USC vs. UW BME?

<p>Hello everyone!
I've been accepted to USC and the Bioengineering department with the Presidential Scholarship and a Merit Research award. I have also been accepted into the UW BME program via direct admission. </p>

<p>After many hours of thinking, I still don't know where I want to go. USC is absolutely amazing, and I instantly fell in love during the Explore program. The weather is awesome, the students were all very welcoming and I was very impressed with the research going on in the BME labs. </p>

<p>On the other hand, the UW BME program is ranked 6th in the nation and has a maximum capacity of around 150 kids, so an offer of direct admission is definitely worth considering. All students in the program are heavily involved in research and a large percentage receive fellowships/scholarships for PhD work after graduating. And even after the scholarship from USC, the UW is still a good $10,000 cheaper.</p>

<p>My heart says USC but my brain says UW. Is the smaller cost and superior BME program worth turning down my dream school? </p>

<p>Help me out here! Thanks in advance for your advice.</p>

<p>I would go with UW because it’s cheaper to live in Washington as well. Also, why would you turn down a program that’s ranked 6TH in the nation? :p</p>

<p>This post is from April. Decision Day was May 1, 2012. I am assuming the poster has made a choice by this time.</p>