Wash U vs Northwestern vs Johns Hopkins BME vs Wake Forest vs Trinity (Texas)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Alright guys... first post!</p>

<p>So, I would like to pursue premed. I know zenith602 will probably show up and rave about Wash U (which is currently my first choice), but I am concerned about the academic rigor of Wash U.
I've heard some horror stories of how much work and stress will be added to your life once you decide to undergo Wash U's premed program. I fear that I won't be able to get a competitive GPA if I do premed at Wash U.</p>

<p>Northwestern, on the other hand, I'm a little more comfortable about. My sister did premed there and had very good grades (I don't know what GPA she graduated with but I do know that she was always on the dean's list). Call me bigheaded, but I have always regarded myself a bit smarter and more capable than my sisterÂ… so I feel that if she can do well at Northwestern, so can I.
So, I guess what IÂ’m wondering is: how much more difficult is the premed at Wash U than the premed at Northwestern?</p>

<p>I also got accepted into Johns HopkinsÂ’ BME program. IÂ’ve always been split between being a BME and being a doctor. So, I thought I could do BME at Johns Hopkins and decide that, if that profession wasnÂ’t for me, I could apply to medical school and become a doctor.
The problem isÂ… IÂ’ve heard that the BME program at Johns Hopkins is EXTREMELY difficult. I fear that if I go into JHÂ’s BME, I wonÂ’t get the competitive grades I need for getting into medical school.</p>

<p>Next up is Wake Forest. I don’t know much in the ways of their premed program’s reputation… I have yet to research Wake Forest. However, I’ve heard that their Greek life is overpowering, and I’m not really into the whole “Greek scene.” If someone could inform me more about Wake, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>

<p>Last is Trinity (Texas). I know that I can do very well at Trinity, but the issue I have is: if I got accepted into schools like Wash U, Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern, do I really want to pass up the opportunity to go to such fantastic schools? Is Trinity even remotely regarded as prestigious as these other schools?</p>

<p>Some input from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>

<p>Oh... and I almost forgot... How are the girls at all these schools? (Yes, this is a serious question. Be honest. =P)</p>

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<p>WASHU~ best for premed</p>

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<p>Haha… So I’ve heard… But I’m concerned about the rigor of the program.</p>

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<p>Wake University in St. Louis (Trinity). </p>

<p>Seriously, though. Wake girls are pretty hot. Not sure about the girls at the other schools you have listed. I’d imagine they’re hot in Texas as well.</p>

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<p>bump.</p>

<p>Yeah… I’m more worried about Wash U girls. I’ve heard some bad things.</p>

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<p>bump10char?yes.
… well… now it’s much more than 10 characters.</p>

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<p>visit all these schools if possible and then decide.</p>

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<p>Both Wash U and Northwestern are tied at #12 on USNWR, and both have FABULOUS pre-med programs. NU offers more of the “whole pkg” IMO. You’ve got a Big 10 school where you can have fun at huge sporting events (unlike D3 at WUSL). You have an active Greek community (although you said this wasn’t a consideration you might want to keep your options open in the event you change your mind). You have easy access to the 3rd biggest city in America. You have a hilly, campus with breathtaking views overlooking Lake MI (Yes, the cold temps can LITERALLY be breathtaking, but Wash U’s campus is very flat with very few trees.) And, I thought the girls at NU were more attractive. (I may be a bit biased though because I have a feeling my D might wind up attending:) Trinity has a lot to offer for its small size, but it is very, very small. Even with a HUGE scholarship, it wasn’t enough to sway my D. You’ve got great choices. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.</p>

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<p>I’d agree 100% that you should visit (and try to stay overnight at) each of these schools. As a Hopkins BME alum, I’m obviously slightly biased towards Hopkins, but the school’s you’re considering are all great schools, and frankly, if you do well in undergrad, you won’t have a problem getting into a good med school from any of them. I really don’t have anything bad to say about any of the schools but I’ll put in my 2 cents about Hopkins BME. The program is by no means easy, but the people who join and stick with it really love what we’re learning. We have a class of ~100 each year that’s very closely knit - teamwork is vital for succeeding in the BME courses. If you’re not really interested in engineering (you didn’t mention what you would major in elsewhere), then the BME program is not for you as the coursework is definitely very math and engineering heavy. That said, if you really do have an interest in the mixing medicine and engineering, then the program is awesome. They get you involved in actual BME design work as a freshman (while all engineering programs have a senior design requirement, Hopkins also has a freshmen design program) to expose you to what BME really is, and it’s really easy to get involved in research on campus. After graduating from the program, about a third of students go on to medical school and end up going to really good schools (Harvard, Hopkins, Duke (go Blue Devils!), etc). Another third go to grad school and the rest get jobs in industry.</p>

