I want to preface by saying that I am extremely grateful to even be in this position in the first place. I am deciding between two med schools and would love unbiased advice from strangers (if u help me decide, I would be opening up a spot for someone else)!

School A is my in-state option where I currently work and live with my parents. School B is my undergrad alma mater about 1.5 hours away (in a different state entirely).

Both schools have pass/fail preclinical years, supportive cultures, small class sizes, and strong match outcomes.

School A would be cheaper and let me stay near family, my current mentors (though I am 98% sure they are not in my specialty of interest) and my family pet—but living at home may be emotionally draining and less independent (my parents are immigrants and can be really overbearing/suffocating, even in my late 20s. We live in a small, 2-bedroom apartment, and my dad is the quintessential loud-stomping, ADHD-having, ground-shaking-sneezing immigrant dad who overstimulates the living sanity out of me).

School B feels like a better personal fit and would allow me to get some closure (I feel like I made some bad choices in undergrad and would like a do-over), has stronger name recognition (ivy league) and broader opportunities, but would cost more and require a car, paying hefty rent, and rebuilding support locally.

People in my life are biased in opposite directions, so I’m hoping for outside perspective: would you prioritize lower cost, or independence and broader opportunities? Why?

P.S. If I chose to stay at my state school but not live with my parents, it would only be marginally cheaper... not sure it would be worth it. I'd be maxing the $50K gov loans (and around ~10K private) at both either way.

TLDR: Emotionally, I want to go to School B to get closure and better match opportunities at the extra cost. Mentally, I should go to School A and tough out living with my family for 4 more years, save a bunch of money, and come out a doctor either way. Is my sanity worth the $20K/year?