WashU vs. Duke vs. Penn vs. NW vs. Rice vs. UChicago

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>Hey, please help me decide which seems like the best fit for me. I know that I should visit these schools, but the truth is that I can't visit * all * of these schools. Anyways, please tell me which seems like the best fit for me and why. Also, if any of these schools seems completely wrong for me, please let me know as well. Here is what I'm looking for:</p>

<p>** Strong Pre-Medical Program: ** great advising programs that can show me places for internships, research, etc.; great science classes/teachers that can really prepare me well for the MCAT's</p>

<p>** Competitive, but Not * Too * Competitive: ** i would definitely like to have super bright people around me that can push me to my best, but i don't want people to be cutthroat; somewhat laid-back atmosphere where people help each other out; i don't want grade inflation necessarily, but i don't want a school where there is tons of grade * deflation *</p>

<p>** Nice Surrounding City: ** i know that i won't leave campus every single weekend and go out, but i want the possibility to go out to a great city... it doesn't have to be a * big * city, but i want to be surrounded with numerous opportunities to experience things like sports, great restaurants, and maybe even a museum or a broadway show every once in a while</p>

<p>** Pretty Good Social Life: ** i'll be honest... i'm not the biggest party man. however, i really like hanging out with friends, but i don't want to have to go to hardcore parties every weekend in order to have fun. i'd like to have social places where i can simply relax and chill with friends</p>

2

<p>I only know WashU, NW and UChicago well out of those schools. I would say WashU and Northwestern fit the criteria, while UChicago only meets number one and not even as well as WashU does. UChicago is in a terrible part of the city, and the atmosphere there is more academic than pre-professional.</p>

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<p>I’d say Wash U and Duke fit your preferences very well.</p>

4

<p>I’d say WashU over Duke because of the city aspect.</p>

<p>Mind you, my final choice came down to WashU and Duke. Once I had visited both, it was very clear which one I liked better.</p>

5

<p>just an interesting question… you guys think Durham is better than Chicago? my sister goes to duke, and ive applied, and i will admit durham really isnt the best city… Chicago is way nicer… id still go with wash u, duke, nw, and rice based on those four points. Youll find upenn and uchicago a little lmore cut-throat</p>

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<p>Um…Durham shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence as Chicago.</p>

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<p>Downtown Raleigh has great shops and restaurants, although I’m not entirely sure what the means of transportation are from Durham to Raleigh.</p>

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<p>plus look what hes looing for, food, entertainment (shows), sports… thats chicago…</p>

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<p>Penn can be uber competitive. From what I hear, the Wharton atmosphere is contagious.</p>

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<p>I think Rice and Wash U would be the best fits regarding criteria 2, 3, and 4. Rice is the smallest school on the list by a large margin (it really is LAC-sized), and while I haven’t been there, it seems to have the same type of “vibe” as Wash U. </p>

<p>Just from looking at Rice on the map, it seems to be in a very comparable area to Wash U… a large park across the street with a Zoo (although STL’s Forest Park has more to offer, and the Zoo is free…), easy access to public transit, upscale homes, and a college-hangout type neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and bars within walking distance. Houston will definitely be more southern than STL, which can be a downside for some… Texas can be intimidating. </p>

<p>Again, going off a map, Duke seems to be located in a somewhat isolated area, and Raleigh doesn’t really have a transit system. One thing about Duke that would get to me, personally, is the separation of Freshman to a relatively remote area 1.5 miles away from the rest of campus, and you have to take a Duke shuttle to get to the rest of campus every day. Some people might like that separation by class year, but you should at least be aware of that going into things. </p>

<p>Regarding Pre-Med: Rice doesn’t have its own medical school, but it does have strong ties to Baylor’s medical center. Rice probably has a great pre-med program, and since it does have ties with Baylor, you’ll probably be okay in terms of opportunities… but I don’t know how big of a downside it might be that the medical center isn’t part of Rice itself. You’d have to ask Rice students about that. </p>

<p>Pre-med will be intense at any of these colleges. Wash U will likely be more defined as a collaborative and laid-back school than the others… which isn’t to say that the others are dog-eat-dog, but the first things that immediately pops into my head about Wash U are anti-cuthroat and pretty down-to-earth. Wash U is well-known for the high percentage of undergrads doing research, which is key for pre-med students and applying to med school. Nearly all of my pre-med friends have interned in a lab, and they’ve all done more than just menial tasks. You can definitely find research at the other schools, but I’ve noticed such a big emphasis and encouragement for undergrads to do research at Wash U, to the extent that I’d just be surprised if it was more common at the other schools. </p>

<p>Penn is the largest school on your list, and from what I’ve read on this board and anecdotes from friends, it might be easy to get “lost” at Penn. Northwestern will have most of its school spirit defined by athletics (Duke even more so), and NW isn’t as close to Chicago as one might think. It will probably take over 45 minutes to get to downtown Chicago, so you aren’t nearly as integrated with the city as most of the other schools on your list. </p>

<p>In conclusion, here is my ranking of schools based on your preference set:

  1. Wash U
  2. Rice
  3. Penn
    4, 5) Duke, Northwestern (tie)
  4. UChicago - I think UChicago is the type of school where you know right away if it’s for you… not that it doesn’t meet any of the criteria on your list, but if it’s late February and UChicago isn’t on the top of your list, then it probably won’t ever be there.</p>
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<p>

Note that Rice premed is amazing. 90+% acceptance rating to med schools. That’s higher than Duke and JHU, which has about 83-85% acceptance rating to med schools. Rice has the advantage of being the exclusive college in Houston. Yes, there is U of Houston but compared to Rice, it just can’t compete. What does that mean? The ENTIRE Texas Medical Center (the world’s LARGEST medical center in the WORLD!) is open to Rice students. You can volunteer at M.D. Anderson (#1 cancer hospital), Texas Children’s Hospital, the VA, etc. You also have the chance to perform cutting edge research. Did you know that Rice university is the only university that does not have a med school but has exclusive funding from hospitals to research cancer biology? Yes, look at Rice department of Biology, while other schools place cancer biology in their med school, rice places cancer biology in the bio department. What does that mean? Undergraduate students have access to work with those professors rather than having to be a med school student. They have numerous cancer biology professors and their funding comes from the Texas medical center, even though Rice doesn’t have a med school! That’s because Rice has partnered with Texas Medical center to form a consortium. [Rice</a> University | News & Media](<a href=“http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=13267]Rice”>http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=13267)
You can also research at Baylor College of Medicine. SO essentially, opportunities at Rice are endless.</p>