These are the colleges I am considering. I plan to major in a biology or neuroscience and minor (or possibly double major) in psychology.
Some other factors: Wake Forest obviously has the best weather, but it is also the farthest from home. I do like watching sports, so a DI school like Ohio State or Wake is nice, but I can get by without watching these. Ohio State’s campus is gigantic, and its classes seem to be large as well, which I don’t necessarily like. Rochester seems to have the best science program, but I could be wrong.
Ohio State is very, very different - it has a very urban vibe, is absolutely huge, and has literally hundreds of specific majors. I feel like wherever you go you will have large classes and small classes at some point, though. But even then, Ohio State is, as you said, gigantic in so many ways (but it does have the best athletics by far, Ohio State football games look absolutely stunning). I feel like the primary question you would want to ask yourself is if you want a huge, urban school, or a smaller, suburban school? Have you visited all three? Best of luck!
Rochester itself has been a tech-oriented city for much of its history. Some of that orientation has been reflected through an interplay between UR and the city. If you sense that URochester offers strength in the sciences, then you can probably base this on real historical factors.
We know so many kids at OSU who just love it. They offer so many opportunities beyon D1 sports.
Schools like Rochester will have smaller classes in later years but the first two years will still have big classes - especially in STEMM.
OSU has better recruiting than Rochester. We loved Rochester when we visited, but there were a number of complaints about getting jobs and internships. Ask around about that.
Wake Forest is a unique place. Intimate educational setting (“LAC like” including Core Curriculum).Small classes all 4 yrs. Son is a freshmen and largest class has had 30 students. Lots of discussion based classes, so being prepared is important. Whole campus is a community (requires to live on campus for 3 yrs which makes everyone very tight).
Big school spirit and D1 ACC sports ( which they go crazy over - not just football and basketball but everything - 5k students at a soccer game).
Excellent overall education. Sciences are very strong… Very good placement to med school or grad school if that’s important.
What are the benefits of the Honors College/Program at OSU ? Priority registration for classes ? Honors housing ? Honors advising ? Special small class sections only open to honors students ?
I’m currently attending a school with only about 250 students, so I’d prefer a small school. In addition, Greek Life is not a factor in my decision, since I won’t be participating in it. I plan on visiting Rochester soon, and I’ve already visited Ohio State (1,700 acres of campus seems to be overkill, but that’s just me). Ohio State is instate, but I’m not ready to factor financials into my decision just yet. There is honors housing, and priority registration for classes. I’m not sure if there are special small class sections. Thanks for any other help.
According to Ohio State’s website: There are over 350 honors only class sections–all with less than 25 students. This is a huge benefit as you can avoid large lecture sections for introductory courses as well as small class size for many non-intro courses.
Finances: $19,000 OSU, >$70,000 UR & WFU (My family is prepared to pay this if the difference in education is notable)
Major: Biology, minor in psychology, most likely pre-med track
Climate: Wake Forest obviously wins, Rochester is dead-last
Distance: I’m from Ohio, so WFU is furthest (10 hour drive), but UR is manageable (5.5 hour drive)
Size: Ohio State is huge, but honors have smaller class sections. UR and WFU are already small.
City: Columbus offers a lot, while Rochester seems to be part of the dying breed. Winston-Salem is just meh.
Overall education: WFU seems to win, with Rochester just a little bit behind, followed by OSU
School spirit (I’d like this but can live without it): WFU and OSU
Don’t know if anything else is missing. Thanks for the help!
My parents are both physicians, and so it is difficult to find a time to visit campus. However, this Friday, my dad has gotten a day off. We are only able to visit one college. IGNORING FINANCES, would it be the priority to visit the University of Rochester or Wake Forest University? Thanks for any help.
Flip a coin and visit the one you were hoping would land on the upside. I’m partial to UR, but I know a student who went to WF and loves it there. It all depends upon the atmosphere you like.
@sparkykoolkat I believe your pick of these 3 schools—all excellent reputation, will come down to your visiting and seeing which you feel most comfortable at. What’s the best fit for you? For Rochester demonstrated interest is considered important. You should set up an interview with admissions if you are planning to visit. Rochester highly recommends interviews for admissions chances and also for merit aid. You won’t likely get merit aid (or not as much as you could get) if you don’t have an interview. We visited the school when my daughter interviewed there a few Falls ago. You should be prepared to explain why you are interested in the program you want to major in, why the school is a good fit for you and what you can contribute. What you like to do in your free time outside of school. And be able to describe yourself and unique personal strengths and characteristics. And what do you consider one of your weakness. (Be careful how you answer). You should visit Rochester when school is in session. Also good to go when the weather is warm. You don’t want to travel there in winter. Class size will be smaller than at OSU as Rochester is a much smaller school. Students at Rochester are intellectual and tend to be somewhat nerdy and quirky. You need to see if this school is a good fit for your personality. Rochester is great for neuroscience and biology and psychology, which you say you are interested in. There is a hospital across the street that provides intern and research opportunities. I am also very familiar with Ohio state and looked into the neuroscience program there. I think it is equally good compared to Rochester with respect to neuroscience, biology and psychology. OSU Wexner Medical center on campus can provide intern and research opportunities, just as Rochester’s medical center. Unfortunately I don’t know much about Wake Forest.
As someone who intends to be a bio major, you really should check out the stunning new Innovation Quarter that Wake just opened this past January. It is a top-notch facility that will house most upper-level science classes, and is also home to Wake’s Medical School. My daughter was really impressed, and my husband (a physician) was blown away (SO much nicer than what he got at Duke). The Quarter is about 15 minutes from the main campus, and shuttles are supposed to run regularly between the two places. Wake’s main campus is quite lovely; it’s practically sylvan (thus the Forest in the name), and most of the buildings are updated. Winston-Salem is a cool little city and seems to have a lot to offer.
My daughter faced a similar situation–she was accepted to Wake and several other LACs, and had to weigh them against her offer from South Carolina’s honor college. In the end, she couldn’t justify Wake’s $70,000+ annual price tag when comparing it to the many benefits conferred by the honors college, so that’s where she’ll be come August. Best of luck with your decision!
If finances are not an issue with your folks (truly not a hardship for them to afford the cost), definitely feel free to select wherever you fit the best. It’s really not any different than buying a car or house. Some folks must pick due to finances and others don’t. It’s nice to be able to have that option and any of your three schools could be the right one for you.
I suspect you’ll end up liking wherever you choose. Most students do.