Holy Cross
Why do you think you wouldn’t be happy at Holy Cross?
I agree that the pre-med programs are going to be about the same at all of the schools. I think the big things to watch here are cost (if an issue to you), fit, in terms of where you can best thrive overall, and…grades. You need good grades to get into med school. Since the material covered is about the same, it is a good idea to go to a school that does not have a tough grading curve. A “B” at one of those schools does not an “A” at another make. This hold for just about any two colleges, whatever you might feel. Some schools are simply more rigorous than others and have more draconian grading scales.
I also agree that the % accepted to med school doesn’t say much. Most premeds are flushed out before they even apply to med school. It’s a gauntlet to get into the pool of acceptable medical school hopefuls if the curriculum and grades are such that they wipe out most of the medical school hopefuls. There are schools notorious for this sort of thing. A statistic I wish was made public is what % of freshmen who start out premed end up getting into medical school or even applying to med schooll. The attrition rate for premeds is very high.
The school where OP feels the most comfortable, with a less than cutthroat, tough grading scale in the premed courses would be the best choice, all factors equal.
As for cost, it’s a big deal thing. Doctors don’t earn as much as they used to make, relative to education costs. It can be a huge hurt to owe large amounts for undergrad college on top of med school costs. Better off, with as little in the way of loans and also not depleting parents’ bank accounts during the undergrad years, when med or grad or prof schools are on the horizons. It’s too late when you are there and have 6 figure loans before taking on the costs of programs that really can make the difference in your career and life. Keep those undergrad costs low.
Does anyone know if Holy Cross grades fairly or if they curve grades?
However, if you would prefer to be told earlier in the process that you medical school chances are poor, so that you do not waste time and money on futile applications, the above committee letter weed out process may be desirable.
@andrewna I don’t know if they actually curve grades, but I’ve heard anecdotally that it can be difficult to get a high GPA at Holy Cross. I’m still strongly considering it for pre-law because, like you, I got a very nice scholarship.
@evergreen5 - The link below contains a map of the Boston subway with travel times. Tufts is a 5 minute shuttle ride from the Davis Square stop on the Red Line. The Davis Square stop is 15 min from downtown. The Cleveland Circle stop is 30 min from downtown, so Tufts has easier access to some parts of Boston and BC has easier access to other parts.
The Lechmere end of the Green Line is also being extended to the Tufts Campus (in 2021) providing more direct access to other parts of Boston.
Brandeis, Olin, Wellesley and Babson are not on the subway, so accessing Boston from these schools is less convenient.
http://www.stonebrowndesign.com/uploads/9/7/6/9/9769402/t-time.jpg
Brandeis, Olin, Wellesley and Babson are all on the commuter rail. Extremely accessible. Brandeis has a stop right at the college.
The commuter rail’s train schedule is optimized for commuters (i.e. those working 9-5, M-F in Boston) which is not the schedule that the typical college student is looking for. It is also relatively expensive as compared to the subway. All the schools you mentioned run some sort of shuttle to Harvard Square, Boston or the Green Line station in Newton. Students will also share Uber.
https://www.brandeis.edu/publicsafety/van-shuttle/boston-cambridge-shuttle.html
That’s a distinction without a difference; all basic premed STEM courses are curved at all colleges . Any prof can easily make tests easier or harder to achieve the Grade distribution that she desires by the end of the term. One test could have a mean of 93, while the next could be 75.
OP: were you accepted directly into the HC premed program, aka Health Professions Advising? (Awhile ago, if you were not accepted directly into the Advising program as a matriculating Frosh, you wold have to apply later, and admission into the Advising program was not assured. Moreover, certain courses that you might be interested in are limited/restricted to those on the approved Advising list. Might want to inquire about current policies if HC is still in the running.)
@privatebanker - The data is in. BC’s acceptance rate has dropped to from 32% to 27% in the past two years. - equivalent to Tufts back in 2006. Tufts’ acceptance rate has been roughly constant over the last two years at 14.6%. Tufts acquired the SMFA a couple of years ago along with its 80% acceptance rate. One applies to the SMFA separately (admission is strongly portfolio based- because it is a museum school), but the admissions numbers are now averaged into the overall Tufts number.
You are right, Tufts does not compete with BC. Tufts is D3 in sports and a member of NESCAC - the same league as Amherst and Williams. The one exception is sailing where Tufts is D1 along with BC.
A couple of years ago, Dartmouth recruited away Tufts’ Director of Admissions - after Tufts surpassed them in the number of applicants for early admissions. They created a new position - Vice Provost of Enrollment. Those guys are hyper-competitive! 
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/campus-community/announcements/applicants-for-class-of-2023.html
@Mastadon Good info. The actual acceptance rate was 26.7, but who’s counting. Lol.
I think one wouldn see the admitted students pool for both schools with have very similar profiles if one realizes the left tail of the distribution is lower than Tufts. Primarily recruited footballs and men’s hoops. Baseball too.
With BC going ed next year, they’ll deinstelt have lower acceptance rate. But their profile will change s little.
not sure why you guys are hung up on acceptance rates…almost as worthless as yield to a critical-thinking prospie.
OTOH, mid-quartile test scores and % in top decile…
Unsolicited advise, here. Besides the cut throat nature of the pre-med track, many students decide not to continue on to medical school because they realize they love a different field of study. During high school, many students are unfamiliar with all the cool jobs and intriguing fields of study a available but everyone knows about doctors and lawyers. These days students also know that computer programming is important and that many people make lots of money in finance. You may also end up up realizing that you would rather go to graduated school in immunology or that you are a whiz at higher level math. College is a great time to take some courses that just sound interesting. This is also why colleges have distribution requirement.
Good luck!