WashU (Pre-med Full ride) , BC or Villanova

[OGKU$H]

I'm thinking about of attending WashU on almost a full ride( I would only have to pay $750 a year. I was given $66,150 in financial aid a year) However, should I attend Villanova, Boston College, Gonzaga, or Santa Clara (on partial scholarship) to maintain a better GPA to matriculate to Med School.

Additionally, my intended major is biology, but I'm thinking if I should switch magers to biomedical or mechanical engineering in case becoming a surgeon is doesn't go as planned.

Any advice is welcome. Thank you for your time and responses. Have a nice day.

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[sss1219]

WashU, you'll have plenty of research opportunities there and then name will pay dividends in the future. Also, if you are overly concerned with GPA, WashU is prestigious enough that you can do a nonsciency major and still do very well in applying if you can do well in your science pre-reqs (of course, doing something you're interested comes first).

 

[DokterMom]

Easy -- WashU. (Assuming you like the school.)

You may not go to medical school for any number of reasons, but WashU on your diploma will be there forever. If you don't go on to med school, your UG GPA will mean nothing to anyone. If you do, the WashU name will help.

 

[Lawpy]

This thread needs more @efle

WashU by a long shot. It's prestigious and filled with opportunities, and the name will help you in the long run. Plus it's mostly free. Sure the courses may be difficult and graded harshly, but working hard to do well in challenging classes with talented and smart student body will help you immensely (especially when it comes to acing the MCAT, which is a big deal and will be your saving grace even if you end up with an average/slightly below average GPA).

For non-medical careers, WashU wins handily for the reasons @DokterMom mentioned.

 

[efle]

I'm thinking about of attending WashU on almost a full ride( I would only have to pay $750 a year. I was given $66,150 in financial aid a year) However, should I attend Villanova, Boston College, Gonzaga, or Santa Clara (on partial scholarship) to maintain a better GPA to matriculate to Med School.

Additionally, my intended major is biology, but I'm thinking if I should switch magers to biomedical or mechanical engineering in case becoming a surgeon is doesn't go as planned.

Any advice is welcome. Thank you for your time and responses. Have a nice day.

There are some things that can help predict a little. SAT/ACT? Bunch of IB and AP? Top of your class at high school?

 

[mimelim]

Wash U, easy choice. (and I'm the SDN poster that bashes pre-med at Wash U the most...)

 

[OGKU$H]

@efle @Lawper and @mimelim
Do you guys suppose I should major in an engineering or computer science discipline in case the medical track doesn't work out, and what do you think about me minoring in Philosophy.

 

[OGKU$H]

@efle I went to a top private school in California had a relatively bad freshman and sophomore year. GPA was 4.2 weighted took 7 APs and got a 32 on the ACT. I know these stats are not superb, but I wasn't focused at all in high school especially as an underclassman. Note: Every science class I took AP or Non AP I got an A- or higher.

 

[efle]

@efle I went to a top private school in California had a relatively bad freshman and sophomore year. GPA was 4.2 weighted took 7 APs and got a 32 on the ACT. I know these stats are not superb, but I wasn't focused at all in high school especially as an underclassman. Note: Every science class I took AP or Non AP I got an A- or higher.

Go to WashU. I'd think twice about engineering as a premed though.

 

[mimelim]

@efle @Lawper and @mimelim
Do you guys suppose I should major in an engineering or computer science discipline in case the medical track doesn't work out, and what do you think about me minoring in Philosophy.

Go to WashU. I'd think twice about engineering as a premed though.

The generic advice is actually the best advice. Major in what you are most interested in. Engineering is hard. It has a reputation for a reason. But, if it is what you enjoy, you will do better in it than other things. I was a Physics major at Wash U. A good portion of my friend group were BME, chem E, mech E etc. It is manageable as a pre-med and you can sustain a reasonable GPA. But, it does take planning and attention that most engineers don't do. The vast majority of my physics/engineering colleagues did not particularly care about their grades (neither did I at the time). You can not have that perspective as a pre-med. You need to protect your GPA. That doesn't mean change the classes that you take, but it may change when you take some of them or who you take them with, or maybe how much time you spend on your classes.

Regarding minors, they are irrelevant for medical admissions. You should do it if you are interested in the subject matter because it will broaden your horizons. Just be sure not to overload yourself in any given semester, it is never worth it.

 

[OGKU$H]

Thank you for your expertise, wisdom, and advice. @mimelim and @efle

 

[efle]

I mean yeah, if you'd do your homework as an engineer and not as a psych major, then be an engineer! If you'd find both interesting though, the psych major will likely return a lot higher grades for the same effort. I should add it depends a lot on what exactly you choose. BME is notorious for high workload and attrition, and from watching my room mate in the first couple years it seems to deserve the infamy. Something like systems or compsci is less masochistic.

You're not supposed to have all this figured out yet anyways! Take some intro compsci and a couple engineering classes, some philosophy, some psych, the intro chem, etc then decide.