<p>So, I have to choose between WashU and UChicago. Both are great schools but I am having a hard choice picking which one I will be attending next fall.</p>
<p>I love the whole idea of UChicago: Their overall mission and quest for knowledge is compelling and there was just something about that scarf they sent that I loved. Oh and Chicago is an amazing city. However, I am nervous about the environment at UChicago; I have heard so much about it being a very cold place (when I called admissions the woman that answered the phone seemed very bothered by my question) where academia and nerds (I don't mean it in a bad way-- I just may not fit in that kind of environment) trump everything else. I wouldn't call myself a nerd... Its just that I love learning and am passionate about biology and becoming a doctor. </p>
<p>WashU, on the other hand, has amazing Premed and I heard its a very friendly place. The opportunities for premed studies are bountiful (seems like way more than at UChicago) but I am worried that the premed atmosphere at WashU because the program is so famous is very cut throat (I'm not sure about UChicago but it seems like a much more cooperative atmosphere).</p>
<p>On paper, UChicago is way more appealing. And just reading about the school makes me want to go there. But it seems deceptive and too good to be true. And UChicago seems like it is very hard to get a good GPA which is of course very important for getting into medical school. And this fact alone sorta makes me lean towards WashU.</p>
<p>So, what would you do? Thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>WashU Premed is not cut-throat. I suggest if you want more information, go to the subforum WUSTL 2014 and read some of the posts there. WashU actually is well known for being an elite premed school but retains a very friendly atmosphere among the students, notably among the premeds.</p>
<p>If you want to have premed, I think WashU is a better choice.</p>
<p>I too was admitted to Uchicago (though I can’t go there due to some stupid language issue) But from what I heard about the university from my friend’s friend is that the competition there is so fierce that some students even breakdown. It is indeed a place for “nerds” (not offensive way) So if you don’t really like this death-or-live atmosphere, UChicago is not the choice.</p>
<p>Both schools’ academia is undoubtedly awesome, so no need worry about that one.</p>
<p>BTW, when I was an exchange student in Chicago during winter, I hate the weather there.</p>
<p>All the above repliers so far and you are correct that WashU is a very friendly place. The premeds cooperate with each other/ share notes/ wake each other up from naps during study marathons. Please read the WUSTL 2014 subforum “WUSTL Premed Questions and Answers” as Can2010 advised.</p>
<p>One warning about WashU premed, though-- it is NOT easy. While the intro classes don’t intend on “weeding out” students, many students do choose other paths by the end of freshman or sophomore year. Of course, if you get a bad grade in an intro science class, it’s not over. My intro biology professor told us that one kid got a C in his class but eventually went on into Stanford Medical School. </p>
<p>The WashU curriculum is hard because professors write “think outside the box” exams. Furthermore, the basal level of science aptitude for the entering premeds is very high. The majority of students will have taken SATIIs in science and have scored well; most will have taken the AP sciences. Many premeds were top students in high school, as you probably were also. This means you have to deal with other people’s smarts and “beat the curve.” </p>
<p>However, WashU premeds don’t try to bring each other down. None of the “put acid in your organic chemistry experiment when you need a base” or " tell you wrong information for the exam" business. My premed friends all help each other, motivate each other.</p>
<p>So end point (wow another chemistry reference) is that WashU premed is hard, but WashU is a happy environment for premeds. It’s a work hard/ play hard/ dream big mentality. And if you do well, your hard work WILL be rewarded. If you’d like to know where some of my premed friends have been accepted, just PM me. There is a “washington university in st. louis vs. johns hopkins premed” thread somewhere/recent on the WashU forum. One poster wrote:</p>
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<p>Again, please read the “Washu Premeds Q&A” in the WUSTL 2014 subforum.</p>
<p>Also, on Facebook, you can join the “WashU Bear Buddies 2009-2010” (started by fellow CCer jemarcus). There are WashU students of all majors/extracurriculars in the group who would love to help you answer questions about WashU and WashU premed.</p>
<p>WashU and UChicago are completely different. An education gained at UChicago is second to none, all Ivies included.</p>
<p>With that said, the prestige of an Ivy and the feasibility of attendance comes to play. Ivies automatically gain the prestige factor, as the average person on the street doesn’t know about UChicago. For those that know what they’re looking for, you’re on even footing. </p>
<p>You indicate that you are concerned about your GPA. Well, UChicago is very, very hard to get a 4.0 in, and UChicago is the place “where fun goes to die.” UChicago is also much more cutthroat than WashU, being a very highly respected school. As stated before, stress can get to some people there. Combine the two, and you don’t have a very fun atmosphere. If you’re a capable of solving any problem thrown at you, then these two factors won’t affect you. WashU undergraduates are remarkably laid back, since you’d think WashU would be more cutthroat due to its US News and World Report rank. I mention a specific source here, because WashU’s rank fluctuates from 8-73 on the sources I have, whereas UChicago stays from 4-12.</p>
<p>If you’re in it for the education, UChicago all the way. As a warning, Chicago winters are much colder than St. Louis winters. If you’re in more for a balance, then choose WashU. UChicago is far from being “perfect;” it is an excellent academic institution, and will teach you how to think, at the potential cost of your sanity and possibly incur perpetual mood swings.</p>
<p>If financial assistance is a concern, then neither school is better than the other. Both are notorious for being stingy about money.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post. I usually don’t pull tl;dr posts.</p>
<p>If you are strongly conisdering medicne, then , WUSTL by a mile over U of C. U of C however will give you a superb education, as I have surmised from my encounters with its alum and students here on CC. Very intelligent writers/posters.</p>
<p>However, U of C still has grade deflation, and seems unapologetic about it…this will NOT help you in your quest for medical school. There are some notorious chem and math courses that most students don’t even get Bs, from what I’m told, by alum. </p>
<p>However, Wash U is very similar to my alma mater, JHU, in premed, as well as medicine. A famous medical tome, known as “the Washington Manual” is written by Wash U faculty, many of whom went to Hopkins Med, check out the Intro page. The two schools “share” each others’ faculty. Barnes hospital ( WUSTL) is almost a carbon copy of Hopkins hospital. I’m sure premed there is still tough, but I imagine WUSTL takes an active hand in your med school success, like JHU. U of C has much less of an emphasis on premed. That’s perhaps for the better, looking at the health care reform bill…but that’s another story…</p>
<p>and, does anyone know what the WUSTL acceptance rate for class of 2014 is? I can’t seem to google it.</p>
<p>Official Admissions Statistics from 2008-2009</p>
<p>Applied:22,005</p>
<p>Accepted:4,775 (21.7%)</p>
<p>Rejected:17,230</p>
<p>So i’m guessing for 2009-2010, since the admission letter said there were more than 25,000 applicants and I’m guessing the accepted number won’t change much, it will be approximately 19%.</p>
<p>Go to WashU — you won’t regret it. Chicago is an amazing city, so make friends with your fellow WashU students who are from there and make a few road trips to soak it in. Then come back to STL for a top-notch, stimulating, but still fun and “normal” college experience.</p>