Which school is better for premed? Can anyone who goes to either school on a premed track speak about their experiences there? Is there grade deflation/inflation at either? How easy is it to maintain a high GPA? Are there a lot of weed out classes? And can I do pre-med and have a social life
That’s a lot of questions…are you committed to one and got off the waitlist from the other? Or thinking about applying in the Fall?
Hopefully some students will chime in. I have known some pre-meds at WashU, and they say it’s a tough road. Worked out for some, not others.
Have you spoken to the pre-health advising at each school? Do you know if either gives committee letters, and if so, does everyone looking to apply to med school receive one, or does the school gatekeep by only giving letters to those most likely to gain a med school acceptance? If you don’t know that, go to their websites/or ask the prehealth advisors because that’s critical to know.
After that, premed will be tough at both those schools because your classmates will be academically strong and you are competing against them, at least in the classes that curve. Many pre-med classes are potential weed outs…chem 1, orgo, even bio. You might take classes and realize pre-med isn’t for you, for any number of reasons.
Whether or not you can balance pre-med academics and a social life is about you…your HS academic preparation, how easy the concepts in any given class come to you, how well you can prioritize your time, etc.
With that said, If you are accepted to both schools, I would pick the one that you feel offers you the best all around fit. The more comfortable/happy you are the more likely you are to be successful academically.
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I don’t know too much about Barnard but I know WashU has a strong reputation for being very good for PreMed. They also have a very strong advising program, including a separate PreMed advisor who helps you through the process. PreMed will be challenging anywhere but it seems like WashU has a lot of supports in place and they don’t try to weed people out of being Pre-Med.
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I have a student at WASHU and did a residency there. It is amazing for pre-med. Check out the med-prep curriculum and google the medical school acceptance rates.
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Cannot speak to premed but my daughter is a rising senior at Barnard and will be using her Barnard funding this summer to conduct research and work on her thesis. She works in a lab, has many stem friends, and they are all very busy, hard-working types. Lots of time in the library, but also lots of socializing (usually with an organization/extracurricular group of particular interest) and silly fun. (She sends me occasional pictures).
My daughter briefly considered pre-med but decided the research/PhD path was the better fit. She has worked with several professors in a lab, will be the first author on a published paper, and went to her first major academic conference where she presented a poster. Her professors have already advised her on next steps post Barnard (likely applying for certain fellowships before PhD programs), she has attended information sessions, and her adviser is very clued in.
Bottom line: Barnard will require you to work really really hard, but the ethos of the place is built on collaboration and success.
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I was hesitant to respond, as you specifically asked about comments from someone actually on a premed track. But since I’ve not seen many responses, let me offer up a few things and you can best decide, what weight you give them.
My daughter graduated from Barnard last fall, and managed to get placed directly into a doctoral program at a health professions grad school.
Before deciding on Barnard, she had strong reservations as (after 4 years of grueling high school) she did not want to end up in a cut-throat, all-work-no-fun environment, which is how she viewed the Ivy League (there might have been a little bit of impostor syndrome at work).
As far as grades - she was a high achieving student in high school, used to working hard for top results, putting out quality papers, having good time management, preparing for exams, etc. - while having a social life, doing theatre, orchestra, chorus,…
With that work ethic and ability, she was able to maintain these grades for the courses taken at Columbia University. She definitely worked hard, but also happily balanced fun with friends, going to neighborhood bars, concerts in Brooklyn, museum exhibits, etc. I don’t think she would remotely call it “easy”, but clearly doable without the craziness and hours that she had put in during high school.
The nice thing about how the distribution requirements are put together at Barnard is, that it is very flexible, with a hundred courses or choose from. Single courses can satisfy multiple requirements, and my daughter found courses that were still generally related to her major, or other areas of interest, that also covered some/several distribution requirements. Compared to a rigid “core” elsewhere, she never felt stuck in courses she had no interest in - or creating conflicts with her schedule to take major-related courses.
The atmosphere at Barnard is cooperative, and it extends to the friends you make, and fellow students, at the other undergraduate colleges of the University.
She consistently made active use of office hours, seeking out every other opportunity offered to support her academically - and their career services. It was professors who guided her towards internship opportunities at other universities, facilities and practices in Manhattan. It was also a particular professor (who actively practiced the profession) who was crucial in laying out different professional specializations, the quite different academic paths there, etc.
Between her academic results, relevant internships and practicum, and having been a township EMT since high school with formal leadership roles, she was able to place into a selective program at grad school, after interviewing at three - something that often requires a year or two of work in the field and repeated application cycles.
over the years on CC I’ve seen students ask about this. If they stick around then in January they’re back to ask if they can still get into med school after a bad first college semester. And sophomore year they’re pursuing a different career, medicine wasn’t that great a fit anyway.
Nobody wants to be a monk and spend every waking moment studying, but somehow actually asking this question seems to be a marker for kids that want great things without commensurate effort. Hopefully this doesn’t apply to you.
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OP- yes, you can do pre-med and have a social life. But you will need to do three things to make that happen.
1- Develop excellent work habits (which you may have already done). When you are reading, you aren’t checking your phone. When you are writing a paper, you aren’t taking coffee breaks every five minutes. When you have a midterm on Friday, you aren’t partying on Thursday night until 2 am. You’ll need to be well organized and prioritize staying on track.
2- Be fully present. Don’t skip labs, lectures, review sessions just because nobody is taking attendance. You are paying to hear from professors, instructors, ask questions of TA’s. Get your money’s worth.
3- Know your own limits. Every college has its superstars who have a 4.0 GPA, are working part-time as an EMT, volunteer to do health screenings at a homeless shelter, and are part of the ultimate frisbee team and an a Capella group. If this is you- congrats. If this is not you, figure out what brings you joy AND advances your professional goals, and prioritize accordingly.
It is not easy to maintain a high GPA anywhere if you are taking the required courses to apply to med school. But MCAT’s aren’t easy; med school isn’t easy; rotations aren’t easy; residency isn’t easy. So understanding the demands of the path you are on is good practice for what comes later.
Good luck!
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