I am a Posse Scholarship Nominee and one of the schools I chose to be sent to by the scholarship foundation is UW-Madison. However, I don’t know much about UW-Madison and am an aspiring med student. I can’t seem to find much info on the internet about Madison’s pre-med programs, med-school acceptance, Early Assurance programs, or med school partnerships. Can someone inform me on these things? And of course anything else that makes UW-Madision stand out for a pre-med student.
UW-Madison has one of the best MD acceptance rates for a public (on par with UMich, UVA, UNC, UCLA, UCB, etc.), but as others will tell you, the best premed college for you is the one with the academic environment that will allow you to personally thrive (and give you a good Plan B if you change your mind about the doctor thing).
UW has a strong academic reputation; it’s a fine school and sends plenty of graduates off to medical school every year. Here’s their “pre-health” advising page; it’s a good place to start:
https://prehealth.wisc.edu/medicine/coursework-medicine/
Physician here. Premed is an intention, not a major. The above posts are excellent. You can go to any college and major in any field for medical school. Many major in a STEM field because that is where their interests lie. Some also look at the overlap in required corsework.
I would not be too concerned about partnerships et al but would rather have you think about where you want to go for your college education. You do need to think about a field you would enjoy majoring in. Think in terms of not what may get you into medical school but what you actively enjoy. You will do better in college when you like what you major in. Plus, you may change your mind about becoming a physician or be among the majority with premed intentions who do not get into a medical school.
When you are choosing college/universities to apply to you need to also consider finances. You cannot expect a free ride, even with scholarships. You need to consider all costs of attendance, not just academic costs. Travel expenses are real.
Also realize that where you go for undergrad can influence where you are accepted for medical school. Same stats at UW will be better than those from any other school in the state. But- better stats from a lesser school trump lesser grades/MCAT scores at UW. Likewise I’m sure for other states.
Do not count on going to a school for undergrad giving you admission to a school’s medical school. You do not need courses beyond those required for admission. Medical schools will give you all you need medically, no reason to try to get a head start on those subjects. Use your college years to get an education. Take time for arts, music, humanities beyond graduation requirements. Become a well rounded person. My Art History and Symphony electives gave me knowledge that helped me appreciate museums and performances decades later.
Now, think about where you would like to go to college. Think of the academics, campus culture, geography, distance from home and all sorts of nonmedical school related concerns. You already have a list for scholarship purposes. Now refine that list based on other factors. You can go anywhere for undergrad to prepare for medical school. You, the person, not the school, is whom the schools will look at. Make a list of places that appeal to you, not a list of where you think medical schools will want.
So much time for you to refine goals from this point until the decisions for a profession. Keep flexible and not stuck on a HS dream.
Finally- UW is an excellent school. There is an excellent Honors Program. I was an Honors Chemistry major eons ago and still get info from my long ago department to know. Many different chemistry class sequences to fit different abilities and interests (unlike some schools). So many othe excellent academics.
As others have mentioned, UW has a robust pre-health advising department. It is not an official track/major, but an intention—you are free to major in whatever major you’d like.
UW has a medical school: UWSMPH, which like the university itself, heavily favors WI residents in the admissions process. Something like 4% of OOS applicants receive interviews, while around 50% of WI applicants receive interviews. UW doesn’t have an early assurance program.
I’m a class of 2019 UW grad who just started med school this year, so speaking from a more recent perspective, I think UW can be a great place for a premed. UWSMPH’s teaching hospital is a short bus/bike ride from campus which makes finding clinical volunteering opportunities easy and convenient, there are a lot of service-oriented organizations to be involved in both on and off campus, a good-sized premed community, and generally a wide range of organizations that can allow you to pursue any of your interests. I personally had a great experience with my professors and the overall teaching quality as well.
To offer a downside, UW is a HUGE school. I’ve felt it’s not uncommon for people to feel overwhelmed by the size and have the feeling of falling through the cracks. That being said, I’ve heard that Posse has its own advising/support system so it’s possible you won’t face this problem as much.
Finally, I really encourage you to look into the other factors. You don’t know that you’ll be premed by the end of college—plenty of people switch when their grades don’t make it or if they realize it isn’t the right path for them. Pick a college where you’ll be emotionally and financially happy for the next 4 years (@wis75 has already brought some excellent things to consider outside of academics.) I LOVED the big campus community, the college town vibes, sports culture and all the friends I made, but I also knew people who transferred or came very close to transferring because of those very same things I loved about UW.
Also, feel free to ask any more questions about being premed at UW or in general! I’m still an M1 so the premed memories are still fresh in my mind lol
Our son is second year at UW Madison. He’s classified as a senior, L&S Honors, Chem BS, Biochem BS with Honors Bio and Global Health minors. He loves Chemistry and is really enjoying UW. UW is the perfect fit for a kid from a very big and extremely competitive high school with a top AP program. His first year was in Chadbourne, he got into a research lab and made the MUN travel team. He moved into the “sophomore slums” with four of his Chadbourne friends 8/20.
Other than the Pandemic, it has been perfect. His high school AP classes were more competitive, but the upper level honors classes are similar.