Case vs. WashU BME PhD

[battleidiot]

Trying to narrow my choices down to these two schools... 

 

Case Western Reserve University (Program: Biomedical Engineering, PhD)

Pros: Fully funded, 25K/year, excellent research match, good funding, top 10 BME program, more industry opportunities 

Cons: Lower overall prestige/not name-brand, weather (heard it can get really cold) 

 

Washington University in St. Louis (Program: Biomedical Engineering, PhD)

Pros: Fully funded, 28K/year, good research match, excellent funding, top 10 overall program, strong medical school

Cons: Lower BME ranking/younger department, weather (heard it can get really hot) 

 

I have found professors I would like to work with in both schools. The ones at WashU seem stronger/better funded but 

the ones at Case are more aligned to my research interests. Each program is roughly the same size in terms of faculty and students with Case being a little bit bigger. 

but Case has an older program as well with est. 1968 while WashU's program was est. 1993. Case does a direct match while WashU is on rotation for at least 1 year. 

I'd prefer the cold over the heat and it seems Cleveland is cheaper to live in than St. Louis but at this point, these are but minor concerns. 

 

 

 

[battleidiot]

Also WashU has a stronger Medical school but weaker hospital (Barnes-Jewish)

Conversely, Case has a weaker Medical school but stronger hospital (Cleveland Clinic) 

 

WashU is stronger overall in Medicine/Biology but I'm leaning more towards Case because of research interests. 

I am just concerned that the latter will hurt me because I've talked to several people, and not a lot of them know about Case! DX

[Epidoc13]

Congrats on the acceptance first!

 

I see the choice is easy. You incline to Case and it is a good school. I think this University is under rated at many programs. The perfect fit is a top priority as it determines how your research will go. Your work will count more than the name of the school you have attended. Although I know names attract attention. WashU is a top tier school though.

 

Good luck and let us know where you will go!!

[battleidiot]

Bump!!!