I was accepted to WashU CAS and gtown’s school of nursing and health studies. I’m uncertain about whether I REALLY want to do premed, and i’d prefer a more vibrant social scene. Also, i’d like to study abroad.
I know both schools have excellent premed programs, and from what I can gather:
Washu Pros:
-easy to switch in and out of colleges/change majors
-excellence across many departments of study (since I’m not 100% about my major)
-great dorms/facilities/dining options
-Greek life
-really really really good premed
Cons:
-lack of a “brand name”/recognition (“what’s washU? is that in seattle?”)
-rigorous weed-out classes like freshman year genchem, etc
-less chances to get to know professors and faculty personally
-somewhat isolated location (in the midwest in Missouri)
-no football
Georgetown NHS pros:
-GREAT individualized attention due to the nhs being so small
-more opportunities to get to know professors
-location
-endless employment/internship opportunities
-professors and classmates get to know you extremely well (good for recs, too)
-study abroad programs
Cons:
-less options open to me if i change my mind about premed…
-deep Jesuit foundations but i’m not religious
-no greek life, instead there are highly competitive clubs
-mostly focused on government/international careers
-school is TOO tiny… perhaps that would be limiting
I feel like washU has a better premed program overall as well as room to have a change of heart, so i am leaning towards it but i am SO indecisive.
please guys: all opinions welcome!!!
I think these two are academic peers with (obviously) different strengths. I think you’re right in thinking that WashU spreads its quality a bit more widely than Georgetown does.
Definitely make this decision based on fit. Try to visit them to get that “gut feeling”.
Finally, there’s plenty to do in St. Louis. And for road trip possibilities, there are several cities within a 3-5 hour drive: You can take trips to KC and Memphis to compare the barbecue, or to Indianapolis for a big car race, or to Chicago for everything cool about the Windy City.
DS is in the College so I have no idea about NHS, but I just wanted to assure you that the Jesuit foundations aren’t an issue. It’s one of ds’s favorite things about Gtown, and he’s agnostic.
Also, wanted to make sure you knew about GERMS, which seems like a great thing for premeds.
I forget all the aspects of the program, but at Georgetown you can apply to their Med school after two years, if accepted, you don’t need to take the mcat or finish any of the prereqs.
-lack of a “brand name”/recognition (“what’s washU? is that in seattle?”) - WashU has one of the best Medical Schools in the country. People know WashU. Its impossible to know all 4k colleges today. Most haven’t been exposed to them yet. This isn’t an issue. If this is any consolation - it is a top 15 US News Ranking college in the US. That’s really impressive (tied with Vanderbilt and ahead of Notre Dame and Rice).
-rigorous weed-out classes like freshman year genchem, etc. - My D is at WashU and she hasn’t told me there are weed out classes. There will be classes that might be hard for you - if you are good at a certain subject it then it shouldn’t be a problem. My D had to take Physics and Calculus which isn’t her thick ice and she did fine. However she had friends who thought those subjects were a breeze. So it all depends on you.
-less chances to get to know professors and faculty personally - this is so untrue - my D has access to the professors all the time and they even know her well. She’s had many professors even highly recommend her to employers (internships). That’s the advantage of a smaller university.
-somewhat isolated location (in the midwest in Missouri) - this is a preference. My D loves WashU because it is a highly collaborative university that is so important to her. She also loves the town. She loves that the airport is is so close and that there is tons of shopping and many concerts too! She’s been to a baseball game too. There’s quite a bit to do in STL. We are from NJ and she doesn’t want to come home.
-no football - they do have football! Funny.
I’m more concerned about your GT cons: Just read what you wrote - it shows you don’t like GT.
less options open to me if i change my mind about premed…
-deep Jesuit foundations but i’m not religious
-no greek life, instead there are highly competitive clubs
-mostly focused on government/international careers
-school is TOO tiny… perhaps that would be limiting
My advice is to pick the college that FITS you best. Where would you be the happiest? Happy students are successful students! Good luck!!!
Thank you all so much for your input–your replies contained a lot of very helpful information!! I’ve looked into programs at Gtown like early assurance and GERMs, but ultimately, I’ve decided to commit to washU (the cost of attending for either school is about the same).
@newjersey17 I had to laugh at your comment about your daughter not wanting to come home from Wash U. I am a Wash U alum from 25+ years ago (LOVED it!) and I remember spending the entire ride home after freshman year with tears streaming down my face because I didn’t want to leave. It really is a special place. I agree with your comments about professor accessibility, too, at least back in my time it was as you say.
@wannabwanted good luck at Wash U! I think you will love it.
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My D is at WashU and she hasn’t told me there are weed out classes.
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Virtually every college has weed-out classes. The students may not be aware of it. Schools don’t state: These are weed out classes. Certainly, there are premeds at WashU (my nephew is there), who end up changing their career paths when the grades from the first year or two are not med-school-worthy.
Your DD isn’t premed, is she? If not, then she may not be aware of that practice for premeds.
That said, WashU is a fine school, as well as G’town. The student should just pick the one he likes best and is affordable.
My definition of weed out classes are when the professor purposely pushes you out. In other words, let me give an example, my H who attended UT in Austin took a large class (over 500 students) and when the first test was graded half the class dropped because of poor grades. Then the professor re-curved everyone’s grades. My H had a B- on his first test and it dropped to a C- minus because half the class dropped out. That’s crazy! My understanding is because these schools have way too many students and they don’t want you to stay. My H said every course he took was practically a weed out course. You are a number and it’s a rat race.
Now at private universities - it is different. They don’t do that. Instead students drop out because it is too hard or they cannot do it. Let me elaborate. My son was a TA grading/teaching labs for a comp sci class. He saw a student who poured her heart into the subject and spent numerous hours trying to understand data structures and she just couldn’t do it. He felt really bad for her. She tried so hard and my son and his professor both tried to help her. It just wasn’t her “thick ice”. My son on the other hand found the class a breeze. It came easy to him. For others it doesn’t. I also know of a student that wanted to be an Architect but he had to drop because he was having anxiety attacks and had to take medicine. Obviously he couldn’t handle it. So he wasn’t weeded out - it just was too hard for him to handle. So the private schools don’t push you out - instead it’s the opposite they want you to stay and succeed. Students drop courses because they simply cannot do it. Not everyone can be a doctor, architect or an engineer. Those are the hardest majors and you have to talent to be able to do it. That’s why these majors are known to have the highest drop out rates.
