Kimberlayon

Funny, I had this same experience with Bio/Neuroscience at UCSD - the professors there seem genuinely interested in your success. Maybe it's the weather?

Scripps easily

Definitely don't go to Madison if the weather will bother you. San Diego has great weather year round and is located literally on the beach. It is a little odd you only get 8k the first year at UCSD, but its worth taking it for the overall amount of money - worst case you take a loan then immediately pay it back with year two's money. UCSD also has a great econ reputation.

Columbia hands down - this should be an easy choice. Columbia has way better connections and reputation, my friend goes there for a similar field.

Not true at all, there are a lot of very kind people in the neuro field at UCSD. Many of them are very passionate about their field and thus are very excited to have students who are too. You will have a lot more opportunities at UCSD because it is revolutionary school for neuro. Absolutely not true, and I find it odd (and perhaps manipulative of them) to claim so. You would have a better idea than me on why they claim this, but UCSD is THE neuroscience center of America. Many outstanding advances have been done at UCSD, and you will find their resources (faculty, labs, etc) to be very valuable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilayanur_S._Ramachandran I've had the pleasure to actually meet Dr. Ramachandran (his students call him "Rama" lol) He is a very brilliant and cool guy. UCSD definitely has a huge edge in reputation and community. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/neurosciences-rankings Honestly, I think they could just be trying to convince you to go to Northwestern (especially if they know you're considering UCSD). UCSD has a clear advantage in reputation and community (despite what those professors claim). So the only thing left is the work environment. I've never heard anything bad about UCSD in this regard, and based on my experiences so far, I can conclude for myself that the faculty there is very accepting and enthusiastic about people joining their program. The best way to verify what I've said is to visit for yourself.

It seems that the environment in Chicago might be bothering you a little. In this case, PLEASE strongly consider UCSD. My undergraduate school was in an environment I thought I might not like, and I didn't. 5-6 years is a long time to be somewhere you don't want to be. I'm actually from San Diego, and am going to UCSD for my PhD this fall. Some of my friends have gone/are at UCSD, and they like it a lot. La Jolla is a very beautiful and safe city. The only downside is that UCSD is not a party school (but honestly, how is this a downside lol...). Nice things about UCSD/California: - University is literally on the beach. - Driving distance to many national parks (the ones gracedavis91 said, grand canyon, and more). - Great weather. - Extremeley strong reputation in Biological fields. - Will meet a wide variety of different kinds of people in California. - Besides national parks, California has TONS of entertainment/places to travel (amusement parks, museums, LA, SF) I really believe being happy outside of school positively affects your abilitiy to learn and to work. Since the issue obviously isn't program reputation, I'd say go for UCSD!