Tufts vs. Northwestern pre-med?

patcake2014
Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:03:11 +0000

Hey there! I’m a current sophomore at Tufts, and my best friend from home is a pre-med/cognitive science major at Northwestern, so hopefully I’ll be able to help you out with some views on both sides of the spectrum. To start off, let me congratulate you for getting to pick between these two really awesome schools!

In terms of a neuroscience major, here at Tufts the biopsychology major is basically the equivalent. If you’re more into the math of neuroscience, then you’d want to look into the cognitive science major here. It’s a REALLY excellent program, super interesting, and the new head of the HRI (Human-Robot Interaction/Artificial Intelligence) Lab, Professor Scheutz, is brilliant and an extremely awesome guy to do research for.

Both Northwestern and Tufts have great language programs–I’m currently studying Chinese here, and I can tell you straight up that the professors are AMAZING. They’re all hilarious, accessible, friendly, and really great at teaching! Foreign language at Tufts is definitely one of it’s strong points–and it’s really easy to go abroad here (even on a non-Tufts abroad program), so keep that in mind, too. Going abroad pre-med is absolutely NO problem–many pre-med kids here even double major in bio and a language in addition to their pre-med requirements.

In terms of research opportunities, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a school that loves undergrad researchers more than Tufts! The science professors love undergrads, and it’s not uncommon to find that half of your friends are going to stay on campus over the summer to do research. I have plenty of pre-med/bio and cogsci/compsci friends who do research in labs both over the summer and during the school year, and they get paid to do it! In terms of summer internships, Tufts kids tend to spread out over the summer–if you’re qualified enough to get an internship in California, you’ll probably be qualified enough to get one in Boston, as well. It just depends on where you look. I can’t speak for Northwestern, but I know from experience that the professors at Tufts are always eager to speak to students. Please note, though, that no matter where you go, you have to be sure to reach out first. Professors can’t reach out to every single student if they’re teaching a 100-200 student lecture class–be sure to take the first step when establishing a relationship, no matter where you go!

When it comes to Medford/Somerville vs. Evanston, chances are you’re going to be doing a lot more walking around in Evanston. Things are a lot more spread out in Evanston, while Davis Square is very close to Tufts (a 10 minute walk? 15 minutes if you want to take your time?), and we have a shuttle service to get us there if you’d rather not walk. Also, gotta note this: the number one thing you’ll hear Northwestern students complaining about are the winters. Boston winters are significantly milder because we’re closer to the ocean–up in Chicago the lake just freezes over and then you’ve got cutting winds and biting temperatures 24/7.

In terms of med school: Early Assurance is a great thing–but you’re right about it being extremely selective. If you want to do EA, just be sure to start your pre-med track right away. I have a friend going through interviews for EA right now, and it definitely helps to get as many pre-med reqs out of the way as possible. I can’t say anything about rates of med school placement, but I can say that (from what I’ve heard through my friend at NU, at least) Tufts is much more relaxed competition-wise. As many Jumbos will say, Tufts kids are competitive with themselves, but not with their peers. It’s all about collaboration, here. Neither school is a Johns Hopkins, though–you will safely get an excellent pre-med education at either school without the unnecessary undergrad cut-throat stress.

Northwestern definitely has a bigger library, but that goes with the territory of being a bigger school. Tisch (our library) is comfortable for our size, and if you’re looking for a quieter, more academic grad-student feel, undergrads are also welcome to go to Ginn Library (the Fletcher School’s library) to study. We also have an inter-library loan system with a bunch of schools in the area, so you won’t have any problem accessing the sources that you need.

In terms of school spirit in athletics, Northwestern is a clear winner. School spirit at Tufts mostly revolves around things like dance groups and a cappella. I’ve been here for two years already, and I can’t say that I feel like I’ve missed out on much in terms of Div I sports. But, as you said, it’s really just personal preference.

And… there you go! This ended up being a REALLY long string of answers to your questions. Hopefully I didn’t respond too late, and hopefully this was helpful! You’ll have a great time, no matter what school you choose.