I have been accepted and am strongly considering Boston College and Northeastern University. At this point Northeastern is ludicrously expensive compared to BC and I would have to talk to financial aid to have them even begin to accommodate me.
UMASS Boston Honors College offers a full-ride for four years but I am not considering it strongly (should I?).
Anyways, what can be said about the pre-med program at both these schools? Sciences? Research? On the one hand, Northeastern has the Co-op program and is strong in the sciences. On the other hand, Boston College has the prestige to back up its excellence. Besides the monetary issue, I really cannot see which would be better for me.
Boston College has a traditional 4-year college program with a core curriculum which I definitely value as an advocate of the renaissance man and woman. Northeastern seems less about learning and enlightenment and more about skills and experiential learning and jump starting your career. Tell me if this is wrong.
I am also a Catholic myself so I would fit in quite well in BC, but I hear the students are of the preppy and snobby variety. How diverse is BC, and how good are its sciences?
Which would you choose for majoring in a science or doing pre-med?
BC will do just fine in the sciences comparatively to NEU - I wouldn’t really give NEU a big advantage there.
If you can easily afford BC, I think it is fair to forget about UMass Boston compared to the other schools.
NEU certainly does have the practical focus, but there’s still a good deal of pure academia - it really depends on the person and group.
Based on how it sounds fit wise, I think BC is the choice for you. Diversity and prep / snob are accurate things based on the BC students I have seen / interacted with, but at nearly all schools, there are pockets of most every type of person - you will be able to find your group. While socially it may not be perfect, those same types will also share your more liberal arts focus, something you won’t find as much at NEU / UMass Boston. On top of all this, BC is cheaper.
If you haven’t, make sure to visit all three to get a feel and be confident in your decision, no matter what it is.
My school right now (New England Prep School) feels very similar to BC, and I do not necessarily mind that all too much. From what I have seen, minorities (hispanic, mainly) love BC and they fit in quite well, so this bodes a good sign for me.
I would not go into six figure loan debt as an undergrad with the goal of medical school. It’s not like BC or Northeastern are known for incredible pre-med and sciences…
Are these the only three options on the table? I would strongly consider the Umass free ride.
In my experience, I have found that most of the professors in the College of Science and Mathematics, at UMass Boston are terrible. I am a current student over there and honestly, you’re never going to get the quality of educations that you’re going to be paying for. Invest some more money and go to a school that is actually good for you. Social aspects aside, go somewhere where you’re going to learn something because education is what matters the most.
Does anyone know how extensive the research opportunities are at BC? Are they hard to get or are there enough that if I search for one, I’ll easily be able to find one?
