Tufts vs. Boston College vs. Boston University vs Northeastern Transfer

College Search & Selection
1

Hi everyone, I’m a freshman at Oberlin College in Ohio and I’m planning to apply to transfer to these schools, and I am torn between all of them. I have heard wonderful things about each school, and I’m just hoping that you can steer me in the right direction as for what will be the best fit for me!

Some statistics:

-3.9 High School GPA

-3.66 College GPA (Took Chemistry, Calc 2, a Rhetoric class, and a politics/philosophy seminar)
-2050 SAT Score
-High school awards: Student of the year in Math and Physics, Dartmouth College Book award (given to student in top 10% of class with strong extracurriculars), and awarded school’s most prestigious award (given to one senior boy and girl) that came with a scholarship.
-Major: either chemistry or biology, taking biology this upcoming semester to determine. PRE-MED TRACK
-Minor: Spanish (and possibly music)

Extracurriculars:
-Played Piano and Violin since 5 years old
-4 years varsity baseball, named MVP junior year.
-Extensive musical involvement at school: String ensemble, choir, a cappella, pit orchestra for musicals, and jazz band.
-Black belt in Karate

Oberlin has been a great school but I realized after this semester that it’s not the perfect fit for me for several reasons, and I really want to be somewhere closer to home (I live in Falmouth, Massachusetts). Tufts was my dream school and I applied ED while I was in high school, but was deferred and then rejected. As such I didn’t really consider applying there again, but after talking with friends and family and hearing that Tuft’s acceptance rate for transfer students is higher than the acceptance rate right out of high school, I decided I would try again.

I had not considered BU, BC, or Northeastern while in high school, but looked into them when deciding to transfer and I really like them all, and I’m struggling to determine which one would be best for me. I hope to visit each school in the upcoming week to get a feel for each of them, as I know this is the most valuable thing to do when considering colleges!

As far as prestige, I know Tufts comes out on top here. However, I know the three other schools are also very prestigious and it would not be at all a major step down to go to any one. I am following the premed track and thus a strong science program is a must, and as far as medicine goes I know Tufts is my strongest school. However, if I don’t get into Tufts, I believe BU would have the next strongest premed program as I have heard wonderful things about their science program. I have not heard much about premed at BC or Northeastern, but I get the feeling that they are not exactly geared towards the sciences/medicine as much as Tufts or BU, and I would love either reassurance or correction if this is not the case!

My main setback with BC is that I have heard it is rather snobbish, and there is a “rich and preppy” feel to it. I know it’s a phenomenal school, but that definitely isn’t something I’m looking for. As for Northeastern, I was rather surprised to find out recently how much lower ranked it is than BC or BU. I had always thought it was an extremely prestigious school, in a similar league to even Tufts, but after reading into it more, it is ranked well below both BC and BU which shocked me. I’ve heard great things about its location, people, and opportunities, however, and I would love some input on how Northeastern compares to the other schools!

Lastly, I have heard some complaints about BU’s location, but I absolutely love the city and could definitely see myself there (I had gotten into NYU and loved it when I visited). I know Northeastern is also in the city but it has more of a campus than BU; I haven’t heard any complaints.

As of right now, I would have to rank the schools as Tufts>BU>Northeastern>BC for me personally, but I would love to hear your opinions as I am struggling to make up my mind!

Thank you so much!!

2

I would think hard about why Oberlin wasn’t a good fit and use that as the primary variable in your decision making process. These are four very different schools with different cultures, etc. Asking strangers on a discussion board doesn’t seem like the best process. Having said that, Tufts is clearly the best choice :slight_smile:

3

According to the latest Common Data Set (for Fall 2015), Tufts had acceptance rates of 16.1% for freshman and 18.2% for transfers. OK, the transfer acceptance rate is higher – but only very slightly.

Were you hoping to play college baseball? If so, you probably know that these schools play at very different levels. BC and Northeastern are DI, Tufts is DIII (like Oberlin), and BU has a club team (non-NCAA).

