<p>I got into arts and science for both schools, majoring in biology, planning on going pre-med. I know they're both really good schools, but I've never visited either and I don't think I will have the time to. Please give me some suggestions/opinions. Tell me why WashU is a good school (or NU if you prefer).</p>
<p>Wash U is super strong in Bio and there is a tight relationship between the med school and undergrads, especially for research which is first rate. I have visited NU twice and know Wash U very well (St. Louis native, lots of friends went there, one got PhD in Bio there and now teaches at Kansas U med school) and I would give a strong edge to Wash U here, especially for research opportunities for undergrads.</p>
<p>A couple campus pros for WashU - food and dorms. Both are much much better than NU.</p>
<p>I get the impression that Wash U is the more enjoyable school, but Chicago is clearly the better city.</p>
<p>They are both great schools. The only way to decide is to visit both and form your own opinions. Don’t depend on others. Decide which school you think will make you the most happy for the next 4 years of your life.</p>
<p>had to make the same decision last year… im currently a freshman at wash u and couldn’t even imagine being at northwestern.
reasons why i chose wash u:
incredible food
beyond beautiful and amazing dorms
beyond beautiful and amazing campus (soooo pretty, especially fall and spring)
THE BEST, AND I MEAN BEST, PLACE FOR A PREMED. you will work your ASS OFF but you really can’t get any better when it comes to undergraduate preparation for med school. seriously.
amazing, amazing teachers who care about students
semesters vs. quarter system (i wanted to see my home friends over break and i couldn’t IMAGINE having to rush through a chemistry course to fit it into a quarter. yikes.)
WEATHERRRRRRRRRRRR. i’m from the northeast and i love the seasons but chicago winters are long. and. brutal. we had a pretty mild winter in st. louis… and it has already been in the 50s, 60s, and low 70s in the past few weeks.
as far as chicago vs. st louis… i personally dont spend much time in st louis. i go downtown at night occasionally for clubs/bars but i pretty much stay on campus. i think that chicago is a better city but i really dont know how often i would be in chicago. it’s 30 minutes away on the el which is longer than a cab ride to downtown st louis. i never really understood the debate about chicago vs. st. louis when it comes to wash u vs. northwestern because i think comparing the campuses themselves are far more important. while i would prefer hanging out in chicago than st. louis, i would definitely rather be on wash u’s campus than northwestern’s–and i spend 95% of my time on campus, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>that’s about it! i love wash u. its really hard to find things to complain about. the school is pretty much perfect IMO.</p>
<p>I think the only way to decide is for you to visit. NU is definitely a top-notch school and it won’t hurt to take a visit. But I agree with uncertaintyyyy, wustl’d prepare you well for med school.</p>
<p>My D is a soph at WashU and my nephew (sister’s son) is a soph at Northwestern. Both LOVE their schools. D is a science/language major taking the premed prereqs and nephew is not. As Uncertainty said, you will work your tail off in the premed track at WashU, but you will be prepared. </p>
<p>Uncertainty is also right on about the cities. Chicago has a lot more to do than St. Louis, but it is not on NW’s doorstep. This includes getting to the airport. You either take a horribly expensive cab ride to the airport or a VERY long train ride. Lambert Airport in St. Louis is easily accessed via the MetroLink or a MUCH shorter and cheaper cab ride.</p>
<p>My daughter spends nearly all of her time on campus at WashU. Nephew does venture into Chicago, but mainly for the occassional concert.</p>
<p>I agree with MidwestParent. Chicago is a great city, but Northwestern is not exactly close to downtown. It takes at least a 25 minute El ride to get to Wrigleyville, which is still 5 miles away from downtown. The WashU campus is more accessible to many of the really nice areas in St. Louis (The Central-West End, The Loop, and Forest Park). </p>
<p>Regardless you will probably spend most of your free time (at least as an underclassmen) on or pretty close to campus.</p>
<p>you can actually take the El right into downtown (I did it when I visited NU, since I live downtown). the train is RIGHT next to the campus, so even though it takes maybe 30-35 minutes, it’s only a simple train ride.
I think it’s also relatively simple (maybe a transfer or two on the train) to get to the airport–there are two, which is nice.
I think I posted on your thread on the NU boards, but I’ve already decided NU over WashU (got into both…have to see where else I get in) because I already know Chicago a bit and think it’s one of the most awesome places EVER.</p>
<p>I looked at Northwestern pretty thoroughly. I was admitted to both Northwestern and WUSTL and visited both before deciding. For Northwestern, I was surprised at how far removed it was from Chicago and lacking in legitimate things to do that would have held my attention over 4 years. Evanston was a nice suburb, but it only had houses and a handful of restaurants. Academics between the two are largely a wash. Northwestern has the clear edge for Communications/Journalism. WUSTL has the clear edge with pre-med and the overall ease of double majoring. Otherwise, they really are pretty equal. </p>
<p>Sure, downtown Chicago > downtown St Louis, but I think a lot of people will be surprised on how much they will actually access the downtown area on a regular basis, in BOTH cities. With a 35 minutes EL ride, getting to Chicago is somewhat of a hassle. I guarantee that you won’t be going down there more than once in a rare while. </p>
<p>WUSTL has Forest Park right across the street, and the Loop is a 10 minute walk. The Loop is the main hangout area for WUSTL students, and again it’s a short walk away. It has enough to do to keep you occupied for awhile. Even better, though is that the whole student body gets free MetroLink passes and free bus passes. The Metro that takes you everywhere from the Central West End (restaurants, some shopping, some clubs), Clayton (really nice restaurants and businesses), and downtown. There are two stops right on campus, too. From my 4 times riding the EL train, they were super dirty and I felt like they were going to fall off the tracks. </p>
<p>In terms of on-campus activities and amenities (food, dorms, concerts, etc), WUSTL clearly comes out ahead. Football might be the only area we fall behind, but our basketball teams are phenomenal! </p>
<p>The weather in St Louis is also far superior to those long and harsh lakeside winters in Chicago! 
