<p>I narrowed my choices to these two schools a while ago, and I have been unable to decide ever since. I've exhausted every resource I have (talking to profs, comparing cost of living, strength of the program, etc.), so I want to get a few more opinions. Any insights?</p>
<p>Research fit, # of labs of interest, attrition rate, where do the PhD students from those labs end up working, quality/quantity of pubs in those labs, social life (city wise and among grad students)…</p>
<p>I know a decent amount about both of these institutions, and they are both among the best in the biomedical sciences. I don’t know if this is still the case, but in the past, faculty at WashU have prided themselves on giving grad students a hard time. I suppose this would come into play in high prelim failure rates, high attrition rates and general unhappiness among the grad students who don’t buy into the system. Did you notice any of these things at WashU, if you did, maybe you could send out some emails to grad students there and ask specifically what they think about this.</p>
<p>The most significant difference I would imagine between these two places is related to the environment. St Louis is a midwestern city, geographically isolated and divided. Philadelphia is an East coast city, riddled with crime, poverty and traffic. Surely they also have their good points.</p>
<p>UPenn. Why? 'coz… it’s great and look at this
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/679467-vote-who-best-best-universites-us-your-mind.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/679467-vote-who-best-best-universites-us-your-mind.html</a></p>
<p>You should choose based on research interests and fit. And not on reputation perceived by others, as the other poster suggests.</p>
<p>Don’t think about prestige only when you are accepted in HYPS…like other poster who is already in a university with great reputation…</p>