Smith College vs Stony Brook and maybe others?

[deleted688154]

I'm considering
Smith College- 5k
Stony Brook- 10k
SUNY Binghamton- 13k
SUNY Geneseo- 9k

I would like to be a Biochemistry major and maybe also major in Sociology (or maybe just minor)


Smith Pros/Cons
-I could graduate with little to no debt
-I really like LACs since they have small class sizes
-Less competitive to do bio research since there is not an overflow of pre-med people (I also know one of the bio profs from meeting him at a conference)
-No general education requirements

-There isn't an affiliated medical school
-Not many close hospitals
-Few opportunities near the college directly related to med field

--

Stony Brook
-Affiliated med school, many opportunities

-Graduate ~20k in debt
-Pre-med track seems very cutthroat
-Huge intro classes

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[FreeRadicals]

Stony Brook is by far the best SUNY for science - it has great research and internship opportunities. I would recommend it hands down. Only thing I hate about Stony Brook are the dorms (which is the reason why I am debating over Hofstra/Stony)

 

[deleted688154]

Stony Brook is by far the best SUNY for science - it has great research and internship opportunities. I would recommend it hands down. Only thing I hate about Stony Brook are the dorms (which is the reason why I am debating over Hofstra/Stony)

What do you think about the weed-out classes?
I really like it too because I know its really good for the sciences but I'm worried that I won't get the support I need since I come from a bad school so I know that the jump from high school to college is going to be pretty intense.

 

[FreeRadicals]

What do you think about the weed-out classes?
I really like it too because I know really good for the sciences but I'm worried that I won't get the support I need since I come from a bad school so I know that the jump from high school to college is going to be pretty intense.

I've heard a lot about people changing majors/transferring within the first two years at Stony Brook (science majors). It is extremely tough, but worth it. If you are doubting yourself already I wouldn't recommend it - it really depends how hard you want to work.

 

[deleted688154]

I am willing to work hard but at the same time, I don't see the don't see the point of weed-out courses. I feel like it would just make things unnecessarily stressful.

I'm choosing Smith. Smith's 4-year graduation rate is more than 15% higher than Stony Brook's 6-year graduation rate.

There's also a guarantee that I can begin bio research starting my first-year and funding for students that do unpaid internships and research during the summer.

More than 95% of students live on campus all four years.

tldr; its a better fit for me than stony

good luck on your Stony Brook vs Hofstra decision!

 

[Technology]

Smith is much more prestigious (and higher ranked) than Stony Brook, although that is not a major factor in the medical school admissions process .

You can also possibly take classes at nearby colleges, such as Mount Holyoke (another all women's school). I do not know the exact distances, but Amherst College, Hampshire and UMass Amherst are also within short distance.

Since it is practically free (and will cost you slightly less than Stony Brook), has a higher rank, (has no annoying boys 🙄), and is a better fit, you should definitely choose it! If you plan on attending Stony Brook's affiliated medical school, then you could reconsider your options, however, the medical schools you plan on applying to today (if you are already planning that) will likely be different from the medical schools you plan on applying to at the end of your college experience.

Good luck! You should definitely pick Smith over the others (in my opinion) for obvious reasons.

 

[deleted688154]

Thanks Technology!

I don't really like Long Island or NYC too much so as far as public med schools go, I'm lean more towards SUNY Upstate but that kind of stuff is wayyyy in the future so I'm not too worried.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

I'm considering
Smith College- 5k
Stony Brook- 10k
SUNY Binghamton- 13k
SUNY Geneseo- 9k

These differences are almost negligible in terms of undergraduate college costs. Some life advice: Don't make any important decisions in your life based solely on $$.

Smith Pros/Cons
-I could graduate with little to no debt
-I really like LACs since they have small class sizes
-Less competitive to do bio research since there is not an overflow of pre-med people (I also know one of the bio profs from meeting him at a conference)
-No general education requirements

-There isn't an affiliated medical school
-Not many close hospitals
-Few opportunities near the college directly related to med field

--

Stony Brook
-Affiliated med school, many opportunities

-Graduate ~20k in debt
-Pre-med track seems very cutthroat
-Huge intro classes

UMass Amherst alumni here chiming in...PVTA buses run regularly to the other 4 colleges in the area. Cooley Dickinson is the major hospital in the area and is located right in Northampton. Smith is ~9-10 mi down route 9 from UMass.

As a student of the 5 college consortium you would be allowed to take classes at any one you choose (Smith, UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke). Hampshire college I believe has a weird grading system with non-letter based grades and resorts to "evaluations" IIRC. This may cause a headache when it comes time to fill out the AMCAS application.

Having an attached medical school to an undergrad university in no way places favoritism on any applicant from said university. Most undergrads at any university will change their major at least once so do not base a decision off of this. You're going to learn the same things as everyone else in undergrad. 4-year graduation rates might have more to do with interfering illnesses, personal drive to succeed, misjudgment of personal abilities/interests, and ambition rather than external factors related to a supposed rigor of a college.

An aside, I have encountered endless numbers of Smithies and even dated one for several years I met after graduating back home. I was made aware of the regularity of many of the things that go on there which could put many people in incredibly awkward situations or make them feel out of place...Only you know you, and what you're comfortable with. I feel many people would stand a much better chance of maturing socially and intellectually to an appropriate functional level in a co-ed environment. I'm sure there are individuals that will contradict me.

