<p>I’m trying to choose between these three schools. Some things:</p>
<p>1.) I plan on majoring in Cognitive Science wherever I end up, possibly dual-majoring/minoring/specializing in Neuroscience.
2.) Hopkins and Northwestern seem to be more prestigious than Rochester (please correct me if this is an erroneous assumption).
3.) I plan on participating in a great deal of undergraduate research.
4.) Small class sizes are very important to me (although all three have this for the most part).
5.) Hopkins only offers a B.A. in Cognitive Science, not a B.S. (how significant is this?).
6.) Climate, city size, location, etc. are not priorities. I have researched this and would be happy at any of the three locations.</p>
<p>Ideally I’d like to hear from someone with more specific (first-hand would be great) knowledge of these schools. Overall, how would you rank the prestige of these schools? How would you rank the Cognitive Science and Neuroscience programs of these schools (Northwestern only has CS, not NS)? Any information or insight you can provide is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Neuroscience is ranked #3 and Cognitive Science #4 in the nation at Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>Go to JHU. Also if undergraduate research is important to you, Go to JHU. Highest proportion of students engaging in research in the nation… Research positions as an undergrad are very easy to get… Cognitive science is a small department compared to neuroscience (which is a fabulous major. UMich med’s Dr. Ben Carson, a world renown pediatric neurosurgeon practices down at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. So many incredible ppl I know at Hopkins are neuroscience majors. It is a very challenging major.)</p>
<p>i think the obvious choice is Hopkins.
Factor in climate, environment, rigor, etc and maybe you would swing to the others. On a purely academic assessment, Hopkins for the clear and dead win.</p>
<p>Ditto, Hopkins.<br>
Its proximity to Washington D.C. gives it a natural advantage in getting federal research dollars (not that these are not to some extent spread out all over the country).</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about the medical applications of CS/NS but I do know that Hopkins does interesting research on Natural Language Processing applications that may be related to your interests in Cognitive Science. Hopkins has the advantage of geographic proximity not only to federal agencies but also to other strong institutions such as UPenn, CMU, Maryland.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the B.A./B.S. distinction. At my alma mater, they called the thing they gave me an “A.B.”, which looks likes a typo on my diploma but nobody seems to care.</p>
<p>shockingly enough I might say Northwestern, I think the Princeton Review surveys said that Johns Hopkins has the most un-interesting professors and the least accessible professors in the country</p>
<p>FWIW, I would say John Hopkins of these three, but for those subject areas (and Phead and Hope2get would agree with me), Brown should be on your short list as well. It has all the features you want in addition to extremely strong undergraduate preparation in both Cog Sci and Neuro.</p>
<p>Also, we happen to have a Cognitive Neuroscience concentration which may interest you.</p>
<p>I’m going to say University of Roch because it is not totally cutthroat competition for undergraduate school and over 3/4ths of the undergrads do their own originial research at least once during their four years/</p>
<p>pierre0913, I can tell you that that Princeton Review citing is absolutely false and ridiculous to the point where I can laugh about it.
Hopkins is very intimate, especially in some of the classes I have taken. I actually got offered two different research positions from two different professors just for simply expressing an interest. That doesn’t sound like “un-interested” professors to me. So please, shut your mouth about thing you don’t have any experience specifically with.</p>
<p>And yeah, I 100% agree with Modestmelody that Brown should be included.</p>
<p>ok, I just took a look at the Hopkins Summer registration for this year, offering courses and whatnot, and there are LITERALLY between 100-200 open research and internship positions for Hopkins undergraduates for the taking. All you have to do is register. lol.</p>
<p>A big part is coming from the very high amount of Research Dollars Hopkins is expecting to get this year (much higher than before even!)</p>
<p>ModestMelody is correct. Brown is ranked #5 for Cognitive science.</p>
<p>There was a neurosurgeon on these boards that recommend Brown as a top notch neuroscience program. Brown is also amazing for cognitive science as well. No doubt Brown should be on your short list.</p>
<p>mitpwns and Phead, just take a look at ISIS! lol.</p>
<p>I just went to “search” and “summer 2009” and saw about 10+ pages (i didn’t keep looking…lol) of “OPEN” spots for research, internships, mentored research and whatnot. A lot of it is science, but there is also film/theatre, history of art, etc. and also internships in Great Britain, etc.</p>
<p>edit: There’s this really cool Mentored-Research in Neuroscience with Professor Yoshioka too, and a bunch of other stuff in law, philosophy as well. haha. I just took a closer look at it again, and it is a MUCH bigger list than when I last checked a few weeks ago. It seems like Hopkins is pretty confident it is going to get some big bucks!</p>
<p>There are a TON and with a lot of different professors too. Check it out!</p>
<p>there are easily more than 20 pages with opportunities and listings like this one. Almost all of the research will get you credit. They don’t mention exactly when the time is, but I think once you register and you are confirmed, the professor will contact you about scheduling and whatnot. It’s also probably up to you to ask the professor what each of them is researching, lol, and decide on what you are interested in. Other research stuff includes research on economics, ancient history, neuroscience, molecular bio, and then some research spots reserved for ONLY freshmen, ONLY sophomores, ONLY Juniors, ONLY seniors, etc.</p>
<p>A LOT of options to choose from.</p>
<p>edit: the fact that there are still so many options indicates that JHU students don’t know how great they REALLY have it, haha
I’m sitting here next to my pre-med friend from Princeton, and he’s really jealous. haha.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot Hope2GetRice… If I do not find a paid internship/research position, I will do it for credit instead.
Wow… 300-400+ research positions opened. It’s a ton better than the Harvard student employment website (for research opportunities and medical related internships). Believe me.</p>
<p>It is very late in the game to get an internships/research position anyways SO LUCKY!</p>
<p>phead, are you pumped for the UVA v. Hopkins showdown tomorrow?
I’m sitting here consoling my friend on the Princeton butt-wooping they got from Cornell today, hahaha.</p>
<p>I’m SOOO psyched for tomorrow. i want JHU to shock us and beat the #1 seed!</p>
<p>Awesome responses. Thanks guys. I think one of the biggest unknowns right now is the whole B.A./B.S. thing. I’ve heard from some people that it doesn’t matter, and I’ve heard from just as many others that it does. Why would Hopkins offer only a B.A. in CS and NS?</p>
<p>The BS involved greater specialization and more research prep and is favored by companies hiring right out of undergrad. While a BS shows dedication and additional experience to graduate school, a BA is generally ample preparation and not looked down upon.</p>
I am desperate for a job right now… now!</p>
SO LUCKY!</p>
