<p>"WashU is probably the better choice for your academic interest; smaller undergrad class and higher endowment per student; very difficult pre-med curriculum; probably more intellectual than Northwestern and in terms of overall atmosphere I doubt one is better than the other.</p>
<p>The endowment per capita doesn’t have that much to with the quality of student life (not that there is much of a difference anyway, with NU having a larger endowment and student body).</p>
<p>The rest of your “arguments” don’t have much merit either.</p>
<p>As for the clear differences - NU has a more scenic campus (with a great waterfront), Chicago is by far a better city than St. Louis and NU is in Div.1A sports while WashU is Div.III (if that matters to you).</p>
<p>illinois kid - since you are so close, you definitely should visit both schools to see for yourself.</p>
<p>“I have no doubt that WashU will retain its current place among other top schools and may eventually make its way back into the top 10”.</p>
<p>Highly doubtful that WashU will break the top10 (unless WashU gets its PA score up - which is a very SLOW process).</p>