Hey guys. So I got into both Brandeis and Boston College for neuroscience. It is hard for me to decide between the two. Ik that Boston College is the more pretisgous and overall has more networks and connections, and offer more ecs. It also has a way better campus. However, I also know Brandies has a warm student body. Idk how the two schools’ professors stack up.
In addition, I have always wanted to go to Vanderbilt as it’s my dream school. I got rejected after being deffered, and at this momenet, I have the wish to apply for transfer. That is not to say I am set on it, but it’s definitly something I will be thinking about, so I am not sure which of the two schools here is better for transfer.
BC and Brandeis are equally prestigious/ranked. BC is more the traditional college experience. Being denied by Vandy and not waitlisted would make a transfer there a reach.
Do u think BC tends to offer more research/intern oppourinties because it generally has better connection? Yeh its sad that I didnt get waitlisted but I got waitlisted by Cornell, UCB, and Wharton Penn, so the process is really random idk.
Brandeis is a member of the Association of American Universities. That is a grouping of top research universities in the US and Canada. BC is not a member. Brandeis has abundant research opportunities and connections.
You are into neuroscience yet you applied to Wharton?
Brandeis is very strong in bio related fields and will provide you with plenty of opportunities for research, at least as well as BC.
Don’t choose a school based on which one you will have an easier time transferring out of- there is a good chance that transfer never happens, either by choice or because they don’t accept you.
Brandeis is a great place but very academic and intellectual. BC will be more of a traditional college experience, and probably more like Vancerbilt.
Brandeis has a large Jewish populatio but not like it used to. I believe it’s like 34% now. BC has a very small Jewish population, like 2%. If you aren’t Jewish then I wouldn’t worry about this. If you are Jewish, though, it’s something that might be a factor for you about BC, depending on your spirituality.
I hope you were able to visit the two campuses before the shutdown. Even though my son is Catholic, he goes to a very diverse public high school and did not like BC, where he thought all the buildings looked the same, they all looked like a church and he thought the students were all the same too. YMMV. Never been to Brandeis.
I should add that I know kids that went to private Catholic high schools that are big BC fans.
As stated by @joecollege44, the biology-related programs at Brandeis tend to be highly respected. For this area, it might be stronger academically than both BC and Vanderbilt.
Regarding your potential interest in Vanderbilt, its acceptance rate for transfers commonly lands at around a fairly friendly 25%. So it could be a realistic option for you if, for whatever reason, you are dissatisfied with the college you choose.
Thank you @merc81 and @joecollege44 and everyone else for your information. At this point I really want to transfer to Vandy, so I guess my biggest priority is choosing the college that can help me the most for my app. That being said, I definilty care about my experinece and my sutiablity. I think Brandeis is deifinitly more renouwn in reserach, but I am not sure if I want to transfer would that be more important than the many more Ecs and name factor offered at BC. I am sorry if i sound materalistic or egostical.
Though this analysis was created a few years ago, you nonetheless should find it interesting that the entering SAT scores for Brandeis and BC were equal at that time:
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
Since student profile characteristics tend to contribute strongly to the reputations of colleges, I wouldn’t think that your desired transfer school would perceive BC differently from Brandeis.
To give a different view about BC, they have become more diverse, increasing first generation students. The campus is beautiful. That said, we’ve never been to Brandeis.
Neuroscience is one of Brandeis’s largest majors. It has been a top program for many years. One of the professors won a Nobel Prize in 2017.
Boston College will introduce a neuroscience major starting next fall.
Within academia, Brandeis has a much bigger name than BC for neuroscience (research=prestige in academia) and probably bigger than Vanderbilt.
It is unlikely that ECs are going to impact your transfer possibilities unless they are exceptional.
I would make my decision based on which college you believe you are most comfortable because that is where you will perform your best -which will have the biggest impact on your transfer possibilities.