Can’t you just make the switch in the portal?
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Hate to break it to you, but switching from ED2 to RD is essentially going to kill your application. During my freshman admissions cycle, I was considering applying ED2 somewhere and asked my college counselor (this was at a “HADES” boarding school, or whatever the acronym is now) what would happen if I decided to switch to RD later, and he said that anyone he has seen do that got rejected.
Especially at WashU, they want to admit kids who are likely to attend. Whether or not your personal reasons are valid is a moot point–you’re telling them you’re aren’t one of these people they are looking for. You can tell them all you want that they are your first choice, but nothing puts your money where your mouth is like applying ED.
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I would also pick GT over WashU for BME in a heartbeat.
Change your application to RD and if they reject you, so be it. You already have stronger acceptances.
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I second this. Where else has a better BME undergrad program than GT?? MIT, Duke, JHU, and maybe Cal?
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6 posts were split to a new thread: Chances at Washington U St. Louis?
No, there isn’t an option (from what I can see)
Yup, I realise this. The only thing left to do is to weigh the options carefully. I’m meeting with my counsellors tomorrow to talk things over so by then hopefully I’ll have a lot more insight and a reasonable decision
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For biomedical engineering, yes, CWRU is the better choice. Considering that your counselors think that WasU is better than GTech in an engineering field, makes me doubt their understanding of universities here in the USA.
I’m sure that the counselors are very helpful. However, the USA has so many colleges, and they work so differently than colleges elsewhere, that it is really not very easy for people who specialize in European and Indian Universities to “get” how things work here.
Overall, the list that they gave you for the USA looks like they simply chose a few of the highest ranked colleges which have a biomedical engineering program. As you correctly stated, the differences between them are pretty serious, and I cannot see that much effort was put into determining fit.
The fact they wanted you to apply to WashU ED2, to increase your chances to be accepted, makes it look as though their strategy was to get you into the highest ranking school possible. That looks good on their brochures, but is not to your best interest.
I am sorry to say, but the fact that they pushed you to apply ED2 to WashU after you were accepted to GTech really tells me that they care about the rankings of the college to which you are accepted more than whether it is the best college for your chosen major. They are, essentially, putting you in a situation in which you are not choosing between WashU and GTech, but are being forced to choose WashU.
Alternatively, they have no idea that ED2 is binding, in which case, I would say that their lack of familiarity with the applications system in the USA means that their recommendations should be taken with a pound or two of salt.
I mean, by what standards would you compare biomedical engineering at WashU and CWRU?
Those and perhaps (maybe, possibly) Rice, Berkeley, and Northwestern. Though that would be arguable. I would be hard put to recommend GTech to somebody who wanted to choose one of those instead.
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On the contrary we’re having a meeting today to discuss it; they encouraged me to apply ED2 to WashU after my ED to Duke didn’t work out and before I got into GTech. They have also talked to me and my parents at length and figured out what colleges will be able to give me what I want from a college experience other than ranking. I don’t think I’m being forced to choose anything but I would like to hear both sides first.
I actually personally added a couple colleges to the list (Harvard and Northwestern - only since I had already made it to a few) and they listened to our suggestions wile composing it. They’re already a well-reputed agency who had been helping students here with international admissions here for a few decades I think, so I don’t think it rankings heavily influenced their suggestions.
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I think in this instance, your agency is not guiding you in the right direction, IMO. Good luck
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In which part of the situation would you say that? (Noting that they are leaving the ED choice up to me)
Happy to hear that. I still advise you to change your ED2 to RD, and go with GTech or one of the schools that offering you money. Northwestern may be a good choice too if you are accepted, since there are so many other places close by where you could look for research and internship opportunities, including a bunch of medical schools, and it is couple of hours to both U Wisconsin and UIUC (Chicago is a pretty cool city, as well).
Regarding CWRU, they have a very large BME department, which has a pretty good reputation over all. They are also offering you what, $20K a year? That’s a good amount of money that you won’t have to shell out for tuition.
