Choosing between 2 PA schools!
Okay I just want to say I am extremely grateful to even be writing this post, I was a late applicant and stalked this thread religiously. I was waitlisted and got into one school, and just recently interviewed at a school Friday, and they got back to me today, which to me is a huge blessing. I also have another school that I was waiting on, starts in August, 50/50 chance I could hear an acceptance from them, but they send updates each month saying they accept students off the waitlist. I wanted to see if anyone had insights on the choosing of the two schools. I will say, the deposit for School A is due the 25th, and School B will be due June 2nd, and I would love to only have to pay $1000 once lol. Both are well regarded schools from what im hearing. Both are based in PA. I also will be taking out private loans to cover extra costs, hopefully through a credit union.
School A: Misericordia University
- 2 hours away from me
- starts July 2026, so would have to move immediately
- smaller cohort
- lower pance rate but they only have 16-25 students in previous classes
- estimate $122,000 tuition
- would need to move now, but start sooner than School B
- elective rotation on top of regular rotations
- talked to a student there and they seem pretty happy about their choice
- attrition rates are on the higher side from previous classes
- wanted more time to save money for post grad, plan on moving to DC, if I start immediately, I would have to ration the savings I have now
- less time spent with family and friends
- cadaver lab
School B: Seton Hill University
- 4 hours away from me
- starts January 2027, more time to figure out finances, and roommates or own studio apartment
- bigger cohort, double the size of School A's cohort
- has anatomical simulation and cadaver lab
- elective rotation in Interventional radiology and orthopedic/trauma surgery, very interested in this
- $138,000 tuition
- more time to add to my savings, I plan on applying for food stamps and saving money for an apartment so won't need to take out loans for that
- more time spent with friends and family before leaving
- like i said i still want to move to DC after school, this allows me to have a substantial amount of savings when dealing with moving and graduation (goal is $16,000)
- just got accreditation back for 2025, accredited until 2034
- waiting to hear back from graduated students on their experience
-overall got a good vibe from my interview, and the professors stated when students go on rotations, they hear the best things about students that are qualified for their clinical rotations
-higher PANCE rates
Any insights or possible other things to consider would be really helpful, thank you