<p>I am going to preface this by saying how I thought I had a snowball's chance in hell for an acceptance to WashU. I have a 33 ACT and top 5% etc. etc. but I felt like I lacked that extra factor. Well, the fact is I got in. Woooo-hoooo! However, I am now plagued with a billion concerns. One things that worries me is my ability to succeed at WashU given the competition among a high caliber student body. I am pretty set on medical school, though things are apt to change. For WashU I am debating between majoring in history, PNP, or anthropology while fulfilling my pre-med requirements. I just fear that I could be top of the class at a couple of LACs that I have been accepted to, as opposed to struggling to survive at WashU. I know this forum is probably filled with threads concerning workload and academic intensity. Also, I am praying for some amazing financial aid. My parents have always been averse to having to take out big loans or debt, but they really want to see me at my dream school and are now talking about downsizing to a small house (among other things) to mitigate whatever the cost might be. I'm trying to relax and keep a clear, focused mind, but I am just scared out of my wits on this gigantic decision. What comments would y'all have to share?</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you think you’d struggle at Wash U. Trust in your abilities. You wouldn’t have been admitted if Wash U didn’t think you could handle the work. My son is a freshman at Wash U and only had a 30 ACT but made the Dean’s List his first semester.</p>
<p>What seperates the students at washu is not who is intelligent and who is not, but who works hard. If you work hard and like what you are studying you will be able to handle it. Period. But you will NEED to work hard.</p>
<p>Hi Helvitica, </p>
<p>I can provide a firsthand experiece of the biology and pre-health programs at WashU. Please PM me with specific questions and I will be more than happy to address each for you.</p>
<p>The short answer about WashU premed - you better work hard, but you WILL reap the benefits of working hard at WashU. WashU is way above average in getting its premeds into medical schools. The percentages of students who apply to medical school from WashU and are accepted are up on the pre-health site on ArtSci website. I thiink it is in the premed handbook, or a documentation on the same page of that website.</p>
<p>I just pulled an all-nighter last night. haha I work extremely hard. For example, I am killing myself in my AP Calculus class, and I am struggling to make a “C”. I had never made anything below an “A” until this class. It seems no matter how hard I work, I bomb the tests because they are like 4 long word questions that test application of material. We only have nine people in the school who are taking the class, but I am definitely having the hardest time. I just don’t want to be attend an amazing, amazing school (WashU) and then claw my way at the bottom of the barrel. I don’t mean to sound whiny; calculus has just really made me more apprehensive and less confident in overcoming lack of natural ability with hard work. The consensus seems to say that as long as I work my tail off, all should be okay. Thanks for the support. I hope this holds true! :)</p>
<p>Wash U isn’t like that. There is a huge amount of support & it’s not so tough a school at all. You’re obviously smart. It’s NOT a dog eat dog kind of a place, it’s awesome & you’d be stupid not to go if you’re interested in medicine. They have such an advantage and the nurturing of their pre-med students is outstanding. Go!</p>
<p>Helvetica,</p>
<p>I second what Kuaila said- this is the least cutthroat premed place I know. Students here support each other. </p>
<p>Here is a WashU premed thread that may answer a few more of your questions: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/869028-washu-premed-program.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/washington-university-st-louis/869028-washu-premed-program.html</a></p>
<p>And yes, I agree with a previous poster that in college, what’s more important is how hard you work. I know smart people who slacked off in a certain premed class and did not do well. The thing is, everyone is going to be smart so you just have to work harder than they do. And if you don’t understand a concept, there are study groups and tutoring available (be sure to join PLTL your freshman year)</p>
<p>Premed is rough anywhere because it does kids a disservice to lead them to believe that medical school is in their futures if they have no real chance of getting an mcat score. Go to the student doc forums and read the tragic letters from those who just got a 22. Those tough early bios and chems will give the student some indication of where he/she fits in to the pool of likely mcat takers. So I would focus on this issue more than the issue of whether you can make the grades. If you can’t make the grades in these early sciences, then you probably shouldn’t put all your eggs in the med school basket at WUSTL or elsewhere. Think of it this way. If the lab science curriculum is tough, you will have a leg up in preparing for the mcat junior year. As far as non-science majors for a premed: yes that is the latest catch-phrase from med school adcoms, but in reality, when you get there you may wish you had more micro, embryology, histology, like the guy sitting next to you who seems to be learning this huge load of stuff for the second time.</p>