<p>I live in Seattle and am looking to pursue a Biological sciences (premed) major leading to professional study in medicine. I have choice between George Washington Univeristy (Presidential scholoarship of $15K per year), Lehigh University or University Of Washington (honors program). </p>
<p>It would be a no brainer to go to UW given it is a honors program (small class size, smaller faculty to student ratio, etc) and I will be close to home. </p>
<p>GWU is very tempting given its location in DC (with lots of possible intern opportunities during the school year), the $$ and more importantly I will be on the east coast - kind of my dream destination. Given my interests in leadership, economics and political science this seems like a tempting option.</p>
<p>I am visiting Lehigh next week to spend a weekend there to get familiar but I am not leaning towards that school. I am more interested in an urban setting. </p>
<p>Any recommendations on what might be the best option?</p>
<p>University of Washington is a very good school and is much cheaper for you. Lehigh is more focused on engineering and business and if you want the urban setting, you won’t like Bethlehem. Plus the campus is located on South Side, where most of the Bethlehem crime is besides for Pembroke. It seems like for you it’s between George Washington and UW. I would go with whatever is cheaper, which seems to be UW (much cheaper). It would be easier for you debt wise or easier on your parents if they’re planning to pay. I know kids who go to GWU, however, and they really like it. So…it’s really your final say.</p>
<p>Thank you. My parents are paying (lucky me!!) so money is not as much a concern. The $15K I get at GWU reduces the burden some what. In terms of name recognition is GWU better than UW? I hear some people confuse UW for University of Wisconsin? Also I am told going to college in DC has significant advantages due to possible internship opportunities and exposure to all the other activity. How much should that influence my decision?</p>
<p>^^ I would second everything he said. I live near Lehigh and had the same thoughts as him. </p>
<p>Anything people say about the availability of internships in DC vs. Seattle is going to be anecdotal, so there’s no definite answer. If you’re looking to go to med school, I would be considering the possibility of research. Both schools will have a lot of research going on, so find out if undergrads are able to participate. As an honors student at UW, I would imagine you would have a leg up in getting lab opportunities, but I don’t know for sure. In terms of name recognition, neither school has a significant advantage (not that name recognition matters a whole lot in med school admissions).</p>
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<p>careful, it is rumored that, during these school visits, they serve you a mysterious water at Lehigh that makes you fall in love with the school and enroll.</p>
<p>Univ. of Washington is considered among the best schools for the sciences in the U.S.</p>
<p>for colleges that have undergraduate programs, the NRC and UNSWR Graduate School Biology Rankings are as follows:</p>
<p>NRC Biology Rankings
1… Caltech
2… UCSD
3… Princeton
4… Stanford
5… Yale
6… Columbia
7… Penn State
8… Northwestern
9… Univ. of Washington
10. Johns Hopkins</p>
<p>USNWR Biology Rankings (Graduate]
1… Stanford
2… Harvard
2… MIT
2… UC Berkeley
5… Caltech
5… Johns Hopkins
7… Princeton
7… Yale
9… Cornell
9… WashStL
11. Duke
11. Chicago
13. Univ. of Washington
13. Columbia
13. UCSD
13. Wisconsin</p>