I hope this has been helpful.

 

[deleted688154]

@yasureyoubetcha

thanks for the info! It's good to know that there's a hospital nearby!
-
Smith also has a pass/fail option for a lot of classes and I'm interested in taking them for something like Studio Art class. Do you think that would also cause headaches even if the classes are unrelated to the Pre-Med requirements?

4-year graduation rates might have more to do with interfering illnesses, personal drive to succeed, misjudgment of personal abilities/interests, and ambition rather than external factors related to a supposed rigor of a college.

I know that the 4-year graduation rate isn't necessarily indicative of the chance that I'll graduate in four years but I think it does relate to the overall student satisfaction which is why I mentioned it (although there are a lot of engineering majors at Stony which probably accounts for a bit of the lower grad rate)

I was made aware of the regularity of many of the things that go on there which could put many people in incredibly awkward situations or make them feel out of place..

Are you referring to the amount of gay girls or ? idk can you can you clarify?
If my guess is right and you are referring to the amount of lgbtq, the 50/50 straight/not-straight split doesn't bother or make me feel out of place.

I've been around men-folk for the entirety of my life. I don't think I'll suffer from a severe lack of guy-time if I choose to attend a women's college for a few years, even if I do, I have plenty of time to catch up later in life 😛

I'm fine with any institution as long as I can graduate with less than 40k in debt. Even though almost sure I'm going to commit to Smith my ability to graduate with virtually no debt was by no means is a significant factor in my decision process. The only schools I've ruled out due to finances were Fordham and Barnard and location was also a pretty big factor in ruling them out too.

Stony Brook and Binghamton are good schools but my preference for a more LAC experience is pretty strong.

Geneseo is also pretty nice but overall... it's not Smith 😉

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

Smith also has a pass/fail option for a lot of classes and I'm interested in taking them for something like Studio Art class. Do you think that would also cause headaches even if the classes are unrelated to the Pre-Med requirements?

Maybe not for P/F. You'd have to call AAMC to ask AMCAS that question about how they classify courses that are pass/fail or evaluation based. I feel it becomes murky when grading schemes become objective. For the application though, everything you've ever taken counts and needs to be accounted for....non-science and science.

I know that the 4-year graduation rate isn't necessarily indicative of the chance that I'll graduate in four years but I think it does relate to the overall student satisfaction which is why I mentioned it (although there are a lot of engineering majors at Stony which probably accounts for a bit of the lower grad rate)

There is no reason to believe you won't graduate in 4 years wherever you end up going. Keep your head high and your ambitions in focus and you'll find what you set out for. If your head is in the right place this should not matter. Yes, it is a milestone! But you're looking at it as a high obstacle that needs to be overcome. Have confidence in your abilities.

Are you referring to the amount of gay girls or ? idk can you can you clarify?
If my guess is right and you are referring to the amount of lgbtq, the 50/50 straight/not-straight split doesn't bother or make me feel out of place.

While this culture is enriched at Smith, it's not at all what I was referring to. I'll PM you in the next day or so once I've had time to collect my thoughts on this if that's ok. Some of it is probably not appropriate material to discuss on open forum.

I've been around men-folk for the entirety of my life. I don't think I'll suffer from a severe lack of guy-time if I choose to attend a women's college for a few years, even if I do, I have plenty of time to catch up later in life 😛

You'd be surprised not about "lack of guy time", but more about how lack of interaction with members of the opposite sex can affect the way you approach life, and relate to/treat others.....I can try to address this more in the PM

I'm fine with any institution as long as I can graduate with less than 40k in debt. Even though almost sure I'm going to commit to Smith my ability to graduate with virtually no debt was by no means is a significant factor in my decision process.

How did you manage those numbers? IIRC my ex said Smith was ~60k/yr. Hefty scholarships across the board? If so, congrats!

If you do decide on Smith....
You said above you're interested in research. Smith is a small liberal arts college. They might not offer the research opportunities you're looking for there. Ere go, the lack of competition for research. Make sure to check out the departments, the faculty, and their publications (how recent and what in) to see if that's something you're interested in. I was Biochem at UMass. I keep in contact with the department. Last year, Carol in the undergrad office told me the program now stands at 250ish students; probably more by now. When I graduated there were 40ish of us. The program numbers have swelled. You may find some classes and research opportunities at UMass that you're interested in and are available to you. I know of several Smith students that were doing research at UMass.

 

[deleted688154]

Thanks! You've been incredibly helpful!
My EFC is pretty low and Smith is pretty generous with need-based grants if you're eligible for things like the Pell Grant. the SUNYs gave me merit-based scholarships along with aid

One of the labs does research with parasites which I find pretty interesting but everyone in that particular professor's lab is at least a sophomore. However, there is a research-based lab class that is open to all first-years that works with zebrafish which I don't mind doing in the meanwhile (I also already know the prof from meeting him at a regional devbio conference where his students from the class presented their research).

It's good to know that there are also research opportunities that I could look into within the 5-college consortium!

I'm almost sure that I'm going to commit to Smith since admissions decisions are due in two days but I'm still interested in hearing about the reservations you have in regards to that college.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

I'm almost sure that I'm going to commit to Smith since admissions decisions are due in two days but I'm still interested in hearing about the reservations you have in regards to that college.

I PM'ed you. If you decide on Smith and want to know more about the Amherst/NoHo area, feel free to ask.