Hey guys, I’m a junior and i was wondering if i could get input on these schools. I need to decide a top 3 from these because my dad said we can only go visit 3 of these schools. I want to have a top 3 that i can eliminate to a #1 that i can potentially ED to. I’m leaning on applying to Stanford EA but i feel like i have a better shot at these schools applying ED. I will be applying to all these schools regardless i just need find an ED school that i truly love and know where i will be happiest at. So which school will prepare me for Med School and the MCAT the most? Which school is easiest to get at least a 3.7 at? School with most grade inflation? Which one gives lots of research opportunities? Which one will help me get into a top 25 medical school? I’m undecided on my major but i like HUM BIO at Stanford but i’m not 100% sure yet on the other schools, maybe Biology. At which school will be able to have the true college experience with the rigors of pre med? At which school can i party, go to sporting events, and attend other social and school functions in my free time? I don’t want to join a frat but i still wanna be able to party once a week. Will i be able to have free time on the weekends at these schools? Which school is the most collaborative because i HATE competition between students. My plan in college is to “work hard, play hard” as you can tell lol. Thanks to all those that give me input because i will have to decide my top 3 by the end of April so i can make those college visits and decide my favorite school. i will be posting this on other forums
My top 3 would be Duke, Rice and WUSTL (in that order). Don’t worry about things like grade inflation. Most schools practice it. Just put in the work. Also, if you’re serious about being admitted to a top med school, there is going to by more “work” and less “play” regardless of which college you attend. That is something you’re going to have to accept.
Any of these 4 schools would give you what you want in terms of education, environment, and preparation for medical school. You should focus more on where you feel most comfortable and which one seems to fit you best. I’d push your dad to visit all 5, but if I personally had to pick 3 I’d visit Duke, Rice and Vanderbilt. WashU and Northwestern have BA/MD programs, so that’s also something to consider.
Be careful about applying ED if you are not sure that you would be 100% happy with your choice.
The differences in preparing you for med school, research opportunities, and the like are all negligible among your list. They’re all very strong and honestly people overstate small differences. All five also have pretty strong social scenes where you can party if you’d like. Duke is very collaborative and the student body is not cut-throat or competitive, but I think that’s the case at all the schools on your list too. I’d choose where you think you’d be happiest as that will have a larger impact on your ability to do well.
The only criteria you list were there ARE differences are your desire to “go to sporting events.” Not going to do that at WashU or Rice really (unless you really like baseball, but I don’t think the student body cares by and large at Rice). Vanderbilt, as part of the SEC, has a decent tailgate, but I don’t think students care THAT much about the team, but at least it’s part of the culture. Northwestern probably is the least “hardcore” from a fandom perspective of the Vandy/Duke/Northwestern trio, but at least there are options to attend sporting events (I just went to a Northwestern basketball game myself), but I don’t think it adds much to the unity of the student body as it does at Duke. The other nuance with Northwestern is their quarter system, which makes for more mid-terms/final exams, which I found people stressing out about a lot and also their weird calendar so they don’t get out until June (whereas Duke gets out end of April giving students a leg up in finding summer internships – I worked under a Northwestern Medical School professor over a summer for SIX WEEKS before a Northwestern student joined me). Weather is another factor you might want to consider; I didn’t think it was a big deal (coming from Chicago), but the ability to do outdoor activities for almost the entire school year does add to the college experience. I long for those days again…
Overall, all really solid schools that have a good academic/social balance and will prepare you well for medical school. It’s really personal preference – I like Duke the most, but I’m biased. 
Good luck!
@bluedog just one correction - Vanderbilt is crazy about its sports haha, even if the football team isn’t so great
Right, I was saying the sports ATMOSPHERE at Vanderbilt is good, but the team is not overly appealing to the student body. 
It’s more experiencing the “event” and SEC football is definitely an experience. I think Duke students care more about how well the Duke basketball team does, but certainly if sports culture is something you’re looking for, Vanderbilt is a solid choice (as is Duke). As I said, Vanderbilt and Duke are the most dedicated from “fandom perspective of the Vandy/Duke/Northwestern trio” IMO. Although there are plenty of people that don’t care about sports either so it’s not a requirement to have a good experience at these schools to be into sports.
@bluedog Do you attend Duke? Because i would love to pm u and get some more information