My son narrowed down to the above three admitted schools. He wants to go to pre-med track.
He likes all three but is showing most interest to WashU so far…He likes their academics but I believe he is also attracted by their name and their living environment (great food and dorm in beautiful campus). Yes, he is only 17 and I totally understand this:)
I know that WashU is a great school in many ways and he will be lucky to go to the school, but this school has too many pre-med students in my opinion and I’m thinking that competition may be too outrageous. I am a little worried if he can even make it through to go to med school at WashU. Also, it’s a national university, so I believe that some TAs teach classes…
On other hand, my husband and I think that LAC is a better choice for him (no TAs, great attention from prof. in a small-size classes). My husband’s first choice is Grinnell - it has great science programs and the fact that many of their students pursue to go for phD tells that they do a great job to teach their students. My first choice is Middlebury - it has the best academic rating in Princeton Review and something about this school attracts me and my gut is telling me… Though, my little concern is that Midd strength isn’t science so I am not sure how well they prep their students for med school acceptance, MCAT etc. Or, since there aren’t so many pre-med track students at Medd than at other two, maybe it could be better that not too outrageous competition is going!!! I’m just speculating here…
We all have our different first choice. S will visit all three colleges and we will ultimately have him make his own decision. But, we want to make sure he gets all the information about the three schools he needs to make a right decision.
We have been doing our study about these three schools, but I would greatly appreciate it if anyone currently enrolled, their parents, alumni, or anyone knowledgeable about these schools could give us any useful information about these schools to help our son make a good decision.
Sounds like your son has three great choices to look at. I encourage him to pick the one he is most comfortable with – that is where he will shine.
Our student is a sophomore at Wash U and absolutely loves the school and St. Louis. Student is from an East Coast urban area and likes being able to participate in the amenities of a mid-sized city (e.g., professional sports). We are all very happy with the Wash U selection and experience so far. I’ve posted recently on student’s experiences in several threads so you will be able to see my comments.
Student is a Chemistry major / Great Books (Text and Tradition) / Latin Minor. Participates in Greek life and is in a position of leadership. Volunteers for several social organizations – especially during Spring and Fall breaks. Competes in interscholastic club sport. Is doing research at the Medical School (absolutely loves it).
Lined up a paid summer internship in St. Louis this summer and is very excited.
Loves the students – very collaborative and friendly. Freshman year was filled with study groups and TA-led small group sessions. Our student found the TAs to be very helpful and engaged. BUT all of the classes were taught by Professors – who were all very responsive with extensive office hour availability. I was amazed at the responsvie emails that our Student received from professors. No TA taught classes. Class size has ranged from as few as 2 or 3 students to large lectures (General Chemistry, Organic, Calculus). There is a distinct lack of “cutthroat” climate at Wash U.
Student’s three room mates are all focused on going to Med School but are in three different majors. They have developed a great relationship and are very well rounded and involved. There are many great medical schools – and Wash U’s is relatively small, so chances are that most Wash U undergrads will go elsewhere for medical school.
Overall, I don’t think it is fair to say that Wash U has “too many” pre-med students. I can tell you that Wash U students in all areas of study work hard – and I personally know a recent Olin grad who certainly worked very hard.
@33eagmg Your son should come to Washu. Your fears are understandable but Washu will have none of those!
Yes, lots of premeds (myself included), but that’s not a problem. In fact, I think it’s a huge benefit, because the school knows this and so has lots of support for premed students (lots of non-premed/science majors complain that everything is catered for premeds haha, though that isn’t true). Absolutely NO TAs teaching the actual courses. What Washu does have that are EXTRA classes in the same subject that are taught by TAs meant to provide additional help outside of class, especially in intro classes.
For the professors themselves, they all care about student success. Lots of office hours, and they always stay past their hours if students need more help and they dont have another class to teach or something.
There’s really no competition with students, because grades have set boundaries. Theoretically, everyone gets As. So, lots of people study together, and so studying in washu kinda has the same vibe as hanging out haha, because you get meals together for breaks and then continue studying.
Also, Washu kids are generally amazing humans. Just a lot different from what I was used to in high school. You be you here, and you will be fine.
Washu is hard, though, so many drop out being premeds. However, if you put in the effort everyday, it’s worth the effort. Med schools recognize the difficulty and cuts washu applicants some slack, which is rare for med schools to do for an undergrad.