<p>brand_182,</p>
<p>If you mean “better rep” as more renowned and prestigious, then I think you have been misinformed. It’s not that long ago WashU was fairly easy to get in and pretty regional. When the first edition of Barron’s Best 25 (now Top 50) came out around 1990/1991, WashU was not included. But through clever marketing and admission scheme with scholarship money, it has risen rapidly in selectivity and become a national player at the undergrad level now, just like NU has been for a long time. NU also has more high ranked programs acrosss different areas than WashU. You may think I am biased but if you look at PA (academic reputation) score in US News, NU’s score is 4.4 while WashU is 4.1</p>
<p>NU’s undergrad research is strong. NU had more Gates Scholarships recipients than any other institution except for Princeton last year. <a href=“http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2006/02/gates.html[/url]”>http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2006/02/gates.html</a></p>