<p>Hi, I'm a senior in high school and recently got into Tufts and Bowdoin.</p>
<p>I'm trying to decide between the 2. I am aiming to eventually attend medical school, but will probably major in biology. I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to which school is better for my goals. I am also awaiting a possible financial aid package from Tufts, and wasn't given anything from Bowdoin (even though I need it!) I also got into Boston University, and might have to add that to the list of possibilities considering they gave me a decent aid package. Any thoughts on BU vs. Tufts and Bowdoin would also be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>tufts and bowdoin are roughly equivalent in terms of student body and academic quality. you might want to visit both campuses to see if one seems more like home. it's difficult to say you should go to one over the other without knowing more about you.</p>
<p>Tufts University is defintely more prestigious and has more resources for undergrads. Not only does it have the best IR department in the nation, but it offers more courses - especially in the Biology area - than Bowdoin does. And last year more than 90 percent of Tufts' students that applied to medical school were accepted. Tufts also allows its students to apply to the medical school at the end of their sophomore year.</p>
<p>Bowdoin just has a liberal arts college. Tufts has liberal arts, medical, vet, dental, IR, nutrition, and engineering schools.</p>
<p>Plus Boston is great</p>
<p>Also, the academics at Tufts are better and more respected than BU's.</p>
<p>the numbers in no ranking suggest that tufts is "definitely more prestigious." your argument about resources has merit in that tufts, by virtue of being a university, has, for some students, more resources, but in no way can that information support your other conclusion that tufts is more prestigious. </p>
<p>prestige is not easily quantifiable, but if it's prestige you're after, there is, perhaps, no better "ranking" than the wall street journal ranking of feeder schools for "elite" grad schools (medicine, business, and law). there, bowdoin ranks 19th and tufts is ranked 45th, where they added that tufts is "far from tops in boston, but still edged out boston college." </p>
<p>for the record, 91% of bowdoin students who applied to medical school were admitted. </p>
<p>i think it's certainly helpful to point out the schools' differences to students deciding, but for these two schools prestige is not a difference and, if it were, the edge would cut to bowdoin. </p>
<p>i think anyone should be proud to get into either of these schools, but their pride should not make them delirious about the facts.</p>
<p>thank you all for your comments. I definitely plan to visit both, as I have realized that both are great academically. Like I said, I am looking for the school that will prepare me most for medical school (i.e. research opportunities, good science depts, etc.)</p>
<p>Any pros and cons about both schools are greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Also, since I plan to visit Bowdoin on their visit weekend, and might not get a sense of the "real" bowdoin just because it might not be an average day there...how is the social scene up in maine? of course i'm more worried about academics, but can you find things to do on the weekends? what kind of parties are there?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I came off wrong - I didn't mean to suggest that Bowdoin is inferior or anything. It's an amazing school. But as someone who has traveled and lived all over the country, Tufts does have more name recognition than Bowdoin. Not that name recognition plays a major role in applying to medical schools. At the same time, I do not believe that Tufts is "better" than Bowdoin in every aspect. Like you said - they're both amazing schools. </p>
<p>From a pre-med perspective, I think attending Tufts would be more beneficial than attending Bowdoin for many reasons.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Tufts has a great medical school, and students are allowed to apply at the end of their sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>There are more research opportunities available for undergrads at Tufts. Many Tufts undergrads conduct research with faculty from the Tufts School of Medicine.</p></li>
<li><p>Tufts has more course offerings - especially in the science area. </p></li>
<li><p>The university's proximity to Boston and Cambridge means a wealth of internship and volunteer opportunities at top hospitals and organizations.</p></li>
<li><p>Tufts has relationships with other top schools in the area - such as the Tufts-Brown Center for Aids Research - which could possibly help a student get his foot in the door so to speak. Plus affiliations like this present even more opportunities.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You can't really go wrong either way. Both schools are terrific. </p>
<p>As far as things to do, I live a few minutes from Brunswick and Bowdoin's campus. The area is quiet, and it doesn't seem like there would be much to do if you ventured off campus. However, if you were up to traveling a bit, you could visit the coast (I love Bar Harbor) or go skiing. But I'm sure there is plenty to do on-campus. I do know that the campus while beautiful (most colleges tend to be) is relatively small, as is the student body. For some people that's a pro, for me it's a con. It seems like it would be too much like high school, and I would get bored never meeting new people.</p>
<p>I do know, from experience, that there is tons to do at Tufts. There are always plays, student activities, performances, speakers, etc. Plus Tufts has a couple semi-formal dances/balls each year. Boston is very near - it's like a 10-15 minute ride on the T. Plus, Davis Square is awesome. And there are quite a few cool things that happen in Sommerville and Medford.</p>
<p>If you weren't going for biology, I would most likely say Bowdoin (my own personal preference with the student body). However; Tufts is undeniably a better school for the sciences. They are a medium sized school (4,000...depends on how you look at it) with the resources of a large university.</p>
<p>Socially, I wouldn't worry about Bowdoin. I have a friend at Bates (right near bowdoin) and she loves the environment and atmosphere. Very friendly. I would have to say I would expect the Bowdoin student body to be a bit friendlier, but unless you don't like the cold, I wouldn't worry about Bowdoin's location. And Bowdoin (along with Bates) does have incredibly high grad school admittance rates. </p>
<p>The only issue, and I got this feeling when I visited Tufts, is a sense of high competitiveness and almost arrogance from some students. A portion are Ivy League rejects who still feel a bit bitter about that.</p>
<p>I don't think the Ivy reject thing applies to the Tufts student body anymore. It probably used to. But Tufts has grown both as a university and in prestige. Besides the kind of person that truly belongs at Tufts probably wouldn't be interested in the environment Columbia or Harvard has to offer. Tufts students are notoriously laid back and compete with themselves more than they do with their peers. My cousin's best friend (who happens to have the coolest red beard ever) was accepted to Penn and Dartmouth, but chose Tufts. And I chose Tufts for its unique qualities - like its emphasis on internationalism and student citizenship. </p>
<p>I think it's more about personal preference and fit.</p>