Also posted on reddit but I’d like some extra insight. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the quality of the support pre-med students have from the school. The pre-health advisor claims that the school cannot disclose the percent of students that get accepted to Medical Schools and that also is very surprising/worrisome considering that most colleges are willing to share this information. Additionally, they are trying to figure out how to change the pre-med track in general to make it work better for students. Can anyone provide any insight to how pre-med at the school works from a student/personal perspective because the school seems reluctant to share much information and I am worried that they do not have a sturdy support system. Thanks!
Can you be more specific with “how pre-med at the school works?”
Generally speaking, once you start school you have access to a pre-med adviser. They’ll make sure you have all the info you need regarding required classes, prereqs, etc. The list isn’t terribly long, but because of prereqs you’ll be taking a couple each semester up to your late sophomore/early junior year.
There are quite a few classes on campus that are instructed by faculty of GW’s med school and/or GW Hospital attendings. It would be wise to take one or two early on so that you can get some experience in the hospital. This experience both ensures that healthcare is something you want to pursue and it looks good on your med school app.
There’s no “pre-med major.” It’s your responsibility to pick a major that blends well with the pre-med classes. Also, there is no “one major is better than another” when it comes to acceptance to med school. If anything, having something other than biology or chemistry would make you stand-out more.
And as far as how many students that are on the pre-med track at GW that make it to med school, I’ll say this: if anyone was going to wash-out from the program (deciding it’s too difficult, too time-intensive, or just realize that healthcare isn’t for them), it was within the first three semesters, typically. Of everyone I knew that were juniors/seniors and applying to medical school, I think all but one made it to med school. I knew quite a few, too, whether they were just friends I met when I was pre-med (I bailed second semester), or they were students I worked with when I had a part-time job at the hospital’s emergency department (great experience for aspring health professionals).