<p>I’ve been accepted into three great schools and would love any insight as to why BC would be a good choice for me.</p>
<p>Obviously these schools are very different, but I’d mainly like to focus on academics (the awesome sports, BOSTON, and great social scene are why I’m leaning towards BC as of now…even though Tulane and Rochester might have better programs for what I want to do …but you can be the judge of that!)</p>
<p>About me:
I am an aspiring pre-med interested in doing something with cultural studies and global health during my undergraduate years (my first choice major was anthropology which I would either coupled with Health, Behavior, and Society from Rochester or Global and Community health from Tulane–obviously, BC doesn’t offer anthropology or public health really…which is kind of a bummer–my choice would be clear haha) </p>
<p>So, here’s what I want to know:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What would be the best majors/minors to do to most closely parallel my undergraduate aspirations (I was thinking like…major in International studies or something area/cultural/ specific (probably Hispanic or Latin America studies)–I actually applied for Hispanic studies, but that could easily change…and minor in Faith, Peace, and Justice studies or environmental studies.</p></li>
<li><p>Are there many opportunities in my areas of interest to do research (I really want to do a lot of research as an undergrad–not just the “help professor run routine tests in lab”…but more of either being able to run with an idea or jump on to a really cool project (preferably hands-on…) either way, I want this research to “knock the socks off” my med school application)?</p></li>
<li><p>I know that all three colleges would provide me with a rock-solid preparation for the MCATs, opportunities for leadership/clubs/volunteer experience, but how can BC get me into med school “better” than my other two options?</p></li>
<li><p>Anything else? Other insights would be great!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Oh, and let’s not worry about finances right now…</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Tulane, but I am familiar with the other schools because BC and UR were among my son’s top choices a few years ago. (He’s currently a junior at BC, which he chose for many of the same reasons you listed: he liked Boston WAY more than Rochester and felt there were more social and service opportunities at BC.)</p>
<p>Both BC and UR will give you a superior education and prepare you well for med schools. I don’t think either school has an “edge” in getting you into med school; both schools have high med school acceptance rates for their students (provided you have the GPA and MCAT scores needed).</p>
<p>Although UR has existing majors that seem to closely match your interests, I think you could also get the undergraduate background that you want from BC. However, there is a slight risk if you really want to do the International Studies major, since you can’t apply for it until the end of your freshman year; only 70 students are taken into IS each year and the competition for slots is stiff.</p>
<p>As for doing your “own” research, UR does have an edge there, because it has a whole administrative section with procedures set up specifically to encourage individual undergraduate research projects. My son was even offered a research grant – I believe it was around $2500 or $3000 – as an incoming freshman. He only had to submit a proposal for how he wanted to spend it. That is not to say that you won’t find research opportunities at BC, because there are many, but you would likely be assisting on a professor’s project. But don’t dismiss that out of hand – if you are as good as you seem to think you are, you could be doing meaningful research at BC as well and not just “running routine lab tests.”</p>
<p>Handiman,
My daughter is a recent BC graduate who is now at Yale Medical school in a dual degree MD/PhD program. She was a Biochem major and a Hispanics studies minor. She did research in a BC lab as a freshman and then got a job that summer in a lab at the Harvard School of Public health which is in the Longwood area of Boston – about a half hour from BC. She worked in that lab part time throughout the rest of her college years until she graduated. </p>
<p>She also worked in a lab at the Harvard Medical school one summer but did not feel the research was that interesting. So I wouldn’t get discouraged if you can’t find a lab at BC that suits your interest. There are so many opportunities to take advantage of in the Boston area particularly on the Longwood medical campus. This also comes in handy if you want to volunteer at a hospital which looks great on your resume for med school. My D volunteered at Boston Medical giving eye and ear checkups to children. Since that hospital serves a diverse community, one of the requirements was to be somewhat fluent in Spanish and she was able to practice what she was studying in her Hispanics studies courses – just a great experience.</p>
