Hypothetical, because I've gotten into the T10, I'm on Einstein's HPWL, and I am waiting to hear back about a full COA merit scholarship elsewhere.

So right now, it looks like I'm going to the T10 with zero aid or merit money. In that case, I would rely on federal loans ($200K) and a combination of personal savings and parental help. I'm grateful that my parents want to help me out. It genuinely means a lot to them, especially because no one in my family or extended family has gone to a name-brand school, and as immigrants they see it as a big status symbol. I'll mention that they can afford it fairly easily — they could honestly pay for the whole thing upfront, but I don't want them to.

Here's the thing, I've thought a lot about my career plans over the last year. I'm going to be brutally honest, I'm not someone who is looking to cure cancer or become some top-notch academic at a big-name hospital. As taboo as it is to say, I just want to get through medical school as an average student, be a regular doctor in a middle-of-the-road specialty, make my money, go home, and retire around 50 or so. My desire to eternally run the rat race and be at the top is nonexistent.

I think attending the top school could be helpful, in that there isn't any AOA or internal ranking, the grading is chill, that sort of thing. However, it would come with expectations that I have to become somebody huge down the road, or otherwise I'll be a disappointment to myself, my family, and the medical school.

Meanwhile, if I get into Einstein or get the scholarship at the other school, I feel like I would alleviate a lot of prospective guilt. I wouldn't make my parents pay for a brand name that might not even be useful given my aspirations, and I wouldn't have to take on any debt. Also, Einstein especially is a great school nonetheless. I'm not sure how many doors I'd be closing by picking them.

Thoughts? Everyone I've met seems to be super high-achieving and have a ton of ambition, which I respect. I feel like kind of a bum in comparison.