Wash U vs. SLU

[austinblnd]

I had hoped to get into Wash U, and had planned on going there. I just got my decision there yesterday and was waitlisted though (34 ACT, 3.98/4.00, 3/84, took hardest curriculum at my school, 4.0 midyear unweighted GPA w/ 6 AP classes).

Now my only option is going to SLU. Which seems to still be a decent private school. I will going there for practically nothing (but money wouldn't have been an issue for me), but I'm just frustrated.

Will I still be able to achieve my hopes and dreams of getting into a top medical school in 3 years even though I will be going to SLU instead of Wash U? Would the advantages to Wash U have been worth the $60,000-$80,000 more debt I would be in?

I like SLU, but will going there instead of Wash U set me back at all?

I just need some advice because if Wash U would have given me a better opportunity to get into a top medical school, I can have a science department professor there write a letter of rec for me (hopefully they take off the waitlist this year)

Edit: My major will be chemistry/pre-med where ever I go

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[fahimaz7]

You gotta chill out and let it come to you. Do well in college and you'll do just fine in life and in medical school.

There is no advantage to going to WashU and coming out 80k in debt for a degree that you will never use.

I have a very good friend of mine that grew up in rural Georgia.. Went to UGA and got a 4.0/38. He's now a 3rd year at WashU with a full scholarship.

PS. You're major can be anything that you want it to be.

 

[MilkmanAl]

From everything I've heard, you couldn't pay me enough money to go to WashU for med school or undergrad, let alone get me to pay extra to go there. Like fahimaz implied, it really doesn't matter much where you go to college, and it doesn't matter what you study as long as you knock out great grades. Also, going to "top" medical schools isn't much of an advantage if you're just trying to be a clinician.

 

[Mizoodles]

go to a cheap state school. it's absolutely not worth the money to go to a private school. you can get into top schools straight out of some place like mizzou, as long as you don't screw it up in college.

 

[quiltlady]

SLU is not the end of the opportunity for a great career in medicine, it could be the beginning. You can match into any specialty with a degree from SLU med, and be spared the kind of people Wash U accepts.

 

[fahimaz7]

SLU is not the end of the opportunity for a great career in medicine, it could be the beginning. You can match into any specialty with a degree from SLU med, and be spared the kind of people Wash U accepts.

He's a HS student...

 

[indya]

a top medical school

what's a top medical school? this term is completely relative to your goals. If you are aiming for being a clinician, why would you want to go to a school known for focusing on research, or vice versa? Think about what your goals are then decide what a top medical school is. In any case, your future depends on your merits, not the school's.

 

[austinblnd]

a top medical school/QUOTE]

what's a top medical school? this term is completely relative to your goals. If you are aiming for being a clinician, why would you want to go to a school known for focusing on research, or vice versa? Think about what your goals are then decide what a top medical school is. In any case, your future depends on your merits, not the school's.

I should rephrase that from "top medical school" to "any school I want no matter how tough the admissions"

 

[fahimaz7]

I should rephrase that from "top medical school" to "any school I want no matter how tough the admissions"

I don't care if you have a 4.0/41 in nuclear physics from MIT, since it won't guarantee you and admissions to any medical school in the country, much less the "ones with the toughest admissions".

I think you need to do a few things.

1. Chill out
2. Research what it takes to get into medical school
3. Figure out what it means to be "successful" in medicine/research/etc.
4. Grow up before you apply. If you show up with that attitude, they will reject your application on the spot.
5. You can get to WashU (the school with the highest academic standards) from any state school in the country, if you are a badass student with a fantastic MCAT, 4.0 GPA, and tons of research to boot.

PS. If you can't even get into UWash for undergrad, what makes you think that you will get into it for medical school? It's the most competitive medical school in the country (in terms of GPA and MCAT).

 

[torshi]

save money

 

[pingouin]

He's a HS student...

doesn't really matter. same applies for undergrad if you know what I mean.

 

[austinblnd]

I don't care if you have a 4.0/41 in nuclear physics from MIT, since it won't guarantee you and admissions to any medical school in the country, much less the "ones with the toughest admissions".

I think you need to do a few things.

1. Chill out
2. Research what it takes to get into medical school
3. Figure out what it means to be "successful" in medicine/research/etc.
4. Grow up before you apply. If you show up with that attitude, they will reject your application on the spot.
5. You can get to WashU (the school with the highest academic standards) from any state school in the country, if you are a badass student with a fantastic MCAT, 4.0 GPA, and tons of research to boot.

PS. If you can't even get into UWash for undergrad, what makes you think that you will get into it for medical school? It's the most competitive medical school in the country (in terms of GPA and MCAT).

I don't remember saying that I thought I would get into Wash U for medical school. But I didn't know my high school record would be taken into account for medical school admissions. You said it well enough in #5

 

[fahimaz7]

I should rephrase that from "top medical school" to "any school I want no matter how tough the admissions"

I don't remember saying that I thought I would get into Wash U for medical school. But I didn't know my high school record would be taken into account for medical school admissions. You said it well enough in #5

I think in a few years you'll be able to understand what we are talking about on here. There's no guarantee to anything when it comes to medical school admissions, and no matter how well you do at a specific college (state, ivy, private, etc), it won't give you a 100% chance of getting into X, Y, and Z medical program. That's the point that we are trying to get you to understand.

Nearly all of the US medical schools (MD) offer basically the same opportunities (residency match lists show this) to their grads, what may differ is the particular location that each of the schools places their residents (ie Harvard puts more people into BWH than Morehouse). Does this matter? If your desire is to become a chief of surgery at a top program in the country, then it might make a difference where you do your residency training.

Since life isn't fair, and the chance that a high school student will go on to perform at the level that is required for these top training programs is low, you can see how some of us view your post as being excessive. You're track record is good so far, but you have a lot of benchmarks to get past before any of these goals are even really worth talking about.

 

[austinblnd]

I think in a few years you'll be able to understand what we are talking about on here. There's no guarantee to anything when it comes to medical school admissions, and no matter how well you do at a specific college (state, ivy, private, etc), it won't give you a 100% chance of getting into X, Y, and Z medical program. That's the point that we are trying to get you to understand.

Nearly all of the US medical schools (MD) offer basically the same opportunities (residency match lists show this) to their grads, what may differ is the particular location that each of the schools places their residents (ie Harvard puts more people into BWH than Morehouse). Does this matter? If your desire is to become a chief of surgery at a top program in the country, then it might make a difference where you do your residency training.

Since life isn't fair, and the chance that a high school student will go on to perform at the level that is required for these top training programs is low, you can see how some of us view your post as being excessive. You're track record is good so far, but you have a lot of benchmarks to get past before any of these goals are even really worth talking about.

I do understand. Thanks!

 

[MilkmanAl]

Could you guys PLEASE stop quoting improperly quoted text? It makes it really hard to figure out what's going on.

 

[fahimaz7]

Could you guys PLEASE stop quoting improperly quoted text? It makes it really hard to figure out what's going on.

I'm not sure how that's happening...