NYU vs Middlebury vs BU vs Fordham vs UVM [biology and/or computer science]

College Search & Selection
, , , ,
1

I need help narrowing down my list. I’m going to visit all of these besides BU (I’ve already visited) within the next few weeks. If you have any opinions then by all means share, I really just want to hear as much I can about them, even my ‘safeties’. Anyways here’s the list from ‘lowest ranked’ on Wall Street Journal’s college list to highest. Sorry for the poor grammar and sentence structure. Lots of this is from an email I sent to my counselor because I’m too lazy to type it again.

The University of Vermont - Offered me the most money for merit, like $18k per year, I don’t know if or when I will get into their liberal arts scholars program. It’s the ‘lowest ranked’, whatever, but unfortunately, name recognition might be important down the line. Burlington is a great size town for me, probably going to visit within the coming weeks. CS, which I don’t really want to major in anymore unless I get into the liberal arts program which is life sciences. From what I’ve heard it’s a really underrated school that’s awesome. I don’t know much about the professors or what to do in Burlington. I don’t know about the ‘vibe’ of students there either or how they turn out to be after graduating.

Fordham - The other school that’s offered me a merit scholarship of $10k. CS again… I don’t know what I was thinking. In new york city without being in NEW YORK CITY. Has a campus despite this. Reputable. I really don’t know much about Fordham, I applied because it’s in NYC and has a campus, and I thought I would get in with no problem. I think UVM has a much better focus on biology since they are so environmentally aware and Fordham is more business. My visit could enlighten me, but right now Fordham might be the lowest on my list.

BU - Boston, which is preferable. Is IN Boston which is not preferable. I preferred BC and Tuft’s location outside of the city but I got waitlisted at BC and rejected from Ed 2 tufts. Huge amount of people which is a downside for me I think. Great research programs and a very well-respected university. Not far from Berklee, Boston Symphony house, or whatever, Fenway. Biology is nice since their CAS is good from what I’ve heard. Not the most expensive, although the cost isn’t much of an issue anyway(I go to a private school in Kentucky). Probably won’t be able to visit it but I already know the ‘campus’ or should I say commonwealth.

Middlebury - Haven’t visited it. LAC like Williams which was my ED I. Small but not <1000 people. BEAUTIFUL, SKIING which I love, OUTDOORS. Very expensive and sheltered/preppy boarding school vibes. It’s constantly expanding and investing in the campus and facilities. Isolated, but that’s kind of nice. College campus. Burlington is less than an hour’s drive (will I have a car?). Did I mention it’s beautiful, and I think Biology is my major? It’s really between this and the next one. One of the most well-respected LACs in the country, plus I can now root against Tufts after they so rudely rejected me (just me being bitter). I can officially be a Mid Tier student. My school is really small and I have issues socializing, although I’ve done better recently. Middlebury seems like a great fit for me, and their languages program is one of the best. I want to take Korean since I’m half Korean, and I think they offer an 8-week program or something.

NYU - New York City. I don’t like where it is in New York City. It’s the hip, nightlife area whereas I like around 70th (lots of family around there and more chill). Still, I have easy access to family. It’s the most well-known out of the colleges I got into. My major is liberal studies which are weird because it actually doesn’t affect how me in the long run. I just start the first 2 years in smaller discussion-based classes instead of lecture halls (which sounds better anyway). NYU is THE city school which I sort of want to stay away from since I feel like the rest of my life is set for living in a city. I also don’t think I’ll make as many close friends here compared to Middlebury. No true campus is a huge hit to me. I want to sit under a tree in a quad uninterrupted by the hustle and bustle around. I can’t ignore the fact that it’s probably the most selective school I got in. I try to ignore stuff like this, but college is such a momentous accomplishment that I sort of want to flex, but I know people will make fun of me for Liberal Studies.

