Washington University in St Louis Post Bacc Premed

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Hey everyone, I recently got accepted to this program and am wondering if anyone currently in the program has any opinions? I'm from California so this would be a big commitment for me and I want to make sure it's worth it.
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Got accepted. :) The online portal does not reflect the decision, however. After ~6 weeks, I checked in with an adviser by email, and she let me know that I got in (she said that the recent transition to online applications from hard copies slowed them down). I should be getting the letter by mail later this week.
 
I officially accepted the offer and I'll be going here this fall. :D Now I'm looking into lodging. I've only been to St. Louis once, so I'm not intimately familiar with the area. Anyone who has attended this program or lives there knows all the good places for post-bacc students? I'd take anywhere that's safe and reasonably priced, whether on- or off-campus.
 
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ashpash321 said:
Hey everyone, I recently got accepted to this program and am wondering if anyone currently in the program has any opinions? I'm from California so this would be a big commitment for me and I want to make sure it's worth it.
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Hi aspash321, I would recommend this program. I'm in my final semester of the WashU post-bacc program. I'm also from California and honestly St. Louis is very different; weather, driving, transportation, cost of living and other things.
Factors that led me to come to WashU:
1) #5 medical school in the country
2) Cost of living in St. Louis is relatively low
3) St. Louis is smaller than most cities so it's possible to live, work and attend school if you don't have a car
4) Classes are challenging but not difficult as they idea is to raise one's GPA or complete med school prereqs with the best grades possible.
5) The professor are incredibly smart!
6) Linkage programs with Case Western and University of Michigan.
7) I've heard that they write an awesome cover/committee letter for students

Cons:
1) The downside is the program doesn't have a linkage with their medical school.
2) Program advisors are available to help but don't expect them to do everything for you.
 
Garurumon said:
I officially accepted the offer and I'll be going here this fall. :D Now I'm looking into lodging. I've only been to St. Louis once, so I'm not intimately familiar with the area. Anyone who has attended this program or lives there knows all the good places for post-bacc students? I'd take anywhere that's safe and reasonably priced, whether on- or off-campus.
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I'd say look around the Universtiy City Loop area or the Central West End. Students should be moving out in May so act fast. It's possible to find a room for ~400/month.
 
Garurumon said:
While the linkages to Case Western and University of Michigan seems really appealing, I've wondered why the post-bacc program has no linkage to its own school...
Still, I'm considering applying; could anyone currently in the program give further insight into what it's like?
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The medical school is rated #5 or #6 depending on who's rating you subscribe to. I've heard that they want the cream of the crop however they do a holistic review of their applicants. Also, in terms of acceptance WashU medical has the highest MCAT composite score in the country. PM me if you have more questions.
 
Hello everyone, thanks for your posts. Does anyone know how competitive it is to get into the program: people accepted per semester? Has anyone applied for this upcoming summer?
 
inquisitive18 said:
Hello everyone, thanks for your posts. Does anyone know how competitive it is to get into the program: people accepted per semester? Has anyone applied for this upcoming summer?
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I know that the advisers will evaluate each applicant to determine their likelihood to be accepted into medical school. We heard that they do reject some applicants.
 
inquisitive18 said:
Hello everyone, thanks for your posts. Does anyone know how competitive it is to get into the program: people accepted per semester? Has anyone applied for this upcoming summer?
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Hi, I have applied for this summer, waiting to get a response. Have you applied?
 
ghgirl said:
Hi, I have applied for this summer, waiting to get a response. Have you applied?
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I've applied and I'm waiting for a response as well. I see online it says they usually take ~4-6weeks for their decisions, but I wonder if it's different for the summer.
 
inquisitive18 said:
I've applied and I'm waiting for a response as well. I see online it says they usually take ~4-6weeks for their decisions, but I wonder if it's different for the summer.
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I think it might be about the same time because mine will be 4 weeks this coming Thursday. Hopefully we get good news soon. Good luck.
 
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Are any of you guys enrolling in the summer planning to take classes through this fall and next spring?
 
Garurumon said:
Are any of you guys enrolling in the summer planning to take classes through this fall and next spring?
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yh, will begin classes this summer and continue it through
 
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Hi everyone, I just got accepted for the summer semester as well. Do the linkage opportunities also apply to students enrolled in the enhancement curriculum?
 
monmon2 said:
Hi everyone, I just got accepted for the summer semester as well. Do the linkage opportunities also apply to students enrolled in the enhancement curriculum?
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congrats on your acceptance. Yes i believe so, if you meet the requirements it would not matter if you are in the traditional or enhancement curriculum.
 
ghgirl said:
congrats on your acceptance. Yes i believe so, if you meet the requirements it would not matter if you are in the traditional or enhancement curriculum.
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That's great! :D I'm still waiting to hear back from other schools but I think there's a good chance that I might attend this program. I'm going to start looking for housing near campus.
 