Union is an amazing LAC, but anything related to engineering is not going to be as good at a LAC, the exception being Harvey Mudd.
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Just finished the meeting with counsellors. They seem to favour sticking with the ED2 to WUSTL. The points raised encompass:
- Smaller class sizes, more personalised education
- Much less competition for research, access to professors
- WashU is definitely one of the top colleges to be at
- Their students who have gone to WashU have had fantastic jobs straight after graduating
(1 and 2) vs Gtech
They did acknowledge GTech has advantages, like the city, engineering rank, etc. (as with Purdue).
Overall they seemed to be talking from their experience with students at WashU, which they seemed to have had a lot of. Something that definitely struck a note with me was their point about the experience itself. I certainly don’t mind a bit of competition, but I’d rather it wasn’t the toughest thing in the world to get good research opportunities and easy access to profs. In their opinion, WashU definitely is the best college for that.
However, I am all but convinced. Most of the points raised here seem accurate and well-intended but have been made with a more generic approach and less consideration of personal factors. I wonder if the counsellors have a point (especially since they deal exclusively with students from Bombay aiming to study in the US and have great experience as well).
They did maintain if I intend to switch to RD I need to do it ASAP, and that WUSTL would never “penalise” me for switching to RD, but it would certainly be a more competitive pool. They acknowledged again, that the situation can be quite an emotional one and so it’s tough to choose. But even objectively it seems tough.
As it is, I am torn between keeping my options open and going ahead with washu (especially considering the counsellors’ expertise while recommending this), and as are my parents.
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It’s a tough spot to be in, but — despite what others here have asserted — it sounds to me that you are getting helpful and informed advice from your counselors.
WashU is known for an excellent student experience, with a campus and dorms that are ranked among the best each year. The students I know who attend love it.
If you decide to switch to RD, the worst case scenario is that you end up at Georgia Tech, which is also an very good program. It’s a great back up, particularly if your desire to test the waters in RD is greater than your desire to attend WashU.
From your various posts, you seem like such a thoughtful kid who is able to process input from a lot of different sources well. I haven’t seen you get defensive, and you continuously have a realistic perspective on where you might rank in an applicant pool. Your insights have been more mature and informed than many of the adults who have responded.
Regardless of what you choose or where you go, you seem to have the intelligence and attitude to succeed and be happy. Take some pressure off of yourself in making this decision. You already have one great choice…any other choices will be icing on the cake.
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I may have missed it, but what’s your end goal? Do you have premed intentions or plan to work in engineering?
Thank you so much. Your post made me smile. 
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In all likelihood, engineering. Like most kids my age, the end goal is sorta blurry and I can’t say with confidence I know what I want to do. But throughout the application process I’ve visualised work with regards to a sector in BME.
Do a deeper dive on industry ties and international student placement for internships. Those experiences are critically important for finding jobs post grad. GT has one of the best programs in the country.
IMO you shouldn’t limit your choices by using ED 2.
Noted. I would rather not limit my choices either, if it came to it. From what my counsellors have to say, however, WashU is in a fantastic position when it comes to jobs after graduation and may be worth limiting my choices.
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If you graduate from WUSTL or GT your employment options will be very good. In fact, you should be very employable from every school on your list. I would think JHU and CWRU would also be great options for BME.
What are the admission odds for ED2? You still could end-up at GT by default which isn’t a bad thing.
Assuming you can afford all the options what is the best fit? The cost difference between WUSTL and GT is probably the personalized touch you would get at WUSTL. GT has good advising and research opportunities but you have to seek it out. The school’s engineering reputation speaks for itself.
Also, the accommodations and food at GT are mediocre at best. The saying is “you don’t go to GT for the accommodations”. It’s true. You can live off-campus and do much better but it’s expensive. Is that important?
S20 is at GT for ISyE. It’s tough but it’s been a good fit for him. The stress is there, especially for CS or engineering but the opportunities are outstanding and hard to pass up.
Good luck
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