<p>I am planning to go on the premed track, so this year, since my family is not very willing to put up money for colleges (since they’re saving money for medical school), I am down to my last two choices, University of Rochester and Boston College.</p>
<p>Both U of Rochester and Boston College offered me full tuition (I just have to pay room and board and the miscellaneous costs)</p>
<p>I have heard a lot about both of these schools:</p>
<p>Rochester:
-Smaller Population(4500 undergraduate students – easier for recs and interaction)
-Research oriented (Lots of opportunities for research–I am currently wanting to continue my research that was published)
-U of Rochester Medical Center (located directly on campus – easier for summer internship and whatnot)
-Open Curriculum with Cluster possibilities (Rochester’s unique open curriculum with the cluster system)
-Eastman School of Music (I have half a mind to minor in music as a cellist–Eastman is currently #1)
-Misc. U of Rochester has a unique tunnel system that I loved
-65%-75% of pre-med students get accepted into medical school</p>
<p>Boston College:
-Bigger Population (twice the size of Rochester --9200)
-College Life (Sports are much bigger here – school spirit/rivalry with BU)
-Location (City of Boston–much funner than Rochester)
-Early assurance Program with Tufts University
-Early assurance means that Orgo needs to be taken in sophomore year along with a load of other classes that make sophomore year a pain (but on the other hand…NO MCAT!)
-Research (need to be at the top of the class to participate in research)
-in 2005-2006, 73% of pre-med students got accepted into med schools</p>
<p>These are the facts that I know about these two schools. Academically, I’ve heard that they are on par, and so it all boils down to this question:</p>
<p>Research vs College Life</p>
<p>Any help, comments will be appreciated (or if you can fill the gaps in my knowledge)</p>
<p>Forget the medical school admit numbers. They are worthless to you.</p>
<p>BC’s early assurance program to Tufts comes at a steep price, even if you are accepted. Tufts is one of the most expensive US med schools and you will locking yourself in and eliminating your cheaper, instate public. Moreover, the Early Assurance is extremely competitive requiring a high gpa, and if you can earn a high gpa through organic, you have a great shot at many other med schools.</p>
<p>You do not need to be at the top of your class to score research opportunities at BC. Plus, Boston has a gazillion high tech firms in the 'hood all of which are seeking interns.</p>
<p>You also should consider research opportunity somewhere else over the summer. Do you really want to hang around Rochester all year? Not saying Rochester is a bad place to be, but why not apply to Mayo or Harvard or Hopkins or hundreds of other places for a summer gig?</p>
<p>Besides your interest in music, what about a major? Do you like to read and write? BC’s Core curriculum will require it (which will hopefully pay off in the mcat-VR).</p>
<p>I go to the U of R. I came here this year as a transfer student. It is very rough academically; plan on spending a lot of hours in the library. A lot of the science classes, such as organic chemistry and neurobiology, are simply three tests and a final or a fourth non-cumulative test (in the case of neurobiology), so you really have to work hard to make sure you do well on them all. A lot of the core sciences classes (organic, physics, general biology) are also set up with things called “workshops”. Workshops are one-two hour study groups that give you an opportunity to meet with fellow students in your class and work on problem sets together that give you a better understanding of the material. Though all of the classes end up being time consuming because of labs and workshops, I can’t even begin to convey to anyone how much I’ve really learned here. The social life is easy and everyone is nice. Transferring here was the best decision I think I could have ever made for myself. The open curriculum has allowed me to dual major, even though I have only just decided on a second major, and thus will complete it in the next two years as well as finishing my first major. The open curriculum really helped a lot with this. </p>
<p>Almost all the teachers I’ve come across have a genuine care about their students. I am also a pre-medical student, and I work at the University’s Medical Center, which is also a great opportunity. And when they say there are a lot of research opportunities, they really mean it…if you can’t find research, you may not be looking in the right places; opportunities are literally everywhere.</p>
<p>You’re also guaranteed housing for the first two years, and I think about 83% of upperclassmen also live on campus. I don’t know if you’ve been here, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous school. Also, the tunnels are lifesavers; though they do not connect everywhere, they do provide protection from the cold even for 75-90% of your walk to class (some buildings are completely connected; let’s say you live in Sue B, you only have to walk into the library and taken the tunnels from there wherever you’re going.)</p>
<p>What is your intended major? Just general biology, a specialized field, or something entirely different? Good luck with everything; if you have any more questions about here, I’m sure I can try and answer them.</p>
