Hey so I have a question, is it better to choose a school such as university of wisconsin madison for their biochemistry program that’s ranked 2 in the country by us news and the school ranked 47 overall or a school higher ranked like case western reserve university ranked 38 us news or like nyu 32 us news for their biochemistry programs that are ranked like 38 or 43 in the country?
Thanks!
Departmental rankings are generally based on research output which is far more important to graduate students than undergraduates. Choose the school you like the best and is the most affordable.
Right, though in this case, those overall rankings are essentially the same. Pretty much zero people out in the real world will differentiate between schools ranked 47th, 38th, and 32rd. Do note that rankings (especially lower down) are approximate.
So go off of cost and fit.
Don’t go off rankings at all. Choose a college based on affordability and personal preference. Are you instate for Wisconsin? Have you toured either school yet?
I agree with @PurpleTitan, those ranking aren’t different enough to be meaningful. But there are no official rankings anyway. So don’t use them as if they were actually accurate. Department ranking that pertain to grad school can be an indication that there is a good department in the undergrad, but doesn’t mean that the undergrad is not good just because they don’t have a strong ranking in grad. I know that isn’t helpful, but you really will get a good education at any of those schools, choose on other factors.
@BrownParent I assumed the OP was discussing the difference in an undergraduate biochem program ranked #2 in the nation by the US News versus in the 30-40 block.
Def Madison
Yeah my main question is that I was wondering if the difference in biochem would matter or not, also thanks for the great responses so far!