Is UW-Seattle really that bad for undergrad premed?

[toothy97]

Hey guys, was just wondering about University of Washington. How did you like it? Did you have enough time to do things for yourself and have fun? Was it a high stress and competitive environment? How hard is it to make grades, and on AVERAGE how many hours of homework do you put in per day? Some of my concerns are listed below as well, so please answer as thoroughly as you all can. I'm deciding between wait listed schools right now and I'm torn, especially between this and Wisconsin Madison. Thanks!

1-Weeding of pre-meds(1 cutthroat and very harsh weeding - 10 very friendly and no weeding)
2-Biology Department (1 worst - 10 best)
3-Research opportunities- competitive to get?
4-Pre-med advisory services- helpful or not?
5-Breadth of Biology major courses
6-Environment and other students- cutthroat or relaxed?
7- Load of coursework- is it overwhelming or is it manageable?

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[JPA178]

Both are great schools. I can't speak for Seattle, but Madison is an amazing town and a really awesome place to be a college student. Both institutions' med schools are outstanding with plentiful research and clinical opportunities where you will be able to craft an excellent future med student if you do well in school.

What I can tell you for sure: whatever school you choose, become a resident of that state if you can. I'd almost even be tempted to say, if you are already a WA resident or WI resident, go to whichever one is your home state school for undergrad. Both Washington and Wisconsin medical schools favor their own state residents highly. You will have a MAJOR leg up if you are a WA or WI resident applying in-state to either med school.

 

[ERK123]

Go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and don't look back. This should not even be a question. Madison is the greatest college town in the U.S.

But yeah the pre-med advising is not the greatest. They might be loads better than they were a few years ago as the advising department is quite new, and has now had some years to iron out the kinks.

The research opportunities are plentiful and easy to get. You can start doing research as a freshman through a program called Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS). The program will help coordinate mentors in any field that you wish. You also have the opportunity to make your way intro a mentored research position during second semester of introductory biology (Bio 152). The class requires a research project and most students do one in coordination with a faculty researcher.

There is a huge breadth of biology courses including subspecialties to add to the major (like neuro).

The student population is going to vary at both school just due to the large size- some students are great and some are not.

Coursework is difficult but manageable.

Football and Basketball games are amazing.

 

[Jobymonster]

Hey guys, was just wondering about University of Washington. How did you like it? Did you have enough time to do things for yourself and have fun? Was it a high stress and competitive environment? How hard is it to make grades, and on AVERAGE how many hours of homework do you put in per day? Some of my concerns are listed below as well, so please answer as thoroughly as you all can. I'm deciding between wait listed schools right now and I'm torn, especially between this and Wisconsin Madison. Thanks!

1-Weeding of pre-meds(1 cutthroat and very harsh weeding - 10 very friendly and no weeding)
2-Biology Department (1 worst - 10 best)
3-Research opportunities- competitive to get?
4-Pre-med advisory services- helpful or not?
5-Breadth of Biology major courses
6-Environment and other students- cutthroat or relaxed?
7- Load of coursework- is it overwhelming or is it manageable?

University of Washington is clearly the better UW. These seem like strange schools to be choosing between but.

As far as the criteria your interested in:
1- Science classes are typically curved with a mean grade between 2.6-2.9. So you have to do very well in order to get a med school caliber grade (3.5+). Keep in mind not everyone in the pre-reqs wants to go into medicine so the average exam can be pretty low sometimes. Which means you don't have to be getting 90s in order to get As. Still, though, most people at UW are decent students, so if you don't want any competition I don't think either UW would be a good idea.
2-The biology department is OK. The building and program doesn't get as much love as some of the more lucrative fields like bioengineering or computer science, but its a solid program. I liked most of my professors. The intro to bio professor wrote the textbook for all the intro to bio courses, whatever that is worth to you.
3-UW is a huge university with tons of research opportunities. Of course some will be more competitive in others (neurosurgery research was usually competitive...wonder why). But if you want to learn the about scientific method you have a good chance of doing some kind of research.
4- Pre-med advising sucks. It's too big of a school to get great advising. SDN and online are better than advisers IMO. As a more general piece of advice, it's important to get many perspectives and advice on how to succeed on the pre-med journey. Don't just listen to advisers. You'll notice some important themes and hopefully realize the people who actually know what they are talking about.
5-They have any type of biology you want to study. You can take a class on mushrooms if you want.
6- It's a big school. You will have the full range of student personalities. If you head into a more competitive major (you don't just get to chose your major at UW, you have to apply for it) there might be some more competition. Just doing a biology major should be pretty relaxed though.
7- This will depend on which classes you decided to take together. It can even depend on which professor you get for the course. You have to be savvy and know your limits and give yourself a course load you can manage. Start off with a schedule you know you can excel with and add from there. So I guess it depends on you whether it is overwhelming or manageable. I'm sure this goes for all colleges.

