Hey all, I’m conflicted on what school I want to apply to ED1. Barnard is the only one of the three that I’ve visited and I loved it, but b/c of COVID I probably won’t be able to visit any more. Assume cost is not an issue, and my stats give me a good shot, but not a definite at getting into any of the schools ED. I’m interested in double majoring in English and Chem or CS on a pre-med track. I really want an urban campus (I grew up in a really big city and I don’t want to spend time stuck on campus). Thank you so so so much.
3 great target schools assuming that your stats are in line.
For double majoring, Northwestern University is among the best for double or triple majoring & for ease of switching majors. Strong in all of your areas of interest. Spectacular setting on the shores of Lake Michigan. However, NU is not urban; it is suburban with very easy access to Chicago. NU’s law & medical schools are located in a very upscale area in Chicago across the street from Lake Michigan.
Barnard College has NYC & Columbia University.
JHU has the least desirable location among the three, but outstanding students, reputation, & academics.
No wrong choice based on your desire to have access to a major city.
Why do you feel you must apply anywhere ED? Start with that.
You have three top-ish places on your list. One would need to be your far-and-away first choice in order to merit an ED application.
Stats suggest that chances for admission are better ED.
I agree that all 3 are great choices. For someone who wants to be in a big city, Barnard makes the most sense to me.
Much better odds of admission to Northwestern for ED applicants.
I concur.
NU is in a super location but definitely not downtown Chicago. If you are looking for urban, that’s not it.
Between NU and Barnard, I guess it really depends on how important you need to be in the middle of the city 24/7. Evanston is a suburb but it’s a fairly urban and walkable one (there are a few high-rise buildings and many restaurants/retails in its small downtown). There are subway or intercampus shuttle to Chicago (NU has a downtown Chicago campus for its law/med schools) so you wouldn’t be stuck on campus.
I wouldn’t recommend JHU if you need to be in/near a major city. Baltimore would probably be too small for you…
Hey y’all, thanks for ur advice. I’m planning to apply early to a school because it increases my odds of admissions. Anyway, I think I probably will not apply early to JHU based on what you guys said about Baltimore + I’m looking to major in English too, and JHU is certainly more STEM oriented. So I have a follow-up question, do you think northwestern’s name recognition/“prestige” is a lot higher than Barnard?
Based on rankings they’re obviously very different, but in y’all’s perspective would I be remiss to ED to Barnard instead of NU?
Me too.
“So I have a follow-up question, do you think northwestern’s name recognition/“prestige” is a lot higher than Barnard?”
A lot of prestige comes from the grad schools , and I don’t think Barnard has any grad programs that aren’t tied to Columbia or other universities. However even in these covid times, you don’t want to ED a place you haven’t visited.
At the undergrad level, yes Barnard has nearly unbeatable prestige. But if you like NU better for your potential major, or if you are iffy about the whole notion of a women’s college, then NU could be a better choice.
With respect to prestige, Northwestern & Johns Hopkins are more prestigious because they are research universities with renowned graduate / professional programs.
But, in my opinion, prestige should not be a significant factor in your decision based on your postings. If it is, then consider that Barnard is affiliated with Columbia University.
If you prefer Barnard College, then apply ED to Barnard.
A lot of people think of JHU for its STEM and premed programs. However, JHU has renowned humanities and writing programs as well. That said, I would probably lean toward Barnard for ED if you believe you must apply ED and the smaller, all-women, very urban campus is for you. Still, you would be able to take courses at coed Columbia. Wishing you the best!
Not only is Barnard affiliated with Columbia, but the degree for Barnard grads is awarded jointly by both Barnard and Columbia, so it is legitimate to list your degree as from Columbia.
Looking at both English and Chemistry, I think Northwestern would be better, especially if you want to double major. Again, I’m not a big fan of ED in general as it only benefits the college at the expense of the student, but I would be even less of a fan if a student didn’t visit the college. I’ve been to Evanston and Morningside Heights in NYC a few times, they’re different campus feels.
I really wish JHU would post stats on the # of first year pre-meds and the number of actual who actually go to med school. About 12 or 13% of the class goes to Medical/Dental/Vet school- so, ~190/~1475 student. Any guesses as to how many of those ~1475 started out as pre-med??
Note JHU’s inclusion in this article: https://contently.net/2014/11/06/resources/10-best-colleges-creative-writers/amp/.
Although I’m planning to go to grad school, I want to spend some time working between undergrad and grad school. Do you think Barnard or Northwestern would have better connections/job preparedness?
"Any guesses as to how many of those ~1475 started out as pre-med?? "
It’s hard to get information for a private university as they don’t typically declare majors until sophomore year and don’t release that kind of info either. You have to use student surveys, I recall one for Stanford that said about 20% started out as pre-med. I would think for JHU that number could be higher, maybe 25 or 30%, putting the pre-med at say 300, so 190 would mean 35% were weeded out. Also the AAMA had 420 or so applicants from JHU to med school in 2019, but that includes grads who took gap years before applying.
“Do you think Barnard or Northwestern would have better connections/job preparedness?”
Northwestern for sure, but if you can use Columbia alumni, it would even out.