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ghgirl said:
yh, will begin classes this summer and continue it through
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Awesome, I might see you around sometime. :)

monmon2 said:
Hi everyone, I just got accepted for the summer semester as well. Do the linkage opportunities also apply to students enrolled in the enhancement curriculum?
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Hey, congrats! I applied for the enhancement track as well. I really like that linkage to UofM...not only is it a great school, but a great school that's OOS-friendly.
monmon2 said:
That's great! :D I'm still waiting to hear back from other schools but I think there's a good chance that I might attend this program. I'm going to start looking for housing near campus.
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I'm looking into housing too, and would love to move in with a fellow post-bacc student, if possible. I like the University Drive apartments because of how close it is to the Danforth campus and University Park, though it's kinda pricey.
 
monmon2 said:
I will be taking classes in the summer, fall and spring.
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Cool. Traditional or enhancement track? I'm taking my last prereq (Physics II) at my local uni this summer, where it's more affordable and convenient, then I'll move up to St. Louis to start post-bacc classes this fall.
 
Garurumon said:
Awesome, I might see you around sometime. :)


Hey, congrats! I applied for the enhancement track as well. I really like that linkage to UofM...not only is it a great school, but a great school that's OOS-friendly.

I'm looking into housing too, and would love to move in with a fellow post-bacc student, if possible. I like the University Drive apartments because of how close it is to the Danforth campus and University Park, though it's kinda pricey.
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We should look into housing together!
 
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monmon2 said:
That's great! :D I'm still waiting to hear back from other schools but I think there's a good chance that I might attend this program. I'm going to start looking for housing near campus.
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good, which state are you from?
 
monmon2 said:
We should look into housing together!
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Sounds great. It's best to settle this early, while we still have time and more options to choose from. I'll message you in private to talk more about this.
 
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ghgirl said:
cool. I am local. St Louis MO.
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I assume you know all the cool places to eat and hang out? (And areas to stay from? lol) And will you be commuting since you live there?
 
Garurumon said:
I assume you know all the cool places to eat and hang out? (And areas to stay from? lol) And will you be commuting since you live there?
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Lol, you assumed wrong. I am always in my shell so I know some but not all. yeah I will be commuting. :)
 
ghgirl said:
Lol, you assumed wrong. I am always in my shell so I know some but not all. yeah I will be commuting. :)
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Haha I exaggerated. But you'll still know more than I would. :p
 
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are many of you guys doing the enhancement curriculum?
 
maydaymalone said:
are many of you guys doing the enhancement curriculum?
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I'm one of 'em. I did interdisciplinary honors and majored in English during undergrad, so that left me room only for the prereqs (2 Bios, 2 Chems, 2 Ochems, 1 physics, biostats, and biochem). I'll be doing one year of advanced science classes at WUSTL before applying to med schools.
 
Hello everyone, I just got accepted for the summer and was wondering if anyone was looking for a roommate
 
I'm starting in the fall as well. If you guys ever want to meet up or start a study group, I could use the accountability. It'll be exciting starting a new program!
 
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Hello!
I plan on starting in the fall as well, and I'm trying to figure out housing. The quadrangle is waaay to expensive. but I'd also like to live with students, so if you have any recommendations please let me know!
 
I'm selling MCAT books in case any one is interested. These are TPR MCAT review books. There are 11 in the whole set.
These have minimal writing if any at all and are like new. If you're in St. Louis and you're interested let me know.
 
Kwamsportal said:
I'm selling MCAT books in case any one is interested. These are TPR MCAT review books. There are 11 in the whole set.
These have minimal writing if any at all and are like new. If you're in St. Louis and you're interested let me know.
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Whats your asking price on these? What year are they for?
 
Hi all,

Thank you for sharing all this information about the WUSTL post-bacc! I plan on applying soon for entering the upcoming Fall semester (blended curriculum), but I just wanted to see what everyone gleaned from having gone through the WUSTL program for the past year. Any preferences of certain courses/professors, class sizes, opinions on the helpfulness of advisors, volunteering/work-study options, general views on living in STL, etc. I've been eyeing the linkage program to UMichigan - program looks fantastic, and I'm an older applicant too so skipping the glide year looks pretty sweet - and was wondering whether anyone had any info on that as well.

