I am posting this on both the WashU forum and Vanderbilt forum to try and get unbias responses.
Anyways, I am applying early decision to either of these schools. WashU has always captivated me, but Vandy has come in recently and caught my attention.
I want to know these few topics: student satisfaction and enjoyment during undergrad, and pre-med difficulty and associated stress.
Those two things are very important to me. I like both locations and they are both very reputable. I know WashU is better for pre-med and will offer me more resources etc, but having a good experience is crucial for my success. Thanks.
Both schools are academically similar but ultimately it’s your decision. There are similarities in the culture and proximity to major cities (St. Louis-Chicago and Nashville-Atlanta). Vandy might be more well known given the fact some people still think WashU is either in DC or the state of Washington. Vandy has D1 sports and WashU is D3. Both cities have a thriving music scene and you will have the debate as to which city has the better BBQ.
WashU has a Biology class that freshman can take which is actually very useful for pre-meds. The first semester describes what a medical career entails including classes to take, preparing for the MCAT, and ways to finance medical school. The second semester involves shadowing doctors and medical students at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital ER.
The instructor for the course is the head of the ER at Barnes-Jewish and is on the committee that reads all WashU med school applications from undergraduates for the Midwest region. He is also a WashU alumnus so he knows pretty much what is needed for a pre-med to do well at the school. It’s a unique program and open to freshmen. My son says it’s the most interesting class he has taken so far.
You could ED to WashU and ED2 to Vanderbilt. It’s probably a flip of the coin either way. My son used his ED on WashU and was considering applying to Vanderbilt RD (he had Emory on the list which is also a similar school), but he got into WashU and didn’t bother completing the application for Vanderbilt.
I saw your other thread on the Vandy group and I’ll go ahead and chime in on the General Chemistry and Math courses. General Chemistry 1 is the class that has a reputation for being a really tough course. It’s more about atomic structure and has been described as baby quantum physics. According to my son, the average for the first midterm was 60% and any score above 70% was considered excellent. He heard of 2 scores that were really bad (8% and 16%). Oddly enough, the Chemistry Lab midterm average for his section was 90% and his instructor remarked on how they were much better than last year’s cohort.
Calculus 2 was pretty bad with regards to the first midterm as well. The average was 45%. Supposedly Calculus 3 is more straightforward (son is in Calculus 3) and even then the average was 75%.
The faculty will normalize the grades, so it isn’t as bad as it seems. WashU does have a strong support system for students who may be struggling. Each dorm has upperclassmen living there who are A students in the general science and math classes who serve as resources to help students.
The classes are taught in a way that you are applying concepts, not going through rote learning, and this is a shock to a lot of students who were 4.0/1500+ students in high school.
I can give a perspective on what it’s like to be a premed at washu (current senior who already applied to medical school). In all honestly washu is difficult but if you are dead set on being premed and are really serious about becoming a physician then you should be able to make it through. Classes are difficult but fair. Like another poster said many premed classes at washu also revolve around applying concepts which is difficult for many at first but you will get used to it. Expect low averages. I know the other poster was talking about gen chem however that doesnt even compare to orgo. We had averages in the high 30’s and a 50 was considered excellent. However, all low average classes are curved rather generously and doing well shouldnt be a problem if you put in the work. Research opportunities and clinical experience opportunities are top notch as our universities’s affiliated medical school is 6 in the nation. Our pre med advisors are amazing and will individually work with you (from freshmen year if you want) to create a plan and provide very specific and individualized guidance. Washu really does work hard to get premed students in to medical school.