and so on, in addition to domestic rotation sites. This is something that I really look forward to take part in, but current students have warned that it is very, very difficult to do that unless you are one of the top students and are actively involved in extracurricular activities while in Pharmacy school. Not to mention that I'll be saving a significant amount of money on room and board since I'll be staying with Aunt Judith, plus I'll have people there to help me settle down when I start there this Fall.

Minnesota's program is top 3 in the US and the total costs of attendance for 4 years is estimated to be no less than $218,000. The expenditure includes room and board because I'll definitely be on my own there, apart from a few friends that I have there. The actual program will take 3 years and students will have 1 year to complete 8 5-weeks mandatory rotations, with only one possible international rotation site (at Germany!!!! My favorite European country!!!) as well as other domestic rotation sites. Well, isn't that something? They only offer one international site which is at the country that I would love to practice in while Tennessee offers a large variety of choices but not at Germany. 

As pharmacy students are required to do internships and accumulate at least 1300/1500 intern hours (Tennessee and Minnesota, respectively) while still in school, the number of internship sites near the pharmacy schools will also be an important factor to take into consideration. In Minnesota, there appears to be very little opportunities to obtain internship since there are many, many other pharmacy students also looking in the same area. However, in Tennessee, there are many more hospitals and pharmacies available near the Pharmacy school. 

Also, Minnesota offers the Master's in Public Health (MPH) program which I want to enroll while Tennessee does not. I'll talk more about the MPH program another time, I guess (not). M's school of public health is also top-notched in the country with alumni links in WHO and the UN.

Finally, Tennessee starts school on August 10th and Minnesota starts on September 7th!!! If I go to Tennessee, my precious vacation back home would be cut so short it won't even be worth it go back at all!!

Aarrghh, if anyone have any comments or thoughts to offer, please do so. I need help to see things clearer, which school is better for me in the long run.