Hi everyone! As an international student majoring in biology (but not premed; probably PhD or biotech industry afterwards), should I attend the University of Iowa or the University of Arizona? What are the pros/cons of each? Thank you.
(I applied to and was admitted to Biology (Genetics Track) at Iowa, and Eco&Evo Bio at Arizona. I was admitted to the Honors programs of both of them, and thanks to scholarships from both, their prices are roughly equal.)
You want warm and desert or cold. Both nice campuses. Tucson a bigger city and easier to get to but Iowa City is nice too.
Maybe see the research focus of profs. Does one interest you more than the other ?
As for which is better - they are peers. Equal.
Good luck.
Thank you for your reply 
I will look into their professors’ research focuses in more detail.
By the way, I was also admitted to UIUC but I liked both Iowa and Arizona more because I found their programs to be more interdisciplinary and less traditional compared to UIUC (in my personal opinion). Would you say that either one of Arizona or Iowa is less traditional (in terms of curriculum) than the other? Thank you
Both are fine schools. I wouldn’t worry about comparing the biology departments to each other. Pick the school you like better in general.
You could pursue a PhD with either degree type.
I can see how a biology degree with a genetics track might lead to a biotech career. It is less clear to me how an Evo/Eco degree would lead to a biotech career. Can you do the BS in general biology or biomedical sciences or the BS in bioinformatics at Arizona instead? Those would be better degrees than the Evo/Eco to prepare for a biotech job.
Thank you for your reply Indeed, something about Iowa seems more appealing to me (perhaps it’s the liberal arts and creative spirit), but I couldn’t eliminate Arizona as an option (by objective standards, they both seem to be equally great!). I’ll keep your advice in mind.
That’s a good way to think about making your decision. I know biology professors at both of those schools. They are both great schools and departments. Choosing the school that appeals most to you is a good strategy here.
Oops, I didn’t realize that. Now I changed it so that it isn’t my real name.
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