Wash U questions

[gizzdogg]

Hey peeps,

I have some questions about Wash U. More and more, it's becoming my dream school because it's hardcore and it's close to home. Here are my q's:

Why is the acceptance rate so high compared to other top ten schools given that the MCAT/GPA averages at WashU are so much higher? Any clue?

Does WashU place extreme weight on MCAT/grades and less on ECs?

I've heard that WashU requires high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores. (Personally, I don't see much point in this. I was a mega-slacker in high school and have since changed my ways :wink: ) How much weight is placed on HS grades and SAT scores?

Does WashU have rolling admissions?

Thanks!

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[Dr.G]

-Wash U does have rolling admissions.
-They ask for your SAT scores but not your high school grades
-I think less people apply to Wash U because they would prefer to live on one of the coasts so they have a higher % accepted- plus they take a lot of students off their waitlist
-Every school cares about your ECs- but Wash U's claim to fame is their eternally high MCAT scores- they also like students who have done research
Hope that helps

 

[energy_girl]

I'm a first-year student at Wash U, so I will try to answer your questions.

First of all, I am very glad to hear that it's your dream school! I am very very happy here; med school life is great, my classmates are fun and interesting people, and we all have plenty of time to pursue other activities. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions if you'd like.

As the last poster stated, a lot of people choose not to come here because it is in the midwest. I almost didn't come here for that reasons, because I was unsure about St. Louis and about moving away from the coasts. Wash U is an excellent school for clinical training and for particularly for research, though, so if location is not an issue, I think it's an ideal place.

I don't know how to justify the high MCATs. I think my classmates are all really smart people, but they all have outside interests too. Most people are very research-oriented though.

I don't think they took SATs and DEFINITELY not high school grades.

I hope you apply! Definitely apply early. People who interviewed in Feb were being told that most spots had filled, so applying early will definitely give you an edge.

Good luck!

 

[gizzdogg]

thanks Dr. G and energy girl!

yeah, for so long i overlooked WashU because i assumed it was ultra-competitive (due to the MCAT/gpa averages). But recently I'm assuming less and actively searching more. And I've read so many positive comments about WashU/ it's insane. Yeah, I'm actually not too much of a coastal person, and WashU will be a 6 hr. drive from my family, which is not too bad compared to the current 12 hr drive. Yes, it's true. WashU is officially my current obsession.

Energy girl,
I have a few questions for you regarding financial aid. Looking at USNews data, the average indebtedness of a WashU graduate who takes out loans is ~$80,000. This is very reasonable for a private school. Is Wash U generous with grant money? What proportion of the class receives no scolarship/no grants? How much in debt are these unlucky souls after four years? Thanks for your reply!

 

[la9s]

gizzdogg, I'm not a Wash U student, but it's one of my top choices right now, so I've done a bit of research about the school. The low average debt is a bit of a misleading statistic. For one thing, there are a lot of MD-PhDs, who have no debt, though it's possible they aren't included in that calculation. However, I know for sure that the number for average debt is decreased by the fact that Wash U gives about 15 full merit scholarships each year to their top applicants. These are extremely competitive, as you might imagine, and you have to be invited to apply for them. And so, I would guess that when the kids who get these are taken out of the equation, the average debt gets more comparable with other private schools.

But, overall, Wash U seemed to be a fantastic place. I was blown away by their facilities when I interviewed.

 

[energy_girl]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by gizzdogg:
•
Energy girl,
I have a few questions for you regarding financial aid. Looking at USNews data, the average indebtedness of a WashU graduate who takes out loans is ~$80,000. This is very reasonable for a private school. Is Wash U generous with grant money? What proportion of the class receives no scolarship/no grants? How much in debt are these unlucky souls after four years? Thanks for your reply!•••••I am probably not the best person to ask about schlarships, since I am an MSTP student. However, I can tell you that almost everybody in my class gets some sort of grant in addition to their loans. The only people who have trouble applying for these grants are the international students. Unfortunately, I don't have idea what the exact numbers are for loans and such. I do believe, though, that the calculation for the debt the previous poster mentioned does NOT take into account the MSTs.

Sorry I can't be of more help. If you have other specific questions, feel free to ask!

 

[MacGyver]

WashU's acceptance rate is about 10%, while most of the other top 10 schools are around 5%.

I agree that this is due to the fact that a lot of people would rather live on the east coast/west coast instead of st louis. I think it has nothing to do with the actual quality of the school and everything to do with location (although st louis is not nearly as bad as everyone thinks it is)

From the general public's perspective, I'd say WashU is the best kept secret in medical education.

 

[hawkeyes]

hey... Energy girl or whoever else who can help! I am on the waitlist for Wash U and am very very much hoping.. I was told it wasn't ranked and that I should just keep in touch. Is there anything more that I can do to get in? Any thoughts? Do you have a fair amount of originally waitlisted students in your class energy girl?

 

[Procrastinator]

They seem to be fairly generous with grant money for all students. What they do is take the total cost of education (tuition, room, board, travel, etc.) and subtract your parents EFC (from the FAFSA). The remainder is your documented need. To meet this need the first $5,000 is a subsidized (no interest) loan. The rest is then funded half by scholarship and half by loan. So if your parents EFC is around $20,000 you can expect about a $12,000 grant upfront.

 

[Thewonderer]

I think that Wash U is an awesome school that will open a lot of opportunities.

People get into top 10 schools because of their GPA/MCAT and some okay EC's and interviews. It is probably rare that they get in because of their "supreme" EC's.

Wash U is not different from other top schools. If you look at it, every schools seems to have their GPA and MCAT going up every year. Hopkins GPA is 3.86? Duke follows Wash U with 11.8? (per usnews). I personally think that it is becoming more and more number based. That is the trend. And Wash U is no more filled with gunners than other top schools.

 

[HappySlacker]

This reply is for Hawkeyes. I am also in the first-year class at WashU this year. I really don't know how many students came in off the waitlist, since we don't really ask each other about it. I do know a few though just through random conversation. I have heard that the best thing you can do in your situation is to make sure admissions knows you are still interested. If WashU is your first choice, then make sure you tell them, over the phone, in writing, whatever. WashU loves to have students who want to be here. When they say keep in touch, they mean it. Good luck to you and anyone else waiting to hear! I hope to see you next year.