BC honors vs. Northwestern

<p>I have narrowed down my acceptances to two choices: Boston College and Northwestern.
I want to go into biology and pursue a PhD following graduation</p>

<p>I have gotten about the same financial aid from the two schools, so that isn’t really a factor in this decision.</p>

<p>I was accepted into the honors program at BC, which is appealing to me, and it is closer to home, which makes me feel more comfortable. I also really like Boston.</p>

<p>However, I feel like Northwestern has a much stronger reputation in the sciences and a lot more research opportunities for undergraduates. I also love Chicago, and I feel like I felt more of a connection with Northwestern.</p>

<p>I was hoping to get some input on this decision. I will be visiting Northwestern for an overnight later this month, and I am trying to schedule an overnight at BC as well.</p>

<p>Northwestern is, by leaps and bounds, a much stronger academic institution with a much better reputation in academia than BC.</p>

<p>For PhD admission, your record of research, collaboration with faculty, and faculty recommendations are critical. GPA/GREs matter, but not as much as you’d think. You should look at the department ranking (biology) for each school. The overall ranking of the school matters much less in PhD admissions than in law/med school admissions. </p>

<p>BC does have some opportunities for research with faculty and for your own independent research: [Boston</a> College Advanced Study Grants - Boston College](<a href=“http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/ufel/fellowships/undergrad/asg.html]Boston”>http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/ufel/fellowships/undergrad/asg.html)
[Boston</a> College Undergraduate Research Fellowships - Boston College](<a href=“http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/ufel/fellowships/undergrad/fellowships.html]Boston”>http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/ufel/fellowships/undergrad/fellowships.html)</p>

<p>Some faculty will then have their own grants to support undergraduates working with them. You may consider contacting the undergraduate program director for each department to ask for their recent record in placing students who were interested in pursuing PhDs in graduate school. For PhDs, an important thing to remember is that most faculty will tell you not to go unless you are admitted to top 10/top 15 program with full funding. So, keep this in mind when looking at any admissions data. </p>

<p>You may also want to get in touch with some faculty members to see what their policies are on including undergraduates in their research. </p>

<p>Finally, if there are 1-2 big name faculty members in either department that you would like to work with (research-wise), you should also weigh that over the overall department ranking because presumably you’d be getting recs from those people. One caveat on this last piece of advice is that you also want to be sure they aren’t retiring soon, and keep in mind that faculty can always move to other institutions. It is less likely that they’ll move if they are a full professor or endowed chair.</p>

<p>BC honors would be my choice</p>