Totally different cities/area but what is better academically?
UNC versus BU and NYU? These are very different experiences. Can you afford all three schools? What is your home state?
UNC
out of state for UNC, but still it’s least expensive option, plus as far as I understand its possible to convert to in-state after a year.
Won’t matter for pre-med. I would pick the cheapest option.
NYU is soooo big and no real campus. I’ve not been to BU but a friend’s son said it was pretty urban and not very attractive.
I say Go Heels!!! UNC has better weather, great campus, great brand, and least expensive option which is important when you’re looking at med school on top of undergrad. Everyone who goes there pretty much loves it.
(Bias alert – I’m a Tar Heel!)
What is the cheapest?
What can your family afford?
If you want to go pre-med then think about:
- The cheapest reasonable college so you/your parents can use the money for med school
- The college needs to prepare you for MCATs but still allow you to get a good GPA
- Access to volunteering opportunities (e.g., near a hospital)
- Success in graduates getting into med school
- Options if you don’t go to med school
They are all great academically; do you want a college town, a major city, or a HUGE major city?
if 100% premed it wont matter that much but otherwise NYU and BU are better options as they provide more opportunities
To answer your original question overall academic differences are negligible. UNC-CH doesn’t have a Neuroscience major but it doesn’t really matter for undergrad and pre-med.
@ccfk1221 what do you mean that NYU and BU are better options if the student changes his/her mind about premed? What opportunities are you referencing?
@blaster337 where did you hear that you could be considered for instate status after one year? How would you do this?
For premed, I would suggest BU.
NYU and BU are better schools overall with more diverse student bodies and definitely better opportunities ie research, employment after graduation etc. Boston is top place for biomed etc so lots of options if you dont go for premed
No they aren’t. Probably any list that rates schools for pre-med has UNC at the top or near the top. Still the differences are small. Pick the school you like best.
There is no shortage of research opportunities at UNC. Pick the school you like best and you could afford.
Beating a dead horse, but UNC is one of the very top NIH-funded universities in the country. And biotech and biopharma galore in RTP.
Don’t you have a cheap instate school option? That’s what I’d recommend for pre-med undergrad (then apply to UNC for med school.)
I don’t know where students keep hearing this, but it’s generally not possible to do this. If it were, then nearly everyone would be paying in-state rates at public universities as sophomores through seniors.
North Carolina specifically says that coming to NC for the purpose of attending college is a disqualifier for claiming state residency for tuition purposes. The law also presumes that your parents’ legal residence is also yours, unless you can conclusively prove that you support yourself. So if you are a traditional-aged undergraduate student it is very unlikely you will achieve NC state residency for the purpose of gaining in-state tuition - unless your parents move to NC themselves.
That said, though, all three of these universities are great - for a lot of things, including being premed - and if UNC is the cheapest option it may make the most sense to go there anyway. It all depends on the kind of experience you’re looking for and what your family can afford.
According to UNC admissions residency status is determined at admission. Unless your parents move to NC it will be almost impossible to get in-state tuition while your an undergrad.
Is cost a factor? How do they compare price wise?
If cost is similar or not an issue then do you want a city (NYC or Boston)?
Hello, rising UNC senior here. I would just like to point out that we in fact do have a neuroscience major now! It just just became available. I have it as my minor, unfortunately I do not have enough time to just up and switch majors, as I would of liked to have it as mine when I started here. Best of luck!