<p>I want to major in cognitive science/neuroscience and i wondering the following questions:
1) what sschool would offer better research opprununites?
2) what school would offer more internships/shawdowing oppurunites?</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon, hands down. Prestige and education-wise.</p>
<p>^^Hands down? Why? Saying it is does not make it so. I hate when people say this and show no proof. Before I make my case, I want to hear what the other side has to say.</p>
<p>UVa has many more research opportunities, but also many other students looking for them.</p>
<p>I’m trying to keep an open mind about this and am trying to be as critical of both sides (so when i say my next point, i dont want you guys to bash me haha)</p>
<p>Would it be right to assume that CMU offers more internships/shadowing opportunities simply because it is located in the heart of Pittsburgh, a thriving area w/ a good influx of doctors and hospitals? And on that front, CMU fares better than UVA because is located in a much less urban town.</p>
<p>I am trying to make the right choice for me, so I hope you guys understand when I am being critical of UVA. I love UVA, yet I want to make sure its my right choice!</p>
<p>If you haven’t visted UVA, visit. I think your mind will be made up the minute you step onto the campus.</p>
<p>Hands down because, in terms of prestige, internships and job opportunities, Carnegie Mellon will give you alot more. UVA is a great school, and education-wise both schools would be fantastic. BUT, in terms of career and experience, having Carnegie Mellon on your CV (combined with the internship opportunites it would give you) would benefit in the long run.
It also depends on the cost. Do you live in VA? Cuz then UVA would be considerably cheaper than CMU, if I’m not mistaken. If you want to avoid graduating with debt, maybe UVA would be better.</p>
<p>@Globalist: Sometimes, people don’t bother to substantiate their claims simply because the reasoning for their argument is blatantly obvious. Everyone has a reason for making a claim, and I for one, do not merely “say things to make it so”.</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom would be that CMU would be much better in terms of research and technical aspects. However, UVa would be much better in terms of a well-rounded experience. While Pittsburgh is a great place to go to college, and CMU has a really nice campus and facilities, if you spend time at both universities, I believe you will see a big difference on what really happens day to day.</p>
<p>charlieschm is correct. There is a big difference between these schools. Husband (and husband’s father) went to CMU-Carnegie Tech. It is a great school but not for everyone. I would encourage you to visit both schools. I don’t think either of my sons,both in engineering, would have been good fits for CMU. However, it may be the school for you. Older son loved UVa. Visits may help in your decison. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you are OOS, then CMU for sure. Pittsburgh is one of the BEST cities for the up and coming in the medical field. While UVA has a great science program it really isn’t comparable to that of Carnegie Mellon. CMU is know for the arts (theatre, dance, etc) and pre-med science. You will have access to top professors and opportunities for internships and real work experience that Charlottesville cannot give you. Building your resume early is imperative to success in the healthcare profession, so Carnegie Mellon all the way!!!</p>
<p>I must agree with sevmom and charlieschm on this one…what kind of experience do you want in college? You really can’t choose between these two until you decide. Are you wanting a school set in an urban environment? Are the arts very important to you? Is it necessary for you to have direct flight access? This list could go on and on; however, if your answer is yes, then you might be wise to select CMU. On the other hand, if you’ve always envisioned yourself going to a typical college where everyone goes to football games and other sporting events, the town rallies around the school, the tradition and allegiance is about as intense as it comes, then I’d choose UVa.</p>
<p>When it comes to pre-med, I know you’ve probably been told 1000+ times go to a solid school where you’ll be really happy and academically successful. Do not delude yourself for one moment into thinking that a kid from CMU will have any advantage over a kid from UVa or vice versa. Med schools care about two primary things: GPA and the MCAT. After they weed out the bulk of the kids because of scores, they then go on to looking at the app holistically (internships, shadowing, research, etc.). My D is a first year pre-med and she turned down Northwestern which is more renowned than CMU for natural sciences and hasn’t thought twice because she understood both were academically solid and close enough that the swing factor must be where she thought she’d best assimilate on a social level. She’s definitely not alone in this process as several of her friends at UVa turned down Duke, Cornell, Vanderbilt, NU, etc. because of the whole experience they were hoping to have while in college was best met at UVa. Other pre-meds chose various other schools for the same reason: those schools best met their needs/desires. As I ramble, I guess what I’m trying to say is that these two are apples to apples academically – go where you’ll be happy!</p>
