hi. I am looking into these schools. i like all 4 of them, so i am comparing the details.
i am unsure what i want to study, but i am mainly looking into something pre-health with maybe compsci minor.
which of these schools is notable for pre-med preparation?
any current students have any advice?
what are the general feels of the schools?
what are notable differences?
thanks!
I know that Brandeis has a lacking social life. Emory seems to be the best balance of academic prestige and social life.
Any of them are good for pre-med prep. All four are of similar caliber and would be considered peer schools. Many students compare all four and end up with whatever is the best feel for them (or best finances). Differences are location and type of campus (look).
Pre-health is not really a major. It’s a set of courses. If heading into a medical field, pick any major you like and take those courses.
My middle son is finishing up at U Rochester this year (loved it) and in the past has posted more details himself on U Rochester’s College Confidential page (under my name, but letting folks know it’s his writing) if you want to look at some of those threads.
He never compared Tufts and only briefly looked at Brandeis - not long enough to visit. Emory turned him off for other personal reasons. Therefore, I can’t really compare those schools for you. I can just tell you he’s loved URoc and many students compare between those four (and Case Western + Pitt).
I looked one up for you… Posts #3, 9, & 14 in this thread are some of those he wrote a bit in:
UAA schools tend to strike a good balance between academics and athletics, so this group generally has that going for it. As its strong scientific bent relates to your stated interests, URochester would be a school to consider very closely.
Emory has a slight edge in academic, and perhaps overall, rep. I believe they are academic peers with schools like Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, WUSTL, CMU, Rice and Georgetown,
Tufts is the most selective currently (based on test scores and admit rate). It has a sort of LAC feel.
The Brandeis student body is known for community service involvement.
The U of Rochester is very good academically as well – probably underrated.
I think these schools are probably close enough in quality that you can feel confident that if you choose based on fit variables that are important to you, you will make the right decision.
Things to consider:
I know a few kids who attended UR and Emory are going to medical school.
Yes: I am pretty sure most schools publish their med school acceptance rates. Check it out
Location? Do many apply/attend there? Alumni nearby?
In our area very few have heard of Tufts and I’ve yet to hear of a student from our school applying. We’re in southern PA. Many students actually feel Penn St is Top 25. (It is very good in engineering…)
Location (and sports teams when applicable) can matter a lot in local prestige.
In our area, a suburb of NYC, it isn’t that tufts is considered more prestigious than Emory, but rather it is more difficult to get into from our school. According to our naviance, tufts requires a higher GPA and much higher SATs, and in my younger son’s class year, the schools attracted different kinds of folks, probably because the schools have a distinctly different vibe/culture. Emory still stayed on his list, but wasn’t among his top choices.
@guitar321, do you attend Brandeis? I have a number of friends currently there who love it, and the university has an outstanding track record for medical school placement of its graduates. Brandeis has a free shuttle into Cambridge and Boston, so in addition to the social life on campus, there’s easy access to Boston. Tufts and Brandeis get a lot of the same applicants.
Brandeis has an excellent social scene and is stellar in academics. Brandeis is much higher rated in academics than either Emory or Rochester.
Re #14, however, Brandeis is ranked lower than both Emory and Rochester in USNWR.
The Center for Disease Control’s handling of Ebola worldwide (CDC is on Emory’s campus) has significantly increased Emory’s applications the last two years. UR was at the top of our D’s acceptance pile until she received the f. aid package (not affordable.) Emory was far more generous with financial aid, so that was a surprise. Our D wanted to go outside of NE, so she didn’t look at Brandeis or Tufts (many friends are at Tufts.) Our D is currently at Emory and has been very happy.
All 4 should be fine for pre-med. As others have said, I think these are peer schools, despite the variance in acceptance rates. All four schools provide strong support for the performing arts. I don’t know about UR/Brandeis, but Tufts and Emory maintain centers in Europe (Talloire for Tufts, Salamanca for Emory) for popular study abroad programs and offer many options for language study.
Emory students are a bit nerdy; D finds the homework pretty challenging, but not overwhelming. All the dorms have been renovated within the last few years: the campus is one of the most beautiful in the U.S., with Lullwater Park next door. Emory Point and Emory Village are walking distance for most student needs, but to get into Atlanta, you need a car or plan to take an uber, bus, or shuttle if Emory is running one.
Tufts’ campus has many new buildings going up and is easy walking distance to Davis Square (Somerville) and 2 t-stops away from Harvard Square (Cambridge.)
We did like the campus layout at UR (the quad reminds me of Emory, and has underground tunnels which can be used on snowy days.) They also have a free 5th year program.
I haven’t seen Brandeis in many years, so cannot contribute any help in that area.
By standardized test scoring, Tufts students rank 24th nationally (compare to Emory at 47, Brandeis at 51 and UR at 60), so I wouldn’t think Tufts’ selectivity was overstated above. Nevertheless, for students who’d prefer a school removed from some of the conventions of suburbia, UR might be my recommendation from this group.
The four schools you are investigating are remarkably similar in their educational reputation (regardless of their numerical rank they are in the same tier) and medical school prospects. Emory, Tufts and Brandeis are in/near major cities which may be a consideration for you.
Might be of interest with respect to Tufts (from the Tufts website)
http://admissions.tufts.edu/academics/pre-health-information/
What percent of pre-medical/veterinary/dental students get accepted to medical/veterinary/dental school?
Tufts works with and supports all its students who choose to apply to medical, dental or veterinary school. Our overall acceptance rate to U.S. medical schools is between 75-90% each year. If you focus on those students who maintained a 3.5 GPA, it rises to over 90%. Acceptance to dental school is between 90-100% each year, and to veterinary school, it is about 75-90%.
Students matriculate into schools across the country but many do choose to remain at Tufts; the professional schools at our university are very favorably inclined towards Tufts undergraduates.
Post #14: “Brandeis is much higher rated academically than Rochester or Emory.”
This would seem to not be the case.
All of them except Tufts also award significant merit aid, so they’re all attracting students who are academically highly qualified and serious. I’ve known students who could have attended a higher ranked college like Tufts to accept the full ride at Brandeis, for example. Since they’re all within the top 100 colleges of the US, I don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of them.
USNWR placements among these schools are generally pretty minor. For example, the overall score for Tufts is 72 and that for Rochester, 66.