<p>I am really interested in pre med and engineering (compsci, biomedical, or mechanical). I have heard great things about WashU and Davidson, but have to pay full price for both. I haven't visited Case Western yet, but the scholarship is pretty attractive. I have heard the pre med program is really strong at Davidson, but it doesn't have any engineering programs except for a dual degree program with WashU or Columbia. At WashU, on the other hand, I can pursue both pre med and engineering, but I have heard that pre med is pretty hard at WashU. I am pretty confused at this point.</p>
<p>It depends on your family. Can they pay WashU AND medical school comfortably? That’s about HALF OF A MILLION price tag. Well, maybe not, just $400,000 in total and, if this were a loan, you would have to pay back $2,607 a month for 30 long years! Even for a physician, that’s no small feast. I’d choose the lowest cost option for undergrad. It doesn’t matter where you do pre-med.</p>
<p>Definitely depends on how much you will self-finance and how much your parents are comfortable paying. If they truly want you to choose the college that’s the best fit for you and are willing to pay full freight, then by all means do so accordingly. It’s really hard to give more specific advice than that, because finances are so variable and individual to each person/family. I wouldn’t consider medical/graduate school costs this far in advance, as ANYTHING can change between now and then, and I’m inferring from your post that your parents probably(?) will be taking care of your undergrad education for you. </p>
<p>No one on these boards or in person will tell you that Wash U is a bad place to study pre-med or Engineering. In fact, it’s one of the best places you can so choose. Don’t know much about Case but I’ve “heard” (whatever that even means) that they also have solid science programs. Sure, Wash U’s pre-med program is difficult, but 1) it’s not going to be a cake walk anywhere (even at Case); 2) it’ll prepare you really well for medical school (those former pre-meds I know in medical school now seem to be having an easier time than most); 3) you’re not going to a good school with a “strong” pre-med program so you can take easy courses. </p>
<p>I don’t know anything about the dual-degree programs you speak of, but it seems from your post that you spend a couple years at Davidson and then transfer to Wash U or another school? I would highly discourage that. If you got into Wash U, just come now. Don’t go somewhere initially, then abandon your friend group at Davidson, just to start all over for two more years at a new college in a new city when you could have been here for 4 years anyway. Seems like a giant headache to me.</p>
<p>If you are interested in engineering, I think the decision is really between Wash U and Case. The 3/2 LAC/engineering programs are not the ideal way to study engineering, and very few students end up following through and transferring to the engineering school.</p>
<p>Wash U vs. Case at about half the cost? Only you and your family can answer that. You should consider the schools beyond just the academics. Wash U rates very high on quality of life type measures (e.g. by Princeton Review), while Case rates very low.</p>
<p>If your family can afford it, pick whichever you like more. I received the same offer (25K/yr at CWRU) versus full tuition at WashU and picked the latter – mostly because my family <em>could</em> afford it and WashU was a better fit.</p>