Hey guys, I’m a rising senior currently deciding whether to ED at Emory or Washu. I know that both schools are very similar, with Washu possibly edging out Emory overall. However, If I were to apply to Washu, I would get little to know financial aid, while I would get around 70-80,000 in 4 years for Emory, possibly more with their Emory scholars program. So my question is would going to Washu be worth that amount of money? I do like Washu just a bit more. Would the slightly higher prestige of Washu be able to offset that 80k amount of money in the future? Thanks so much guys!
If it were my decision, I’d take Emory and the cash, provided that they had the program(s) that interested me and the school met other main fit variables.
I don’t know how large of an impact an extra $80k would have on you and your family, but that’s a lot of money… money that could become a down-payment on your first house, or used to help pay for grad school, or used to buy into a hot startup (or any other type of investment…), etc.
I think that academically, Emory and WashU are peers. Do not worry about prestige.
Nope. There is little to no difference, re: future career outcomes between Emory and WashU. Normal humans don’t pay attention to rankings, and honestly most people don’t even know WashU–I didn’t until I was an adult, and I’m from the South. For that reason (from GA), I know Emory, but in some regions, Emory has zero recall, as well. Prestige is relative!
Go with the one that won’t incur tons of debt. Always the best choice.
There is a small difference in rankings but probably zero difference in education quality. Go with Emory.
How are you so sure that you’d get more money at Emory?
In any case, I (and probably most people) would say Emory and WashU are equal peers to each other.
Thanks for the response guys, I used a financial calculator to get a good estimate of the aid. Apparently Emory and Washu have different algorithms or policies for how they calculate aid regarding home equities or something, so I’ll be getting pretty much nothing from Wash.
Seems like a simple choice.
Emory and WashU are peers, and one will cost less: no brainer. 
Agree, with that price differential I’d go with Emory.
Another vote for Emory.
Op Emory Scholars can be a full ride plus stipends. How is $20,000 a year in aid more than that?
Definitely Emory if that was actually the case.
However, the Emory Scholars program is a competitive scholarship program. It’s not a guaranteed pot of money if you meet certain thresholds. The net price calculator on the website doesn’t estimate potential Emory Scholars Program funds in your projected cost.
ClarinetDad, on the website it says,“The scholarship selection process remains separate from the financial aid application process and will have no impact on a student’s need-based financial aid award.” Does full ride + need-based award theoretically mean then you can have extra money? Anyways, like juillet said, I can’t rely on the Scholars program, but the approximate need based financial aid amount should be close to the real thing.
The odds of winning the Emory Scholar award is remote. Extremely remote. Like 12 out of 20,000.
@BLTZZZ not even sure what your question means? If someone earns a full ride then they have no need.
ED to Emory if your aid is not reliant on “winning” something. I actually think Emory has better name recognition than Washington U. If you do win a full ride, you won’t get the need-based aid because you no longer have need.
Go with Emory–you don’t want to have to pay 80k more
If you need FA and are reasonably sure (based on filling out the NPC accurately) that you will get it at Emory and not at Wash U, then apply to Emory ED. Keep in mind that Emory Scholars is extremely competitive- students who graduate at the very top of their class with near perfect test scores often do not make it.
@MurphyBrown is right about aid- if your parents get a raise, your aid will be affected. If a sibling leaves or enters school, your aid will be affected.
Thanks for the responses guys.
About how accurate is the calculator, because I’ve been reading the forums and plenty of people have said that Emory’s financial aid is sketchy and frequently did not meet expectations.
Also, I’ve been thinking, if people ED a school, wouldn’t their aid package possibly suffer because they are already bound to the school and so the school would not have to offer as much aid compared to nonbound students, since they need to attract them to come? Worse case is if Emory ends up offering like nothing compared to what the calculator projected, and I regret my decision since it was based from a financial viewpoint.
You can get out of an ED commitment if the financial aid package does not meet your needs. A material difference between projected and actual aid provided is sufficient grounds for getting out of the commitment.