Anyways that’s all I’ve got. Ivies come out tomorrow. I’m expecting 2 rejections (Cornell and Columbia) and a nice humbling one, so I thought I’d post this now. If for some reason I do manage to get into either one of them, then I’ll be sure to update this. Thanks!

2

Where do you think you want to get careerwise?

3

What major? Are you going to major in biology?

4

You don’t seem to want to be in a big city, so don’t go there. That leaves UVM and Middlebury. You love to ski and both give you access to the ski slopes in the Green Mountains. Perfect.

MIDDLEBURY - They have an excellent program in Environmental Studues-Conservation Biology (ESCB). This sounds like it’s just what you’re looking for. Middlebury has been running their Environmental Studies program for a very long time and they know what they’re doing.

You need to know that Middlebury values the study of foreign languages and promotes studying abroad for at least one semester. As a result, more than half of the juniors spend at least one semester away from campus. In pre-Covid times, it was much more than half of the juniors.

However, it’s hard for biology majors to study abroad because of course sequences and the ability to find equivalent courses at another college. The Biology Dept. requires prior approval for courses at another college. They make this clear in the website. Because the opportunity to study different environments and different species in a foreign country, study abroad can enhance the studies of an ESCB major, so it may be easier in some cases to get department approval in this case.

The other aspect of study abroad that’s important to consider is the effect of study abroad on your social life. Middlebury is a bigger LAC with 2500 students, but it’s still small as colleges go with about 600 students in each class. With more than 300 of them gone for at least part of junior year, you may find yourself without some or all of your new best friends. I bring this up because you mentioned that you’ve had some issues socializing. So I think you need to be aware of this in advance.

Whether you choose straight Bio or ESCB as your major, overall Middlebury looks like the best fit for you as I see it. As long as you’re aware of the restrictions on Biology majors studying abroad and are prepared to deal with that. Not saying it can’t be done, but there can be issues and it might not be possible. And as long as you’re aware that the large number of students leaving campus in junior year may be disruptive to your social life and are prepared to deal with that.

UVM - An excellent alternative. They’re great for environmental studies. They have a medical school, which might be of interest to a biology major. As state flagship universities go, they’re small (11,000). About 75% of the students come from out of state, which is rare for a state school. This and their small size give UVM more of the feel of a private university, which is probably why they were selected as one of the original “public Ivies”. Burlington is a great college town and the ski slopes are close by. One negative about UVM is that it doesn’t offer any opportunity to study Korean as Middlebury does. One positive for UVM is that the nearest big city is in a foreign country - Montreal, only a 3 hour bus ride to a French speaking major city. Overall UVM would be a fine choice for your interests and it is as respected as much as all but a handful of public flagships around the country.

4 Likes
5

I concur with what @Bill_Marsh writes. I think that Middlebury is the better fit, but cost-wise, UVM is the much better choice. Since your four years of college come and go, but student loans remain for decades, cost is very important.

BTW, Middlebury students often go to Burlington to get some variation in their activities. Both campuses are very pretty, and UVM also has Lake Champlain right there. There is a lot of outdoor activity in both places.

My kid attends Midd, and is very happy there, but I have yet to hear anything negative about UVM.

I think that you’d be happy at either.

4 Likes
6

Biology and or Computer Science

7

I like the prospect of Computational Biology. Possibly Computational Pathology, which might require Med School. I don’t know if that’s something I want to commit to yet.

8

Have you looked at the Course catalog and professor biographies at Midd and UVM? Seems like you have specific enough interests that having classes and profs researching or teaching these areas could be decisive.

9

Thank you for responding. I think that the idea of studying abroad is going to be a spur-of-the-moment decision down the road. UVM is definitely still an option because of their medical school, the money is sort of an added bonus. As for NYU, I think I was a little too harsh on it as some of my friends pointed out as they read it today. I am pretty sure that I will like their Liberal Studies program, and NY is almost a second home to me. I don’t think it should be too hard to hop on the subway to get away to a slower area and I can’t deny the idea of being in civilization sounds nice. My friends all think I would be stupid to turn NYU down, and I sort of agree. Coming into the process, it was a top 3 on my list while I applied to Middlebury randomly because there was no essay. That being said, I really don’t want to turn down Middlebury either. If you can’t tell from my random shifts in topic, I’m really torn. I appreciate the insight on Middlebury’s language and study abroad though!

