WUSTL or Northwestern?

[yjj8817]

Which school do you think would be better for premed? Washington University in St. Louis or Northwestern? I like both schools and the cost is about the same so it's hard for me to decide.

Which school do you think is a little bit lenient with grades?

What about research opportunities?

One last important question...do medical schools consider the prestige of the undergrad school? If you are aiming for top medical schools, would it be better to go with the school with prestige and risk getting a lower gpa?

Thank you!

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[Idyllic]

I'd go with WUSTL, Northwestern has a rep with some pretty killer premed reqs, like O-chem, and WUSTL is a solid premed school.

 

[yjj8817]

What if i wanted to do something else like law, business, or engineering? Do you think wustl is still good for things other then premed?

 

[Idyllic]

I'm pretty set on premed right now, so I don't know about the rest of its programs, but overall it is a well ranked school with a good reputation, so I wouldn't worry about getting a good education there.

 

[austinblnd]

What if i wanted to do something else like law, business, or engineering? Do you think wustl is still good for things other then premed?

Yes

 

[twentyten]

Which school do you think would be better for premed? Washington University in St. Louis or Northwestern? I like both schools and the cost is about the same so it's hard for me to decide.

Which school do you think is a little bit lenient with grades?

What about research opportunities?

One last important question...do medical schools consider the prestige of the undergrad school? If you are aiming for top medical schools, would it be better to go with the school with prestige and risk getting a lower gpa?

Thank you!

They're both great schools with great reputations, but the competition is also insane among premeds at both. Most of your classmates will do really well and you will be surrounded by extremely smart, competitive, and proactive students, so your GPA will depend in large part on their performance especially in intro courses like GenChem, Orgo, intro Bio...

Have you visited both campuses? Definitely different vibes...

WUSTL is definitely not lenient with grades -- the premeds call the typical premed intro courses "weed-out courses" for a reason. But, this is probably the case for most competitive undergrads.

I would definitely visit the campuses (again if you've already done so) and talk to the students there. Good luck!

 

[metalgirl14]

Northwestern's pre-med classes are tough and usually have a bad curve (ie. average is usually a B-). It's still possible to do well in them if you put in the effort though.

Also, the research opportunities at Northwestern are wonderful. It's very easy to get involved with a lab on campus.

As far as prestige goes, it doesn't make much of a difference. A top-ranked school may SLIGHTLY make up for a lower GPA but not very much. You should ultimately go to the school that will allow you to excel in the classes. GPA is much more important than prestige.

Fell free to PM me if you have any other questions about Northwestern.