I am a senior living in Texas and am getting ready to submit college applications. However, I plan on applying early decision. I had initially planned on doing so shooting for Emory acceptance, but is this my best option? After looking more thoroughly into the three schools mentioned, I fell in love with the aesthetics and small-town feel of Lehigh, the location and innovation of Brandies, but also the research and prestige of Emory. I plan on studying Neuroscience with a Pre-med Specialization.
Which of these schools will be best in terms of:
Academics?
Locale?
School atmosphere?
Faculty?
Financial Aid?
Research?
Reputation in both the eyes of the public and Med School?
Differences between MA, GA and PA?
I am at a loss because I have found aspects from all three of these schools that I absolutely love. But which would be the best fit and should become my first pick?
I think this is an easy one. Do not apply ED to any of these. I’ll assume from Texas you have not visited any of them doing an admissions tour, exploring campus, and sitting in on a class. Applying ED with FA need to schools you read about on-line or in a Fiske guide only is a mistake. A visit once accepted would make a big difference in answering your questions and you likely will benefit by comparing FA offers from different schools. FWIW, my kids did whole day visits to colleges even before they applied (typical tour + sat through a class + had lunch with a student we picked by networking friends) and they often walked away with a strong impression at the end of the day. Brandeis is a great school but in this case it was not a positive one since the physical plant was in rough shape with cracked side walks and peeling paint on the main library entrance. She sat through a small class and had more to contribute to the discussion than the enrolled students who supposedly had read the source material. That may be her anecdotal experience but you owe it to yourself to do the same if at all possible.
We did not see Brandeis, but we did visit Emory and Lehigh twice and attended several local events. They are both great schools… but different.
I agree that you should not apply ED unless you have a chance to visit, or revisit these schools… and one school clearly jumps out at you as the one that you must attend. We can’t tell you which school would be the best fit.
@YaleGradandDad Thank you very much - I appreciate your advice and comments. I have been wondering if I shouldn’t just forgo early decision and am going to reconsider that.
Are you interested in Greek life? It is very big at Lehigh, although I am sure there are students who don’t participate. Have you visited these schools?
I’m actually going to disagree with what seems to be the consensus so far. In general, applying ED will improve your chances significantly, to the point where you should do it, even if you aren’t 100 percent sure of which you like more. Pick one and apply ED. It’s worth it
@twogirls I have some interest in Greek life, but not necessarily the ones strongly related with partying (haha XD). So in that aspect, I will probably just play it by ear. And to answer your other question, no, I have not visited any of the schools. I have only looked at pictures, watched YouTube videos and gone through virtual tours. I have just gone back and fourth between these three schools. PA and MA appeal to me more than GA, but Emory is such a well-known research school. Brandies is right in the middle of other amazing institutions (such as Harvard and MIT), so the opportunity and outreach would be outstanding (not to mention Boston is just an amazing place for research). But Lehigh, it’s small, close knit, but also well recognized. I also appreciate how it has undergraduate focus. I’m just trying to weigh out the aspects of each school, because I honestly would be happy at any of them I’m pretty sure. Faculty is really important to me, and I know at a school like Lehigh it is easy to make connections. But, aiming towards med school, would Lehigh be a justifiable decision over Brandeis or Emory considering it is a small Liberal Arts school? The only thing holding me back from Emory is the location, the only thing from Lehigh is the size and strength of science department, and the only thing from Brandeis is that it isn’t necessarily as high ranked as the other two. But are these reasonable reasons? I don’t know why this decision is so difficult for me XD. Thank you so much for your time!
@obsessedwcollege First off, love the user name – I relate at a spiritual level XD. But as far as what you said, I was kinda thinking the same thing. Lehigh, for example, has an acceptance rate of 25.5%, but, when applying early decision, it shoots up to 60%. So that’s why I’m kinda at a loss. I have a 1340 SAT and 29 ACT, so the increased acceptance chance my do me some good. I would be happy at any of the three schools, so you think it is worth it to apply ED? Do you know any specifics about any of the schools? Do you have any input to which would be best suited for my perspective path? Thank you so much for your input!
In my opinion it is worth applying ED if you have one school that you absolutely want to attend, and the NPC shows that the school is affordable. You can back out if the finances don’t work. You will not have a chance to compare offers from other schools if you apply ED.
The ranking of these schools will not impact medical school admissions. You will need a high GPA, high MCAT scores, medical related ECs, letters of rec, etc. If medical school is a possibility you should attend a school where you can get a very high GPA and do well in the “weed out” science classes. Do you think you can do this at all 3 schools? Emory is a bit of a reach for you.
I do think ED will help with acceptances, but you need to look beyond and decide if you will succeed once you are there, or you may have to give up being pre-med.
