hi, I’m trying to deceive between Washington University St Louis (ranked #20 on U.S rankings) and University of Pennsylvania (the Ivy League ranked #7) I’m a premed student and I liked both campuses. They both cost the same. I would be a named scholar at WashU so I’d get one on one advising, weekly seminars with the director, and go to dinners and activities with the program. It is a very close knit community and I’ve already made some friends. I was set on going here until I got into UPenn. Of course the Ivy League brand is well known, but here id just be another fish in a very large pond. I’ve also heard the culture is cutthroat and I wouldn’t have that same sense of community as WashU. However, the Ivy League comes with better connections, prestige, and challenges. Which school would you choose?
Is net cost the same?
What is your major? What are your career goals? What geography do you hope to be in after college? Which region of the country are you living in now?
yes I received the same financial aid offers from both!
I don’t care about geography. I’m from a small town on the east coast. I’m majoring in bio on a premed track!
Both are great schools. If it were me, I would go to Penn. Besides the prestige of Penn, that you mentioned - Wash U still suffers from its regional reputation. And there will be a time when you care about geography, but you will find that out for yourself someday.
@NiceUnparticularMan - can you shed some light on Wash U and the scholars program for this op?
It’s the Ervin scholars program. It’s for the top admits to WashU and they provide full tuition scholarships, 2500 stipend, and additional support. From the website: “If selected as an Ervin Scholar, students will participate in variety of opportunities as part of the program, including a special orientation to WashU, meetings with university and community leaders, academic support and advising, and events with other Ervin Scholars and the program’s administrators. Ervin Scholars are also expected to engage in organizations and activities on campus, and in service projects in the community.”
I tagged this particular poster because they have a child at Wash U with pre med intentions so I thought that some first hand info might be helpful!
What if you don’t end up in med school - look at it that way ?
From what you write, you prefer WUSTL.
An Ivy doesn’t assure success in life and a non Ivy otherwise.
Both campuses and surrounds are quite different. I’d describe the Penn environment as grittier.
These kind of programs - I’d get one on one advising, weekly seminars with the director, and go to dinners and activities with the program - mean different things to different people. If that’s a huge plus to you - it’s another great thing. I wouldn’t factor in advising but the other attributes.
As for doctors, they come from all colleges - even those that do residencies at top hospitals - they don’t only or even mostly come from the elites.
But you need to do well to have a chance.
So I think you are ok to pick where you feel you’ll thrive to have your best chance at med school.
And if it doesn’t happen, both schools will still help you. Rank is nice but doesn’t pay the bills. And four years is a long time - you want to be comfortable.
On the other hand, you did apply to Penn for a reason.
Congrats and best of luck.
It sounds like you prefer WashU. Or maybe it’s just that you pictured yourself there until knowing their was another option.
WashU + WashU Scholar will perhaps make your undergrad feel more “personal” which is very appealing to some. I’d contact people in the Scholar program and make sure it lives up to it’s promises. If it does, it will be a tough choice.
Congrats!
You can fulfill the requirements for medical school applicants at both of these universities.
I would suggest you take “premed” out of the equation for now, and focus on where you think you would like to live and go to school for the next four years. And where you will be happy and do well.
You won’t get extra points for attending an Ivy League school IF you apply to medical school.
WashU’s biology program is highly reputed. Nonetheless, both of your choices tend to have preprofessional orientations relative to some of their academic peers, so I’d think either would align well for a premed student.
Since you mentioned rankings, WashU placed a little higher than UPenn in this alternative site (in relation to the commonly referenced U.S. News), although both schools placed well:
These are both exceptional universities. Both are very well respected and have a very strong reputation. Both are well known throughout the USA. Employers and graduate programs, including medical schools, will be familiar with both and will respect both. Both will be full of very strong and very competitive students. Premed classes at either school will be academically demanding and will have very tough exams. You will need to put in a very strong effort at either school.
Let’s suppose that you attend one of these two schools, do very well, take the MCAT and do well, and end up at a highly ranked medical school. If this happens, then you will find that the majority of students in the same MD program came from lower ranked universities and are nonetheless very academically strong and very well prepared to do well in a tough and demanding MD program.
“Prestige” really does not matter for medical school admissions. However, the prestige of both of these schools is very good. You will make very good connections at either of these two schools.
Assuming that the cost is the same, I think that there are two things that you should think about. One is “plan B”, what will you do if you either do not keep up a sufficiently high GPA to apply to medical schools, or if you just decide to do something else? The large majority of students who start university intending to be premed end up doing something else. Of course both of these schools are also very good for a wide range of other majors and other career plans. The other thing for you to think about is which university you think will be a better fit for you.
I can see why this is a tough decision. There is no bad choice here.
For example, the OP may find that there’s an association between geography and friendliness:
OP might also find that people think he went to Penn State or U Wash. so pick the football team you prefer :). It’s a joke but not really.
Both have wealthy student bodies. At WU, 43% received any need based aid. At UP, 46%.
At UP 24% of the first year class are classified as white, not Hispanic. At WU, 36%.
Good luck.
The South 40 residential communities for underclassmen are hard to beat. Add in the option of living/learning residential communities, and housing accommodations at Wash U are superb. Put that together with the Ervin Scholars program and you have a package which will make your college years special. I don’t see anything special about Penn other than the name. This would be an easy choice for me if I were in your shoes. But I’m not; you are. Go where you’re most comfortable, where you feel you fit, and where you think the place fits you. Good luck.