WashU vs Barnard for pre-med

Auntlydia
Thu, 04 May 2023 11:34:03 +0000

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.