<p>I've narrowed my list down to Harvard, Brown, Penn, Duke and Cornell but I'm not sure what to do. Penn is giving me a ton of paid research opportunities in the sciences and they will give me a free ride for up to two years which is kind of cool because my family doesn't need financial aid so that's the only way I'll get money. For Duke I was invited to their Up Close program (top 2% or so of their RD applicants) so I'm assuming I'd probably do well there. I feel like I'd be really happy at Brown and Harvard is Harvard, not to mention it's the perfect distance from my house.</p>
<p>Any opinions?</p>
<p>Oh and if this helps, I'm a girl living in a suburb of Boston who is looking to study neuroscience/neurobiology or even biochemistry (maybe with a minor in history)</p>
<p>One good thing about Harvard is all the funding opportunities. Some of my roommates have done PRISE – which is an on-campus summer community of students doing research in Boston during the summer. Also, I know two girls who got FULL funding to do research in Argentina and Switzerland. And then, there are a number of other research awards. And also, there are the Harvard summer schools – like the research gigs in say Japan and Germany. </p>
<p>Again, a few of my research-oriented friends are also doing paid work. Granted, there isn’t exactly an organized method in which one finds PIs and labs, but it is common culture for entering freshmen to explore and email labs for experience. </p>
<p>Not quite sure about the other schools, but I’ve never really heard anyone complain of the lack of research opportunities or funding.</p>
<p>I know a bioengineering PHD at Harvard who did her undergrad at Brown. She says that the bio engineering at Harvard is much more theoretical so she felt somewhat unprepared handling the theoretical aspects in some of her Harvard grad courses.</p>
<p>Mfinny, Harvard is harvard and they got pretty much everything that you are looking for. So is Yale. They are equally excellent school. You got to look beyond that. Which one fits you better? I know a friend of mine at Harvard telling me that it is really competitive there and everyone is trying to beat the others - no surprise. But at Yale, it is a bit more balanced. I think you should look beyond the academic.</p>
<p>It reminds of choosing between a big fish in a small pond vs a small fish in the sea. Harvard is Harvard and you will be one of the many in the program; whereas in others, you will be well recognized among your peers…again, it is a personal preference and which one fits you better.</p>
<p>“Harvard is Harvard” isn’t really a good reason to come here…don’t get me wrong, I love Harvard, and it’s definitely great that it has such a name because it gets you opportunities other schools can’t, but that shouldn’t be the basis of your college choice. Realize that you’re actually going to have to live at the college you choose for four years–so factor in everything from the type of people there to the community and city it’s in to the distance from your home to the weather. </p>
<p>As for what monkeybb said, I find the exact opposite to be true–Harvard is infinitely less competitive than I thought it would be. It’s more like people are focused on personally succeeding, rather than concentrating on what the people around them are up to. I could care less what grades the people in my classes get; just as long as I’m happy with mine, it’s okay. That’s the general vibe I get from people, too, so I don’t think it’s just me who thinks that way. Harvard is an amazing place…</p>
<p>Do people actually take that seriously? When I talk to other pre-frosh and say “Harvard’s Harvard” as a joke, everyone laughs…or am I missing something.</p>