1 Like
10

I’ll check them out right now

11

I suspect NYU will be strong in those academic interests and Midd hit or miss. However, the question NYC vs middle of VT should be considered probably as strongly.

1 Like
12

I agree. Middlebury offers the course under Computer Science and the professor from what I’ve read is well respected and actually cares. UVM guy looks more stereotypically egotistical but as well respected too. NYU seems to have the most faculty as well as the course being in the Department of Biology. Location/feel is probably tied with academics in my mind. In my mind, college is as much a time to learn academically as it is to learn about the world and enjoy your experience.

2 Likes
13

Have you visited both with them full steam ahead? There is nothing like first-hand feeling of people and place.

14

Since you are rethinking whether you want to be in the city, I wouldn’t write off Fordham just yet. There’s more there than meets the eye. I’m just trying to add to your confusion. :wink:

  1. They have a minor in Bioinformatics (their term), which I think is the same thing as Computational Biology. They also have well developed departments of Biology and Computer Science, your main focus areas of interest.

  2. As you commented in your earlier post UVM is excellent for its emphasis on the environment, but your impression that Fordham is pretty much focused on Business needs more information. Fordham does have a very strong business school - probably #2 undergrad in The City behind NYU - but A&S has always been the core of the university with a strong Biology Dept. AND they are into the environment as a priority.

  3. They have a long established biological field station in Westchester as a lab for studying environmental impacts and they have a student run urban garden on campus.

  4. The Botanical Gardens & Bronx Park are across the street from campus. The Bronx River runs through Bronx Park. The university has partnerships with NY Botanical Garden, the Wildlife Conservation Society at Bronx Zoo, and the Bronx River Alliance - all in Bronx Park.

  5. There is a permanent Student Sustainability Committee which focuses on identifying ways for the university to be more effective in reducing its impact in the environment - from recycling programs, to composting plans, to student education & awareness programs.

In some ways, it offers the best of both worlds - a beautiful 85 acre green campus in the city but with a biological field station outside the city and additional green space across the street for environmental study and protection.

2 Likes
15

I am planning on visiting Middlebury and Vermont in the next few weeks. I’ve visited NYU and I can’t say I like the part of New York City it’s in, but I still love that it’s in New York City. From what I’ve seen, Middlebury looks straight out of Dead Poet’s Society which is cool, Vermont looks lovely too. NYU’s campus for me is definitely a downside.

1 Like
16

You should ask Midd Admissions to meet in person with the prof you identified as in your área of interest, and pretty much interview him as to whether he and his program can provide for what you are interested in for now. Since you got in, they are the ones who need to sell themselves and will arrange that for you. From everything you are saying sounds like you will love Midd, and only thing you might need to resolve is its academic depth, including if you change interest. Now is not the time to be shy.

1 Like
17

Another possible bonus for UVM or Middlebury, given that you love NYC and have family there, starting this summer, Amtrak service will travel from NYC to the Middlebury and Burlington stations. If you attend college in VT, you can use the train to visit family in NYC.

2 Likes
18

With respect to selectivity, it’s NYU that has approached Middlebury in recent years. This analysis from several years ago placed Middlebury nine places ahead of NYU when considered by standardized scoring profiles, for example: The 610 Smartest Colleges in America.

1 Like
19

The only negative I’ve read about recently regarding UVM and Middlebury is over enrollment and the housing issues caused.

UVM is trying to address it but it’s not going to be an immediate solution.

2 Likes
20

Ironically, not long before this, the Boston Globe was ready to turn off the lights at Vermont colleges:

1 Like