i’m applying to georgetown and i know i wanna do premed but i’m wondering if checking that box on the app will decreases my chances somehow, since i don’t know how competitive the premed program there is. should i say i’m undeclared on the app just in case? assuming i get in, would i be able to switch to premed once on campus?
Yes you can switch, but if you know you want to do it, check that box. Within each school, Georgetown does not “admit by major” (they aren’t limited by number of spots in certain majors/tracks such as pre med), so it won’t really affect your chances but it lets the school know you have an interest in that area.
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You can switch to pre-med easily. At most colleges pre-med is not even a major. It is just a bunch of prerequisites you have to take.
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Being premed is an intention, not a major. SO MANY high school students think they’ll be premed and change their minds that it almost doesn’t make sense for you to check the box right now.
What major are you applying for?
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i’m applying for neuroscience. so you think i shouldn’t check the box on the app?
No.
I mean, do it if you want to, but it’s too early.
After first semester, if you’re top 20% in every class you took first semester and found a good volunteering opportunity, seek out premed advice and you’ll get it, but seriously you can’t receive much “advising” as a would-be freshman.
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Top 20% if a school he size of Georgetown isn’t likely to get you into med school. Advising should be available for you from day one.
@Cottontales: if a student cannot be in the top 20% of their first semester’s classes*, they’re not going to get into med school. If they cannot find and hold a volunteer position, ditto.
1st semester premed advising at a large university is good but basically means making sure the student goes to tutors to push that B+ to an A-, does volunteering… There’s not much you can tell a would-be premed before they had their first midterm grades, unless there are special opportunities open to them. Many universities don’t even have premed advising for freshmen.
At a LAC or in an Honors College, some 1st semester freshmen may have access to special opportunities if they’re made aware at the end of the semester and they’ve distinguished themselves, but at G’Town (where everything is very competitive, even clubs) I highly doubt it wouldn’t be the case.
And natural sciences/premed is quite over-represented already as it is.
So, checking the “premed” box on the application brings no benefit to an applicant and has a potential downside if they haven’t distinguished themselves in science&in a hospital setting; in all likelihood it is totally neutral, therefore I wouldn’t check it.
(At worst, if the student really wants to be invited to the Orientation premed advising meeting, they can check the box during enrollment…)
[*by definition, 80% admitted freshmen won’t be, yet at this point all applicants think they will be. 
That’s why it’s a basic threshold in my opinion.]
I will say it again: Georgetown is very clear that they do not admit by major/academic program. Checking the premed box may not be an upside, but it will not be a downside. In addition, I would not say that “everything is competitive” at Georgetown; the vast majority of clubs are open membership and not at all application based. I’m not premed, but I’ve found advising to be quite strong across the board starting from day 1.
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