Hey, everyone, I was very lucky this year to be admitted to both of these universities. However, I’m really torn in making a decision between the two, and any input from you guys will be much appreciated! I will be majoring in biomedical engineering at both universities.
I really loved WashU all four years of high school and because my sister already goes there as another bme I have some general sense of what it will be like. I absolutely LOVE the campus & food there and the social scenes seems like it will fit me very well. (I’m not so huge on greek life) I know for a fact that couple of my high school friends will be going to the school, and I’m super excited to meet the people there based on what I’ve gathered from my sister. Plus, I’ll be able to stay closer home than if I were to go to Northwestern. I feel very comfortable at WashU campus and I’ve already been there countless times. As for academics, I’ve heard that WashU will be a better option for bme and pre-med-- I may be wrong, so please tell me if you feel otherwise-- and that it will prepare me hard for the medical school.
I was pretty much determined to go to WashU if not by some miracle, I was accepted into my dream school: Yale. (Haha, I was rejected though.) Then rolls in the Northwestern acceptance letter, and at first, I was like “Cool, but I’m still going to WashU!” Northwestern wasn’t necessarily on my mind as much, and I haven’t visited the campus there before or know too much about it. I’m not sure if I like the cold weather either. I applied because I knew that it was a good school on a similar level to WashU-- though I found out later that it was actually ranked a little higher than WashU-- and because I thought it could one of my target/reach group school that wasn’t terribly far from home. Don’t get me wrong, I like Northwestern, just not as much as I got attached to WUSTL.
At this point, I was gonna go for WashU. But then, I got an invited to be a Murphy Scholar at Northwestern. From what I gathered from their email, they choose app. 20 freshmen (out of a class of more than 400 at McCormick) and the scholars get a chance to work more directly with faculty, and are encouraged to engage in self-directed projects with $4000 award provided to each scholar. It says it also provides special seminar courses and mentorship? I really want to join research as early as possible during my undergraduate years, so this offer sounded very attractive. I thought that it gave me more competitive advantage to aim for med school and felt that I would regret later if I passed up the opportunity. Besides, wouldn’t I have more opportunities and resources to tap from near Chicago than St. Louis?
Sorry for such a long post, and thanks for reading all the way through. If you have any advice, information on how one university differs from the other, or just anything about the universities please let me know:)
@“INeedSomeHelpY’all” – Wow! Great problem to have. Two outstanding schools. You can’t go wrong at either. I grew up in Evanston – literally blocks from Northwestern. I love Chicago – and have grown to love St. Louis as well. The Murphy Program sounds like a great opportunity too! Our student is a Junior STEM major at Wash U who also looked at Northwestern. In the end, I think it came down to what “felt better” for our Student.
Our Student has been extraordinarily fortunate at Wash U. Has developed great mentor relationships with many Professors – both in STEM and in Arts and Sciences areas. They have been doing research at Barnes-Jewish Hospital since Sophomore year. Last summer, had a great research job in St. Louis and will be continuing their research at the Hospital this summer. Also volunteering at the Hospital one evening a week. Each of these experiences have been very rewarding and have helped them grow in so many ways.
Bottom line – there are great opportunities for you anywhere you go. You just need to show initiative, network, be inquisitive and open minded. For our student, Wash U was the right choice. No place is perfect, but their experience has been super! Best of luck to you!
Murphy Scholar at Northwestern University places you in a special category of student with respect to mentoring & research opportunities. Plus, Northwestern University is a very prestigious school.
Nevertheless, WashUStL is outstanding for pre-med, has great dorms & food, plus you love the environment.
How much do you want to grow during the next 4 years ? = An issue to consider.
Comfort at WashUStL or growth (and growing pains) at Northwestern.
Either way, both offer outstanding academics among a cadre of brilliant, motivated, high-achieving students.
@Parche Thank you for the response and the encouragements! I’m glad to hear that your student found WashU to be the right choice him. It certainly looks like I would have plenty of opportunities for research at WashU as well-- which makes the decision even more so agonizing.
@Publisher Thank you for the response! The special categorization from the Murphy Scholars that you mentioned is what really attracts me Northwestern the most, but the lack of information that I have on the program itself gives me some hesitations. I was hoping that I could perhaps find someone here who had more information on the program, so if you know any more details about it, please let me know:) I must also admit that I feel familial comfort at WashU probably because of the proximity, but as for the academics, don’t you think that the rigor of the bme program at WashU will provide equal, if not more, chance for growth as I will have at Northwestern?
I don’t know if the BME program at WashU is actually more rigorous. Just because WashU has a higher ranked medical school doesn’t necessarily mean it has a better BME program. BME is a multidisciplinary field and medical is only part of the equation. Northwestern has always been stronger in engineering in general and has one of the oldest BME programs in the country. WashU didn’t have BME until late 90s.
According to USN undergrad BME rankings, NU is ranked 12th and WashU is outside of 12th (not sure where it’s ranked since you need to subscribe to see the rest but I suspect it’s around 15th or so). GA Tech and MIT are ranked 1st and 3rd but I am not even sure if they have medical schools. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-biomedical
Many of the aspiring BME majors that I know ended up switching out of the major into something else - the course load for BME is very heavy and doesn’t leave room for much else. If you decide to switch into another engineering major, Northwestern has a stronger engineering program and many more choices than WashU.
Regardless of where you go, you will definitely grow! Even if you feel some comfort at Wash U (which I think is not necessarily a bad thing), you will definitely be challenged – and challenge yourself too!
The Northwestern co-op program sounds great and definitely worth checking out! Since our student is not in Wash U Engineering I can’t speak for them – but I do know that the University is making a significant investment in the Engineering programs – including building two new buildings and placing increased emphasis on collaboration between Schools (e.g., Fox School of Design and Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Olin Business). The University has also been a major player in the Cortex Innovation Community in the Central West End / Forest Park Southeast neighborhoods – where Barnes-Jewish (BJ) Hospital and the Medical School are. Our student worked in this neighborhood last summer and had a great experience – also home to great restaurants and the International Chess Hall of Fame to boot!
One small difference between Northwestern and Wash U is the proximity to the Medical School and Hospital. At Wash U, the BJ Hospital and Medical School are about 1.5 miles from the main (Danforth) campus – separated by Forest Park. The St. Louis Metrolink light rail connects the two. Our student lives off campus, right by the Metrolink station on Delmare. 10 minute walk to school, 10 minute light rail ride to the Medical School. Northwestern’s Evanston campus is about 13 miles from the Medical School in Chicago. I’m sure there are buses that connect them – and you can take the CTA Purple and Red lines there but it takes about an hour including walking. Not sure if your pursuits will require you spending time at both the main campus and the Medical school, but that is a small factor to consider.
You have some great opportunities! If you and your family can support it, I would recommend visiting both while school is in session – knowing you only have a few weeks until decision time. Walk around – can you visualize yourself there – living, studying, working, etc. Best of luck to you – whatever you choose will be the right choice!
Great opportunity at NU, but it is bloody cold there and the winters will be brutal. My brother went there and said he would have gone to another school if he knew it was going to be that cold. If you have tough enough skin though then go to NU.
Wow, thank you everyone so much for the input! I really appreciate the different perspectives that everyone mentioned about the two schools. I think I have a better sense of where I should go and will be finalizing my decision after my visit to Northwestern for the Wildcats Day:)