<p>I've been accepted to both Washington University in St. Louis and Northwestern University for a Biology Major (pre-med), and am currently in a deep quandary over which school to attend. I've seen the other threads on CC about these two colleges, but none seem to fully address my questions.</p>
<p>I've visited both campuses and have loved them. My perceptions:</p>
<p>WUSTL:
-Slightly smaller school
-Majority undergrad (so maybe more research opportunities?)
-Excellent pre-professional advising
-Best food and dorms in the country</p>
<p>NU:
-Better overall reputation and name recognition
-Majority grad students (so maybe less research opportunities for undergrad?)
-Chicago!!
-Undergraduate Premedical Scholars Program</p>
<ol>
<li>Which school will allow undergraduates more opportunities to perform biological research?</li>
<li>Is Greek life at Northwestern overwhelming? I'm not interested in it, so will I feel pressure to rush?</li>
<li>Which school is stereotypically perceived as the more "nerdy" type?</li>
<li>I know Northwestern's chem program is phenomenal. But how is its biology major?</li>
<li>How would you characterize the social scene at WashU?</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you so much guys! I really, really appreciate this. It means a lot. </p>
<p>My S at NU did not feel pressure to go Greek. He has a wide circle of friends who are involved In other activities and groups on campus. NU kids are smart and also know how to have fun (from what my S has found in his 4 years there).</p>
<p>That is a biggie, semester vs. trimesters if the kids want to work in the summer. At this point I would look at the course curriculum and pre-reqs and some of the detail in your probable major. Northwestern probably has the edge name-wise on a national level because it’s a Big 10 school and it’s in Chicago although Wash U is known in academic circles, not so much with the public. Some people care about that, some don’t. If grad school is in the future both will get your there, if you get yourself there.</p>
<p>Having a lot of grad students doesn’t mean there are less research opportunities for undergrads. In fact, its the opposite. You’re not competing for the same spots. Having a lot of grad students means there are a lot of research groups. And grad students are the ones who will be teaching you in the lab.</p>
<p>A lot of people go Greek at Northwestern, but the Greek scene is different than at other schools. They have parties but they are more like normal college students than at other schools. There isn’t a division between the Greek and non-Greek students, so it’s no big deal if you don’t pledge.</p>
<p>My impression is that both NU and WashU student bodies have the same profile: people are smart, hard-working, down-to-earth people.</p>
<p>Bio at NU is pretty good; they are ranked #26.</p>
<p>Some misperceptions on your part. I would argue about the “best food and dorms” bit. Also- Chemistry is much better at some schools other than those two- but you don’t want a Chemistry major but rather something for getting into medical school. You are likely to be busy both academically and socially on campus so the rest of the city is not where you will be spending much time so discount all of those offerings. Figure out which campus you most want to spend your time on. Both will have plenty of medical school hopefuls to compete with. Also consider each school’s requirements for majors you are likely to consider within the realm of Biology and what directions they could lead you if you do not get into a medical school. Also consider the breadth requirements and available courses- one school may have some fun electives the other one doesn’t.</p>