Washu Premed

Beyond these courses, optional classes in sociology and psychology can also be helpful for the test. These classes can be less demanding and are a good complement for your more difficult basic science curriculum. However, this material can also be self-studied outside of a formal class.

How to Succeed as a WashU Premed

Learn how to navigate premed at Washington University in St. Louis, including WashU premed requirements and extracurriculars, the best premed major, and the WashU premed acceptance rate

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: WashU premed requirements

Part 3: WashU premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school from WashU

Part 1: Introduction

At Washington University in St. Louis, it can often feel like the school itself is built around being premed. The proof is in the numbers—WashU produced nearly 400 applicants to medical school in 2021.

Not only does this place WashU in a high tier in terms of raw numbers of applicants, when accounting for overall enrollment, some quick math reveals that around 20 percent of each class at WashU apply to medical school—undoubtedly one of the highest rates of medical school applicants in the country.

It’s no surprise that the percentage of premeds at WashU is so high. Washington University combines first-rate academic programs with tremendous opportunities for undergraduate research at the nearby Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital campuses, both of which are just a short (and free to students!) MetroLink ride away. Outside of the classroom, WashU offers many premedical associations, shadowing and medical volunteering opportunities, and ways to get involved in serving vulnerable populations in the city of St. Louis.

WashU also offers its unique “MedPrep” class, which combines a semester-long seminar session led by the director of admissions for WUSTL Med, currently the #11 medical school in the country. This is followed by a semester of school-organized shadowing in the emergency department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

While the nearly 400 medical school applicants from WashU represent a significant fraction of each graduating class, the initial number of incoming freshmen who indicate interest in becoming physicians is far larger, with many aspiring premeds ultimately settling for other career paths. What’s more, the yearly med school applicant total includes alumni, meaning that the number of successful undergraduate applicants is an even more select group.

This leads to the following question: what distinguishes a successful WashU premed from one who eventually chooses a different path?

Ultimately, success in the high-stakes environment at WashU requires expert navigation of the competition, both inside and outside the classroom. In your premed courses, managing a schedule of challenging courses, navigating steep grading curves, and finding a fulfilling major can all feel overwhelming. Beyond your classes, WashU offers numerous opportunities for leadership, extracurriculars, and clinical exposure, but many can be almost as competitive as your academic work. Together, these challenges result in many students falling through the cracks, either by ending up on the wrong side of the curve or falling behind in their extracurricular activities.

This guide combines insight from alumni and current students who have found success in the challenging but rewarding environment at WashU. We’ll also present data on what has historically characterized successful medical school applicants from WashU. Learning from their experiences, we’ll discuss how to navigate your college career, including specific advice on choosing your course load, succeeding in your classes, finding your passions outside the classroom, and, ultimately, successfully applying to medical school as a WashU premed.

Part 2: WashU premed requirements

Arriving on the WashU campus, it can seem that everyone has an opinion on what classes to take to succeed as a premed. Intro classes in math, chemistry, biology, and physics also have many engineering students who may or may not be aiming for medical school, making these some of the largest classes at WashU—and among the most challenging.

There are many potential ways to arrange the courses necessary to fulfill the medical school application requirements. Several potential options are detailed by the WashU premed office, including options for non-science majors, study abroad, and gap-year students.

While different medical schools may require slightly different academic coursework, you’ll be able to apply to most schools if you follow these guidelines. We’ve also included course numbers here for ease of scheduling.

Sample WashU premed two-year course plan

Organizing your schedule during your first two years can seem daunting as you weigh the pros and cons of taking each course. Some courses, like general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology, offer relatively little flexibility with timing due to your need to schedule upper-level courses that use these as prerequisites. Others, like math, English, and physics, as well as additional MCAT prep courses like psychology and sociology, can fit into several spots in your schedule.

In addition to timing, some courses like general chemistry and physics offer multiple tracks that cater to different student interests and majors. While all tracks are acceptable from the perspective of a medical school admissions department, some majors prefer or require a specific track.

For example, a major in chemistry would require taking the Chemistry 111/112 series which is quantum-mechanics-based rather than the non-quantum-based 105/106 series. A major in philosophy or business would have no such requirement and could pursue either track.

