<p>got off the waitlist accepted into biomedical engineering</p>
<p>if i dont attend wash u i would be going to wesleyan</p>
<p>this is a really hard decision for me because i want to do premed and biomedical engineering.
wash u has it and if i go to wesleyan i will do their 3-2 program where i will in 3(or 4) years get a BA in bio or neuroscience from wesleyan and get BS in 2 years from columbia (fu) or caltech so the 2 are equal in that aspect</p>
<p>in the research aspect wash u 100% has more cutting edge research as its a national university; however high level research at wesleyan is done and there is more accessibility to undergrads since theres ~200 grad students as opposed to 6500 grad students as wash u.</p>
<p>does anybody have info that can help me make my decision ASAP</p>
<p>based on what you’re saying, i think you want to be here:</p>
<p>yes we have cutting edge research, and undergraduates absolutely have access to it and can get involved. not only do we have a thriving BME department with lots of research opportunity, but we have a top-ranked med school where many (most?) pre-med students do research. it’s accessible by a 7-min metro (washu students have free access to all STL public transportation) ride. </p>
<p>the 3-2 program also seems really difficult, both socially and academically. after 3 years, you’ll be leaving your friends at wesleyan, who will be about to embark on their senior year, and instead you’ll transfer to a completely new city and college (and potentially switch coasts!). besides that, you’ll be playing the catch-up game academically, because you will be cramming a 4-year curriculum into 2 years.</p>
<p>Good luck making your decision!</p>
<p>well the 3-2 program for columbia is guranteed upon meeting certain requirements and you wont be cramming 4 years into 2; you take the required engineering pre-req courses at wesleyan and go to the engineering school for the hardcore engineering courses; and ironically, going to columbia may save me money because i live in a suburb of NYC and i can commute with ease</p>
<p>in respect to the research part do you know how mnay undergrades (underclassmen too) get involved?
at wesleyan the involvement rate is about 98% for those wanting to be involved in research (according to students)</p>
<p>Regarding the 3-2: A TON of people who enter this decide not to do it.</p>
<p>… and I know a dual degree (3-2) who came to WashU this year. He’s already made up his mind and is not doing engineering. So he’s getting a second bachelors in math. Kind of defeats the purpose.</p>
<p>If you want to do engineering, 3-2’s are not the best way to go.</p>
<p>Regarding research, I’ve NEVER once heard of a student here who wanted to do research but wasn’t allowed. I don’t do research (but have during the summer), simply because I have 0 desire to do so.</p>
<p>while you will have fulfilled your intro science courses and humanities credits by the time you get to columbia or caltech, those classes usually only account for 1/8 to 1/4 of your engineering degree credits. so by cramming, i mean that you’ll be condensing all the hardest classes that a typical engineering school student would have to take in 3 or 4 years into 2 years. so while those students may be taking about 2-4 required engineering classes per semester, along with some electives, you’ll be taking 4-5 every semester. I just want to warn you that will be very intense, and especially challenging GPA-wise.</p>
<p>Very few students actually end up doing 3-2 programs, compared to the number of people who are initially interested in them. If you really want to do engineering, you are better off with a 4-yr engineering program.</p>
<p>well the true reason why i would like to do engineering is because BME in my eyes is the future of medicine- every new thing that is used goes through BME
additionally its a backup plan in the worst case scenario which is i dont get into any med. schools, i can still find a solid job with a BME degree as opposed to a pure biology degree</p>
<p>either way its going to come down to my financial aid award; if its the same as the award given to me by wesleyan id rather not change; even if i do have to go to school for 5-6 years ill be getting 2 degress which may help me in the long run</p>
<p>thanks for everybodys input</p>
<p>BME premed with pretty much the exact same plan as you (except already here at Wustl). I agree with your assessment: go where your financial aid is best (it’s what I did 
). Though simultaneously, all things being equal (assuming you get good enough aid here), you’re better off here(not to say that Wesley is a bad choice). As has been mentioned, we have craploads of research (though more so at the med school than engineering), and our engineering is better distributed than a 3-2 (engineering in 4 years is honestly rather cramped… a 3-2 doesn’t sound particularly good to me). Be sure to try and negotiate if they make you a worse offer. You never know, you might get a better one.</p>
<p>On a side note, what’s the issue with grad students? Ie. no one has denied me because of preference for a grad student, so much as due to knowledge/skill requirements (ie. Moran won’t accept anyone without a certain level of ee/bme knowledge, whether grad student or otherwise/Rohit won’t accept anyone who can’t hard core code). Different labs have different needs, but no one will deny you just because you’re an undergraduate.</p>
<p>well im my opinion, with 6500 grad students, chances are the TOP research spots like those who get the chance to get published will often fall to the grad students as opposed to the undergraduates, while you may not be denied research you may get short changed in a sense. </p>
<p>now at wesleyan (prob the top 3 LAC in terms of science research) theres about 200 grad students dispersed in all the PhD. programs so the bulk of the research will fall onto the undergrads to fill. meaning possibly more opportunities (relatively speaking given the size of the school)</p>
<p>either way im highly considering just sticking with wes, this is a textbook example of “the grass is always greener on the other side.” no matter where i go im always going to think “ohh i shoulda gone there because _____ is better”; impossible to make the “perfect” college decision nowadays with all these intangibles involved</p>
<p>^Or you can just be happy with where you go, and not obsess about where you aren’t…I mean really, it’s time to grow up.</p>
<p>is there a problem in trying to get the most out of the 50,000 per year i have to pay for a college education?</p>
<p>im not obesssing about “where im not”, im trying to make the most prudent decision</p>
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<p>I just don’t think access to research will be the primary thing you look back on after graduation. If you really want to do research, you should get the opportunity at both schools. I feel like there are many other factors that would make a particular school a better fit.</p>
<p>Just as an anecdote, I met with my department chair last week, whose lab I will begin working in next semester. We were talking about his research and he was asking me some hard-hitting questions (it was fun, actually!) and suddenly surprises me with the question “What do you want to get out of research?”. I tentatively answered “I want to grow as a person? Learn more about how research works?”. He responds “Sure, that’s great; But you want to get published.”</p>
<p>But hey, it seems like you’ve already decided on Wesleyan, which will be a great experience too! Good luck!</p>
<p>If you go to Wesley great, if you go to WUSTL great (ie. I’m not trying to disuade you). But to bluntly reiterate (for those who may be reading this thread who are undecided/want info) your opinion is wrong. Having a bunch of grad students does not really hurt an undergrad in terms of getting research. It may even help (ie. PI’s don’t always have the time, with teaching/grant writing/researching etc. to oversee all of their undergrads. If you haven’t done research yet, you’re not yet ready to “strike off on your own.” You need someone experienced to oversee your research, particularly in advanced fields. Often times, students new to researching get paired up with post docs/grad students. IE. if there were less grad students, there would probably be LESS research opportunity). It’s very much a meritocracy (ie. you have the skills/experience needed or not). No one will deny you saying “You’re not a grad student, I can’t take you.” They say, “I need people who know [blank]. Once you learn [blank] I’ll take you” (unless they accept you of course).</p>