Will I get a good science education at Amherst (Biochem or Bio and Environmental Studies potential premed)? Will I be at a disadvantage? Will it be difficult to find a job out of college? Will I make less out of college compared to Brandeis? I would really appreciate any feedback that anyone can give!!!
Why in the world would you think you’d be disadvantaged by Amherst. Seems like that’s similar to asking if you will get a bad night’s sleep at the 4 Seasons. Of course not!
Rankings should be taken with a grain of salt (ie, we should not put much importance on them). However, in a recent ranking, Amherst College was ranked #2 in the US among Liberal Arts Colleges. This is among at least hundreds if not thousands of LACs. It is a superb school.
You will get an excellent education at Amherst College.
I have a daughter studying biology at a different small school. I have become a great fan of relatively small schools. You will have smaller classes compared to a big school. You will get to know your professors. You will have internship and research opportunities. When it comes time to look for a job or apply to graduate schools, your professors will know you allowing them to write good references.
I think that the question should be whether at Amherst College you would get a better or lesser education compared to Harvard or MIT or Stanford. Even at this level, assuming that Amherst College has your major and that you are accepted and can afford it, Amherst College is an excellent choice.
Amherst graduates tend to register higher early career salaries than those from Brandeis (scroll to Undergraduate Information):
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/amherst-college-2115
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/brandeis-university-2133
Amherst is a great college with a huge endowment, and I understand their new science center is amazing. Brandeis is an R1 institution, with the labs and big grant money and projects that high-level research entails. Both schools emphasize teaching.
The “quality of science education” is not the reason to choose one over the other; it will be extraordinary at both schools. Although they’re only 1.5 hours apart, the environment and culture are quite different at these two schools. Have you visited? Which one felt right? Are costs the same, or are finances immaterial?
@23stevenyu - I know I said that I was “agnostic” in your last thread, but, it’s been almost two weeks now, and, if Amherst is still speaking to you, you should go with your gut. You won’t go wrong by enrolling at Amherst.
@circuitrider I just don’t know how to feel. My parents and their friends keep saying that I am not going to get a good job/ make decent money out of college. They keep telling me that because Amherst is a LAC and that they are more renowned for English and other majors that I am not going to get a good education compared to Brandeis. It is hard to change my parents thinking as they never went to college and all the insight they get is from their Harvard grad friends. I know that I can’t make a mistake choosing between these two but in all honesty, I am terrified of making a mistake.
I’m sorry you have this pressure on you! Your truly will not make a mistake either way, but carrying the weight of your parents’ concerns is hard nonetheless. Can you get them to Amherst to see the science center? That would make an impression an anyone! There are lots of excellent students studying science at Amherst and graduating with terrific propects. But if you feel good about Brandeis, and bad about making a mistake in the eyes of your parents and their friends, there is absolutely NO shame in choosing Brandeis, especially for education in the biological sciences. Good luck.
“insight they get is from their Harvard grad friends.”.
I would be very surprised if many Harvard grads would suggest that Amherst is a poor choice compared to Brandeis unless they had attended Harvard 50 years ago and are out of touch. On average, Amherst will provide a much better education than Brandeis and it has been rated as among the top 2-3 colleges for…ah…ever. Brandeis is a great school but LAC’s are more concerned with educating their students while the major mission for most universities is to produce new research findings.
Oh come on. The comparisons are silly.
Amherst is great. Go for it.
But it’s not “better” than Brandeis. They are just very different. Better for some. Not for others. Rankings are subjective and non scientific.
I think pure science Brandeis does have a reputation for excellence.
If I were a potential undergrad, I would go to Amherst and enjoy all that it offers. Including access to other fields of study while you’re there.
Then go to an r1 like Brandeis for grad school and go deeper into your field. If you decide to go to work right out of college it most likely won’t be science related unless you’re an engineer.
Then the broader Amherst experience and reputation will help with the first job. Then it’s all up to you anyway.
Don’t worry about other people. They aren’t living your life. Tell them thank you and you’re convinced “x school” is best for you and move on!
You’ll love Amherst. Best of luck and congrats. Enjoy graduation season and have some fun.
@lostaccount wrote “LAC’s are more concerned with educating their students while the major mission for most universities is to produce new research findings.”
My impression is that Brandeis is a bit of a hybrid in this respect. Smaller and more focused on teaching and community like an LAC, but an R1 institution with lots of research opportunities for undergraduates. No argument that Amherst is ranked higher… but Brandeis mught offer a good balance between the ambitions of the OP and the parents. There are a lot of factors that go into making a good college choice, and for this first-gen student with this set of parents, it seems to be about something other than rankings.
@23stevenyu Since you’re asking for opinions…punch that Amherst ticket and don’t look back! In my mind, it isn’t even close. Amherst’s $2.4 billion endowment provides incredible resources for its undergrads along with the strength of its high powered alumni network. And that brand new $250 million science center is a sight to behold.
One of the news articles about the amazing new science center at Amherst, said something to the effect of, that studying science at a lac is not just about becoming a scientist, but becoming a leader in science. You’ll not only learn science but you’ll learn how to write about science, how to be a critical thinker and an effective and strong writer.
I agree that Amherst is the right choice.
But it’s not fair to assume that the exact sentiment you posted doesn’t apply to Brandeis as well. Or so many other larger schools.
Articles that make those statements are silly to me. As if large research universities like Michigan and cal and Georgia tech can’t produce leaders in science. And they can’t write as well either?
Brandeis is an amazing school too and I know specifically of many leaders in the world of science who began with a degree from Brandeis.
If you add up all the factors in this specific case it would be Amherst !
And mostly due to the atmosphere and pure energy of the student experience there. Not necessarily anything to do with which would have better academic outcomes or better scholarship.
If your parents are worried about Amherst not being a research university, point out that you’ll also have access to a highly-regarded flagship university, UMass Amherst, through the consortium. You get all the benefits of a top-tier LAC without giving up the availability of research opportunities and graduate-level coursework should you want those things. (There’s research at Amherst College too, but I’m just saying that if the lack of graduate programs and the associated research groups/labs/etc. is an issue for your parents… they needn’t worry.)
IMO Amherst is a better school than Brandeis. Congrats!
Those unfamiliar with Amherst may nonetheless be familiar with Forbes. If this applies to those who have been advising you, you may want to show them this article:
I don’t quite understand non-college parents having such fixed opinions about their first-gen child’s personal preferences. So different from my own Stone Age experience. May I ask, are they Jewish? Could this be a cultural pride thing?
Have you seen the new science center at Amherst College? It is the largest capital infrastructure in the history of the college. It is a marvel and behemoth.
But what Brandeis does have over Amherst is proximity to Boston (which maybe your Harvard family are hung up on), and all of its bio chem and environmental companies for internships and research. Brandeis has long established connections. Go visit both and pick what is important to you. But, personally the campus of Amherst is much nicer and more appealing than Brandeis. I find Brandeis campus reminiscent of a 1990’s office park and somewhat dated.
There are many people – including Harvard students, Harvard grads and Harvard professors – who would say that Amherst offers one of the finest undergraduate educations anywhere, and that includes the big H. (Williams is also mentioned in such discussions.) The quality of education, the prestige of the degree, and the level of intellectual engagement by Amherst students ARE NOT issues you should be worried about when considering Amherst.