Hi everyone. I am from Kentucky, and as of now, I am stuck between these two schools! Any help would be much appreciated.
Major: Biology (Pre-destined Public Health for grad school, not med school)
Pros of Brandeis:
Better ranked/more selective
Outside of Boston
Very prestigious
Smaller (i’ve been going to a small school all my life, around 50 people in my graduating class)
Cons:
Only got accepted as a mid year student and I am unsure of what I will be doing during my ‘gap semester’
Lack of diversity (so what I hear)
UC Davis:
Offers a huge array of classes
Very diverse campus
Great location (northern cali)
Still highly ranked, but not as high as brandeis
Biking campus/ has an arboretum
Cons:
Rural area (I want to be in an urban area)
Very far from home
Considered a ‘berkeley reject school’
Any further knowledge towards these schools would be much appreciated!
Not sure where you got your information regarding rankings and “Berkeley reject school”.
Based on US news and World Report for Grad school rankings: Biological Sciences
Brandeis is #55 and UC Davis #19.
You are 20 mins from Sacramento, an urban area near Davis. UCD is a highly respected UC campus and offers many opportunities for Grad school research along with an excellent Medical School and hospital.
Have you visited? What about financial constraints since UCD will cost over $55K/year to attend. Regardless of how “prestigious or not prestigious” a school is perceived to be, such a large amount of debt for undergrad is not worth it for any school.
I cannot give any opinion on Brandeis.
Both schools would be around the same cost for me
If you are considering Brandeis, ask them if you can take courses at a community college in the fall that will be accepted as transfer credit to fulfill some requirements, so that you can perhaps pay for 7 (instead of 8) semesters of expensive Brandeis before graduating.