WUSTL vs USC

I’m a current Senior who was accepted into the Biomedical Engineering prog at Washu, and into the Biophysics prog, with Premed track at USC (my first choice was Biomed, but I am already considering a switch to neuroscience). I live in western New York, and due to the current public health crisis all college campuses are closed and my first experience at each of these schools would be in the fall when moving in. Financially, Washu is cheaper but USC is not entirely out of my price range. I’m planning on applying to med school after completing my undergraduate degree, so if anyone had experience applying out of either of these schools that would be appreciated. I was hoping some current students or Alumni would be able to tell me more about each school and help make my decision easier as I would be moving across the country to go to either of these schools.

I am not the best person to answer this post, but since you haven’t gotten any replies, I’ll try to help.

For learning more about the each college environment, have you looked at the videos on You Tube? Normally there are a lot and they can give you some sense of the environment. You can often find virtual tours too. I also found Google Earth helpful for understanding the location of a college and determining what is nearby.

My daughter visited Wash U twice. She also has a good friend at USC. Based on his comments, USC is very urban and at least some of the surrounding neighborhoods are sketchy (his word). Of course, it also has a very Californian vibe. Great weather and great outdoor adventures available if you have a car.

My daughter loved the Wash U campus and surrounding area. While it is in the city, it is not as densely populated as the area around USC. When you look at Google Earth, you can see a lot more green. Both my daughter and husband were very impressed with the information session and tour of Wash U. When my daughter visited a second time and spent the night with a student in a dorm, she decided against attending. She stayed with a pre-med student. She learned that almost 50% of freshman are pre-med. The college has a strong science vibe between the pre-meds and engineering students. This is not what my daughter wanted, but it could be perfect for you.

One other difference about the two colleges are sports. USC has a huge national sports presence and I’m sure that is a big part of the experience. Wash U is division 3 and you will not see them on TV. Neither is good nor bad, just pointing that out since some students care.

Good luck and I hope you hear from some alums or current students.

Congratulations on two great choices. You really can’t go wrong.
It is really going to come down to fit. USC is much larger and has more school spirit and D1 sports. Classes will likely be larger. LA is a great city but the location of USC is not in a great part of town.

WashU is a great school. Academically it is among the best, especially for pre-med. The area around the school is great with the Loop and Forest Park. The school will have more of an academic vibe and less school spirit.

Best of luck to you!

Very different schools. I go to WashU and my brother is at USC. Washu is great, I am Pre med and have had amazing research opportunities. The professors are outstanding. The academics are super challenging and the environment is very collaborative. But if you want crazy school spirit we may fall alittle short. Although we have great D3 sports teams it is not a big thing at washU.