4

What do you not like about Oberlin? If we knew that it would be easier to give you an idea of how you may fit into these other schools.

5

I hate to say such a commonly used phrased, but i think it will help in your case. College is what you make of it. If you are worried that BC is snobbish, don’t be. There are snobbish people everywhere.

6

Thanks for all the responses! The main thing that makes me feel out of place at Oberlin is how centered it is around politics. I knew that Oberlin was a very political school, but underestimated it and thought that it would be a facet of the school I could choose to ignore, as I’m not a very political person. I haven’t been able to do that though, and with the recent election I was alarmed at how students reacted. I know people reacted strongly across the country, but the sheer destructiveness (graffiti for one) really took me by surprise.

Also, while the people there are extremely nice, I feel as though the atmosphere around the school is cold. There is absolutely no school spirit. Many students have no idea where the athletic fields are, and games are not advertised in the slightest. I know it’s a D3 school, but I feel that there is a significant lack of spirit there. Furthermore, despite having a world-renowned conservatory, concerts and events are also not advertised very much, which is sad as there are extremely talented musicians here. I just feel that there is a major disconnect: The athletes, musicians, and academics all stick to themselves and there isn’t a lot of socialization.

The main reason behind my transferring, however, is the distance from home. Towards the end of the semester I realized just how much of a toll the concept of having to get on a plane to see my family took on me, and I really want to be at a place where I wouldn’t live at home, but would be able to drive to. Just having that option would make me enjoy college much more.

I hope this makes things a little clearer, I’m happy to answer any other questions!

7

Thank you for replying Corbett! I have loved playing baseball but it isn’t essential for my college experience. I know that Tufts is the only school out of the four where I could even have a chance of playing, and I know my skills aren’t quite up to par to play there either. I am really thinking about academics, and giving myself the best chance to have a good premed experience!

8

Thank you acron611, I have been thinking about that and I know that BC is an awesome school. I am seriously considering it, and when I visit I hope to get a better feel for the campus environment. I just want to make sure I go to a place where I really fit in!

9

If school spirit is your thing, I don’t think BU or Northeastern will be good fits. BU doesn’t have much of a campus, and that affects its vibe – it’s just not that school-centric because it doesn’t have much of a “center.” And Northeastern’s atmosphere is deeply affected by co-ops, which mean that a large percentage of students disappear off campus for months at a time. For most students, doing co-ops also means you will be in school for 5 years – not paying tuition for 5 years, but often paying Boston’s extremely high rents/cost of living expenses for 5 years. Take that into consideration. (Although you should know, that it is possible to graduate from NEU in 4 years by doing just 1 co-op and doing summer school/extra classes to make up for missing that one semester. But since the reason to go to NEU is the co-op program, I’m not sure why anyone would do that.) Bottom line, in general, neither school is a good example of the traditional college experience.

That said, neither would be a bad choice for premed. Both offer solid sciences and pre-med preparation as well as research/internships you will need to be a competitive med school applicant.

10

I’m wondering where you got this impression and thinking you perhaps stumbled upon one of the other schools with “northeastern” in their names? Northeastern U. and BU are tied at #39 in the US News and World Report ranking of national universities, and while USNWR is hardly the final arbiter of these matters, I doubt you would find a wide ranking disparity between the two universities on other lists. Northeastern is hard to compare to other schools, however, because the co-op program is such a key part of the experience there

Another college in the Boston area to consider is Brandeis U. (ranked 34 on USNWR), which I believe is strong in pre-med. However, it does not have a traditional sports-oriented school spirit thing going on. In any case, you will learn a lot by visiting all these schools. They have very different vibes, which are quite apparent on campus. Hopefully you can visit while school is in session.

11

While I’d have to strongly disagree to the general sense that there’s “no school spirit” at Oberlin, I would agree that there isn’t a lot of school spirit directed to athletics. In my D’s freshman year I sent her a text in late October saying “boy, your football team got smashed terribly”. Her response was “we have a football team?”.

