Pre-Med schools in Washington (state)

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Before I start, I realize this is a "is this a good Pre-Med school" thread. I know that some people are tired of this. If you are one of them then you should probably just stop reading; otherwise any help would be appreciated as this is an important life decision after all.</p>

<p>Now that that's out of the way... I will be a high school senior next year so I'm running out of time to think of which university to attend. Money's pretty tight so I'm really focusing on in-state (Washington) schools. Because of this I'm assuming that any advice regarding specific in-state universities will be from Pacific North-westerners, but overall advice would be appreciated from anyone.</p>

<p>From what I know currently my best options are the following three schools:</p>

<p>University of Washington, Seattle campus
This was my first choice for the past year or two. It is a very large public university with great research opportunities. Since it's associated with one of the best medical schools in the area (University of Washington School of Medicine or UWSOM) I thought that attending there as an undergrad would lead to a more straight-forward path to medical school. The problem is that I have heard some very unsatisfactory statements regarding this university. Common complaints are: extremely large (700+ students) intro science classes which are competitive to the point of students stealing other students' work, overall large class sizes ensure that standing out and getting letters of recommendation from teachers is extremely difficult, TA-run classes are frequent and very unfair, the fact that you are actually less likely to be accepted into UWSOM because there are so many applicants from UW that the adcom knows thoroughly what to look for and therefore easily overlooks you, and a huge pool of competition for the most basic of opportunities for advancement. Because of these apparently common complaints I have come to doubt this university despite it being my #1 choice for a fair amount of time.</p>

<p>Whitman College, Walla Walla Washington
I heard of this college for the first time only a month or two ago. I've heard great reviews of the college in general (very great staff, small class sizes, great campus, great curriculum) but almost nothing about their pre-med program. I'd feel better about attending this college if I got some feedback regarding their pre-med program. I'm not entirely convinced that that's enough of a show stopper anyway. If there are science courses with small class sizes and willing professors then I can make the most of them and study a lot on my own for the MCAT. Is this too much of a gamble? They offer majors in Biology and Bio Chem and I don't know what more I could ask for than small class sizes and devoted professors... It doesn't seem to be well-known but holds a sterling reputation in general for those who do know of it.</p>

<p>Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington
This is going to be a brief description for one primary reason. Gonzaga has a good reputation in general and I've heard good things about their pre-med program. The major problem is that it is a Catholic private school and I'm not religious. I don't have a problem with religion but I'm quite ignorant as to whether or not non-religious persons are allowed into religious universities and don't feel comfortable lying in order to be admitted. Do religious universities make exceptions and if so is it even worth it?</p>

<p>So, those of you with experience with any of these three colleges (or who have suggestions of other good colleges) could you give your opinion and/or suggestions please? Are the given descriptions of each of these universities realistic in your experience? </p>

<p>Those of you who don’t know these colleges specifically could you please give any general advice or your opinion on whether or not certain aspects mentioned above are actually important?</p>

<p>Thanks much for any help, sorry for the long post and if anything's unclear just ask.</p>

2

<p>I think your reservations about the UW are spot on, but I am partial to smaller learning environments. None of those problems are unique to the UW by the way, you’ll also find them at other big universities. But if money is a consideration the UW might be your best option. Speaking of which, how can you be considering Whitman or Gonzaga if money is tight? They are indeed both terrific schools and I don’t think that Gonzaga will care that you aren’t religious.</p>

<p>Another possibility that you might want to consider is Willamette in Salem, Oregon. I mention it because they seem to give a considerable amount of merit assistance and their tuition isn’t quite as high as other private colleges.</p>

3

<p>To be a good pre-med school you should look for the school where YOU will flourish, where you will be inspired to be your best you, get strong grades, join ECs, connect with Profs, etc.</p>

<p>I live in WA and I have a DD who attended Berkeley- which is probably similar to UW in many ways, and one who attended Whitworth (not Whitman) in Spokane. My Berkeley DD is going to attend UWSOM, in her facebook group, the first 20 people admitted included 2 kids from Whitworth. Lots of kids ended up being admitted from places like UW/WSU/WWU/Whitworth/Whitman/Gonzaga and other places across the country.</p>

<p>Whitmand is a better known LAC, uses CSS Profile and has a great reputation.</p>

<p>Gonzaga is Catholic, Whitworth is Christian, but they are also small schools with a solid reputation and a small school environment. My DD who lived Whitworth would not have enjoyed a big state school. They both use FAFSA.</p>

<p>I believe there is a WA state grant if you are low income, but even with a generous package AND merit aid at the private schools you may end up with $15-20k a year in loans. What about trying WWU in Bellingham or Evergreen if it fits? To have a smaller school experience at state school prices. But apply to several and see what you are offered.</p>

<p>I think Whitworth allowed a FREE app if you applied early & online ;)</p>

4

<p>Whitman is very strong in the sciences and has a solid reputation nationally amongst academics. Hopefully you will be able to visit schools this fall. They do offer merit money to competitive applicants, but they were also extremely generous with our D in financial aid. Don’t know your stats, but University of Puget Sound is an easier school to get into–they therefore might offer a top candidate more merit money. Every college mentioned on this page has a beautiful campus.</p>

5

<p>So do the positives of a larger university outweigh the downfalls in general? Sure I suppose the large classes get a lot smaller after the intro stuff but the lack of letters of recommendation is disturbing and people stealing my work (I don’t know the extent of this) in intro science classes might lower my GPA a fair amount. It seems that small universities (while great and preferable) are quite a bit more expensive and I might just have to deal with the negatives associated with a large university like UW…
Can anyone confirm/deny the assertion that it is harder to get into UWSOM if you attended UW as an undergrad?</p>

6

<p>Please do not rule out Gonzaga just because it is a Catholic university. It is run by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), which is generally considered the most liberal religious order and a significant portion of the student body (I believe it is around 1/3) is not Catholic. My son’s best friend is a rising junior at Gonzaga; he is an atheist and has never felt out of place there. According to the school, there are 24 different faiths represented at Gonzaga.</p>

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<p>I agree with somemom, “To be a good pre-med school you should look for the school where YOU will flourish, where you will be inspired to be your best you, get strong grades, join ECs, connect with Profs, etc.”
It sounds like you prefer a smaller setting but money is a concern. I think you should visit as many schools as you can, apply to the ones you like, see where you get in, compare merit/financial aid offers, and then decide. Many students are often pleasantly surprised to see a lower cost for attending a private over a public. You should contact the admissions reps from the schools you are interested in and talk to them about your concerns. They can also put you in touch with professors and/or other pre-med students.</p>