<p>I am IS for UVA (NOVA).</p>
<p>Do you guys think that 57K tag on CMU is worth it? I see myself at the academic mindset as that of a CMU student, but i want the college and social scene as that of UVA. Can anyone comment on the social life scene at UVA? my perception is that its a lot more “social” than CMU’s. any comments?</p>
<p>I know that I cant make the “BAD” decision b/c both those school are great and i am very fortunate to have gotten into them.</p>
<p>
I get the impression you feel CMU is somehow vastly superior to UVa. CMU is ranked #23; UVa is #25. There is NO difference. Again, go for the social fit and price. As an IS student I would think the decision would be a no-brainer. We pay full OOS for our D, and I’d love to be in your position. Do you know what a great value you have before you? There is no way, IMO, CMU is worth spending that much more. </p>
<p>UVa has a very traditional college feel; CMU an urban artsy/quirky kind of feel. You will find a variety of students at both schools, and it wouldn’t do either school justice to stereotype. Pittsburgh isn’t far from VA…please go visit both and decide where you think you’d be happiest; it’s different for everyone. Good luck!</p>
<p>Didn’t realize you were IS! Wow that is tough! For a school like UVA with such a great price tag for Virginians I gotta say become a Cav!!!</p>
<p>I don’t think a huge price differential is worth it, in either direction. These are both good schools with fine programs in the area that interests you. Both have nearby med schools/ teaching hospitals and so research opportunities and shadowing opportunities should be plentiful. UVA, at least, is reasonably diverse so you will be able to find likeminded people there. It’s “social” if you want it to be, but if you’d rather hole yourself up in a lab, nobody is going to drag you out kicking and screaming and force you to attend a party.</p>
<p>My S, the ubergeek, was attracted to CMU on the basis of its computer-science reputation, but thought the difference in cost wasn’t worth it (we are instate for UVA, and aren’t eligible for FA). He’s academically challenged at UVA and has made lots of friends, none of whom would dream of going to football games. Although his tastes tend toward the alternative rather than the frat/preppy, he is quite extroverted and values social time, and he does believe he has more of it than his friends who’ve ended up at Columbia and University of Chicago.</p>
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<p>thnx you all for your responses. It has really helped me. however, one thing i notice is that genreally you guys are saying the 60K for CMU isint worth it. MY question is, if FA does not matter (i have talked to my parents and they dont mind the CMU tag), then what school is the better “science” school? </p>
<p>So essentially, if price doesnt matte what school would u attend on a academic basis (meaning the most helpful path to med school)?</p>
<p>Eagle for Life: Reread post #13. Even if money doesn’t really matter, why spend it if you don’t have to? Unless your parents are like Donald Trump wouldn’t it just be better for them not to spend the extra cash? Maybe they could use it on something special for themselves. UVA is a top rank university at a great price.</p>
<p>Like others said. CMU is not worth the price difference over UVA. You should visit the campus. S took summer classes there before senior year and did not bothered to apply.</p>
<p>I’ll join sevmom & charlieschm in saying that you owe it to yourself to visit both CMU and UVA if you have not done so already. They will be vastly different experiences.
If you are in-state, save the money for grad school. My S1’s best friend had a similar choice between CMU & a different VA school (VTech). He chose the IS option and got an AMAZING education. Now he is choosing between full rides for a PhD in engineering at Northwestern, Stanford & MIT.</p>
<p>That said, I’ll play devil’s advocate. CMU is a part of the Oakland consortium, which allows cross-registration with UPitt, Duquesne, Chatham & other Pgh schools for specialty courses not offered by the attending university (CMU). And there are a lot of work & research opportunities in Oakland through the UPMC system. </p>
<p>I suggested this on the UPitt forum: Make a list of the things that are important to you at both universities (ie. cost, size, class size, urban vs. college town, D3 vs D1 sports, etc), then weight those factors on a scale 1-5 or 1-10. Using a quantifiable decision matrix can help you sort out the best option for you.</p>
<p>Another thought: go to the UVA & CMU websites and look up their course offerings & major requirements. See which school offers more courses in your intended field of study. Also look up the department faculty & their specialties. Who is teaching & how many courses are offered will help you compare the “science” offered at both schools.</p>