UW- Seattle or in-state college for Premed

[Wednesdayaddams]

Hi, I am having trouble deciding whether or not to go to University of Washington- Seattle or University of Nevada Reno for pre-med? UW would be about 43k per year while UNR would be at most 16k (since it is in state). My dream medical school is the University of Washington School of Medicine, so I am thinking that I could get a leg up if I go to UW for undergrad as well. I plan to do well at whichever undergraduate that I choose to attend, but it seems like UW has more opportunities and hospitals nearby, but also more competition. I've also read that The UW school of medicine is more selective with UW applicants since there are so many? Please let me know if you have any advice! Thank you!

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[Bermie]

My understanding is that attending UW as an undergrad will not increase your chances for being accepted to UW School of Medicine. Unless.... you become a resident of WA state. I am a WA state resident but decided to attend a private university instead of UW for my undergrad and everything I have been told is that UW undergrads are not given preference. That being said, WA state residents are definitely given preference over out-of-state applicants. I think you are probably better off saving the money and attending your state school. However, I don't know Reno at all. Here in Seattle we have plenty of opportunities for undergrads to get involved in research and other medically related ECs. Also, Seattle is awesome. Hope this helps.

 

[Wednesdayaddams]

My understanding is that attending UW as an undergrad will not increase your chances for being accepted to UW School of Medicine. Unless.... you become a resident of WA state. I am a WA state resident but decided to attend a private university instead of UW for my undergrad and everything I have been told is that UW undergrads are not given preference. That being said, WA state residents are definitely given preference over out-of-state applicants. I think you are probably better off saving the money and attending your state school. However, I don't know Reno at all. Here in Seattle we have plenty of opportunities for undergrads to get involved in research and other medically related ECs. Also, Seattle is awesome. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply! Do you go to UW School of Medicine now? & Do you have any info on how difficult it would be to obtain a WA residency while being premed? I know that I would have to work 30 hours a week off campus

 

[Bermie]

You're welcome! To be honest, I have no idea what it takes to get WA residency. Been a WA resident my whole life. No I don't go to UWSOM right now. I am applying this coming cycle to UWSOM and many other schools. My understanding is only based on what I have learned from my pre-health advisors, MSAR, other students that have already gone through the application process and the internet.

 

[22031 Alum]

I wouldn't put myself into significantly more debt, to maybe increase the chance of attending what I thought was my dream med school as a high school senior. How can you even know, except that Seattle seems cool?