In short, UW is a great school in a beautiful city. You will have every opportunity you need to get into medical school. I would go there again in a heart beat.

 

[toothy97]

Thank you for the responses. And Jobymonster, I've heard that it's "gunner pre-med land" and that everyone is super competitive towards each other? I've also heard coarse loads are overwhelming, and most professors are simply invested in research. Is there any truth to this?

Reason why I'm asking is I'm out of state for both schools. This is a very important decision for me and I don't want to mess it up. I want some competition in the school, but I don't want an overwhelming one. I also want a social life outside of it, some spare time, and not just have my four years be invested in my studies with nothing else.

My parents say another concern is the large amount of asians/international students (I'm sorry, that sounds bad) at UW. They say that they can make the grading curve a lot more competitive. Again, can you verify this? Thanks.

 

[ERK123]

Thank you for the responses. And Jobymonster, I've heard that it's "gunner pre-med land" and that everyone is super competitive towards each other? I've also heard coarse loads are overwhelming, and most professors are simply invested in research. Is there any truth to this?

Reason why I'm asking is I'm out of state for both schools. This is a very important decision for me and I don't want to mess it up. I want some competition in the school, but I don't want an overwhelming one. I also want a social life outside of it, some spare time, and not just have my four years be invested in my studies with nothing else.

My parents say another concern is the large amount of asians/international students (I'm sorry, that sounds bad) at UW. They say that they can make the grading curve a lot more competitive. Again, can you verify this? Thanks.

I am out of state for both school and visited both when I was choosing an undergrad. I chose Wisconsin. U. of Washington is not a bad school by any means. I just liked Madison more.

 

[ortnakas]

I don't know the answer to your questions at all, but I did a M.S. program at University of Washington and loved it. The few undergrads I talked to seemed very happy as well; one was a pre-med.

I also have several friends who went to the Wisconsin UW and were very happy there as well, so I don't think you can make a bad choice here.

 

[Markymark15]

Thank you for the responses. And Jobymonster, I've heard that it's "gunner pre-med land" and that everyone is super competitive towards each other? I've also heard coarse loads are overwhelming, and most professors are simply invested in research. Is there any truth to this?

Reason why I'm asking is I'm out of state for both schools. This is a very important decision for me and I don't want to mess it up. I want some competition in the school, but I don't want an overwhelming one. I also want a social life outside of it, some spare time, and not just have my four years be invested in my studies with nothing else.

My parents say another concern is the large amount of asians/international students (I'm sorry, that sounds bad) at UW. They say that they can make the grading curve a lot more competitive. Again, can you verify this? Thanks.

Lol, I'm sure you are going to see a lot of Asians in medical school. Also, being premed is very competitive wherever you go, you will have to work hard but you can have a social life if you create a balance for yourself. You'll realize how much hard work it takes once you start taking Organic Chemistry and studying for the MCAT. Definitely be prepared to sacrifice some social life. Good luck.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to Pre Allo

 

[Lord Boko]

Both of these places seem like fine schools. If it means anything, premeds from anywhere I've been seem to be "gunners" for the most part. They seem to have this attitude like they're in it to win it and not to help people (which is strange to me considering they want to be physicians). But if you do well in your classes, on the MCAT and with your ECs I don't see how other students will have a huge impact on you.

Keep in mind that I am only a little under halfway done with UG so when it comes to applying I really have no clue what impact other students could have on you.

PS: Madison Wisconsin is the home of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. Living there might give you the opportunity to see some of their home shows if you're into that kind of thing. Not that it's a reason to pick a college, but it's just something cool for you to check out if you do end up there.

 

[Temerit]

Seattle is clearly the better city 😉

As Jobymonster said, I would go to the University of Washington again in a heartbeat. Really though Seattle is an incredible place to live. If you like music at all, Seattle's music scene is top notch.

 

[Pete Clat]

Don't you have to decide on your undergrad school by 5/1?

