Barnard vs. Wellesley

I know that there are a lot of posts weighing the pros and cons of both schools, but I really can’t decide between one of these schools. I’m planning on majoring in biology or biochem and want to do pre-med in college.I’m not much of a huge party person, but I do want have a good social experience and meet guys in college. I was wondering if anyone would chime in on the biology programs and connections about each schools. Here are my pros and cons for each school, and would love to hear about the schools, especially regarding pre-med and research opportunities.

Wellesley pros:
great science departments
lots of alumnae connections
beautiful campus
close knit community
easy transportation to Boston/Cambridge
great placement for medical school
shadow grading for first year students → I feel like it cuts down on the competitiveness
great FA

Wellesley cons:
kind of isolated
doesn’t seem like there’s much to do in campus
cut-throat competitiveness

Barnard Pros:
research op. → so much to learn and find in NYC
affiliation with Columbia → can be a pro and a con
good science departments
easy transportation everywhere
great FA

Barnard cons:
NYC = expensive!
don’t know much about barnard’s pre-med
not a huge community feel

For Barnard, I would love to know about the type of environment in campus. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a distinct line that separates Barnard and Columbia, so how to employers view this? Like do they assume you go to Barnard or Columbia?

  1. For premed both schools are viewed favorably. The sciences are excellent.
  2. Any employer worth working for knows Barnard and Wellesley and their relationship to their associated institutions. Recommendation: visit the two schools and get a feel for them. I favored Wellesley, but my daughters chose Barnard. You're going to spend four years in college.