<p>Okay, so I didn't get into my top school (Brown), but still have really good options to choose from:
Cornell
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
WashU
Tufts</p>
<p>Now I really have no idea where to go! I want to be a doctor, so obviously JHU and WUSTL would be really good for that. I got accepted into Cornell's College of Human Ecology, so their Human Development major also seems really interesting. But Northwestern is in such a good location, I really don't know what to choose...
I've listed these schools in order of preference, and have planned to visit all but Tufts later in the month. My parents are pushing for Ivy League, but I heard Cornell's coursework is really grueling. Hopefully, I'll know more about them later, but does anyone have any of their own opinions/experiences at these schools? Anything about academics, student life, dining, weather, etc.? Thanks!</p>
<p>Personally, I would not regard Cornell’s College of Human Ecology as being at the top of that list by any means.
Also, Ivy League or not, I don’t think that med schools - which are very conscious not just of an applicant’s “numbers,” but also of undergrad school (and even major) - would regard Cornell’s CHE more highly.<br>
Northwestern’s location - both Evanston and its proximity to Chicago - beat Ithaca, Baltimore and St. Louis hands down. As for Tufts, Evanston is a bit better than the nearby parts of Somerville (i.e., Davis Square), but Boston vs Chicago is a matter of personal preference. Both are fantastic.
Finally, while JHU and Wash U clearly have higher rated med schools than the others, we’re not talking med school here, and I don’t think that having gone to either of them undergrad would give you a particular boost over undergrads applying from the other schools on your list.
You’ve got a great list to choose from. Good luck!</p>
<p>arbiter - please, I love Ithaca, so stop trashing it! I loved it when I was a student there and I still love it every time we go back; which is almost yearly. It is beautiful, “gorges” (sorry,couldn’t resist), has excellent restaurants, shops, bars. Dare I say it might be better than Evanston?</p>
<p>You might- like I said, I’m very sick today from the Ithaca allergies. I do consider myself quite lucky to live in a beautiful place like this and elected to take a job here for the summer over offers closer to NYC/ my home. But it’s definitely not better than Evanston. :)</p>
<p>I think the fact that WashU and JHU attract so many pre-meds is to your disadvantage. Do you really want more people in your pre-med classes gunning for top grades when grades are curved?</p>
<p>Btw, if you like Human Development, Northwestern has Human Development and Psychological Services within the School of Education and Social Policy. I had some friends who were in it and they really loved it. They especially enjoyed the internship experiences they got out of their classes (yes some of the classes required internships since SESP is big on integration of knowledge and practice), which gave them marketable skills when looking for a job. You can also take part in SESP practicums as a non-SESP student.</p>