<p>I know Barnard and Tufts are kind of VERY different, but I really like both (I've visited both) and to me it's a really tough decision. Can anyone give me any insight as to how I might solve this problem?</p>
<p>So I dont really know what I want to do in the future, but I was thinking of going to medical school after undergrad. I was accepted to the School of Engineering at Tufts, so I would get a BS degree there while fulfilling premed requirements.</p>
<p>Barnard doesnt have an engineering major so I was thinking of majoring in chemistry, which is also what I applied for to all my other schools....has any of you debated between tufts/barnard? </p>
<p>I'm very unsure about engineering though....how difficult is the engineering program at Tufts? And if I figure out that it's not for me, I could always switch to the College of Arts and Sciences right?</p>
<p>“… Barnard and Tufts are kind of VERY different…”</p>
<p>Yet an ultimate decision between these two schools has come up several times before on CC, so evidently there are people who find areas of somewhat common ground between them.</p>
<p>“Can anyone give me any insight as to how I might solve this problem?”</p>
<p>I see two main aspects: curricular- most important, IMO- and social/lifestyle.</p>
<p>In this case, curricular may be quite important. I agree that you need to sort out the implications of being in the engineering school, and the ability to switch out if desired. At many schools, the engineering department grades a little more stringently than their Arts & sciences programs do. Plus, engineering colleges require physics & math courses that are harder than the versions pre-meds often elect to take. Neither of these factors is optimal for a medical school aspirant, who also has to worry about a different set of hard science courses.</p>
<p>As for social/lifestyle, it all comes down to how you weigh the various unique characteristics of each school. Barrnard is right smack in NYC, it is actually a city school. The city is highly prominent, which is great for those who want to be there, but as a result campus life is relatively less prominent. Tufts is in a suburb, it has a more traditional campus-based feel.The city is quite readily available, but enough effort is involved to get there to maintain a campus feel (or so I was told in other CC posts, you should verify if you care). Tufts is actually coed, in the dorms presumably, and does not have an affiliate relationship with Columbia obviously.</p>
<p>The engineering program is tough, but it’s very easy to transfer out. I had several friends who transferred out last semester. I believe all you need is a few signatures, but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>It’s incredibly easy to transfer out of engineering at Tufts, if that’s what you want.
You can also get a BS in engineering with no specific major, which would make the curriculum considerably easier and not having a degree in an accredited engineering discipline is irrelevant if you’re going to med school.</p>