<p>I transferred from WashU after my freshmen year. To me, one of the main diffrences is how Northwestern seems to be more innovative and bold in coming up unique programs/curriculum. Here are some examples:
-First material sciences & engineering in the entire world
-First BA/MD program in the US
-One of the earliest engineering co-op programs
-One of the earliest BME programs
-First MBA program to emphasize and integrate teamwork in its curriculum
-ISP/MMSS established in the 70s; they are still unique today despite the reputation they both have been enjoying among employers and grad schools.
-Engineering First in 1997; the reasons behind the makeover have been well-recognized among the academica/education experts. But after 15 years since Northwestern took the lead, most other schools still followed the same old and oudated first-year curriculum.<br>
-Kellogg certificate (where else can you take graduate-level business courses without sacrificing liberal arts or engineering education?)
-1-yr MBA; this has been around for a while and quite common in Europe but Kellogg is the only top US business school that offers it, let alone implement a strategic expansion in the near future</p>
<p>Innovation just seems to be in NU’s DNA. Contrast that with WashU; it wasn’t until late 1990s that they had the BME department, despite the fact that it already had an engineering school for quite some time and a top-ranked medical school. How is this relevant to undergrad? If you look at the undergrad programs, you’ll see there’s wider array of special programs available at NU.</p>