<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I was a WashU premed. I am now an MD/PhD student, and I wish to tell all aspiring WashU premeds here that I had a wonderful time doing the premed track at WashU. It is by no means easy, however. </p>
<p>I was really busy this past year, but as I have a lull in this summer, I'd like to share with you guys a thread I wrote a while back in the WUSTL 2014 forum: </p>
<p>Good luck on your journey!</p>
<p>Thanks, Zenith!</p>
<p>Really great stuff there!</p>
<p>That’s some great information! Thanks!</p>
<p>I actually had one more question. How difficult is it to get accepted into the University Scholars Program in Medicine? I’m somewhat interested in it, but am not sure if I want to apply. What have you heard about the selectivity, rigor, and benefits of the program, and would you recommend applying?</p>
<p>jeckert- there’s somewhere around 3-5 USP’s in any given year. In other words, it’s ridiculously selective. All of the USP’s I know kept up with the GPA/MCAT requirement, and also got into a dozen amazing schools (WashU obviously, but several choose not to go to WashU, if only for a change in scenery).</p>
<p>There’s no harm in applying, but don’t get your hopes up.</p>
<p>I think it’s extremely difficult, from what I’ve heard. I had a friend who had a 4.0 GPA, 2400 SAT, all the necessary EC’s/leadership positions, had published research at Princeton, and didn’t even get called back for the interview.</p>
<p>Besides that, the requirements that they impose upon you for your undergraduate studies are ridiculous. A 3.8 GPA and 36 MCAT?! If you have those stats at WashU, you can get into pretty much any med school you want anyway. </p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t waste my time on it, as it’s EXTREMELY difficult to get accepted to, and you will be constantly stressing over grades for your entire undergrad career.</p>
<p>Just my two cents, feel free to ring in/correct me, Zenith.</p>
<p>Zenith, do you know anything about the difficulty of the BME program at WASHU?</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in BME for my undergrad and then getting my MD.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>@cowboycliche022,</p>
<p>It’s true that with a 3.8 GPA and 36 MCAT you’d have a great shot at most of your dream med school programs. I’d have to add though that the guaranteed spot, as long as you keep up with academic reqs, is by no means a small deal. When you apply to medical school, you could have the numbers but still not obtain a spot (for top programs, less than 10% acceptances) because the admissions committee looks at other factors such as your extracurriculars, essay, and recommendation letters. To have a guaranteed spot means these “confounding factors” won’t be in your way when you apply to WashU Medical School. Many people who get an interview from the Medical School already have the 3.8+ and 35+ GPA/MCAT combo, so it’s nice you don’t have to try to phase out the competition by “sizing up extracurriculars.” </p>
<p>Of course, don’t worry if you aren’t accepted into the few spots in the University Scholars Program. It won’t matter too much in the long run. If as a WashU premed you have a decent GPA, MCAT score, and extracurriculars that show your passion and commitment, you’ll probably have your choice of programs when you hear back from medical schools.</p>
<p>@nihar94, </p>
<p>I have several BME friends, and it didn’t seem like BME was too difficult for them. However, I have a feeling the BME crowd is a self-selecting group - if you like engineering, you’re one of those people who enjoy analyzing math/science problems and being quantitative. Since medical school prerequs deal heavily with math/science, the BME-ers have a ball. </p>
<p>The work load though is tough. There seems to be a lot of problem sets and projects, and you do take more science/engineering/math classes per semester than other premeds. </p>
<p>I hear BME140 is a tough course. This was several years ago, so I’m not sure if the instructor and the exams have changed. </p>
<p>All the BMEs I know did well in the medical school application process, most getting into their top choice. However, like I said, the group might be self-selecting because of their academic interests. Make sure you are passionate about science, engineering, and quantitative courses. </p>
<p>There is also a small number of former BMEs who eventually switched over to Arts and Sciences. It was mostly a workload issue.</p>
<p>To clarify and to re-iterate what Zenith posted, if your main goal is MD, don’t go into BME simply because you think it will help you in the admissions process. It will not, and could ultimately hurt you in the long run due to the higher number of hours you have to commit to the BME courses, which you could otherwise be using for extracurriculars or just having fun and socializing. Many people drop BME and switch to something else, as intro to BME is still a weedout course, whether the courseload is too heavy or people figured out that BME is ultimately not their passion. That is not to discourage people from going into BME; if you truly love medical sciences with the combination of math/engineering skills, BME would be the right choice for you. Just remember that many other options are available at WashU, with biology and psychology as the other very popular majors for premeds.</p>