 

[Jobymonster]

Thank you for the responses. And Jobymonster, I've heard that it's "gunner pre-med land" and that everyone is super competitive towards each other? I've also heard coarse loads are overwhelming, and most professors are simply invested in research. Is there any truth to this?

Reason why I'm asking is I'm out of state for both schools. This is a very important decision for me and I don't want to mess it up. I want some competition in the school, but I don't want an overwhelming one. I also want a social life outside of it, some spare time, and not just have my four years be invested in my studies with nothing else.

My parents say another concern is the large amount of asians/international students (I'm sorry, that sounds bad) at UW. They say that they can make the grading curve a lot more competitive. Again, can you verify this? Thanks.

Sure no problem. Your concern is valid; getting good grades is probably the strongest predictor of med school acceptance rate. But I can't just generalize that UW is or isn't gunner premed land. It's too big! To some extent, you will see what you want to see. If you are looking for the pre med gunners, you will find them. If you want to see it as a collaborative environment, you're more likely to find people that are like that. Personally, I found the biology program to be pretty chill. That might not be the case for the neurobio or bioengineering. It really depends on the major you are in and the classes you take. Again, course load is what you make it. If you are worried about it, don't take more than one science class at a time. You should have plenty of time for a social life. Yeah it is challenging, but I found everything manageable. That said, if your main concern is avoiding premed gunner land, I don't think either choice would be a good idea. Have you considered going to the lower tier state school?

That's another common concern, albeit I think ignorant and too simplistic. UW does have a pretty high percentage of asian students, sure. But, I think a large percentage are international, and are not even taking pre med classes. And the n=1 argument is terrible, but I'm not asian and I set the curve on exams a few times (toot toot). So, I wouldn't base a decision on which school to attend based off this.

UW is a big school. Yes, professors are research oriented. So if you want someone to actually teach you I wouldn't go here. You will not be given a lot of guidance on what to do compared to if you went to a small school. But, If you are self-reliant there are tons of opportunities there.

 

[Chasing Never Land]

Hey guys, was just wondering about University of Washington. How did you like it? Did you have enough time to do things for yourself and have fun? Was it a high stress and competitive environment? How hard is it to make grades, and on AVERAGE how many hours of homework do you put in per day? Some of my concerns are listed below as well, so please answer as thoroughly as you all can. I'm deciding between wait listed schools right now and I'm torn, especially between this and Wisconsin Madison. Thanks!

1-Weeding of pre-meds(1 cutthroat and very harsh weeding - 10 very friendly and no weeding)
2-Biology Department (1 worst - 10 best)
3-Research opportunities- competitive to get?
4-Pre-med advisory services- helpful or not?
5-Breadth of Biology major courses
6-Environment and other students- cutthroat or relaxed?
7- Load of coursework- is it overwhelming or is it manageable?

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In response to your questions, for UW (although I am a double degree Honors Program student, so I overloaded and my experience may not be representative of the average premed):
1- 1
2- 10 (ranked 4th in Life Sciences world wide according to Academic Ranking of World Universities, highly respected ranking. Also BRAND NEW building opening in 2017, too bad I won't bet to use it 😛)
3- 5 (if you want research, you can get research)
4- NOT helpful. I am paying for a private advisor. The pre-health advising staff try to convince you to basically drop out of school.
5- AWESOME. I've taken histology, medical physio (with a med school professor), paleo, and even bee-keeping.
6- Cutthroat. Even in "relaxed" small groups of friends there is a lot of grade-comparing going on.
7- Overwhelming for me as a double degree honors student.

If you can get WA residency, you are at a big advantage for UWSOM, which is #1 in several specialties and I believe #6 overall.

PS. Weather in Seattle is horrible. SAD is a real thing. Be warned.

