WashU vs. USC vs. Northwestern

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

<p>*I posted this in another board but wanted to post this thread here as well in order to receive more opinions from people who are hopefully the most knowledgeable about my choices.</p>

<p>Now, before I go into any details, I want to thank everyone who at least expressed some interest in helping me decide where to enroll during these upcoming days by checking out this thread. I am the first person in my immediate family to have applied to a four-year university and thus do not have anyone close to ask for any input regarding the college experience and so forth.</p>

<p>I wanted to begin by sharing a few details about myself so as to help judge personal fit at the three universities I have indicated. I consider myself to be a 'healthy introvert', someone who does not like to attend large social gatherings and be in large groups too often yet still enjoys hanging out and having meaningful conversations with close friends. That being said, I am usually extremely quiet around people I do not know yet tend to be pretty outgoing around people I am comfortable with. Also, I tend to be heavily pragmatic in the sense that I do not like to waste my time going to parties and the like or even simply talking about anything other than academics and political and ethical issues, things that matter I suppose. I will conclude by saying that despite my own personality and social needs, I can put up with just about anyone as long as said person respects me for the person I am.</p>

<p>Next, I would like to briefly discuss what I am looking for in the college experience. I would like to attend somewhere with a reasonable student size, someplace where I would not simply be a small fish in a large pond, so to speak. Of course, I would also like to attend a university with a diverse student body simply because I enjoy being exposed to different perspectives and learning about different cultures. Given the details in the previous paragraph, I would ideally like to not be pressured into having to go to social events and being extremely outgoing in order to fit in with the student body. Other factors influencing my decision are year-round weather and access to a large city, the latter of which all three universities provide.</p>

<p>Now, regarding academic and financial considerations... I am looking to major in either neuroscience or cognitive science depending on where I attend. I am also going down the pre-med route and thus would like to attend the university with the best advising faculty and medical research, internship, and volunteering opportunities. For practical reasons, I will add that I would possibly consider the university where I have the best chance of maintaining a high GPA if no other factors make or break my decision to attend one of the three universities I listed. Anyway, I would have to pay roughly the same amount of money at each of these universities as each has fully met my demonstrated financial need, though WashU has the edge in this aspect in that its financial aid package did not include any loans whereas those of the other two included roughly $5,000 in government loans, USC's including an unsubsidized one.</p>

<p>I know I rambled on a bit but I did so in order to provide everyone kind enough to help me out with sufficient information to provide a suitable opinion as to where I should attend. That being said, feel free to ask me for more information if you feel I missed anything. Thanks!</p>

<hr>

<p>Edit: One thing I forgot to note. I went to visit both USC and WashU this last week and absolutely enjoyed both of the campuses. I had a better feel for USC upon reflecting on both of my visits but I feel this is so because I was with family while at USC yet was by myself while at WashU. Needless to say, I could definitely picture myself being happy at either USC or WashU based on my personal experiences there.</p>

<p>Edit 2: One other thing (lol). Vanderbilt and UT Austin are other possible choices concerning where to attend, though I firmly believe they are not the best options for me in the long run.</p>

2

<p>I advise you to shorten your posts in the future for optimal feedback. (:</p>

<p>Anyways, for you, I’d probably take Northwestern out of the equation. Fraternities/Sororities are rather popular on the Northwestern campus and the social scene may not be a good fit for you. The people there would probably not say “I do not like to waste my time going to parties and the like or even simply talking about anything other than academics and political and ethical issues, things that matter I suppose”. WashU is more academic than USC. Socially, it seems like you’d fit in better at WashU.</p>

<p>Between USC and WashU, WashU’s premed is much more highly esteemed. It’s med school is top tier along with UPenn and JHU. USC is a fantastic school, but it simply won’t give you “the best advising faculty and medical research, internship, and volunteering opportunities”. If you were good enough to get into WashU, applying with the premed track checked, I wouldn’t be too worried about getting a good gpa. It’s definitely difficult, but only the best get in. You got in; you should be able to do it. After you get through the difficult classes, I can say with a great deal of confidence: you WILL be successful. If you are truly a weak student (which i doubt) and worried about your gpa, go to USC. USC will still give you good opportunities, but you have to know - they won’t be AS good.</p>

<p>For nice year long weather USC wins hands down. WashU’s weather is quite random. </p>

<p>As for school size, WashU seems to be the perfect compromise for someone with your preferences. You’ll always see people you know around campus, but the population is large enough that you will never know everyone. You probably won’t know everyone in your class either. I have friends there in the same grade that have never heard of each other. That’s not uncommon at WashU. USC has about double the amount of kids per class. USC’s incoming class: around 2900. WashU’s incoming class: 1500.</p>

<p>I hope this helps you (:</p>

3

<p>Based on what you wrote, it’s highly likely that you will fit in better at Wash U (… edit: fit in really well at Wash U), so I echo all of Cuiromind’s comments regarding that aspect.</p>

<p>Our pre-med program (and the attendant life science major fields) is renowned as one of (if not the) best in the country, and you definitely have abundant opportunities to do research and internships at the med school. A couple pre-med friends have spent summers at the NIH and other top med schools. Northwestern would be 2nd here, and USC 3rd, but honestly the distinctions may not be too great as they are all 3 great schools. </p>

<p>Access to a large city: LA and Chicago are definitely larger than St Louis, but I do think that Wash U has the slight edge in terms of getting around from campus -> larger city. It takes you a good 45+ minutes to get from NU’s campus to the Chicago area, so I do think your main point of comparison should be Evanston and not Chicago (b/c realistically you will only be going to Chicago on the rare occasion when you do venture off-campus). LA mass-transit is terrible. St Louis has more than enough to do for 4 years, and you get free metro and free passes as a student when you want to go to the CWE, Clayton, or Downtown areas (or just take the 12 minute walk to the Loop).</p>