<p>Best of luck with your decision! Again, try to visit the schools if you can!</p>

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<p>Thanks for your responses!</p>

<p>@jc40, Trinity gave me a scholarship as well (14k a year), but I won’t let money influence my choice.</p>

<p>I guess it all depends on where I’ll fit in… I actually know quite a few people at Northwestern and I like the little college town near the campus, but I’m really afraid of the weather. =P</p>

<p>I have visited all those schools except for Wash U.</p>

<p>I’ll do more research. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Well, my DS3 will be going to WashU and my DS2 is currently at NU. What can I say? Both excellent schools. Pre-med is challenging wherever you go. I heard NU had a few “killer” classes and frats are a big thing there. JHU, another excellent school, is much much too competitive to be fun. Go there for grad school / med school.</p>

<p>If you want to just focus on gpa, go to Trinity. If you just want the hot girls and frat parties, go to Wake Forest. But if you want a top pre-med education, go to WashU or NU.</p>

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<p>I heard that Wustl has AWESOME dorms, if that means anything to you.</p>

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<p>Northwestern has the same prestige as WashU plus Big Ten sports. Easy choice.</p>

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<p>My daughter has to make her decision in less than a month on where she wants to go and is leaning towards Northwestern. She too is looking pre-med. We visited Wash U and although it was a beautiful campus, she did not like it (thouht it was too small and would get boxed in). she also thought everybody looked nerdy if that means anything. Other schools she applied and accepted to was St Louis Univ into their medical scholars program, Penn State and Univ of Florida - all good pre-med schools. She loved UFs campus and we’re visiting Penn State this coming weekend and another visit to Northwestern the following weekend. Once again, she is leaning towards Northwestern. BTW, she also was accepted at Univ of Illinois but she dropped them with no interest after she visited the campus.</p>

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<p>A big wow and congratulations for JHU BME. Some Yale, Harvard, Stanford friends of mine are BME rejectees, if that says anything about the prestige.</p>

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<p>I’m from NC. Oh boy, I can tell you about Wake Forest haha. It’s for preppy rich white Southern kids. Not the best undergraduate experience. </p>

<p>I’m going to Northwestern, so I might be biased and say that you should come here :smiley: But WashU might have a better pre-med program, i’m not sure? And you do have the right to worry about WashU girls because they are very nerdy. </p>

<p>i think limabeans hit the right spot. i don’t think frats are too big at NU, but they definitely are in Wake Forest. Don’t go to JHU because it is extremely competitive and it will be hard to get a very high GPA, which you need for med school.</p>

<p>Hope to see you at NU, haha! good luck :)</p>

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<p>I think WashU and NU are peers; I wouldn’t decide between them on the basis of academics. Wash U has somewhat better weather; NU (IMHO) a much better location and more going on on campus.</p>

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<p>

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<p>The majority of the many, many kids I know at NU are preppy rich white Northern kids, so what does that say?</p>

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<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but whoever is telling you that JHU is too competitive to be fun is off his/her rocker.</p>

<p>These are all fine schools. If you for sure want to go into BME, the obvious and only choice would be Johns Hopkins University. If you are hesitant, and or unsure, then your options vary a bit, but in the end, I would still suggest JHU considering #1: you got into the most highly-esteemed BME program in the World, #2: you have the option of switching into another one of JHU’s other many fine majors if you were to decide BME is not for you, and #3: JHU is an awesome school where a lot goes on.</p>

<p>People on CC like to talk badly about JHU a lot, but the truth is that 90% of them have never been there and experienced it for themselves. I love JHU. I’m a student there right now. You literally have everything you could want on the campus. Wilderness, beautiful buildings, fun people, sports, etc.</p>

<p>Of course, I’m sure the other schools have this too, but JHU affords you all this, and a phenomenal program like BME.</p>

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<p>Thanks fellas! What I would really like to do is talk to some BME students at JHU.
=/
If any are out there, leave some input! =)</p>