<p>I know it might be a little late to ask this question, but will ask it anyways....</p>
<p>So I was admitted to both UC Berkeley in the college of chemistry (chemical biology) as well as Washington University in St. Louis (biochemistry). Mind you, I live about an hour away from Berkeley, and I was just wondering which might be a better fit for me. I've visited both colleges and I have loved both of them. Obviously I am more comfortable with Berkeley since more people from my school go, but Washington University is ranked higher overall and is a private university... I was a nominees for the regents and chancellors scholarship but I didn't get it in the end. I have about a 5-10 grand in grants from Wash U. I am just very concerned since I want to do pre-med, and the unavailability of classes and a lower gpa might screw me over in 4 years. Which one should I have chosen? I just want to know if I ended up making the right decision or not.</p>
<p>Forget the USNews rankings, Berkeley is much much more well known and prestigious both in the US and outside it than Washington University. And Berkeley chemistry is ranked #1 in the nation. You definitely made the right decision.</p>
<p>People will probably argue that if you are just premed, you might have an easier time getting into med school from somewhere else. But since you’re majoring in Chemical Biology, you probably are interested in actually learning bio/chem and seeing what the research here is all about. Berkeley is one of the best places in the world to be for that - you have nothing to regret.</p>
<p>I’d go for Berkeley if I were you. This shouldn’t even have to be asked in the first place. WUSL is overrated. The school ranks higher on USNews because they game the rules.</p>
<p>I honestly didn’t think WUSTL was a “real” college until I googled it. Based on how much mail I got from them I thought it was similar to Kettering or Drexel.</p>
<p>I don’t know of any department there that is so much better than Berkeleys that would make me want to live in St. Louis. If I were to live in the midwest it would be further south (Memphis, Louisiana, etc…) or further North (Chicago).</p>
<p>I definitely would pick Berkeley over WUSTL.</p>