As for what schools to transfer to, if you like the co-op program then Northeastern is a great way to go and, as an alumni, I strongly recommend it. While these days you can go to Northeastern and not do co-op I wouldn’t advocate for that approach.

I also agree that Brandeis is worth a look.

Lastly, I completely agree that visiting these colleges is the best way to get a feel for them.

12

The worldwide rankings, e.g. THES, rank both Northeastern and BC low compared to BU. Those rankings are based heavily on research and neither Northeastern nor BC has a medical school, which is what drives BU higher in those rankings.

13

Personally I feel BC would have the best sports spirit of those listed. The campus really rallies around the football team.

I take it cost is no object as I did not see you mention that. That is good because I am sure your aware that your freshman scholarship package is usually the best you will get. Transfers do not usually get big awards.

NU is great for the co-op which might be of lesser interest to you if you plan on going to med school and then residency. That is another 6-7 years out and having an internship that older might not be of much relevance. I feel co-op is best suited for those looking to work right out of college. Those going post college (research aside) such as law or medicine might be better suited at a place with top notch academics.

Good luck and welcome back home to MA. :slight_smile:

14

BC probably has the most school spirit and the best sports of this bunch but it is not known for strong science departments. The NEU co-op option is kind of a hindrance for someone with med school plans, and BU has grade deflation which makes it harder to maintain that A average. Tufts sounds like your best fit of these.

Have you considered UMass? It seems to have everything you’re looking for.

15

Neither of these claims is true.

16

“… I really want to be at a place where I wouldn’t live at home, but would be able to drive to.”

If you can drive up to four hours, you can also consider colleges/universities located in all of New England and parts of New York.

17

Yes they are. It’s kind of a hindrance for a kid that wants to go straight through to med school to take 5 or 6 years to graduate. For a kid that wants to see what else is out there–maybe, working at a pharmaceutical company or whatever, then of course the co-op would not be a hindrance. It would be a plus.

And BU does have a “weed out” culture if not an official grade deflation policy (it’s more like, a “not inflation” policy). It’s very hard to get an A in Organic Chem at any school but harder at BU than at other area schools.

That said, top students will be stop students anywhere. We’re advising someone with a 3.6 after 4 classes that included only 1 science at Oberlin, which is a great GPA, but it’s not a 3.9, which is where I’d hope it would be for these plans. For med school, you want to be above 3.7 to be considered, and even higher in your science GPA. The hardest classes haven’t happened yet for this student.

18

Thank you very much Troyus! I agree that there is definitely school spirit on campus, I just feel as though it comes in small groups of students who are very passionate about certain things and if you don’t share that passion its hard to feel really apart of the school. That’s my own fault though, Oberlin was statistically the most prestigious school I got into, and I let that persuade me into committing to go there without really taking into consideration how happy I would be there.

Thank you for bringing up Northeastern’s Co-op program though, that seems like an amazing program and could be a huge asset to get experience.

I will also definitely look into Brandeis!

19

Hi MommaJ, I actually got these ranking from Forbes’ Top Colleges list. BC was ranked very high at 22nd in the country, BU was ranked at 73, and I was surprised to see NEU at around 133rd. I’m a little dubious about this list however, because they even ranked my school, Oberlin, above Vanderbilt University which seems strange as I know Vanderbilt is an Ivy League level school. They must rate the schools based on price, value, and other stats but this list seems a bit random compared to other ones such as USNWR. I know rank isn’t everything though!

20

Thanks so much MassDaD68! That’s great to hear, sports school spirit isn’t a make-or-break part of the college experience for me, I really just want a place that in general has a sense of excitement and school pride and so far I haven’t really seen that Oberlin, though that could be because I personally don’t feel I fit in very well.

I am very interested in the Co-op program but will need to look into it more to see if it fits me, I am really looking for a strong premed program and that’s why BU stuck out to me, but if I find that the co-op program could help me even more to get into Med School NEU could jump up on my list!