<p>i plan on going BME and a pre-med track. Which is better? I hear michigan is better for engineering while washu is at least as good as mich. and mich has more name recognition. are these things true? do u have more input or advice?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>If you have read the other threads, you know what is coming next. But in case you haven’t…</p>
<p>Forget about name recognition, which school is supposedly better for engineering (of any kind), etc. At the undergrad level these things are nearly meaningless. Really. You won’t believe me, probably, but it is true.</p>
<p>What you should be considering is which school represents a better fit for you. These are two very different places in terms of size, sports, state vs. private, etc. Have you visited both? Is money a factor? There are a lot of considerations, but the ones you mention should not be part of them. You will get a great education in your intended major at either institution, or in another field if you make a switch, which over half of the freshmen do. Again, I know you think you are set on your career choice, but at least allow for the possibility that you might discover something else you have not been exposed to as of yet, and you find it fascinating to the point that you decide to change directions. With that and many other reasons in mind, go where you think you will love being there the most, assuming equal affordability.</p>
<p>Thanks fallenchemist. it’s just hard to tell which is the best fit</p>
<p>Mediabob - understood. Have you been able to visit both? If not I would hurry and do that. Compared to a lot of people trying to decide between similar private schools (Wash U vs. Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt, for example), yours should be a little starker. Or you could be the kind of person that adapts and likes most situations that are positive, even if different. A nice trait, but try and really think what you have liked best in your life. Large classes or smaller ones? Big on sports? Would you like close ties to the profs? Not saying impossible at Michigan, but more likely at Wash U. In the end, you are going to have to come up with something or some set of things to make your decision, otherwise toss a coin. Good luck!</p>
<p>I like small classes and knowing my professors but i also loves sports and social events. I know someone that is a professor at the med school at michigan and his son is at michigan and he says that the intro classes are only large. And prolly most intro classes are gonna be large in most places so i feel like thats a moot point. Like i feel like everything cancels out about them. I’ve visited michigan, and im visiting washu on one of those free trip things next week.</p>
<p>That’s cool. At least then you will have seen both. If it is still a tie after that, just consider it a “no-lose” situation. You are clearly a thoughtful person and an excellent student. You will do great either place. You are probably right about the intro classes too, but I don’t know any details on that.</p>
<p>^There you go. When you’ve visited both schools I’m sure you’ll know.
I’ve posted this before, but I knew right away after I visited WashU that it was for me. Others have had the exact opposite experience and decided on a different school. It’s all very personal.</p>
<p>Johnson - can you comment on the sizes of the intro classes? Especially chemistry, biology, maybe Calc?</p>
<p>I’m a bme, so I’m in all of these. Chem and bio have 2 sections each, calc 3 has 3 (same with calc 2, and I have no idea about calc 1)
According to the course listings,</p>
<p>Bio: morning class: 350, afternoon: 180
although you can go to either, so thats not exact (and I know several people who just stream the lectures instead of going to class so the numbers are actually a lot smaller than that)</p>
<p>Chem: 200, 350 (but again, these are more even since you can go to either)
Although these are huge classes, the recitations (review classes every thursday) are very small- ~25 people or so. And you can stream the lectures if you miss them for whatever reason.</p>
<p>Calc: each of the three sections has around 80 students for calc 3, so these classes are much smaller, same for physics, if anyone was interested in that.</p>
<p>After these gen ed classes, class sizes drops dramatically (with orgo being an exception, for obvious reasons).</p>
<p>so essentially class size is similar then. so like fallenchemist said i think im in a “no lose” situation. I’ve never been “in love” with a place so i dunno if im gonna know right away if washu is right for me when i visit. I’ll just have to see how it goes when i visit</p>
<p>Class sizes for all gen ed classes around the country tend to be the same size at all research universities- the difference you’ll find is student body size, which makes a HUGE difference, in my opinion.</p>
<p>how so? like in what ways, etc
thanks</p>
<p>I went to a really small high school, and I knew I didn’t want to go to a small school again for college, so that eliminated really small lac’s (although engineering also eliminated lac’s too). I just didn’t want to know EVERYONE on campus. That got real old in high school pretty quick.</p>
<p>Then again, I didn’t want to be lost in a giant sea, so schools as large as michigan would have been too big for me (I didn’t even bother applying to schools that big).</p>
<p>I personally like that I can be somewhat anonymous at WashU but at the same time, if I meet someone we almost always have a common friend. Similarly I always see people I know while walking to class. For me, mid sized schools were perfect.</p>
<p>That’s really cool, Johnson.</p>
<p>mediabob, definitely reserve judgement until you’ve visited both. I just visited Wash U and loved it. Sometimes you just know; that gut feeling can be quite helpful sometimes.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I’m visiting washu april 13th so i guess that’ll be the day i figure stuff out or i’ll still be stuck between colleges still lol</p>
<p>thanks again</p>
<p>LOL - Have a great time and a great trip. All us voyeurs will be waiting to hear.</p>
<p>My DS has been considering both those schools (as well as Northwestern). What made the difference for him was going over the weekend. He knows UMich really well since his brother will be graduating this year. His brother is so sad to leave, he has had a fantastic time, gotten a great education, had some great profs (and some so-so), made friends for life and will be a Wolverine forever. He has close friends pre-law, pre-med, and pre-nothing. </p>
<p>Here’s another big diff no one has mentioned. At WUSTL 80% of the students live on campus all 4 years. Its the opposite at Michigan. My son has loved renting a house with a large group, having parties in the basement and bbq on the lawn. His brother thinks that is very important and when he saw that was non-existent at WashU was disappointed. For others, they look for the 4 year campus experience, so what do YOU want? He thought there was a huge difference in the social life, and loved walking around Ann Arbor at 2 am, running into people and getting something to eat. At WashU, either you order in a pizza or go to the dining hall. His friend needed to go to the drugstore, it was a mile away and there are no cars for freshman. It’s very suburban. And his friends at WUSTL have NEVER gone to St. Louis, so that was a moot point.And the sports scene is totally different, of course. Intro courses are big most places and the discussion groups are small everywhere. Freshman seminars exist everywhere.</p>
<p>That being said, we must have seen at least a dozen schools and almost everyone we have met at every school is very happy, so you cannot go by that. And certainly those that give tours are happy.</p>
<p>Both are strong academically, both are big enough so that you will find your niche and your friends, so prioritize what you want from your 4 years and see what makes the grade.</p>
<p>yea. i’m at washu right now. and i feel like i mold into my surroundings. so i have no idea. like at umich i feel like i might get “too social” and may slack off at my studies. I dunno. This college selection process is impossible. like i liked all those things u said about michigan, and being social. i just cant tell which is right. washu seems to have a nicer campus and maybe a stronger pre-med program, but mich has more social and better sports while a better engineering program. So it just seems tied. So i have no idea right now</p>
<p>Mediabob - you seem like the kind of person that adapts well to various situations, a great talent to have. You most likely will be happy with either school. At this point, go with your gut. After you get back from Wash U, give it a few days to wear off, then put a piece of paper in front of you that has Wash U on one side with an empty check box, and U Mich on the other with an empty check box. Close your eyes for about 15 seconds, totally clear your mind, then open them and put the check by one of the 2 schools. That is your choice, in the absence of any other factor swaying you in the interim. What else can you do but go with your gut at this point? You have researched, experienced, and inquired. Somewhere in your brain it is all synthesizing into a decision that you might need to just let come out in a moment like that. Good luck!</p>