I had a similar thread with this, but it was with 3 colleges (nw) but I limited it down to 2 and wanted input before the may 1st deadline.
Cost isn’t the most important, but it is a consideration if I do go to med school. At Washu idk what i’d do as a major, maybe biomedical eng or bio, and at cornell, thinking about biometry and statistics or env and sustainability in CALS.
Washu is much closer to where I live (kansas), but I really liked Cornell’s campus and feel more than washu when visiting, but still liked them both.
Another thing to consider is that I want a less competitive feel, especially with clubs and grades, so that would favor washu. However, idk how much i’d regret turning down Cornell and rawlings scholar for washu.
One final thing to consider is that i feel like washu would give more backup options as compared to cornell as i think i’d be limited to CALS, which doesn’t have many good options if pre-med doesn’t work out besides something like env engineering.
I’m really torn, as I liked the feel + campus of Cornell a lot more, and feel as if i’d get better research + chances, but like the size(less competitive) and less grade deflation at washu. I also feel like i’d have a better time at Cornell, but not too sure.
College is not a destination; it is the bridge to the next stage of your life, a means to a goal.
So, given that, which of your priorities is most important - the feel + campus of Cornell & maybe having a better time there or the less competitive feel, the availability of backup options, and the less grade deflation at Wash U?
To be honest, i can’t really differentiate the priorities. I just feel like id have a better time at Cornell but would sacrifice chances at med school/better placement, and at washu, id probably have a better shot. All i know is that i’d be more excited going to cornell, but my brain is telling me that washu is a better option. I just want to make sure that academically washu is a better option for pre-med, and if that’s the case, i think that makes it a better as I like the smaller undergrad population better.
Cornell can be an intensely competitive place and the weather can be grey for long stretches of the academic year. Would you still like the vibe and campus life under those conditions?
I’m fine with the weather. I’m a little concerned about the competition, as I’m not sure if I can really succeed under those conditions especially with the grade deflation.
Money shouldn’t be too much much of an issue. However, the one concern I have is that Cornell is too competitive, and I end up not being able to go to a good enough med school to justify the price. Particularly with grade deflation and the importance of gpa for premed.
Most would-be premeds never actually complete all the premed pre-reqs - they find more interesting subjects, jobs, professional fields. Of those who do complete all the pre-reqs as well as all the out of class activities, only 40% nationally get into even one med school. Getting into just one is quite difficult and takes 1-3 “glide” years during which you improve your clinical and volunteer experience.
WashU is well-known for premed courses so there won’t be a difference between these and Cornell’s.
So, the real question is: if you don’t go to med school, which university would you rather spend 4 years at and graduate from?
The consensus i’ve gotten though is that cornell has more grade deflation overall. The problem with Cornell is that i’m in CALS, and if I want to do a engineering degree it would be pretty hard after i’ve decided to move off of med. However, engineering degrees aren’t as good at washu, but would still likely want washu more as i have the option of doing so.
I decided on Cornell I think, thanks for this message. I’m from the midwest and so I would rather leave it, and I would regret it for a long time if I chose washu. I think premed wise Cornell statistics are comparable, and i really love research so the scholars program excites me.
One thing I made S23 do is pick 3 other majors they would be interested in if their original choice didn’t pan out. See if you can find 3 additional majors at each school and see how you feel about them.
I’m pretty sure it’s a consensus that cornell eng is better than washu eng, and i’m pretty sure someone was talking about how washu eng wasn’t certified when I went to the admitted students date or sum.
Cornell is a traditional engineering powerhouse for sure.
WashU, though, has been putting a lot of money into moving up in the engineering world. They have basically built a sort of new mini campus for Engineering, with lots of new labs and other facilities, they have brought in good faculty, and they have funded a lot of special programs.
As a general rule, I think they are trying to get an edge in more inter/multidisciplinary areas, both areas of engineering inherently like that and also through combining minors or even majors. This is a sort of WashU institutional theme, and leverages their strong academic reputations in the other areas.
Does this mean WashU is about to catch or pass Cornell in generic engineering rankings? No.
But I do think it may have more appeal today to the right sort of engineering student than those generic rankings might suggest.
Since you are short on time, I’ll do a TL;DR version here:
For the area(s) you’re interested in, I would not pay $20k more per year for Cornell than I would for WashU.
So unless Cornell seems just a way better fit for you, save the money for something else and head for St. Louis. There is a lot to love in and around WashU. Like – the free zoo. Need to unwind? Take a walk and check out some animals to blow off some steam.