I’ve pretty much limited my college choices to between either WashU or the University of Iowa (my state school, pretty much full-ride). My parents are in a good income bracket (~200K) so they say they are perfectly willing to pay for me if I decide to go to WashU. However, since I’m probably going to follow a career in medicine, how much of an advantage is it to go to a quality undergrad school? Could you guys fill me in on the pros and cons of selecting a more prestigious school over my full-ride state school, especially since I could just be applying to these medical schools four years later?
I’d deeply appreciate any help guys. Thanks.
Since WashU has the #6 ranked medical school per US News and World Reports, there are going to be a lot of pre-meds there. You will be well prepared by the undergraduate curriculum and WashU students have among the highest average MCAT scores.
There will be grade deflation to a certain extent though. The undergraduate General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry classes are going to be rough for the first midterms and Calc 2 has a fairly low average midterm score as well. The Chemistry classes are considered weed-out classes. However WashU is not cutthroat and the environment is collaborative.
Also there are plenty of opportunities for research and shadowing-my son is a freshman Biology major and he has already taken part in an undergraduate research symposium where his group presented on the DNA sequencing of a bacterial phage. He will be taking a class next year where he has to go shadow at the emergency room at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (WashU’s primary teaching hospital which is rated as one of the best in the country).
It sounds like financial considerations for your undergraduate degree will not be an issue. Remember that medical school is going to be expensive so that may be a factor in choosing the University of Iowa instead of WashU.
I would choose based on the following factors:
(1) Quality of education/preparation in major
(2) Best fit/comfort level
(3) Will your GPA be high enough to survive the pre-med/med school cut
(4) Financial considerations
Consider which option is preferable for you…
- U of Iowa undergrad at full ride with U of I medical school at instate tuition ($)
- U of Iowa undergrad at full ride with the resulting savings applied to Wash U medical school ($$)
- Wash U undergrad with medical school at U of Iowa ($$$)
- Wash U undergrad with medical school at Wash U ($$$$)
Please consider the long term when making a decision. Starting a medical career in your early 30s while trying to balance a family life and a $250,000 student loan debt has a much bigger impact than you probably realize.
If you anticipate needing to borrow at all for medical school, then you need to consider the fianancial ramifications NOW as you make decisions about undergrad. Starting medical school without undergrad debt is great… Starting medical school without debt AND with a surplus of money to get you started is a blessing.
Your “probably” makes me think WashU is the best choice; if you change your mind, you’ll have more resources to do so from WashU.
@Hamurtle
Thank you so much for the advice! I think that really helped me get a better idea of what WashU has to offer over a traditional state school. Do you have anything else to add, that would be helpful in making my decision?
@college-bound-parent
I definitely understand the financial issue (especially if I were attend med school after my undergraduate studies), and that’s the primary reason why I’m considering the University of Iowa. I know that by going to the University of Iowa, if I take advantage of my opportunities, I should be able to get into really good med schools (Carver SOM included). Thank you for the advice!!
@MYOS1634
90% want to go into medicine.
10% I still want to keep my mind open and explore other areas.
I feel like all my life, I’ve just been exposed to the field of medicine so much more than other fields that I love the field, but haven’t really gotten a chance to explore other fields. If not medicine, something in Bio side of things (BME).
Have you volunteered at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, a retirement home, a local clinic? Have you shadowed a family doctor? Are you EMT or CNA certified?
Those are key elements - medicine, not as a theoretical field, but as a day to day endeavor.
Beside the difficulty of being top 10-20% in your premed pre-requisites, that experience makes the difference. Then, add research, initiative, character… Being a top student means nothing wrt the medical profession if you can’t function on few hours of sleep, if you can’t get over being vomited upon on a regular basis, if you have little patience and understanding for people with limited hearing or limited English, etc.
There’s a reason ~75% would be premeds change their mind.
So, if you end up being one do them, you’d be better off at WashU. If you don’t ou won’t be badly served there although the first year will be weed out so you’ll have to be ready.
Note that bioinformatics and biostatistics are in very high demand.
@adisomi WashU has a top rated BME program as well.
Ultimately it’s your decision as to which school you attend as an undergraduate. I would suggest visiting WashU if you have not done so yet.