He does need research. He’s in a research program at school, so research is required to be part of it.
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Ok. I meant a lot of people think their kids need research to go to a top school- as an EC. They don’t.
Understood it’s part of his academic program. That’s different.
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It’s definitely specific to his school. It’s a selective program that you can only apply to if you’re able to secure a research position outside, with the expectation that you can produce a paper/poster for Regeneron and similar competitions. So it’s both an EC and a requirement for the school program.
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My D19 visited Brandeis and it “felt” very far from Boston. By all means visit, but if he thought some of the others felt too far from their urban centers I suspect he’d think the same about this. (D19 also loved BU btw.)
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I thought Brandeis felt very far from Boston too when I went there. It’s so different from the schools he really likes that I’m hesitant to push it too much.
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I’m not sure if this has been mentioned but if you are looking for targets, and heading to Ohio anyway, what about case western reserve?
My similar kid loved Rice, but I see that is too far.
Yes, definitely! The Cleveland trip would be primarily to see Case.
I think Rice may be too far, but not ruling it out just yet.
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Sorry - if you go to Rice, go check out Trinity in San Antonio. Same flight time. Urban. Fine school.
Don’t forget the flight time shows 4 hrs 15. It’s likely 3:30 if that. I was just on a 2:40 flight that took 1 hr 50.
The airlines pad the times. It’s why they have such good on time records.
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I agree that Brandeis is too suburban - but in that case, then so is Wesleyan, and UMass Amherst, and many of the LACs.
I hope he gets into Chicago, but Penn is perfect for him, too, and a much easier trip home - just hop on Amtrak for a quick trip.
Boston University? Northeastern I guess is a no-go because of co-op? Hopkins? I’d hate to say Temple as a safety, because the neighborhood is so high crime.
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Check out this list: Top Feeders to Ph.D. Programs
I still think WashU checks a lot of boxes for this kid. But also…if he likes Pitt and wants to apply ED to Chicago, he could really simplify the list pretty quickly.
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Oh, and it’s probably worth checking out the early early decision option that U Chicago offers kids who do their summer programs. People have mixed feelings about it but my son’s friend knew by October that he was going to U Chicago and OMG, amazing to know that you don’t even have to bother applying anywhere else. If Chicago is a top/the top choice, that seems like a no-brainer.
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The commuter rail into Boston has a stop right on campus, but the reality is that most students spend most of their time on campus (same as at pretty much every residential college with a campus). The advantage of Brandeis is its very strong sciences, and it’s a safety for him.
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Yes! Just caught up with the long thread on the new ED0 program at UChicago. Understand the mixed feelings, but for my kid it really is a no-brainer. He’ll be applying as soon as the application opens. Knowing you’re in by October certainly sounds amazing!
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My two cents is the valid concerns really center around kids feeling pressured into EDing Chicago when it might not in fact be their best option, combined now with possibly paying for a summer program you would not otherwise choose.
But if Chicago is your top choice, comfortably affordable, and you would want to do the summer program anyway–great!
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My son is currently at UChicago and shared many similar criteria for colleges that your student has expressed. I will say that UChicago may be unique from some of the other urban universities you are considering in that it attracts kids who are sincerely eager to be in Chicago. The UChicago students my son has befriended actually spend time doing things around the city. They regularly try new restaurants in Chinatown, downtown Chicago, Streeterville/Gold Coast. The Hyde Park neighborhood around campus is also vibrant. Nearly all of my son’s friends are from Chicago, LA, NYC, Washington DC, as well as international cities, so they all tend to be more adventurous when it comes to living and studying in a city. The campus isn’t a bubble like some other universities in cities.
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First, he’s got options and that’s always a good thing. Second, my nephew is a senior biochem major at U Chicago now and he would tell you 3 things:
- U Chicago is where fun goes to die
- Grade deflation is real
- U Chicago is bleeding money. They are cancelling lots of services/clubs. One they have canceled is ride service, once something they hyped because the area around U Chicago is pretty sketchy. You’re on your own now.
I’d add MIT to your list-- it has a full liberal arts ed experience available and you can cross-register for classes at Wellesley (guys do it all the time). It’s in a super fun area of Boston, rich with college kids of all sorts.
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I don’t have a kid at Chicago, so I have no dog in this fight. But they just started a new ride service with Lyft at the end of September. I doubt this has been canceled already, but correct me if I’m wrong.
https://safety-security.uchicago.edu/en/transportation/lyft-ride-smart-program
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There is a brand new ride service at UChicago calked Via that my son uses often. If the Via ride share doesn’t arrive in 15 minutes, it redirects the ride request to a Lyft and the college pays for the Lyft. They replaced the more limited Lyft service they used last year with Via. As for the “fun goes to die” comment, I think that’s a bit overplayed. My son and his friends have quite a lot of fun. But honestly, my son creates his own fun and attracts similar personalities. He has described campus more like a work hard, play hard environment, similar to many schools with a rigorous academic curriculum.
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Well, I hope that’s true! I just saw Connor at a family wedding this past weekend in Key Largo and he said the ride service had been canceled.
Where Fun Goes to Die-- I had actually never heard this before but my nephew said that first when I asked him how he had liked U Chicago. His mother, who is a powerhouse and not particularly focused on “fun” agreed and said something like, “we heard that before Connor went but we figured he could bring his own fun. We were wrong.” He’s in the middle of med school applications now and is feeling the grade deflation thing acutely. I think it’s a tremendous school but it is intense and competitive. I think the only other school I’ve heard of that is as demanding is Columbia. I know kids who are at some pretty exclusive schools (Brown, Wellesley, Stanford, Johns Hopkins) and all of them report a more relaxed culture.
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