Some factors to consider when planning your courses:

• Requirements for your major(s) and minor(s), and how they do or do not overlap with premed courses
• General Education requirements: Writing Intensive, Applied Numeracy, and Social Contrasts, as well as area requirements and integrations
• Prerequisites for certain premed courses (check course descriptions for more info)
• When you want to take the MCAT (if you’re planning to take a gap year, you might delay taking the MCAT and thus take the necessary prep courses at a slower pace)
• Balancing your schedule to keep a mix of challenging and less intensive courses spread throughout your college career

In addition to the course plans provided by the premed office, here’s an additional potential plan for a freshman and sophomore premed intending to take the MCAT fall of junior year and apply to medical school as a senior without taking a gap year.

How to maintain a high GPA as a WashU premed

WashU is known for being a particularly challenging undergraduate institution, especially for premeds. This is especially true for the initial premed classes, many of which are graded on a curve that can make achieving an A difficult.

Compounding this difficulty, many students enter WashU having completed AP classes on similar materials to the introductory math, physics, and chemistry curriculum. For these students, some of the material will be familiar, making it more challenging if you haven’t had this exposure during high school.

The fear of being one of the students that is “weeded out” is a common refrain. This fear isn’t without its justification—a low GPA can be one of the principal reasons for a WashU student to ultimately not apply to medical school.

Despite the challenges of attending WashU, the school is also known for its emphasis on collaborative work and nearly limitless resources provided to help students succeed. Together with effective time management and study skills, along with these numerous opportunities for extra help, success is achievable.

Here is some advice for premed success at WashU:

• Use the resources available. Resources like Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) are essential—these hour-long recitations on the weekend work through problem sets with upper-year students who did well in the class. The one-on-one opportunities for learning are invaluable in preparing for exams. They are available for the physics, chemistry, and calculus sequences. Similarly, office hours with TAs and professors can offer critical face time with professors.
• Find a professor who matches your learning style. Many classes, like general chemistry, employ several professors under the same course with sessions at different times. Try to attend different professors’ sections to find one who best fits your learning style.
• Plan your courses in advance. Look at the WashU Reddit community, Rate My Professor, and course evaluations when choosing your other courses to see which courses would be valuable and manageable for your workload.
• Consider pre-studying. If you have time prior to the semester (winter or summer break), consider reading up on basic topics, watching videos like Khan Academy, or watching prior semesters’ lectures to get a head start on the upcoming semester.
• Don’t take an excessively challenging course load. In general, medical schools are more interested in how you did (i.e., your GPA) rather than the particular courses you took. Avoid the temptation to mimic other premeds who may be taking excessive numbers of credits (greater than 17) or taking multiple difficult science courses at the same time. Try to balance your schedule to allow time to complete extracurriculars, volunteer work, research, and shadowing.
• Consider summer classes. Summer classes offer the opportunity to spread out your challenging courses across a wider timespan and are often thought to have an easier curve than those during the semester. Courses often taken over the summer include the two-semester physics sequence and two-semester organic chemistry sequence.
• Make use of old exams. Most professors will provide older exams as a study tool. Treat these as some of your most valuable assets in studying since they will most closely approximate what you will see on the test.
• Study hard. WashU is a challenging school—the amount of work you did in high school will probably not be enough to succeed, so time management and effective study skills will be essential. Try to figure out your individual learning style (e.g., flashcards, spaced repetition, videos, textbooks) and apply this throughout your coursework.

What’s the best premed major at WashU?

Successful applicants to medical schools have pursued a wide variety of majors and, in general, there isn’t one overall best major for premeds. While many at WashU may argue about the competitiveness of biomedical engineering vs. chemistry, in reality, even these difficult majors have little advantage over a major in sociology or history.

Though any major can create a successful application to medical school, students nationally tend to major in a few specific areas. Most students pursue degrees in biological sciences such as biology or biochemistry.

At WashU, many follow this same path, majoring in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry (which can be either a biology or chemistry major at WashU). All of these majors closely align with the overall premed requirements and require few additional courses. However, the upper-level courses in these disciplines, such as physical chemistry or genetics, can be quite challenging.

