<p>Stanford vs. Columbia vs. Boston University</p>
<p>Which should I choose if I want to...
1) major in Biochemistry or Biomedical Engineering
2) continue my music studies in viola
3) be in gay-friendly atmosphere
4) have a nice resume for graduate school apps</p>
<p>My thoughts so far...
1) Stanford: strong science, but couldn't find much on music program or gay-acceptance
2) Columbia: great school, but big city isn't really my thing, too dirty and crowded
3) Boston: the principal violist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra teaches here; nice gay population; but less prestige in name</p>
<p>Being gay in California is no biggy. Stanford is suburban, but is northern California and fairly sophiticated. And you always have San Francisco, my home town!!!!</p>
<p>Thats is all I know on your questions. Good luck, it sounds like you are being very thoughtful in your decision.</p>
<p>i think bu would be a good place for a gay student to study at just because if you find love there you guys can settle and get married legally! but other than that, I completely understand your concern. I am gay as well, and when I was going through the college admissions process I kept reminding myself that i need a school in a big city or very near one(because at least if my school wasn't super gay friendly) I'd have a place somewhere off campus, and also my major. Job opportunities.</p>
<p>But you know what if you got into Stanford, you should definetly go, you deserve it. and california is a fairly liberal state, whe're democratic! Also I don't think Stanford would ever accept a student body who wasn't accepting of other people's culture/lifestyle. </p>
<p>i think stanford would be a great experience. just look at the ranks it has from princeton review Rank List Category
#7 The Toughest To Get Into Academics
#8 Great College Library Administration
#15 School Runs Like Butter Administration
#19 Diverse Student Population Demographics
#14 Lots of Race/Class Interaction Demographics
#5 Best Quality of Life Quality of Life
#3 Happy Students Quality of Life </p>
<p>PS are you sure Stanford doesn't have a music program. One of my teachers majored in music at Stanford back in the day, and according to Princeton Review they have a a music history major and music/performing arts major. and even if they dont which i doubt, they are bound to have clubs on campus that participate in music events or related stuff.</p>
<p>There's a music program, but it didn't seem high-quality. There are only two viola teachers while Boston University offers the Boston Symphony Principal Chair Violist!</p>
<p>BU over stanford?!? are the schools even comparable? Im from california and here, Stanford is most people's dream school and BU is merely a safety school. Stanford will most likely be accepting towards gay students because they are very diversity-oriented.</p>
<p>I'm bi, and I'm going to BU if their finaid is not SOOO terrible.(I'm hoping to get some good amount of grant lol) During the whole college admission process, the gay-accepting atmosphere was a HUGE thing in deciding where to apply. Altho I ended up applying to many VA state schools (VA for haters, not for lovers I tell you lol), I made sure they were big schools, and the rest I applied to are large private schools. </p>
<p>I've been looking around/asking ppl and found out BU is a very diverse, accepting place to be. I have no problem going there and I am confident I'll fit in just right. I honestly think tho most of large schools are very accepting (unless they're in southern state or religious schools). </p>
<p>I think location of all schools are very good and those schools are very accepting (Boston, CA, and NY? they're all awesome :D). So I suggest choosing the school based on the strength of the music program and the availability of academic program you're looking for. </p>
<p>I'm between BU and James Madison U (VA state school) depending on the money I can get from them. I'm HOPING BIG TIME BU will get me enough money so that I can go there. @ JMU.. I don't think I'll be happy or be easily accepted -_-</p>
<p>Thumper1 has an S at BU (trumpet), maybe she knows something about viola teachers. It sounds like you can knock Columbia off your list. Would you rather have snow or sun? What about transportation-- at BU you don't need a car. Don't know what Stanford policy is on cars for freshmen. I think both schools are gay-friendly. Post this question on the BU forum and maybe she'll see it.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that unless you are of a caliber and dedication to be a performance major, you will probably not get to study with those excellent teachers at BU. If you're not really serious about viola (which of course you could be), Stanford or Columbia would actually serve you better. Either school would give you more opportunities to play than BU, since BU's performance scene is focused on the music school students.</p>
<p>Columbia is making a huge effort on their music program. While they do not afford a performance major, the ability for performance is great. I am an Oboe/English Horn player and chose Columbia ED over Stanford SCEA after meeting the chairman of the Stanford music department.</p>
<p>The program at Stanford is extremely weak performance wise, and Columbia is planning an expansion into Manhattanville with a music and art center as the first building to be built. The Manhattan School of Music and Julliard are in New York City (With MSoM 4 blocks from campus) and some of the teachers there I am sure would teach you.</p>
<p>NYC is a receptive city gay wise because it is metropolitan and has the village. I think Columbia is your best bet.</p>