Hi, I live in NJ and I am stuck deciding among these 3 schools. I am a biology major and i want to go into surgery after medical school (thats the plan but its obviously subject to change). I don’t really know what kind of school I prefer however I do want somewhat of a big school. I am aware that TCNJ is not a big school but if it is a good school I am willing to look over the fact that it is small compared to Drexel and Rutgers. I am indian and I want to experience a lot of cultural things like garba, indian dances etc. I also got into the Honors colleges/programs at all 3 of these colleges. I live about 20-25 minutes from TCNJ, 45 minutes from Rutgers, and 70 minutes from Drexel. I don’t want to go too far from home, which is why I applied to schools in the tri-state area. I was on varsity tennis for 3 years at my high school and I was also involved in NHS, volunteer clubs and math and science teams. I want my college to be unique and right for me. However I do not know which college that is right now. I am #5 in my class of about 330 students and I took a lot of AP and Honors classes. So what do you guys think? If i want to be a surgeon in the future what school would give me the most opportunities and education? Which school curriculum would be the best? Which college would prepare me the best for the MCATs? I appreciate all the help guys
Rutgers has the most respected biology / pre-med program of the 3 schools.
I would disagree with #1. TCNJ is New Jersey’s dedicated “honors/liberal arts&science college”, focused on undergraduate education. TCNJ honors students have the same stats as Rutgers Honors but there, they’re not second-best after graduate students. The quality of education is very high and there’s a lot of support, and honors students have a lot of resources and opportunities. The support and smaller classes can make a lot of differences for premed students.
However, OP said s/he wanted a large school so obviously that’d mean Rutgers - more people, more variety, better football and better odds of falling through the cracks (although the Honors program would kind of mitigate that.)
Not sure about location, Ewing now has “collegetown” (I think this concept is a great business model) and Trenton is nearby, and Rutgers has New Brunswick, neither of which is that awesome, nor is it terrible.
For your major
TCNJ=Rutgers>Drexel
The fact that you want a large town, means you should probably swing towards Rutgers because Ewing New Jersey (where TCNJ is) is not happening. Either are excellent though for your major. Good luck.
Remember, lower cost/debt will allow you to come out of medical school with less debt at the end. Also, biology majors do not have the best job prospects if not going to medical school, so lower debt would help in that case as well.