Thanks again! Hope to hear from y'all soon.
 
niabrams said:
I'm still looking for a place. I actually moved away from WashU a few months ago for a job, then realized that the job stank and got into the WashU program.

I'm probably going to talk to Quadrangle Housing. I rented one of their apartments last year and they were really helpful in finding me a place near to campus (didn't even need a car). I'll let you know if I find someplace.

Also, where are you looking for a job? I'm trying to decide between just volunteering/shadowing at all hours vs. trying to earn money to avoid more debt.
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Hi! I am going to start the WUSTL post bacc in August. I would love to hear more about your experience! Did the classes prepare you for the MCAT?
 
Garurumon said:
I officially accepted the offer and I'll be going here this fall. :D Now I'm looking into lodging. I've only been to St. Louis once, so I'm not intimately familiar with the area. Anyone who has attended this program or lives there knows all the good places for post-bacc students? I'd take anywhere that's safe and reasonably priced, whether on- or off-campus.
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Hi! I am going to start the WUSTL post bacc in August. I would love to hear more about your experience. I am a career-changer student and will be taking all the pre-recs. What did you think of those classes? Did you feel prepared for the MCAT?
 
benjaminl1nus said:
something positive i can say about this program is the classes are not very rigorous and leniently graded.
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Hi! I am going to start the WUSTL post bacc in August. I would love to hear more about your experience. I am a career-changer student and will be taking all the pre-recs. What did you think of those classes? Did you feel prepared for the MCAT?
 
brightlight3 said:
Hi! I am going to start the WUSTL post bacc in August. I would love to hear more about your experience. I am a career-changer student and will be taking all the pre-recs. What did you think of those classes? Did you feel prepared for the MCAT?
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I have also applied to this program and plan on attending in August. If things go well that is. Although I cannot answer your question from personal experience. I will do what I can from what I have gathered online. Since I will also be taking majority of the pre-reqs at the university I did some quick search on the incoming class of freshmen year at WashU. One particular subject that keeps popping is Chemistry. Many of the students are reporting mean scores in 50's in Gen Chem classes.

When I first spoke to the adviser at WashU's post bacc program they, He mentioned many students found chemistry to be exceedingly difficult at at WashU and many elect to take it at UMSL. This prompt me to do a quick search online, in the first place before I even applied. I have just not heard good things from all the forums I have gone through online. One additional thing that concerns me is, these students are incoming class at WashU are the best and brightest so if they are complaining then there must be some reason.

One of the students was mentioning how the GPA at washu is looked at different from state schools. Many of the students were recommended to go to state schools if they wanted a higher GPA. One student posted that she had been accepted to several medical schools with a 3.3. I'm not sure however if it was DO or MD, but she did say she was waitlisted for Wash U's own medical school so i'm assuming they were all MD's

This post is getting way to long but I wanted a good place to lay down all my thoughts so i can refer back to them later myself.

So based on this information I'll most likely choose evening school and since majority of them will be post baccs. I have not found much on Biology or Physics.

Let me know you all think.
 
bioman29247 said:
I have also applied to this program and plan on attending in August. If things go well that is. Although I cannot answer your question from personal experience. I will do what I can from what I have gathered online. Since I will also be taking majority of the pre-reqs at the university I did some quick search on the incoming class of freshmen year at WashU. One particular subject that keeps popping is Chemistry. Many of the students are reporting mean scores in 50's in Gen Chem classes.

When I first spoke to the adviser at WashU's post bacc program they, He mentioned many students found chemistry to be exceedingly difficult at at WashU and many elect to take it at UMSL. This prompt me to do a quick search online, in the first place before I even applied. I have just not heard good things from all the forums I have gone through online. One additional thing that concerns me is, these students are incoming class at WashU are the best and brightest so if they are complaining then there must be some reason.

One of the students was mentioning how the GPA at washu is looked at different from state schools. Many of the students were recommended to go to state schools if they wanted a higher GPA. One student posted that she had been accepted to several medical schools with a 3.3. I'm not sure however if it was DO or MD, but she did say she was waitlisted for Wash U's own medical school so i'm assuming they were all MD's

This post is getting way to long but I wanted a good place to lay down all my thoughts so i can refer back to them later myself.

So based on this information I'll most likely choose evening school and since majority of them will be post baccs. I have not found much on Biology or Physics.

Let me know you all think.
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Hi Bioman! I am going to send you a personal message and we can discuss this further.
 
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