Which to choose! Wake Forest or UC Davis or Case Wesrten Reserve?

<p>Among all my offers, these three are my top choices.</p>

<p>I plan to learn biology/biomedical science so far but I am not sure whether it is my final decision or not. It seems that Wake Forest is not known for its science department and many of its science majors (mathematics, biology, etc.) ranked really low (I feel really curious that why WFU can rank #23 while almost none of its major ranks top 20). In a word, which school is a good place to study science?</p>

<p>What's more, I am quite certain that I will go to graduate school after four years so I also want to know which school can benefit me the most (I mean, much easier for me to get into a great graduate school). Among these three, which one owns the best reputation?</p>

<p>Because I am an international student, the tuitions are quite similar.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your time!</p>

<p>BTW, I don’t care about the weather, the location and the Greek life.</p>

<p>But the opportunity of doing researches is essential to me.</p>

<p>Are you confusing grad school rankings? Otherwise, where are you getting these undergrad dept rankings from?</p>

<p>I can’t tell you much about bio/biomedical at the other schools except that Davis has an entire College of Biology and this is a major emphasis for them. But you may like the amenities at a private college which likely include smaller introductory classes. At Davis though, you will be at a major research university in your field.</p>

<p>If you are interested in going to grad school, it is very important that you go to a college where you will get undergraduate research experiences. That is much more important than the rank of the college. All the ones you mention are sufficiently reputable that the prestige isn’t going to be a factor. It is what you do when you get there. </p>

<p>@BrownParent
I am talking about the undergraduate schools and the rankings are from USNews.</p>

<p>I know that Davis is famous for its bio but I also know that there are so many students in UC schools. I am afraid that I can’t get enough help from professors and I wonder how many opportunities I can get in such a large public school.</p>

<p>WFU used to be my first choice but why I am hesitating now is that as far as I know, WFU is not known for almost any specific majors (except for business and accounting). I don’t know whether it is true or not…</p>

<p>Thank you~</p>

<p>U.S. News ranks overall colleges… Please understand that there are no official or ‘correct’ rankings in existence. US News just fills a void. But I doubt you are looking at undergraduate department rankings. I think US news ranks a few, but I wouldn’t take it as truth. If you are looking at undergrad bio department ranks I stand corrected. But almost every college does a good job in bio–it is a core study. Biomedical is another story.</p>

<p>I’m sorry I am just not familiar with Wake or CWU too much, hopefully someone else will come along. Try posting and reading in the individual college forum. You are new, maybe you haven’t found them?</p>

<p>For Davis, I think it is going to be one of the more supportive UCs. I think you will find opportunities in your Jr and Sr year. The first two years not sure. Read this:
<a href=“http://biosci.ucdavis.edu/students/undergrad/research_and_internships.html”>http://biosci.ucdavis.edu/students/undergrad/research_and_internships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@BrownParent
Thanks a lot for your answer! And maybe I can take your advice to visit the individual college forum~</p>

<p>this one not too active
<a href=“Wake Forest University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/wake-forest-university/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>busier
<a href=“University of California - Davis - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-davis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>UC is always much busier LOL~</p>

<p>Anyone else can help? Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>I can tell you that CWRU is a heavily research-focused institution. The school actually has more graduate students than undergraduates. Biomedical engineering is probably the strongest, or highest ranked, field of study that it offers. It has a major research hospital on campus (University Hospitals) and another one about a mile away (Cleveland Clinic), so research opportunities for Case students are abundant. I don’t know a lot about UC-Davis other than that it is a very well-respected research institution that is particularly highly ranked in the biological sciences. Wake Forest is another school with an excellent overall reputation but, unfortunately, I’m not very familiar with its specific program offerings or research opportunities. You have some excellent choices. Good luck!</p>

<p>Hi! CWRU is mostly known for their science and medical programs, so I would say that it may be your best shot at a really fantastic program…the school itself is pretty small and academic, so there are smaller class sizes. Research opportunities are pretty viable because of the research function of the school, plus it’s MUCH more urban than the other two. It’s not necessarily recognized widely by the general population, but I’d assume graduate schools are more familiar with it’s programs:) Davis is known for biology, but in my experience I’ve heard it’s more geared toward animal and environmental science. Best of luck! All are really great schools! </p>

<p>P.S. I know you don’t care about weather, but Davis=California=Warm. unfortunately it’s in a small cow town so kind of boring</p>

<p>I don’t know where you are from, but when you say you don’t care about the weather know that CWRU is brutally cold in the winter…heck, from November to April! But, the kids handle it and it is a great school!</p>

<p>For a more personalized experience and more chances at research early on, I’d choose CWRU. Classes will be much smaller than at UCD and the school is heavily focused on involving undergrads in research. It’s in a thriving part of the city. However, the weather can be brutal. UCD is widely known for biology, it’s in a college town, the weather will be great, but classes will be large and impersonal your first two years.</p>

<p>Just went to an admitted students reception in NYC yesterday for CWRU. It you are interested in biomedical engineering this is a great place and the research opportunities are excellent. Weather can be nasty but it just helps you appreciate the warm weather when it comes. </p>

<p>@LonestarMR
Thank you for your advice and actually, I am now making decisions just between CWRU and WFU. Really appreciate your answer to CWRU and maybe I should find something about WFU now~</p>

<p>@melbellswell
Thank you for your answer to CWRU and UCDavis! BTW, do you have any information about WFU?</p>

<p>@Sdgal2
OMG the city I come from is quite warm… I mean, just like cities in Florida…</p>

<p>@MYOS1634
I agree that UCD might not fit me because I am prone to study in a small, private university, just like a kind of LAC.</p>

<p>@laurapb23
Really appreciate your suggestion and I do think that research opportunity is quite important to me in undergraduate years~ </p>

<p>If biology-related research is your #1 priority, CWRU is the clear choice here.</p>