<p>Hello, next year i will be a junior but hope to figure it out this summer so can finally rest about it.
I want to major in neuroscience or cell biology. and I am stumped on whether to pick Brown, Johns Hopkin or Rice as my #1 choice. I will be going on the pre-med track and know that for Med School i want to go to Johns Hopkin but for undergrad I haven't made my choice. Can i get advice on which school I should go to and why?</p>
<p>Oh and also I am currently living in Texas</p>
<p>Apply for all three. Get in to all three and then you decide. Lots of time to research on cc about pros/cons of each.</p>
<p>Rice is freakin badass man. I would’ve done ED except I got last minute cold feet and decided not to do any early action.</p>
<p>Personally, I can’t speak for Brown or JH, or for the premed route, so the only advice I have is to visit them all and see which one you like best. They’re all on par academically as far as you’re interested, so it’s up to your personal preference on things like weather, campus life/feel, etc.</p>
<p>(Rice!)</p>
<p>ahem.</p>
<p>Sorry i keep using the words go to , when i should say apply to.
Forgive me.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a definite first choice, don’t go ED! You shouldn’t commit unless you’re 100% certain, which you clearly aren’t, so just apply normally and decide once/if you’re accepted</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>ED on CC means early decision, which you can’t do to all 3. That would be a bad idea…</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is ranked among the top 6 for biological sciences (USNews), top 3 for neuroscience (USNews), the #1 school in the nation for cell biology (Chronicle), and has one of the top 3 premed advising committee in the nation.</p>
<p>Hopkins is synonymous with medicine… The Johns Hopkins Hospital has been ranked #1 for past 19 years in a row (USNews).</p>
<p>Watch the video at: <a href=“http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/[/url]”>http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/</a></p>
<p>Don’t do ED if you don’t have a clear first choice. Do RD. Early decision doesn’t help you anyway.</p>
<p>I also recommend that you do RD unless you absolutely love one of these schools and would not have any regrets about attending it if you got in. It also gives you more time to decide what type of school is best for you since you will probably get more than one acceptance anyway with RD.</p>
<p>honestly, it depends on your stats. If you’re strong, do ED to Brown. Easier grades (grade inflation/pass or fail system), more prestige, etc. If your stats are mediocre for Brown, then definitely look more into Hopkins and Rice. Two very similar schools. They mainly differ in location and student types, but please don’t make the mistake of choosing the school with fewer pre-meds because it’ll be less competitive. if you HAPPEN to change your mind about pre-med, you’ll be completely screwed.</p>
<p>Take into consideration that you want Med School now, but that very well not be the case sophomore year of college. Regardless of your high school exposure to academics, you have no idea whats really out there to learn until you have freedom to learn what ever you want at your fingertips.</p>
<p>Don’t apply ED, ED should only be reserved for a clear number 1 choice, and if you are not dependent on financial need(because this happens every year way to many times, students thinking that because a school agrees to meet 100 percent of the need, they think it’ll mean a free ride, it wont!) . </p>
<p>BTW the people who usually apply ED have higher stats than those who normally apply regular decision. You’d be competing against those who would have made it RD. So you’re really not a shoe or have a significant boost at schools like rice, brown, and jh.</p>
<p>If you need financial aid, don’t apply ED. If you don’t have a clear first choice, don’t apply ED.</p>
<p>To correct some misconceptions in this thread: the ED pool is statistically WEAKER than the RD pool. (The EA pool, however, is usually stronger–because you aren’t making a commitment, the college is.) Strategically, it makes sense to apply ED; but you obviously DON’T have a clear first choice, in which case the strategic advantage is canceled out by the high chance of regret.</p>
<p>If you need FA, you CAN still apply ED–but you’d better do your homework first. Use lots of different calculators, find out your chosen school’s loan policies, make sure the school will meet full need, etc.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your responses. But why is it bad to apply ED if you need FA.</p>
<p>Because then you’re stuck with the aid package you get, whereas if you apply to many schools RD you can compare financial aid packages.</p>
<p>Because, unless it is a full-need school AND you are comfortable paying the FAFSA EFC, you never know how much you will be expected to pay until after you are admitted. At that point, the school will expect you to attend. If you apply RD to all three, you can compare financial aid offers and see which school works out best for you financially and otherwise.</p>
<p>None of the above. You don’t have a first choice. And you might change your mind come next April.</p>
<p>I’m confused. If FA is not a concern and the OP would be happy at any of those schools, what possible disadvantage would there be to applying ED?</p>
<p>You’re going to be a Junior next year?! Why is this even being discussed? </p>
<p>You have over a year to do more in-depth research. Spend the time researching and visiting your choices, (as well as a few safeties), then decide which one is the best situation for you? A fast decision made now is only guaranteed to be regretted later.</p>
<p>Baelor, you can only apply ED to 1 school, the OP has stated that he has no idea which one he wants, so choosing one randomly and applying puts the OP in a legally binding situation at a school that he is unsure about.</p>
<p>But if he would be more than happy at any of them, I wouldn’t necessarily say that a lack of a top-top choice would preclude ED – he may not even have a top choice at the time of applications. I just don’t see having an absolute top choice as a necessary prerequisite to ED; obviously one can only apply to one school ED, but honestly, if the OP knows he would succeed and enjoy the experiences at any of the three schools, I don’t see a particular reason not to apply to one ED.</p>