<p>HELP!
Which one would you choose peronally and because of what reasons?
I would like prestige, however, I like tufts small class sizes and kinda of personalized attention.
How is tufts in terms of social life?
Is it really cliquey? in terms of racial, or social class kind of segregation?
What would prepare me best for med school? (assuming I'm even getting in...)
I'm from canada btw! So I don't get instate for Cal.</p>
<p>Don’t know much about Emory, but Berkeley is well known for grade deflation. Also if you look at 4 year graduation rate for Cal state schools, it’s pretty low. My friend from California didn’t want her daughter going to any of their state schools because the kids can’t get classes they need to graduate and there seems to be issue with state funding. Tufts on the other hand is excellent for premed. My son is doing that. He loves the social life. Didn’t here anything from him about cliques or social segregation so cants say anything about that.</p>
<p>One thing to consider is the budget crunch in California. It has widely been reported in the media that Berkeley and the other state schools in Calif. have had their resources constrained tremendously. Students can no longer be assured of getting into the classes they want, when they want, and some cannot graduate in four years as a result. I would imagine classroom conditions (e.g., labs) are also adversely affected. “Prestige” doesn’t balance budgets, unfortunately. If money doesn’t make a difference, you might well be better off at a highly regarded private school like Tufts (or Emory) simply for that reason alone.</p>
<p>Unless application fees are a problem, apply to Tufts and Emory, and perhaps Berkeley, then ask again in a year.</p>
<p>i meant getting into med school, sorry for being unclear.
I already got into all three listed above.</p>
<p>Wanted to chime in on the California state school issue. As a CA resident, I’m pretty familiar. My oldest D is a high school junior and will apply to Cal and UCLA, but those will not be her first choices. I have heard horror stories from other parents about the craziness their kids go through trying to get the classes they need. One parent told me that when you compare tuition costs, you have to figure on 5 years at a UC vs. 4 years at a private university. In-state tuition has been rising dramatically at the UC’s over the past few years. Also, with the scholarships and financial aid packages that many private schools offer, the cost difference between public and private is not as much as you’d think.</p>
<p>Emory at Oxford (although they claim the two campuses are the same) usually has higher acceptance than the main campus. It is more like a small liberal arts campus. I’ve heard that it’s a good place for students on the bubble academically to getting into Emory College to improve (I could be wrong, and it’s a bone of contention between students of the two campuses). As far as premed, I’ve heard that Emory is very competitive amongst students, so your decision will depend on the environment you most enjoy.</p>
<p>Berkeley is a school with a fantastic reputation and history. I’m from Ca and know it well. The UC’s are struggling with budget shortfalls from the state. Despite claims, it is impacting the schools (not just the Berkeley campus). Most students do not graduate in 4 years due to difficulty getting into classes needed / wanted. Another factor to consider is the availability of research. If you want to get into a top med school, you will need solid research experience in addition to your GPA and MCAT score. Can you get what you need at Berkeley to get into a top school? Yes, but you will need to fight against the heavy competition from the massive number of undergraduates there in addition to competition with grad students for resources and face time with professors.</p>
<p>Contrast this against Tufts. It is a relatively small (student body wise) research university which also has its own medical, dental and veterinary schools. Research opportunities are plentiful. Due to the small class sizes professors really get to know and care about you. Med School acceptance rate for first choice med school is 80~90% range. I just came from there last night for admitted student days. My daughter is starting this Fall. The students on campus are the most genuinely friendly I’ve met on any campus. Smart and competitive, but with themselves and not with others. Also a great mix of diversity. The campus has a great feel aesthetically and energy wise, and proximity to Boston, MIT, Harvard and the subway (the T, with free shuttle to closest station). </p>
<p>When we arrived on campus within 1 minute a student asked my daughter if she was visiting and considering Tufts. I asked how he liked the school, and his response was that it has been the best experience of his life. He mentioned he turned down UPenn and Cornell to attend there. We came back Friday only to find the campus completely shut down due to the terrorism suspect hunt. While leaving campus we ran into a group of professors who arrived before they got the message about the closure. They asked my daughter if she was visiting campus. She said yes and that she was interested in Biology and possibly pre med. One professor then invited us to come with him to his office (even though the building was closed) and proceeded to spend an hour speaking with us about their biology program and my daughters interests. That’s the kind of personal touch feel you find at Tufts. </p>
<p>I hope you choose Tufts, you won’t regret it!!</p>
<p>My son is a 1st year premed. This semester he started working on a research project that will potentially last for the next 3 years. And he got this research by talking to a guest professor in his chemistry class. He had other opportunities for a research but was waiting for something he really liked. That’s how easy it is to get involved in a research project in
Tufts. He had a problem getting into the advanced chemistry class he wanted the 1st semester, but he emailed the professor and was able to take the class anyway. This semester again he had issues getting couple of classes he needed and again all it took was emailing the professor. He had a great year. Tufts was a perfect fit for him. I strongly recommend Tufts.</p>
<p>wow thanks guys so much for the help! honestly, you’re all great :)</p>
<p>sandad and momworreid, when the new students can start to register the class in Tufts? during the orientation? Does it means before the new student has the adviser?</p>
<p>for UC system, the class registration has priority. If you had APs in high school or better GPAs in the college, you have higher priority to register the class. For what I know, if the student is self driven person and has good grade, he still can finish the college in 4 years even with the CA budget crisis. I just visited a UC campus last weekend for Engineering school, the graduate rate for 4 yrs is 75%. </p>
<p>I knew a students just graduated from UCSD. He finished his courses in only 3 yrs. He was taking 28 units per quarter. And he is going to Case Western medical school.</p>
<p>I agree 100% with sandad and momworrid that Tufts is better choice in terms of class flexibilities, research opportunities. </p>
<p>Based on no money involved, I will choose Tufts.</p>
<p>Fromcalifornia, freshman register during orientation week. My son had his advisor assigned in the summer before he got there. He met with her before the registration. The way the registration works at Tufts is you get a specific registration time assigned to you like a lottery within your year. So if you’ve got a bad registration time less courses will be available. But 1st year for premed you need to take a lot of requirements so something is always available. But you might not be able to get some really interesting art or music class until later years because seniors get 1st choice, then juniors and so on.</p>