There is no way I would survive that coming from a year-round warm climate.</p>
<p>Sure, everyone’s decision processes and preferences are different, but in terms of cities… I really think that it is more important to evaluate things to do in the surrounding area than things to do that are 35+ minutes away.</p>
<p>I liked Northwestern, and I’m sure I would have been sufficiently happy on a day-to-day basis. But, I always just came away with a feeling of disappointment on many levels after visiting. When I visited WUSTL, I came away surprised and impressed, and have continually been so since being here.</p>
<p>I just wanted to add something to my post above.</p>
<p>For Northwestern (and UChicago, to which I didn’t even apply), I think I just would have felt limited overall in things to do outside of campus. I only had the option of going downtown Chicago, really. Sure, downtown Chicago has TONS of things to do. You can’t get bored at all when you do go downtown. But… it was the only location I could choose from. And it was like 45 minutes away. It’s like, to do anything off-campus, we would have HAD to go to downtown Chicago, which would have been somewhat of an annoyance after awhile. </p>
<p>At WUSTL, I had the choice of so many neighborhoods and areas around campus. Forest Park, the Central West End, Clayton, the Loop, the Hill, and even downtown St Louis. And nothing really takes more than 10-15 minutes, by walking or the Metro.</p>
<p>If Northwestern was closer to the city, I think my choice would have been harder to make, and who knows what I would have decided. But, I wanted more to do nearby and have it be easily accessible. At WUSTL, I feel more like a resident of the city because of Wash U’s proximity to everything. At Northwestern, I would have felt like a continual tourist of Chicago… because Northwestern was so far removed from the city of Chicago, I would have felt like a resident of a suburb who visits the same big city over and over again. </p>
<p>But, I mean, bottom line: you’re spending at least 90% of your time on campus anyway. I’ve written way too much about the cities of both of them, and it really shouldn’t factor into the decision this much when comparing these schools :)</p>
<p>Have to agree with scribbler on this. Wrigleyville, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wicker Park…are all of 20-35 minutes away from Northwestern by El, closer if you can convince a friend to drive you down, and VERY easy to access. There is NO COMPARISON between the endless offerings in Chicago and much, much more meager St. Louis - a city that has definitely seen better days. </p>
<p>Still, Wash U has lots to offer on campus and the Loop is almost an appendage. Evanston, an appendage to Northwestern, is basically their Loop. Most kids will spend most of their first year (or two) almost glued to campus and its appendage, venturing out for more varied entertainment as they turn upperclassmen. </p>
<p>Biology, pre-med programs, will be strong at both schools. This shouldn’t be a deciding point. Wash U will feel more campus centered. If you want a wider universe, edge to Northwestern.</p>
<p>This is the washU thread, so of course washU’ll win. Go to the northwestern thread, and things’ll be different</p>
<p>i posted this on the northwestern thread also, and they basically said that chicago is better than st louis, but you guys have a point that st louis is more accessible than chicago</p>
<p>And I would take Wash U campus over NU, but then again everyone has their own opinion. I visited both and it seems that Wash U is building newer buildings whereas if you like the classical style then I would go with NU. But if you want to go pre-med, WASH U=winner</p>
<p>College is also a time for exploration, so keep in mind your other interests too! NU has a clear edge in music and journalism/communications.</p>
<p>A few question for those who have faced this decision:
without considering St. Louis vs Chicago, which school has the better nightlife and social life on or near campus?</p>
<p>Does WashU have a lot of rahrah school spirit? Does NU? College football can be awesome but this isn’t Ann Arbor or Columbus.
Athletics are important priority, more than the food or dorm. He would also put social life as a top priority as well as being able to get a late night pizza or burger. Ten minutes will seem far at midnight. Is there anything just a few blocks away? </p>
<p>Where would you have to work harder. Seems like the quarter system at NU would be super challenging. All that work in only 9 weeks? Probably will have to work super hard anywhere if premed.</p>
<p>What i heard is WUSTL is a great school and not a great town. IS THIS TRUE? Evanston doesn’t have a good relationship with the students, but its a nice town and right next to campus.</p>
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<p>Of course, it’s called self selection bias.</p>
<p>I also got accepted into both Northwestern and Wash U. I went to camp during HS at Northwestern, and I was a little annoyed at the campus. Some buildings had no air conditioning, you often had to cross busy and annoying streets to get to class, and there were homeless people very close to campus. Speaking of homeless people, there were a LOT off campus where all the restaurants were. On the plus side, the library is huuuuuuge, and the variety of food was great (but somewhat expensive).</p>
<p>St. Louis as a city feels very average. The ethnic food often sucks, and you have to drive to find any good Chinese places. However, like other people say, the campus is much nicer and the city as a whole is very accessible. At first I wasn’t really impressed, but there are a lot of hidden gems you have to look out for. Also, everything is really close together. There’s a really nice italian restaurant in Little Italy, there’s a nice Indian place in Central West End, and there are several good Chinese places on Olive. All of these places are within a 30 minute of each other too.</p>
<p>It isn’t Little Italy, it is The Hill. LOL. Be a native.</p>