 

[charlie517]

Can't help you with UWisc. Since I've never looked into it, but I transferred to UW and it's definitely has it's ups and downs. In regard to Seattle ...Coming from a place with a LOT of sun, I heard I would be depressed moving to WA...I was worried until I finally moved! It's beautiful! The weather can be "rainy" and overcast during spring and fall, but then again, most seasonal states will have that! Overall though I find the weather beautiful! Never too hot or too cold for too long...better than Wisconsin I'd guess! Just make sure you get plenty of Vit D during overcast days and find hobbies! The outdoors here is amazing!! Regarding your questions:

1-Weeding of pre-meds: 5 -> I wasn't here for first two years, but had to take an intro course for bio (BIOL220) and you had 700 students with curved grades. I think any big state school you go there will some "weeding" out, but if you are up for the general challenge, this should not be a huge differential factor between schools.
2-Biology Department: 8 -> mostly for the opportunities you can get out of it and the breadth of courses...out of luck with the advising portion unless you know who to go to! You just gotta be very proactive about figuring things out.
3-Research opportunities- competitive to get? Depends what department you go into! As a premed, you do not have to be a biology major. Research in psychology is easy to find, biology depends what research you are going into and the PI (don't see how that would differ somewhere else). Be proactive! research what labs you are interested in and send emails out that you would like to work/volunteer there! If you want it, you'll get it! Also consider departmental honors! They usual have as part of the curriculum a seminar class where different researchers, interested in undergrads for work, will talk about their research (psych does!) and what your job would be!
4-Pre-med advisory services- helpful or not? There is no pre-med committee. But the are advisors for pre-health. Again, not the best I've seen, but if you do your HW they will be happy to help answer your questions/concerns and guide you! Especially if you are a minority!
5-Breadth of Biology major courses --> 10 ...So. much. variety! and some courses overlap! I took a psych class (neurobehavioral lab) which I was able to count towards biology major (and psych)...so don't be afraid to step out of the bio department for electives. There is a huge list! check out the bio department undergrad electives list. It should be online for all departments!
6-Environment and other students- cutthroat or relaxed? This ones is a roll of the dice! depends where you end up! I've seen both spectrums! I would say a little towards cutthroat, but easily manageable...just separate yourself from that bad juju environment and you'll be fine!! I don't think this would differ in UWisc! You will encounter competition everywhere. I have friends who like to compare grades...I do to but not in a competitive way! I don't mind sharing my grades nor having someone try to get a better grade than I do...it's kinda like their problem if they want to get inside their own heads haha.
7- Load of coursework- is it overwhelming or is it manageable? I was a double degree with dept. honors student...took mostly 18 credits each qrtr since arriving to UW and did not think the course load was overwhelming...you just gotta be smart with what classes/professors you take! really do your research. It does seem like the intro classes are hell though! (bios, chems, orgos, phys, calcs) but they are in all schools! just don't overload your quarters! have an easy class during your hard core classes!

I truly enjoyed UW....as a school I've seen better in terms of competitiveness, advising, nightlife, etc....but it's what you make of it!

 

[solitarius]

They're both state schools, which means you will get the standard state school pre-med experience at either one.

The better question to ask is whether you're a midwestern person or a PNW person. One really bad thing about Seattle is the cost of living, which hits broke students pretty hard.

As far as med schools, I'd say it's better to apply as a midwestern applicant b/c there are more schools close by and in play. There are like 5 schools in Chicago vs 2 MD schools in the WA/OR/MT/ID area.

 

[toothy97]

Wow it sounds really stressful and competitive :/ How much do you guys typically spend on homework each day? And are professors generally just focused on research? Can you easily find the help you need (eg tutoring, office hours, etc) and most of all, would you all choose seattle again for premed?

 

[titanmoon]

The weather in Seattle is okay. Pretty mild year round. This year we didn't get a single snow day. We get more sunny days than most people think.

Seattle is an okay city, not exactly world class like SF or NYC, or as fun as DC or Boston. It has also gotten really expensive thanks to Amazon moving their HQ into the city, along with Expedia, Gates Foundation etc.

UW does have a very large Asian population but as Jobymonster pointed out, a large % are international students (20% of UW's student body is international, mostly from China or India). Most of them are engineering or CS majors who want to go work for Microsoft or Amazon after graduation so they can get their H1B visa. Most of them won't be in your Biology classes since they can't get into US med schools or get residency. That said, I think they might kill the curve of your Physics and Calculus classes.

 

[Alejandro]

No. its not bad. Its just like any other undergraduate institution with crazy premeds and whatnot. you just need to use your brain and not subscribe to every piece of BS that people subscribe to being in premed culture. Become different, and run with what you're passionate about. I came out of UW even with lower grades than most med school acceptees. And I know someone did ask me this as well...despite my sdn handle, no, i'm not a URM. So, it can be done folks. Not impossible. But you gotta work hard. There's not easy road to med school, and the road in training isn't easy either. cheers.