Engineering is also a relatively common major among WashU premeds, especially biomedical engineering (BME). BME classes are known for being particularly difficult, especially BME 140, which has problem sets that are almost legendary in their difficulty.

One unique major to WashU that is common among premeds is philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology (PNP) , which provides an interesting combination of methods of studying the human brain and consciousness.

WashU is also well known for the Olin School of Business , and many premeds successfully graduate from this school or pursue a double major within this school. Successful applicants also come from anthropology, history, English, and even the newly reestablished sociology department. Students may also pursue elective courses at the top-ranked Brown School of Social Work. Infrequently, applicants even come from the Sam Fox School of Art and Architecture, though the significant burden of studio time and limited overlap make this a challenging choice.

Ultimately, deciding on the right major for you comes down to two questions:

• Where do your passions lie?
• Will you be able to maintain a high GPA?

When should you take the MCAT?

It may seem obvious, but the best time to take the MCAT is when you are ready. For each applicant, this can mean something different, combining when they’ve completed the necessary coursework with availability of time to dedicate specifically to studying for the MCAT.

For a traditional applicant who doesn’t intend to take a gap year, we often recommend taking the MCAT during the fall of a student’s junior year. This offers several advantages, notably time to study during the summer prior to the exam and time for the completion of most of the recommended courses that will be tested. Taking it at this juncture would also allow for ample time if retaking the exam becomes necessary.

At WashU, following this timeline requires advanced planning to complete the necessary coursework. In general, the following courses at WashU should be completed prior to sitting for the test:

• Chemistry 111/112 (or 105/106)
• Biology 2960 and 2970
• Physics 191/192 (or 205/206)
• Chemistry 261/262
• Chemistry 481 (or Biology 406)

To accomplish this requires taking the physics series prior to your junior year, often a common time for this class. Taking it during freshman or sophomore year is one option, though this can make for a relatively heavy course load when combined with the chemistry and physics requirements. Alternatively, taking physics or organic chemistry over your freshman or sophomore summers are also options and usually have the added benefit of less demanding curves than those used during the academic year.

Additionally, while some students at WashU may suggest that taking biochemistry is not required prior to taking the MCAT, biochemistry makes up a significant portion of the exam, with 25 percent of the C/P and B/B sections.

Beyond these courses, optional classes in sociology and psychology can also be helpful for the test. These classes can be less demanding and are a good complement for your more difficult basic science curriculum. However, this material can also be self-studied outside of a formal class.

Planning Your Path

Not sure which health field you want to pursue? Which courses you need to take? What you need to apply? We’re here to help you plan your path.

Health care is an exciting and varied field. The more courses you take and the more co-curricular experiences you acquire, the more information you will have to inform your decision about a path that is right for you.

It’s important to understand that professional program requirements can be completed alongside any major. First-year students are advised to start slowly and move into a more demanding schedule after a year, once you know exactly how much you can manage. Two science courses (including math) each semester during your first year is probably enough.

Take stock of whether you are enjoying the ideas in your science coursework. Almost half of the health care fields do NOT require advanced coursework in chemistry or biology. A graduate program based on prerequisite courses you truly enjoy may be a better choice.

Are you specifically interested in medical school? Medical schools want to see evidence that applicants understand the challenges as well as the rewards of being a physician. Shadowing or clinical volunteering that allows a prospective student direct observation of the physician role is essential. Click here to download data from the AAMC on undergraduate experiences of accepted medical students. Note that the few students who did not engage in clinical volunteering were probably MD, PhD applicants who appropriately focused their time on research.

Timeline for PreHealth Students

There is no right or best timeline for preparing for medical school. That being said, some general guidelines.

Students Join MyPreHealth

Early in the Fall semester, all incoming students are invited to join the MyPreHealth system for upcoming events, information, and programming notifications.

PreHealth Advisors assigned after completion of canvas course

After the first year, students who registered in MyPreHealth will receive an announcement with a link to self enroll in the noncredit Canvas course, A Reflective Guide for Prehealth Students. Students may complete the assignments as early as the summer after their first year, or any semester after that. A PreHealth advisor is assigned after completion of the course.

