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I am in the difficult situation of choosing between a more prestigious private uni (URochester) and a state school (SUNY Stony Brook). I am planning on majoring in biochem and doing a bunch of research. So far I have narrowed the characteristics down, please provide your opinions.
University of Rochester
Pros:
-More prestigious (top 30 school)
-Large endowment (2.5 billion, more opportunities?)
-Many research opportunities, especially in natural sciences(350 mil research budget)
-Good medical center/university hospital nearby with high research output (Strong Memorial Hospital, 850 bed, good in cardiac, cancer, neurology, orthopedics and pediatrics.)
-Cold climate (I like cold)
-Small school size (10k students, 5k undergrad)
-Really nice chem dept
Cons:
-Hella expensive (70k but I get ~45k in aid so 25kish)
-Dreary climate (I might get depressed, who knows)
-Might get screwed by aid (have to take loans if they reduce aid)
-Farther away from home (6-7 hours by car)
-Slower paced than the city (from NYC)
-Biochem is part of bio dept rather than chem dept (less chem edu, I prefer chem)
-Bio electives are meh
SUNY Stony Brook
Pros:
-Dirt cheap (Full ride)
-Part of honors program (Rochester doesnt have honors programs but still)
-Also great research opportunities at Cold Spring Harbor and Brookhaven
-Separate biochem/cell bio department --> better major organization
-Really cool bio electives
-Is state school so I can pretend I am going because Ivies were too expensive (I can actually afford them but I got rejected.)
Cons:
-Is state school --> worse facilities
-2x more students (Larger classes)
-Research opportunities are more difficult to get to (Cold Spring Harbor and Brookhaven are 30 min car trips)
-Food is legendarily bad (or so I've heard)
-More premed students (more competition/cancer?)
-Ghost town on weekends (commuter school)
-Reduced funding from state (over the past few years (or so I've heard))
University of Rochester
Pros:
-More prestigious (top 30 school)
-Large endowment (2.5 billion, more opportunities?)
-Many research opportunities, especially in natural sciences(350 mil research budget)
-Good medical center/university hospital nearby with high research output (Strong Memorial Hospital, 850 bed, good in cardiac, cancer, neurology, orthopedics and pediatrics.)
-Cold climate (I like cold)
-Small school size (10k students, 5k undergrad)
-Really nice chem dept
Cons:
-Hella expensive (70k but I get ~45k in aid so 25kish)
-Dreary climate (I might get depressed, who knows)
-Might get screwed by aid (have to take loans if they reduce aid)
-Farther away from home (6-7 hours by car)
-Slower paced than the city (from NYC)
-Biochem is part of bio dept rather than chem dept (less chem edu, I prefer chem)
-Bio electives are meh
SUNY Stony Brook
Pros:
-Dirt cheap (Full ride)
-Part of honors program (Rochester doesnt have honors programs but still)
-Also great research opportunities at Cold Spring Harbor and Brookhaven
-Separate biochem/cell bio department --> better major organization
-Really cool bio electives
-Is state school so I can pretend I am going because Ivies were too expensive (I can actually afford them but I got rejected.)
Cons:
-Is state school --> worse facilities
-2x more students (Larger classes)
-Research opportunities are more difficult to get to (Cold Spring Harbor and Brookhaven are 30 min car trips)
-Food is legendarily bad (or so I've heard)
-More premed students (more competition/cancer?)
-Ghost town on weekends (commuter school)
-Reduced funding from state (over the past few years (or so I've heard))