It's a wrap - Decision time
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Anonymous
Well, that's what I was asking about not asserting "ranking baloney"--what is it about Rochester that would make one prefer it so solidly over UNC--given the similarity of ranking--with UNC being slightly better--, same level of biomedical research presence (research triangle and all), and better weather in Chapel Hill (and a generally agreed upon 'nicer location'). I'm genuinely curious as I have a junior looking at schools in biomed. |
Anonymous
| All are good options. I think Rochester and William and Mary have historically had a lot of interest in their undergraduate biology programs. UNC and UVA probably less so at the undergraduate level, but they are large universities that have substantial graduate programs and overall resources. UNC is a bit better known for chemistry in my experience. CMU attracts students more often for other STEM fields like CS and engineering than for biology, and may therefore have the least undergraduate activity in its biology program, but is the best known for STEM overall of these schools. Given they are probably all good options, you might want to look at which school appears to be the best overall fit based on the other things your child is looking for. |
Anonymous
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CMU or W&M
My best friend did a full-ride masters at W&M in biochem and had an incredible experience between research opportunities, professor mentorship, and teaching. She said all the undergrads were so smart and impressive - tons of them go onto PhDs, the school has excellent placement. My friend got into an incredible PhD program at UCLA. |
Anonymous
| CMU! Pittsburgh is a great city! Nice people, lots to do, awesome sports! |
Anonymous
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I like the above advice on 4 year course plan.
I'd say visit all for admitted students day. Also - if weather matters there are some very large differences here ranging from Rochester to Pittsburgh to VA to NC. Not just for temperature but for amount and type of precipitation. (My kids are opposites on this, so I'm not just saying warmer is better.) |
Anonymous
| You're going to make her stay in-state in Virginia aren't you Op. |
Anonymous
+1 Congratulations. |
Anonymous
No. She had also applied to 2 international programs in Japan, which sadly did not go beyond the 2nd interview round. So we are more than prepared to let her go where she wants to 
We would have loved for her to go to college in the country we came from, as it would have saved us a lot of money. However, she never really got onboard with it. |
Anonymous
| Those are very good options. My only comment is if you are relying on financial aid, make sure that aid does not disappear after the first year. A friend of mine started CMU with great aid but didn’t realize that it was not available after freshman year. She had to leave CMU but was able to transfer to Virginia Tech. |
Anonymous
| Carnegie Mellon or Chapel Hill |
Anonymous
| great choices! nothing to add but congratulations! |
Anonymous
Why? |