For neuroscience and pre-med, you really couldn’t go too small from within this group. Bates, for example, (enrollment: 1780), offers a top-level neuroscience program (with research opportunities). By comparison Lehigh would actually be large. If your main concern with Lehigh (enrollment: 5080), then, relates to its possibly being too small, I’d put that aside for the purposes of your decision.
@twogirls Do you think Lehigh and Brandeis are more on my level, then? I have always considered Emory more of a reach, but I figured I’d still apply. And I mean, I have always been naturally inclined towards science (I scored a 31 on the science section of the ACT – not the highest, but better), so I at least have some confidence that I could adapt to whatever class I am taking.
Emory is a reach for you… and you will be with very high performing students who are also pre-med. Does this mean you can’t do it? No… But in my opinion you should not attend a reach school if you are seriously considering pre-med. Many pre-meds change their plans when they get weeded out.
Lehigh and Brandeis are more of a match. Be aware that pre-med at these 2 schools will not be a cake walk.
I would not ED to Emory if med school is a possibility. I think you will have way too much competition… my opinion.
@merc81 Thank you for your response! I actually considered applying to Bates. But yes you are right, I think the smaller community would be better for learning anyway. I was just comparing Lehigh to Brandeis (because, as twogirls mentioned, Emory is a bit of a reach), and Lehigh is actually ranked higher and has larger funding for research. So as of right now, I am leaning towards Lehigh. Do you know anything about the strength of its science department or neuroscience program?
In terms of your original question “Which college is better: Emory, Brandeis or Lehigh?”, the answer is easy: NO, none of them is inherently “better”.
The right question is: Which is better for YOU. None of us can answer that. I don’t think that you can answer it either unless you have a chance to visit them. As such I agree with @YaleGradandDad that applying ED seems like a bad idea unless you can figure out for sure and rather quickly which one you prefer.
Also, you might want to think about finances. If you are premed, figure $280,000 for undergrad and perhaps $320,000 or so for medical school. If paying $600,000 (per child if you have siblings) is going to result in any debt or significantly reduce the money left over for other things then you need to take finances into account also.
Brandeis is NOT right in the middle of MIT and Harvard. It is in a suburb outside of Boston. Please don’t underestimate the congestion in Boston - our roads/highways are not laid out in grid form. Rather, like European cities, the roads often make little sense as they were established way back when land was cleared by hand (and mule). I tell you this because the traffic in this area is insane. My children attend school 8 miles from my front door in metrowest Boston and the commute is over an hour each way. Boston suburbs can feel very removed from the hustle and bustle of the city - or Cambridge (where MIT and Harvard are). Oh I almost forgot - the subway system does not reach out into the suburbs, only commuter (scheduled trains). Brandeis may be on the bus line …locally known as ‘the loser cruiser’. I only tell you this because Brandeis - a wonderful institution, is definitely NOT in Boston - the college town of many dreams.
@HerbDoctor17 : If you were to ask me where Lehigh might be particularly strong (other than engineering), I might say computer science. From there, though, you can get to research techniques such as those related to bioinformatics, which in turn enlace with fields such as neuroscience. For your scientific interests overall, I’d think, Lehigh could be quite good.
By the way, I believe Brandeis (#34) places higher in U.S. News than Lehigh (#46), or were you referring to a different ranking?
@DadTwoGirls Well, according to CollegeRaptor, it estimated that my out-of-pocket cost for Lehigh is under 10,000 a year. I am middle class, but it seems that the financial aid for Lehigh is pretty good, or am I mistaken in this? (I say Lehigh because that is the school I’m leaning towards as of right now.)
@bosmama Oh, I guess I didn’t realize this. Yours is a very helpful comment and I will definitely put that into consideration.
@twogirls I am actually applying to nine schools: Emory, Lehigh, Brandeis, Trinity College, Tulane, Lafayette, Trinity University (TX), The University of Texas (Austin, TX), and University of Texas - Dallas (TX). So yes, I have considered Texas Schools, they just aren’t necessarily at the top of my list (Trinity University is around my 4th option, though. However, it is still a private school).
On a separate factor, Lehigh does make Top Party School-type lists (as does Tulane). This may mean nothing to you (because, among other reasons, the methodologies of these surveys may be poor), though it would be better you are aware of this now rather than after you have committed.
Have you used the NPC for Lehigh? I am not familiar with CollegeRaptor.
I would not apply to a school without visiting first, but I am not the one going to college. Lehigh is a great school, but it attracts kids who are mostly from NY- NJ- Pa. That may or may not matter to you. They are actively trying to get students from other states, so being from Texas will be in your favor.
Demonstrated interest is very important to Lehigh, and they expect you to visit when possible. Being from Texas… they will not expect you to visit. Check the website and see if you can make any of the Lehigh in your area events. There are a few coming up in Texas.