<p>I’ll just end with a plug for BC sports. Although my D was not into sports before college, she loved going to the BC football games and never missed a Saturday home game. And when she met her boyfriend, a Bates graduate who was 3 years older, he also enjoyed going to the BC football games and was proud of wearing his BC Super fan t-shirt. He said that he was making up for not having gone to a college with D1 sports. </p>
<p>You have some great colleges to choose from. And remember – college is what YOU make of it. Good luck.</p>
<p>I was wondering, on a tour of BC this summer I met with a chem advisor who said that if you had a 3.5 GPA during freshman year you had automatic acceptance or something similar to Tufts Medical School… any info on that/could someone verify that? thanks!</p>
<p>DoubleEagleMom – Thanks for the response! I think my biggest question about BC was whether or not I would be able to do research at other institutions besides Boston College…and that definitely sounds like a possibility! The only thing I’m worried about, though, is competition for research positions at BC and other places (the only reason I like my other two options for school so much is because research is seemingly available for anyone who wants it…and I don’t know If that’s the case at BC…although I’d much rather be at BC in terms of overall experience). </p>
<p>I’d consider myself a solid student (well-rounded enough to get into BC, which is a HUGE accomplishment in itself…) but my test scores are relatively low (about a 2100) in comparison to other BC attendees and I have no real prior research experience. In other words, I don’t know if I could compete with those “2390 kids” for spots at really competitive research institution. With that being said, I certainly TRY as hard as “those” kids… Do you think I could possibly I land a research position at, say, Harvard or possibly Longwood? My ultimate goal is to get into a top-level med school (I would LOVE to go to Harvard especially, and I’m aiming Ivy LOL). Would being in Boston would give me the best chance to get into Harvard med (I know, it’s a long-shot…but I’ve gotta try LOL)? </p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, what is your daughter planning on doing as a career? research? </p>
<p>That program Britta mentioned sounds excellent! However, I feel compelled to ask…I get the feeling that competition for this program is fierce and there are a TON on SUPER qualified BC students…any thoughts?</p>
<p>Thanks for such great responses! I will be visiting in a couple of weeks, and you all have made me even more excited about that visit! LOL</p>
<p>brita852: You need at least a 3.5 GPA to apply to the Tufts Medical Early Acceptance Program, but as past statistics have shown (BC sends them out), it is very unrealistic for you to be accepted without a 3.8. BC advertises this program as a great option, but it is indeed very difficult to get accepted so it’s not something one can count on doing.</p>
<p>Handiman,
If you are so interested in research that this might be the deciding factor in your college selection, I suggest that you contact the departments that you are interested in at BC, Rochester and Tulane and ask about their research opportunities starting with freshman year. Even read up on professors and if their type of research appeals to you, email them about opportunities. You might even make an appointment to meet with one or two when you visit the colleges. </p>
<p>My D is getting an MD/PhD which is an program sponsored by the NIH (National Institute of Health). It is designed for students who are interested in being physician scientists who will do both clinical (see patients) and research. For example, a cardiologist like this would see heart patients but at the same time be involved in some type of heart research like bringing drugs to market or drug trials, etc. Ideally there would be a 50/50 split but this depends upon the doctor and the specialty, and where he or she is practicing (academic setting, research university,etc). With your interest in research, you may want to look into this option.</p>
<p>You have definitely set high goals for yourself. Getting into med school is very competitive especially at the Ivies. Don’t be so worried about the competition. Do the best you can at college-- including academics, research, and involvement in other campus activities – so that you have a compelling story and a kick-a** application when you apply to med school.</p>
<p>couple of things re: premed. Mostly what matters is gpa+mcat, at least for the first cut. Then ECs come into play. For Harvard (and other top-ranked med schools), that means a lot of research. Being in Boston per se will not give you any advantage into Harvard med at all unless you are attending Harvard College. And even that may not be so much an advantage, but the fact that Harvard College selects for high test scores so such students will do well on the MCAT.</p>
<p>Note, not all Ivy med schools are that highly ranked – Brown and Dartmouth are towards the middle of the pack. But ANY US med school is really good.</p>
…but you can be the judge of that!)</p>