<p>I was between Cornell, Wash U, and Northwestern, and it was the visits that really sold Wash U for me. For me it came down to the size. Cornell is absolutely massive compared to Wash U, so the feel is different between the two. I would comment on cold Ithaca winters, but the weather in St. Louis has been a little crazy. For grading, most of my classes have been set percentages with tests being curved, but certain classes, i.e. bio and bme have grades set by curves. Its certainly possible to do well at either school, but you’ll have to work hard no matter what. Finally, in terms of pre-med prestige, you’ll be perfectly fine no matter what.</p>