<p>I plan to do early decision and am split between Columbia and Amherst. I have the grades (hopefully) to be accepted in either. I am female, plan to study neuroscience, and hope to include study abroad (Amherst has a jr yr at UCL for neuroscience - not sure if Columbia has something similar?). I visited and love both, though they are different environments. Which is best in terms of: teaching and research in neuroscience; campus quality of life; and supportive vs competitive student interaction? Positive and negative experiences/opinions from undergrads attending either would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You are correct that they are radically different schools - at least in terms of setting, campus, etc. But the biggest difference is that Columbia is a research university and Amherst is a small liberal arts college. Yes - Columbia has the Core Curriculum and provides a strong liberal arts base, but on the whole, it’s mission is pretty different and the students that attend each respective school are looking for something different. </p>
<p>For what it is worth, the ED acceptance rate at Amherst is much larger than Columbia’s (about 35% versus 20% at least on quick glance of recent data) but IMO I think you need to nail down what kind of environment is the best fit. Both are obviously incredible schools academically and will provide a broad range of academic and extracurricular opportunities (including a study abroad programs). I would recommend going back to the web sites and reviewing all of the information - for your decision, I think it is a better option than relying on CC since it comes down to what you want and no one on here knows you. If you have specific questions about programs - best to contact the school directly if you can’t find the information on the web. </p>
<p>Good luck making your decision. </p>