<p>Which is better? At this point I'm planning on grad school, but I'm not necessarily 100% sure. Money is important- Wash u is cheapest, Cornell is most expensive, but only a difference of 12K (JHU is in the middle). I was also given the Rawlings Research Scholar distinction at Cornell. Any comments are appreciated.</p>
<p>With those facts, I would go to WashU. It’s more fun than JHU and it’s BME program is highly regarded (although not all of its engineering programs are, and WashU has recently abandoned one or two engineering majors).</p>
<p>WashU’s BME program is fantastic. Just as a note to anyone looking at BME rankings (JHU is #1 for BME): when I visited JHU last spring I spoke with a woman from the BME department who, after asking where else I was looking, said that any BME program in the top 15 on the rankings is basically on the same page as far as strength of the program.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with WCASParent about WashU being more fun; I don’t know about Cornell, but “fun” was definitely not the vibe I got from Hopkins.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation between Wash U, Cornell, and Northwestern. I eventually decided on Wash U after the visits. I decided Cornell was far too big, and I just ended up liking Wash U more. I’m personally happy with how BME is here. Its a far cry from the horror stories you hear about cutthroat programs at other schools .</p>
<p>All three schools have very different ‘vibes’ that you can only see when you visit. If you’re not stressing about the money, then it really does come down to fit.</p>
<p>For me personally, WashU was right over Johns Hopkins (applied and accepted at both). I didn’t apply to Cornell since I strongly dislike middle-of-nowhere NY (I’ve spent enough time living in midd-nowhere NY to know that I would hate Ithaca).</p>
<p>I definitely can give good opinions on both Cornell and Wash U since I attended the former as an undergrad and the latter for grad school (and have been employed by Wash U now for what seems to be an eternity.) I agree with Johnson181 that you need to visit since although they are all strong academically, their “vibes” are very different. I actually enjoyed my 4 years in “middle of nowhere NY” but am glad we have settled down in “between big city and suburbia MO”. The undergraduate engineering experience is very different in the two places, where Cornell’s is much larger and offers more flexibility with class schedules and offerings, but Wash U’s smaller size allows for more personal faculty interaction and more opportunities for research. The students both places are very friendly and there is always plenty of stuff to do, no matter what your interests might be. Both campuses are beautiful too, but Wash U’s is much more compact and less spacious. I laugh as folks here complaining about having to walk “all the way across campus”. They have obviously never tried running late for a class from Cornell’s North Campus to the Engineering Quad or Vet School there!</p>
<p>Coming from someone who has been waitlisted at both JHU and Cornell and accepted to WUSTL, I would definitely appreciate any reasons to pick WUSTL over the other two hehe…</p>
<p>All quality BME programs. Id say take the money and head to WashU. IMO WashU also has the edge in quality of life (dorms, food, collaborative atmosphere, etc).</p>
<p>@ Gatsby: I have visited all of the schools, and I definitely think you are right about the quality of life point. What about research opportunities (especially as underclassmen/freshmen)? As a research scholar at Cornell I would be guaranteed research…</p>
<p>^Glad you enjoyed your visit! It is fairly easy to participate in research as an undergraduate, and WashU encourages undergraduates to do so. Here is a link to the Office of Undergraduate Research, which lists opportunities in biology, engineering, and medicine:</p>
<p>[Washington</a> University : Research Opportunites](<a href=“http://ur.wustl.edu/]Washington”>http://ur.wustl.edu/)</p>
<p>Perhaps some current BMEs can provide further details </p>