<p>Weather: USC wins and NU loses (for most people, but depends if you like snow and the cold). Wash U would be in between. Here, it doesn’t start to get winter-coat weather until after Thanksgiving break, so you really only have 2 weeks of winter weather in the fall semester, 2 more weeks in January after break, and then February. But the weather, overall, is pretty random. Two weeks ago it was 90 and sunny, and last week was in the 60s with light rain.</p>

4

<p>Wash U > NU > USC</p>

<p>(If want reason, it’s because I said so!)</p>

5

<p>I expressed this concern in another board, but would I have trouble fitting in at WashU despite my being reserved most of the time, and would I have trouble finding people like myself to hang out with?</p>

6

<p>Nope. I think I was kind of like you were most of my life before college, and was still that way for much of my freshman year here. No one from my high school came here my freshman year. As that year went on, I got progressively more involved and extroverted.<br>
I had a great freshman floor, and this is a common sentiment you will hear from anyone at Wash U. Whether that’s playing board games in the common room, or seeing a movie off campus, or seeing a local musician at a coffee shop on the room, or the balloon race in forest park, your freshman floor (expect about 50-55 kids, which is a nice size) always will have various activities and a good chunk of your freshman year will likely revolve around your floor. This group dynamic is great for people like you, especially if you don’t become particularly extroverted and don’t join a several student groups (which I recommend doing because that’s even a better way to meet people with your specific shared interests, whatever they may be).<br>
I’d highly recommend requesting to live in the Healthy Living Community floors when the housing preference form comes around (commonly called “sub-free”). Not at all like there are big keggers happening in the non-HLC floors (because there are not), but the people that tend to choose the healthy living community tend to have personality descriptors very similar to yours, so your idea of fun and who you mesh well with will be similar to other people who request that environment.</p>

7

<p>People that get into Wash U are bright and in many cases among the top of their class. It’s natural that many of your peers will be reserved as well. I know I am</p>

8

<p>Ronaldofan94</p>

<p>You sound just like my son. He was admitted to Northwestern but decided to attend WashU because it is a better fit for him.</p>

9

<p>I second what flashmountain said about requesting a sub-free floor. I think you would find a number of people you would feel comfortable with there.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for the opinions everyone! I think I am going to go ahead and matriculate at WashU simply because I cannot find anything wrong with the school other than its somewhat random weather in comparison to that of Los Angeles. I figure I can always go to medical school in California in the future anyway.</p>

11

<p>I think you will thrive at Northwestern. Northwestern has residential living communities where you can live with like-minded students (e.g. living clusters based on academic interests) along with resident professors. The South campus at Northwestern is very conducive to students just like you who prefer low-key environments and hangouts. </p>

<p>The Greek scenes at Northwestern and WashU are similar, with about 40% of students involved in Greek life so there is no meaningful difference in that sense. Furthermore, Northwestern has “nerd” frats which you might be interested in if you want to eventually break out of your shell. Many of the ones I visited were very social but very academic in vibe-- definitely a very nurturing environment and an exciting place to grow for somebody like you. The interesting thing about fraternities at Northwestern is that the guys range from jocks and preps to hipsters and hippies to nerds/intellectuals and somewhere in between (there can a lot of overlaps obviously). </p>

<p>At Northwestern, you will have opportunities to go Downtown Evanston (literally not even a block from South Campus) or Downtown Chicago if you’re looking for a change of scenery. Evanston has multiple coffeeshops and Chicago has even more! Northwestern provides a free shuttle to the Downtown Chicago campus (which is located right next to Magnificent Mile), with shuttles leaving every 20 minutes from either campus. The travel time during non-busy times takes half an hour. I visited Chicago 3 times a week, exploring different coffeeshops on my own to study or with a small group of friends. The most vibrant part of Chicago for young people and young professionals is actually on the North Side of Chicago in Andersonville and Lakeview, about 20 minutes or less from campus. In summary, you can choose to go to Evanston, the North Side of Chicago (20 minutes or less by the “El” train that has 3 stations right on Northwestern’s campus), or Downtown Chicago (half an hour on the free Northwestern intercampus shuttle or 40 minutes by CTA)</p>

<p>I’m confident you can find a niche at Northwestern and thrive. The pre-med competition is also less, which likely means a higher GPA and greater access to resources and internships. Good luck on your choice! Both WashU and Northwestern are great options. But I’m biased and think Northwestern will be a better fit for you. I visited WashU but personally found Northwestern’s campus more exciting, and I came into Northwestern as an introvert.</p>

12

<p>^I’d like to question and correct wildcatalum’s data.</p>

<p>Only about 25% of WashU students are involved in Greek Life. </p>

<p>You are incorrect in saying “The Greek scenes at Northwestern and WashU are similar, with about 40% of students involved in Greek life so there is no meaningful difference in that sense.” </p>

<p>40% of NORTHWESTERN students are involved in Greek Life.</p>

<p>Furthermore, just like it’s general population, WashU’s sororities/fraternities are known for being more friendly than those at other schools. Students involved in greek life are open to those who are not. I think you’d thrive more at WashU. Not only is the premed program outright better, you’d also fit in more.</p>

<p>Ronaldofan94: See this for reference: <a href=“http://glo.wustl.edu/Pages/default.aspx[/url]”>http://glo.wustl.edu/Pages/default.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>Numbers are pretty close.
About 2k out of 7k at WashU.
About 2.7 k out of 8.3k at NU. </p>

<p>28% vs. 32%</p>

<p>Little diff</p>