<p>University of Southern California
SUNY- Stony Brook
SUNY- Binghamton
Boston U (not in yet..but assuming that I'm in.)
St. John's University (in Queens, NY)- Honor Program</p>
<p>I want to go to a graduate school and study genetic engineering. Which one would be the best choice for me academically? I'm probably going to major in biology/biochemistry/chemical engineering, and minor in astronomy.</p>
<p>I live in New York.</p>
<p>If you were me, which one would you pick? Because of what? academics? campus life?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Boston University (excellent resources for your interests)</p></li>
<li><p>SUNY Stony Brook or Binghamton (not sure which one has better sciences)</p></li>
<li><p>St John’s (being in their Honors program is key. Getting merit aide bumps it up a notch.</p></li>
<li><p>USC (their focus is on the arts/film/gaming, etc. Not on the hard sciences) And yes, the weather in LA is sunnier than NYC, but …</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Decide on your fit for USC. Great reputation, but check out type of kids that attend. I think they come from very wealthy families. Heard about drugs, but not from a reliable source. This may not be accurate but do some research before you decide. (My own son was headed to Berkeley until I read some not so nice things about it on this site. Did my research and son ended up at another school (with nice scholarship too!!)</p>
<p>BU- Not a huge fan. Great city, but it may impact social life as people say it is not a real campus.</p>
<p>Binghamton v SB. SB is known for its sciences, but again, check the “fit”. SB has a reputation for less happy students. </p>
<p>St. Johns- Many kids go there and love it. Give out plenty of merit aid too, as you seem to know. They do have some dorms now. Still in Jamaica though, which may or may not be a plus to you. </p>
<p>Good luck in your decision making process.</p>
<p>If you do well you can go on to grad school without difficulty from any of these schools.</p>
<p>Do grad students in Genetic Engineering usually get full rides, etc? Think of cost, if any you’ll need for grad school.</p>
<p>I’m typically against picking your school based on your supposed/assumed major and after-school career plans. There have been many a pre-med biology major that decided their real passion was philosophy (and vice versa). Also, you may find that you can get where you want to go just fine without a graduate degree or you may decide to put it off for a few years.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that in a lot of these threads the only consideration seems to be 1) major and 2) cost. I think cost is one of the most important things, but major should rarely ever be a large consideration in choosing a university unless you need to go someplace with a really obscure major or a school doesn’t have a relatively common one that you want (i.e., don’t go to Georgia Tech if you want something like anthropology). Schools can be good academically for you in other ways. Where will you thrive? Where are you going to feel comfortable? Will you hate yourself if you’re stuck in a small town OR a huge metropolis? Do you really want to get out of New York? (Apparently not, since you applied to a lot of schools in NYS.) I’d avoid the “logic” that USC will be the best choice for you simply because it’s the most prestigious school on your list. </p>
<p>Also, college is going to be new in general. You don’t have to leave the northeast or even New York to have new experiences.</p>
<p>If I were you what would I pick? Probably Binghamton or Stony Brook - excellent education at a very good price for an NYS student. I’d bet my last dollar that USC will cost more to you than either of those schools and to me it’s not worth it, especially if you really do end up going to graduate school (one of my close friends in my grad program at Columbia went to Stony Brook).</p>