Caltech vs USC for (Molecular) Biology

phospholipase
Tue, 24 Mar 2015 01:43:12 +0000

I would choose Caltech in a heartbeat. The best of the best is there. I spent a summer at Caltech on a research fellowship in biology, and thought everything was great. That is my personal choice, with Caltech having been one of my “dream” schools since I was in the 7th grade, and actually growing up 7 miles away. USC is all right, but you wouldn’t get the same “oohs” and “aahs” from people who know what they’re talking about with respect to science.

With regards to the finances, I would try talking to the Financial Aid Office at Caltech and see if they can “match” USC’s offer. Considering that Caltech and USC are very close to each other, you might be able to do research at Caltech as a USC student (whether as part of a formalized program, e.g. Caltech SURF, over the summer, or just asking a professor if you can join the lab with specific days where you go in and work).

I would give the edge to Caltech if you want to enter academia–especially if you want to become a professor. If your career goal is to enter industry I would say you’ll be fine attending either. If your goal is grad school, I think Caltech has the edge. For medical school, USC because it would be easier to get a higher GPA there. Also, I think any student who can get into Caltech knows he or she belongs at Caltech. It’s part of the culture and being a Techer.

Have you visited both campuses yet?