Hey guys, so I’ve narrowed down my choices to these two universities for my undergraduate education; I will be studying biomedical engineering with plans to attend medical school afterwards. Northwestern costs me roughly 10k while Vanderbilt will cost me only about 2k. Financially, Vanderbilt definitely seems more enticing since Northwestern is almost 5x as much. I really don’t want my parents to have to pay much, but I haven’t seen any recent discussions regarding my major at these two universities. If you guys could just shed some light as to what advantages each university would have for my major and if they would outweigh the financial contrast, I would gladly appreciate it. Thank you!
These were two of my top choices too actually (I have family that has studied/is studying at both universities). Eventually I decided to ED to NU. While very similar in academic quality, NU and Vanderbilt mainly differ by culture and a few small other things. First off. NU has the quarter system, so you tend to take more classes a year but at a faster pace which is why most students take electives and double major. It also gives your more versatility. While NU doesn’t have a specific premed program, you get to take the science requirements you need and balance it out with a rounded personalized education. In comparison, I know Vandy has some create your own major things you can do that is unique and I think your standard traditional pre-med courses, but otherwise not too different in quality of courses. Culture and environment is also different at each school. NU is actually more of a medium sized town feel, but Chicago’s also near by for events if you like to visit a lot. Nashville is a bigger city, but it has a more southern feel and the country music culture is really big there. I would say overall though while the town has good food the downtown is mostly bars and not really as good for undergrads as NU. Nashville wins for weather, but if you dress right Evanston’s never too cold except for a few days in winter. Both are great choices it mainly comes down to what environment you want. Also if your concerned about NU being a little more if you appeal financial aid usually they’ll fairly generous and will give you a little more money (if you haven’t already done this). Overall I’d with whatever program and overall feel you like more. Good luck deciding, obviously I’m biased against NU but Vanderbilt is also a really cool school! No matter what you decide you can’t go wrong. 