<p>well, based on the duality of the finances AND the guaranteed med school, I would say St. Louis U, frankly. If you start trying to weigh the campus life and having a “normal” college 4 year experience, and decide that is so important it swamps the other considersations, I would go with Wash U, personally. Only you can decide that, though. But pure pragmatics say SLU.</p>
<p>I am on the run right now, let me go back and review later and private message you.</p>
<p>Re med scholar program - I assume that means you are guaranteed admission to their med school after your 4 years. This also usually means at least a minimum GPA and MCAT score. If you are not absolutely certain about the med thing, then need to assess the education you’ll be getting at each school, the environment, campus, size, etc. My first D did Bac/MD at a large private school and hated the school once she got there. My other D at WashU is doing premed and loves the school. (After visiting her sister at WashU, first D said she wished she’d known about WashU when she was applying to schools). There’s always the chance that you may decide medicine isn’t for you, too - then you are at a school you might not otherwise have attended (as with my first D). Just some food for thought.</p>
<p>^^^Yeah, that is what I meant by "normal’ college experience, was using shorthand cause was in a rush. I agree, if your child is mature enough to the point you think that med school is REALLY what they will want to do before taking a single college course, then take the sure thing. I am always skeptical that they could KNOW at 18, personally, but I can understand that the idea of paying $220,000+ for an undergraduate education and then still have med school to face is more than breathtaking.</p>
<p>I did not realize until I just read some of your other posts that you are a St. Louis family (I graduated from Ladue High btw). I can also not only understand the desire to get away, but think it is extremely important, even if it is only KC. I have heard good things about that program, I even know one of the profs and she is brilliant. Factoring that distance thing in (and it does help them mature even faster to get away, I think), maybe that is the best balancing of all the factors.</p>
<p>I would finally add that since you are not giving up any scholarship money in any case, there is always the possibility to transfer IF he decides medicine is really not for him. There are no guarantees, since transferring into the top schools is getting very hard, even impossible at some. But since he was accepted to begin with, his chances might be better. Just a fall back position. If he in fact loves his career choice, then it would be a brilliant decision to take the med school “guarantee” (quotes because as palmalk says, he needs to make certain minimum grades) and save some money, at least.</p>
<p>Decided to just answer here rather than PM. That’s my 2 cents worth, anyway.</p>
<p>omg I just got a phone call 20 min ago!! Now I have to make a decision… Northwestern or Washu?.. I already put in my deposit yesterday but I can forfeit it correct? Anyways…</p>
<p>Here are some factors to consider:
I live 30 min away from NU… I don’t really want to go home every week as my mother insists that… More freedom at WU</p>
<p>I’m majoring in biology/premed. How much better is washu’s undergrad bio? And I hear it is much more competitive there. At which school will I have a better chance of getting into med school? </p>
<p>Comparatively, which school is more challenging? (im actually wondering which would be more academically rewarding… Not bs classes that stuff you with information and force you to memorize(which essentially is bio…) but rather I want classes that make you think and question the purpose of whatever I learn…) </p>
<p>How are the housing options at wu? The ones at NU are moderately decent. In the phone call, they said they were bulding new residence halls. </p>
<p>Which school has a better social scene? I will not spend 4 years in an environment that is boring. How are the parties, the frats, and the events on and around campus? At nu, the social stuff seems decent and there is always Chicago. St. Louis seems a bit small the last time I went. </p>
<p>My best friend since 4th grade is going to NU(he hasn’t heard from wu yet… Hopefully he’ll get in too) I also dont knows anyone going to WU. </p>
<p>Financially, the schools are roughly the same right? How are the not need based scholarships at washu? I tried fafsa for NU, but our efc was the whole 54k… Trying to save parents some money… </p>
<p>Um… Yeah. A lot of questions but hopefully I’ll get some insight to help my decision. Any real experience or hearsay is appreciated. In case some people are wondering about stats, here are mine:</p>
<p>Act:34(s36,m36,e35,r29(…))
sat:2170
SatII:mathII(800),physics(700),chem(790)
rank:13/717
Gpa:4.9/5.0(?) and 3.9/4.0
captain of some academic teams…
national merit commended…
nothing “special”</p>
<p>I had the same decision between nu and wu but after visiting washu it was a no brainer for me. I’m pretty sure that WU is more challenging but also more rewarding for premed. Just an opinion of course. NU is better known for journalism if I am correct. St. Louis seemed plenty big to me. I think 2 million people but of course I’m from a small town. From what I saw if you are not getting any financial aid the money situation is about the same. From what I’ve heard of bio at washu it is amazing! Hope this helps</p>
<p>koolkiddud - Here’s my take on it, for what it is worth. And yes, you can just forfeit your deposit, they can’t make you go, lol.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>To me, this one is simple. Go to school away form home, for exactly the reason you say. It is an incredibly important factor, IMHO.</p>