To Gap Year OR Not to Gap Year

Half of our students take at least one gap year, a gap year is never a disadvantage. Students who do not opt for a gap year have a lot to do before June after the Junior year including: take all required coursework for the MCAT, take the MCAT, secure three strong faculty recommendations (including two from science faculty), develop a portfolio of evidence of a strong interest in the welfare of others , and engage in enough clinical experience to demonstrate a mature and thoughtful choice of vocation.

Required Programming: Official MyPreHealth Strategy Meeting

In the year leading up to application to medical school (maybe senior year, maybe after graduation, maybe junior year), students will work closely with prehealth advisors and staff to craft application narratives. Our fall program (Break into Medical School), an official MyPreHealth Strategy meeting, Personal Statement Workshops; and the Junior Jumpstart program are all part of executing an excellent application. A Strategy Meeting by the end of March is a REQUIREMENT for our institutional letter of introduction and endorsement. All medical schools expect this institutional letter; other health care graduate programs vary in expectations.

Application to Medical School happens in June

No matter what year you plan to apply, it must be in June. We have statistical evidence that applying later in the summer puts you at a disadvantage.

PreHealth FAQs

What courses are recommended if you want to go into health policy-making? What’s the recommended timeline for taking courses? Can you take courses pass/fail? What about your GPA? Can PreMeds do Study Abroad? Learn the answers to all these questions and more on our FAQ page.

Course Recommendations

Specific Course Requirements vary. The following will meet requirements of most medical schools. That said, it’s important to check specific requirements of institutions of which you plan to apply:

• One year of biology, chemistry, and physics, each with laboratory
• One year of organic chemistry with laboratory (some schools will allow biochemistry as a substitution for organic II)
• One semester of biochemistry
• One year of English/writing – Some schools accept WI courses from other departments (although NOT foreign language WI courses); others insist on English department courses.
• One semester of psychology and sociology
• The Mathematics requirement varies considerably, but AP credit for Calculus II is almost always sufficient, and AP credit for calculus I and a graded statistics course is often sufficient.
• Students should consider at least one applied ethics course in any discipline to prepare for CASPer (a situational judgment screening tool that is required by some schools) and MMI interviews.

What do I need to take and when?

Many different arrangements and sequences of basic pre-requisite coursework lead to medical school, dental school and other science-intensive graduate professional programs.
See Examples of Course Schedules.

What courses do medical schools require me to take?

Which WashU courses contribute to my science GPA?

Entrance Exams

A pre-professional entrance exam, such as, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Dental Admission Test (DAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) are an important component of your professional school application. You should study extensively and sit for these exams when best prepared. If needed, you can consult your prehealth advisor to best determine exam timing.

MCAT scores are valid for 2-3 years, depending on the school.

Students considering multiple gap years:
Taking the MCAT before April of your Junior year may limit the schools you can apply to without retaking the MCAT. Check your State School(s) and any other programs that you’re particularly interested in.

Finding Your Path FAQ

PreHealth Paths, Timeline for Coursework, Course Credit & Requirements

Test Preparation

Get ready for the MCAT, DAT, GRE, or PCAT

WashU Matriculation Data & Acceptance Rates

review recent matriculation and medical school acceptance rates for our graduates

Interview Preparation

browse resources for helping you prepare for your interviews

Letters of Recommendation

Requirements, Logistics, and Support

Cost of Applying to Medical School

The National Association of Advisors for Health Professions has developed a list of estimated application costs

Application Submission, Letters of Recommendation and Interviews

Students submit AMCAS (the common application for medical school) in June. AMCAS spends several weeks verifying your application before forwarding to medical schools at the end of June. When medical schools receive your AMCAS , they will send you secondary applications, which you will ideally return within 2 weeks of receipt. Your letters of recommendation are attached to your application around the same time as you are returning your secondaries. Interview offers may start appearing in your inbox as early as late August, and may continue to appear through February; some interview offers are sent as late as April.

Questions?

Your academic advisor is an excellent resource, or you can email us.

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