I am in the college selection process. I am 3.8 GPA and 1370 Sat. I am looking for research institutions great in biochemistry/genetics/molecular biology. I am not very satisfied with my list of schools. I am not a big fan of cities. I am from nh. I am willing to look in the Northeast area.
My schools so far are:
Penn State
Brandeis
UConn
UMass Amherst
Unh
Rutgers
I feel that this list kind of sells me short. I won’t qualify for financial aid. I have really really good extracurricular activities. It is important to me to find a good research school to get strong academics. I am hoping you could suggest some schools and critique my list.
Brandeis would be good. You could add UDelaware to your public choices. Smaller colleges would be excellent for undergraduate research. If female, look into Mt. Holyoke. The NESCACs, generally, would be great for research as well, and certainly include schools with the strong academics you are seeking.
Seconding URochester, particularly if you would like to add some more selective schools to your group; you might also consider the University of Maryland; Rutgers from your list would be good for most bio fields.
I strongly agree with @merc81 that liberal arts colleges are an excellent place to look for strong undergrad programs in biology. You don’t need a specialized major in genetics or biochem at the undergrad level. Colleges like Franklin & Marshall, Allegheny, and Bucknell are within range of your stats.
Take a look at Clark, which offers a 5 year BS/MS program in biochemistry with the 5th year tuition-free.
Some Universities are complicated by the division of the University into many different “colleges.” This can complicate movement within the University between majors. Look for a program which leaves your options open after admission.
What activities do you enjoy? What would you minor in? Do you want to play a sport, study overseas, work alone or work in groups. Even though some colleges are within city limits, most activity may take place on campus.
To judge academic standards you may look up the Common Data Set (CDS) for 2017-2018 on their respective websites. Your profile should fit in with these selections.
Also, SUNY ESF has both a biochemistry major, and a very interesting-looking Biotechnology major that includes genetic engineering topics http://www.esf.edu/efb/biotech/ ESF is adjacent to Syracuse University and allows cross-registration at SU (for a much more affordable price than enrolling at SU). Syracuse is a bit more of a city than you’re looking for, but ESF includes rural campuses and field stations as well. http://www.esf.edu/welcome/campus/
So Brandeis is on my list in the first post and I will be visiting this week. I checked out WPI a while ago and did not like the campus. I doubt that I have a shot at Tufts. I will look into Rochester. Thank you for the links retiredfarmer.
I am looking for a school that is well known in the world of biochemistry and I can do research in right away. My list that I have so far has to many safety’s.
Maybe you should try taking the ACT. It has a science section, unlike the SAT, so it might highlight your strengths better. A strong ACT score could open a lot of doors at the kind of schools you want.
Looking at a list of top biochem schools in the world https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/biology-biochemistry?page=3 the only US school in the top 30 that looks attainable at your stats is UW Madison. Maybe worth considering leaving the Northeast if research rankings are that important to you. CU Boulder is also in the top 50, and seems like the kind of non-urban environment you might like.
If you could improve your test scores a bit, then U of Toronto (top 20) and McGill (top 50) might come into reach. I’m not that sure about competitiveness for US applicants vs. Canadians… but I do know that the Canadian U’s tend to be more intensive in the major and less concerned about breadth and distribution requirements than US schools, and you sound like that would suit you. Maybe look at Dalhousie? Gorgeous north-of-New-England setting, and it still has some serious research going on even if it’s not as much of a powerhouse as Toronto & McGill.
In some ways, you’ve suggested contradictory aspects. Schools well known for biochemistry – such as those that might be known primarily for their graduate departments – may offer relatively few opportunities to their undergraduate students for mentored research. That noted, well-reputed schools such as Brandeis and URochester could nonetheless make excellent choices for you. However, so could some purely undergraduate-focused colleges.
Wheaton College in Norton, Ma. It is on the suburbs, offers merit aid, known for sciences, has biochem major. can cross enroll at Brown for up to two courses, but commuting takes time.
I really appreciate this. It has helped so much. I will look into those schools. The only schools currently on my list that have come up are Brandeis and Rutgers. Does that mean the other schools are not worth it?
Second, I am not able to travel financially outside of the Northeast.
If you expect travel costs to be a problem, but you won’t qualify for financial aid, you need to get serious about what your family can honestly afford.
Have your parents given you an amount they can afford to pay each year?
In the grand scheme of things, travel costs are a drop in the bucket for a full pay family. If a full pay family anticipates a problem covering travel costs, it’s generally a good idea to look at colleges with good automatic merit scholarships and your instate public universities.
My D started out with a 1370 SAT, a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a desire to study neuroscience/biochemistry. With re-testing she moved up to a 1470 SAT. We live in NJ.
We are not full pay but we could not have got enough merit scholarships or FA to bring costs down to an affordable level at out of state public universities or colleges that claim to meet need in the NORTHEAST.
Our experience with her stats was that less selective colleges in the Northeast offered enough merit to bring costs down to the level of our instate public colleges without scholarships. But with the scholarships she got at the instate publics, they then became the most affordable, even more so once her SAT score improved.
Some small colleges offer surprisingly good research opportunities because professors are very focused on giving their undergraduate students their time and attention to help them excel, and they make great efforts to do things like bring their students to regional and national conferences. On our tours I ran across bright, motivated students who attended small colleges with seemingly unimpressive science departments who made significant contributions to their fields and had their names on journal articles. I also saw science departments at small colleges where nearly all students were attending and presenting research at conferences.
How much will your parents pay each year for college?
Ask them, please don’t guess. We see later posts from a lot of disappointed students who thought their parents would pay more.
UW-Madison was mentioned upthread. It is awesome in this field and if you (OP) were to change your mind, you’d be at a school with strength in a multitude of majors. Madison is a cool campus and city.
At 3.8/1370 and out of state, it probably would be a high match for you – far from in the bag, but worth an app if you like the idea. It’s a very fun school to boot.