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</p>
<p>Both schools are great here, although Wash U is especially preeminent in bio. An ex-g/f that is now a prof at a very good med school (PhD in neurobiology) tells me Wash U is super in this area. The word also is that classes are somewhat smaller at Wash U on the whole, the school is more “nurturing”, meaning there is more faculty/student interaction, and almost no classes taught by TA’s at Wash U. Some to be sure, but more at NU. You will have excellent chance at getting into med school from either if you have what it takes, don’t use that as a basis. Also, take into account the trimester system at NU vs. the semester system at Wash U. Very different. I am sure you know all about that and have considered, right? The trimester system is pretty breathless, always papers due and tests to take because only 10 weeks, but you do get a few more classes in over the 4 years.</p>
<p>
Wash U wins here, and on food, hands down. Wash U was rated like #8 I think it was by Princeton Review for dorms and food both, and #1 (that’s right, #1) for overall Quality of Life. Wash U is a much prettier campus I think, and better weather too. More than a few people have mentioned how NU seems “gloomy”.</p>
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</p>
<p>Well, you know Chicago well so that is an advantage in that sense, but…Anyway, there is plenty going on at Wash U. The Delmar Loop is walking distance and I would rate it above what there is in Evanston. I love downtown Chicago, and nothing in St. Louis really compares with that. What does, besides NYC, LA, maybe San Fran? But as a student, you will be far more involved with things on and near campus, so I am confident you would find an active social scene that you like. Also there are plenty of restaurants and shopping close to Wash U in Clayton, Brentwood and other areas, and there is an awesome resource in Forest Park right across from Wash U.</p>
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<p>Well, neither do most others going there. That is part of the idea. You don’t sound shy, I cannot imagine it will be a problem.</p>
<p>Finally, yes they are roughly the same financially. And your stats look great, but you are already in, lol. So they don’t mean much anymore.</p>
<p>Good Luck!!!</p>
<p>I’ve heard (TOTAL hearsay based on something a NU friend told my D who told me) that in the winter at Northwestern there’s a lot of time where folks don’t leave the dorm (unless they have to) cuz it’s too cold to go out. Don’t think it’s that bad at WUSTL generally! That might put a bit of a damper on the social scene at NU for a period of time.</p>
<p>There’s so many threads here comparing these two schools. Fallenchemist has summarized it well. For what it’s worth, when I read your post, based on what i’ve read in these threads about the issues important to you (and based at least in part on fallenchemist’s not ill-founded belief that going away to school is better overall), I really felt that WUSTL would be the better “fit” for what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Would be interested in what you decide! Good luck!</p>
<p>I got the call-I’m off the wait list but now I have to make a decision. I already sent in my deposit for Villanova. Wash U or Villanova? I’m undecided about my major so I like the fact that you can take classes in all different areas at Wash U. But I also like Villanova. Any feedback?</p>
<p>For those of you who just got the phone call, did you guys submit anything to augment your applications??</p>
<p>and…to WashU: I knew the wait list wasnt unranked…= =</p>
<p>Congrats to all taken off the waitlist!</p>
<p>vhgirl, Villanova is very good but I believe WUSTL is stronger in just about every department (I believe the b-schools are considered about equal though). WUSTL’s curriculum is flexible as you mentioned and you will have the opportunity to take classes in many different areas.</p>
<p>Bottom Line: Both are good schools but I believe WUSTL is much stronger academically compared to nova. If they cost the same, take WUSTL (this is assuming you like the school and that costs are the same).</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Yikes! I thought they didn’t even start looking at apps until a few days after May 1st and called mid-May! I was planning to mail my letter tomorrow explaining why it is my first choice. And I second the question above, did those who received the call submit an argument?</p>
<p>My son didn’t do anything extra. He just responded to the link on the waitlist letter.</p>
<p>@han94 and eileen… No, the call was really unexpected. WU has an incredibly long WL apparently. Idk what I did. o_O</p>
<p>How do you make quotes?.. And the smilies look really…ugly lol pretend they’re not there. </p>
<p>At me…
Thank you to everyone who’s responded so far, esp. fallen.</p>
<p>[Q]To me, this one is simple. Go to school away form home, for exactly the reason you say. It is an incredibly important factor, IMHO.[/Q]</p>
<p>Yay here :p, but shhh, don’t tell my mom.</p>
<p>[Q]Also, take into account the trimester system at NU vs. the semester system at Wash U. Very different. I am sure you know all about that and have considered, right? The trimester system is pretty breathless, always papers due and tests to take because only 10 weeks, but you do get a few more classes in over the 4 years.[/Q]</p>
<p>I actually <em>think</em> I prefer the quarter system. More stuffs to learn 
