Wash U vs Columbia vs Northwestern

[doctormans]

I am very interested in competitive specialties (neurosurgery, plastics, etc.)
Input appreciated on other pros/cons others have seen while interviewing

Washington University in St. Louis
Pros:
-t10
-Hospital system seemed amazing
-Super diverse and underserved population
-Good vibes on the student body
-Faculty seemed super invested in students, was stopped by multiple faculty/interviewers who weren't even interviewing me
-They had the best lunch lol
-Student body seemed collaborative
-Level 1 trauma center

Cons:
-St. Louis
-Diversity and inclusion office disappointing
-Weather
-Brand new curriculum(whenever asked students about school/curriculum they always said "i have no idea, ya'll are gettin something brand new"

Columbia
Pros:
-t10
-Clout
-Fell in love with new york
-Great placement
-Friendly faculty and seem to be invested in the success of their students
-Loved my interviewers
-Diverse population
-Amazing facilities

Cons:
-High cost of living
-Didn't connect with students
-Some of the rotational hospitals far from school
-Washington heights is not as cool as the rest of NYC
-Student body did not seem collaborative/friendly(people in NY generally just seemed less friendly which is expected)


Northwestern
Pros:
-Diversity and inclusion office amazing
-Level 1 trauma center
-Faculty seem to care about students
-Amazing hospitals
-Great emphasis on P/F (called it pass-pass)
-Brand new facilities
-Student body seemed very collaborative

Cons:
-Winters
-High cost of living
-less prestigious
-Chicago is diverse but Feinberg is in a richer part(maybe less diverse patient population)

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[meronebib]

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[indecisiveconvention]

Just wanted to put out there that vibing with the student body is underrated - these will be the peers and friends you will have the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with over the next couple years. Regarding diversity at WashU - as you noted, we serve a diverse patient population, but also have benefit from diversity among our deans, faculty, and staff. Our deans (e.g., Dean Ross and Dean Stevenson) care deeply about diversity- reach out to them if you had any specific questions/concerns. Congrats on all your options!

 

[Marr97]

Based on your list, I'd lean towards Columbia, but will financial factors play a role in your decision?

 

[doctormans]

Financials will play a huge role, however, I wanted to hear what people thought regardless of financials to get "unbiased" feedback. I have yet to hear from WashU, Feinberg gave me half CoA, and Columbia gave a very generous offer. However NY is extremely high cost of living and I am married with a kid. Should I hope to hear from Wash U and take it if they can match or is Columbia still the best choice?

 

[Wolvvs]

Financials will play a huge role, however, I wanted to hear what people thought regardless of financials to get "unbiased" feedback. I have yet to hear from WashU, Feinberg gave me half CoA, and Columbia gave a very generous offer. However NY is extremely high cost of living and I am married with a kid. Should I hope to hear from Wash U and take it if they can match or is Columbia still the best choice?

Where do you want to match? All of those schools are awesome and won't stop you from matching where you want to, but Columbia for example will definitely give you an advantage in the northeast. I'm from Boston and so I may be a bit biased, but I think NYC is awesome and would definitely choose Columbia. But I don't think any of those choices would be wrong.

 

[9blade]

Obviously none of these schools will prevent you from matching NS. These are good schools. At first glance, I would say Columbia, but living in NYC with a wife and kid while going to medschool would be tough for me. Do you want to stay in the Northeast later? do you want to move back to the midwest?

Try to see if you can get WashU to match. If they do, that's where I would go. Cost of living in NYC is crazy but Wash Heights housing is pretty cheap compared to downtown. I know Columbia has some couples housing/apartments in Tower 1, but idk if children can stay there. There's an apt complex in between Tower 1 and Tower 2 on Haven Ave that I've heard is pretty cheap as well just in case you decide to take Columbia and are looking for cheap options.

 

[meronebib]

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[WedgeDawg]

NYC as a medical student can be difficult with a family, but there are always people who make it work and do very well and Columbia has resources to help with that process. St. Louis is probably much more family friendly. Both WashU and Columbia are excellent excellent schools and if your goal is a highly competitive surgical specialty, both schools will get you where you want to go as long as you put in the effort. Also for what it's worth, I found the student body at Columbia to be highly collaborative within classes and between classes.

 

[mass-premed66]

Wash U matched my Columbia offer, so I think you’ll have luck there. However, even with finances being equal here, I picked Columbia based on the reasons you mentioned above. Great match list for competitive specialities, especially to the east coast, and wanting to live in New York over St. Louis. As other posters said, Washington heights is cheaper and quieter than other parts of manhattan while close enough to be able to really enjoy the city so that’s a plus.
I was also hesitant about the new curriculum at Wash U and didn’t want to be a guinea pig.

Between those two, I’d pick Columbia (and did, lol).