Chance Me - WashU - STL

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

I am very eager to know what others think are my chances.

UW GPA: 3.75 ( I took 8 classes each year, and I got 2-3 types of Bs each year)
W GPA: 4.15
SAT: 1560 (800M, 760R)
Mixed Male (Middle Eastern and Black)
I got to one of the best High schools in America, frequently ranked #1

Major: Biology/Chemistry (Something Pre-Medicine)

Demonstrated interest in school: Went to college rep visit at my high school one time, went to a college rep visit in my area two times, I visited the campus 3 times, and I interviewed on campus. Additionally, I have had back and forth correspondence with two admission reps.

Subject Tests:
Math II, Chemistry - 800
Bio (E) - 780

APs:
Taken so far (All 5s): Bio, Chem, APUSH, AP Spanish Lang

Senior Courseload and first quarter grades (Which they look at):
AP Gov: A
AP Psych: A
Research Project Class: A
Earth Science (HN): A
Advanced Band: A
AP English Lang: A
Organic Chemistry (HN): A
AP BC Calculus: B

Extracurriculars:

  1. Ranked 1st in state and top 20 in nation for Debate. I am the captain at my school. I have finalled at numerous prestigious national tournaments. I have done this all 4 years
  1. I am flute section leader of the marching band. I have done this all four years. I have self taught myself many instruments and local orchestras play my compositions.
  2. I have shadowed surgeons at my local hospital. I have witnessed over 300 hours of live surgery and rounds.
  3. I interned at a research lab at a local university. We found a new bacterial strain with antibiotic abilities and have a pending patent.
  4. I have volunteered at my local hospital for 4 years.
  5. I have an executive position in a Nonprofit PAC entirely run by teens that advocated for higher voter turn out and increased civic engagement.
  6. I am president of a national nonprofit organization branch in my state that goes to local elementary schools to provide free science lessons and activities to underrespresented children.
  7. I am the founder and president of my schools music tutoring program that goes to a local middle school and gives free private lessons to underrepresented children on a weekly basis.
  8. I have attended the National Student Leadership Conference for Medicine, which was a career oriented program that lasted two weeks at a local university.
  9. I am the president of the book club.

Awards:

State Science Fair Winner
National Speech and Debate Association Academic All American Award
State Debate Champion
Superior Rank for all recital performances (flute/clarinet/piano)
Best smile superlative award

Essays: My CA is very deep and introspective. My supplement is very analytical and representative of my curiosity.

Recs:
Counselor: 8/10
English Teacher: 8/10
Chem Teacher: 9/10
Doctor I shadowed: 10/10

Self-evaluation: I think I have strong ECs and essays, but my grades are pretty mediocre. I go to an extremely difficult high school which is known to be tough, but I am unsure if this makes up for my grades.

A question: What are my chances? Are my grades a deal breaker? Advice?

Thanks!

2

It is really hard to say, but IMHO it is worth applying but is definitely not a safety. I think that you just need to apply, also apply to some matches and safeties, and see what happens.

I am wondering whether your list of ECs might be too long. Which ones did you care about the most?

3

Did you apply ED?

4

I’m a current student at WashU and I can tell you that you definitely do have a shot and should apply. It is by no means a safety or target school for you or anyone in the country really. Especially for premed, you’re going to be up against a lot of candidates with perfect GPAs and similar extracurriculars. Your grades are not a “deal breaker,” but you’ll really need to shine through on the essays to convey your extracurriculars and personality. WashU really values students who are seeking a community - so maybe emphasize that within the context of your extracurriculars. Good luck!

5

Fight the senioritis. It’s no excuse. Do your best, always do your best, no matter where you get in.

6

The 3.75 UW isn’t that low for WashU-my kid got in with a ~3.6 UW for the Class of 2021 although he was ED.

If you applied ED, it would be a low reach. URM would definitely help, especially if you apply for some of the scholarships geared towards URM like Ervin and Rodriguez.

7

Thanks for all the replies! Does WUSTl limit pre med acceptances because of how popular the major is? Also, I did apply ED.

8

@Hamurtle Do you know if they look at scholarship applications in the common application process? I thought I would apply to those if I got into the school since the ED notification date is Dec 15 and the scholarship application deadline is Jan 2. Is there an advantage of applying for scholarships now?

9

Pre-med is not a major. You can major in anything as long as you take the required courses for medical school.

The essays for merit scholarships are done at the same time as the application, but finalists are not informed until March.

10

@DadTwoGirls Ten is the max about of ECs you can put down, so I put down my ten activities. They are put down in the order of importance as suggested by the Common App

11

@Hamurtle I know pre med isnt a major, but on the application it asks for your planned profession, which I put as physician. So I assume they know I will be doing pre med?

Also - ED results come out Dec 15 while the deadline to apply for scholarships is Jan 2. Don’t most people wait to hear on Dec 15th if they are accepted before applying to scholarships since the scholarships deadline is 2-3 weeks after ED results come out?

12

I do not believe that Wash U restricts those who would like to apply to Medical School. Our student has many friends who are majoring in many different subjects who are considering applying to medical school. They also recognize that some will decide to change their life goals as they matriculate - in and out of medicine.