My biggest concern is the possibility of having classes that merely brainwash you with facts and not prod you towards exploring the topics by thinking. That was one of the main reasons UC was my first choice (alas I got WL…lol it’d be funny if i got off…) because of the “come here to challenge your mind” outlook on education. I especially found high school boring due to the lack of challenging material. Don’t want to experience that again in college. </p>
<p>I did hear about the great teacher/student ratio. My pro/con chart here is overflowing… mm… What about the student advising? I forgot to ask which school would have better research/internship oppurtunities.</p>
<p>[Q] But as a student, you will be far more involved with things on and near campus, so I am confident you would find an active social scene that you like. [/Q]</p>
<p>Yay. My parents’ friends’ daughter went there and even though she went to medical school and excelled academically, it seemed like she didn’t “live” much… But if there are oppurtunities, I’ll manage to find them. Hopefully. (yay for parks (except nude ones in Deutschland )).</p>
<p>Also yay for food and housing. And safety (apparently also #1 at WU). Food = One of greatest joys of life IMO. </p>
<p>So… It seems like I should go to WashU… Except for the opinions of my parents (they’re like 60% NU) and my friend. D: Idk why he didn’t get a response, but I was really hoping to room with him at NU… But is it bad to make decision that will impact your future on a friend? Sigh… The biggest concern is the teaching style (after 2nd quote). Any more input on that is greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p>Another thing is grade inflation. I hear that Harvard greatly inflates grades. NU is “normal” and WU deflates your grades. Truth, partial truth, or false?</p>
<p><a href=“mailto:LOL@palmalk”>LOL@palmalk</a>. Winters are cold. Yes. But I’m used to that.</p>
<p>you can get the quotes by typing:
[ quote = “type-a-name” ] …message… [ / quote ]
without any of the spaces. I think most all BBCode works on here.</p>
<p>Couldn’t really tell you about the grades: it mainly depends on your department. I’ve heard that some upper pre-med courses tend to forget that the bottom has dropped out of their curves when they curve grades, but I don’t have any experience with that. </p>
<p>I would definitely say to make your decision without worrying about your friend (he’ll definitely make friends at NU regardless, and the schools aren’t horrifically far apart geographically. That being said, if it means that much to you to know someone at your school, that’s a decision you’ll have to make. You (both) really will make friends pretty quickly though. The freshmen floor program is great for that.</p>
<p>Have to really second Don Q’s thing about your friend. Don’t mean to sound cold, great friendships are a great thing. But most likely you will go your separate ways at some point, and which university to attend is too important to have that be the deciding factor.</p>
<p>I guess my only comment about the grade thing is that it can’t be that bad, because Wash U has a phenominal record of their students getting into med school, law school, and top grad programs. And that is the goal after all, right?</p>
<p>I have to tell you my family gave me quite the look because I laughed so loudly at your line about your Mom. OK, I promise not to tell her. Seriously, I know it is hard for Mom’s (we are about to lose our second and last child, and both will be over 1000 miles away), but she has to know in her heart how important it is for you to be allowed to grow in a way that only being some distance from home allows.</p>
<p>Finally. COMPLETELY agree with you about UC, I love the atmosphere at that school. But since that is not likely to be an option… and it is still local, although way on the other side. Almost like a foreign country, eh? Anyway, also agree with you about the quarter system allowing for more courses and that is the most attractive feature of it, along with not having papers and exams hanging over you during spring break. But for me (which is meaningless but WTH) it wouldn’t outweigh the other factors we have discussed. I better stop now. I am starting to bloviate. Can’t wait to hear your decision though.</p>
<p>List of colleges who have started using the Wait List so far, from perusing other CC boards:</p>
<p>WUSTL
Emory
Duke</p>
<p>Yeah I didn’t send in anything extra just the postcard. I’m still deciding between Wash U and USC for either mechanical/comp sci/systems engineering. If I wanted to major in anything else it’d be a no-brainer but I’m not totally convinced that WashU’s programs in those areas are stronger. I live in the SF bay area so it would be nice to go to STL over LA but there are a lot of other factors to consider.</p>
<p>@Zoom09 - I don’t think you’d feel at all limited by WashU’s computer science department - I just posted about that [url="<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/705786-washu-vs-usc-engineering-major.html"]here[/url">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/705786-washu-vs-usc-engineering-major.html"]here[/url</a>], so I’ll try not to double post, but it really is a good program. I’m not familiar with the other two majors, though.</p>
<p>Got off the waitlist earlier today. I was wondering -how do they decide who to call first?</p>
<p>Anyway-
My dilemma: BC or Wash U for business?! I know the Wash U is an excellent school overall, but its job placement isn’t as great? Can anyone testify for this or convince me on why Wash U > BC or BC > Wash U for business? </p>
<p>Argh, this is such a tough choice. I didn’t expect to get off the waitlist.</p>
<p>WashU is starting to put a lot of money into the Olin School of Business. They are inviting CEO’s to hold forums there and are recruiting guest speakers, etc.</p>