Student turns down every Ivy League school for University of Alabama

You know what's unusual about getting accepted to every Ivy League school in the nation? Telling them all "no."That's basically what a Memphis, Tennessee, high school senior did this month. Ronald Nelson made headlines when he got accepted to all eight Ivy League schools, along with other prestigious schools like Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Vanderbilt and then some. Which school will he attend in the Fall?

The University of Alabama.

The Tuscaloosa school was the only one to offer Nelson a full ride and entrance into its top honors program.

Nelson told NBC's the Today Show he plans on attending medical school and with a full scholarship, he'll be able to start saving money for that instead of dealing with dreaded student loans.

"I just thought it was something that I didn't want to pass up because I was looking toward my long term education, not so much my short term goals really."

Clearly that type of thinking will come in handy. According to a report, the Class of 2015 has the most student debt in U.S. history, with each graduate responsible for more than $35,000 in debt on average.

Nelson says, while the Ivy League experience would have been amazing, he is more than confident he'll receive an excellent education at Alabama.

"They're going to give me invaluable experience working with the assistant dean and the dean of the honors college there, working with so many like-minded and progressive students there and I'm just incredibly excited to work with those students that both share my academic interests and don't share my academic interests."

As for advice for future grads, Nelson says it never hurts to apply for safety schools you're confident you'll get into, but also don't be afraid to reach for those bigger fish.

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