<p>These schools seem very similar to me. could someone tell me the main differences between them (academic, social etc) as well as which is "better" in different areas. i am majoring in pre-med/ biology.</p>
<p>also these are the schools i am seriously considering applying to so if you have any other suggestions please share</p>
<p>They actually aren't very similar. </p>
<p>Wake Forest is very southern and has a big emphasis on Greek life. It's fairly religious / conservative. </p>
<p>BC is very northeastern and doesn't have frats. However, it does have the city of Boston, which is party central for college students. It's very Catholic, and moderate to conservative politically. </p>
<p>Rochester isn't much of a party school - it's hardcore academic, but people are friendly and like to have fun on weekends. It's more diverse than the other schools, not particularly religious, and rather liberal. </p>
<p>USC is in California. Enough said. Big sports school. Big party school. People crack down when it comes time to study though. </p>
<hr>
<p>All four are strong academically. However, for pre-med I'd personally go with BC or USC. Wake Forest is more business-oriented, and Rochester is kind of cut-throat in the sciences, which means it's very difficult to get good grades. </p>
<p>But really, if you're willing to work, you'll have the same chance to do well at any of the four. They're all on close to the same tier academically, so choose the one that best fits you.</p>
<p>thanks for the reply, how would you rank them in terms of selectivity?</p>
<p>also i am a far left democrat, would this be a problem at BC or wake forest?</p>
<p>I think you'd be okay BC - it's more moderate than anything else, and Boston is a liberal city. </p>
<p>You may feel a little uncomfortable at WFU though.</p>
<p>As for selectivity, for a bio major, I'd say:</p>
<ol>
<li>USC</li>
<li>BC</li>
<li>Rochester</li>
<li>Wake</li>
</ol>
<p>Agreed w/ world changer. Wouldn't call USC a "big party school" though, that reputation has faded over the past decade. Anyway, according to USNWR, the schools rank as follows in terms of selectivity:</p>
<h1>19 USC</h1>
<h1>29 BC</h1>
<h1>35 Rochester</h1>
<h1>38 Wake Forest</h1>
<p>World changer already provided an excellent summary above, but I would add that Rochester is somewhat like a "poor man's version" of Johns Hopkins (meant in the best possible regard). Or maybe a slightly "richer man's version" of Case Western, as long as I am making comparisons (at least at the undergrad level).</p>