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

A Washington University premed student smiling and sitting behind a laptop — LEARN HOW TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL AS A PREMED from washington university in st. louis

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: WashU premed requirements

Part 3: WashU premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school from WashU

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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.

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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.

WashU Premed Requirements
Medical school requirement	Required courses	Optional courses
Biology: One year with lab	Biology 2960, 2970	Biology 3058
General chemistry: One year with lab	Chemistry 111A or 105, 151 Chemistry 112A or 106, 152	Chemistry 30AL
Organic chemistry: One year with lab	Chemistry 261, 262
Biochemistry: One course	Chemistry 481	Biology 406
Math: One year	One of the following courses: Math 131, 132, 233, or 217 One of the following courses: Math 1011, 322, 2200, or 3200
Physics: One year with lab	One of the following sequences: Physics 205, 205L, 206, and 206L Physics 191, 191L, 192, and 192L
College-level English/writing: One year	Writing 1, plus one additional English, Comparative Literature, or writing-intensive course
Courses helpful for MCAT prep:		Psychology 100B Sociology 2110

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.

Sample WashU Premed Two-Year Course Plan
Semester	Courses
Freshman Fall	Chemistry 111A + 151 Math 233 Writing 1
Freshman Spring	Chemistry 112A + 152 Biology 2960 Psychology 100B
Freshman Summer	Physics 191 + 191L Physics 192 + 192L
Sophomore Fall	Biology 2970 Chemistry 261 English/writing course
Sophomore Spring	Chemistry 481 Chemistry 262

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.

Looking for MCAT practice questions? Check out our proprietary MCAT Question Bank for 2000+ sample questions and eight practice tests covering every MCAT category.

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Part 3: WashU premed extracurriculars

At WashU, the opportunities for extracurricular activities can feel nearly limitless. However, they can also feel nearly as competitive as your courses, with many having strict admissions, tryouts, or interviews.

While this competition can be stressful, the opportunities for unique and resume-defining activities such as independent research or significant community work are tremendous. Picking the right mix of research, volunteering, and other activities can help to create the perfect complement to your GPA and MCAT and set you up for success in applying to medical school.

Below is a list of many opportunities that premed students at WashU commonly pursue. This list is by no means exhaustive; there are numerous other activities that students participate in or, if something isn’t available, endeavor to create. In addition to using this guide, we also recommend talking to friends, advisors, and professors to find additional opportunities.

We also encourage you to break out of the “WashU bubble” and find additional opportunities to serve the needs of the broader St. Louis community. Students have volunteered with many causes that they are passionate about, such as educating lower-income students, helping the homeless, working with LGBTQ populations, and addressing inequality in the city.

WashU premed clinical and community volunteering

The WashU premed office publishes a guide for clinical volunteering, which can be found here. In addition, here’s a list of some organizations at WashU that offer opportunities to work in the community:

WashU premed shadowing

One of the great things about being a premed at WashU is having access to the top-ranked Barnes-Jewish Hospital. This is especially true with WashU’s unique MedPrep program, which combines one semester of seminars on medical school admissions from a director at Washington University School of Medicine with one semester of school-organized shadowing in the ER at Barnes-Jewish. This shadowing is incredibly valuable as it doesn’t require coordination on your part and puts you right in the heart of the very busy and high-acuity ER at Barnes.

While you are required to complete one four-hour shift every other week during the MedPrep program, you have the option to complete a shift every week, allowing you to accumulate a significant amount of shadowing hours over the course of the semester.

Outside of the formal MedPrep program, here are some local hospitals where students have also found opportunities:

Outside of working at these hospitals and through MedPrep, we also encourage you to reach out to local primary care and private physicians’ practices in St. Louis or in your hometown to obtain additional hours and observe other specialties.

(Suggested reading: How to Ask to Shadow a Doctor)

WashU premed research

One of the best aspects of being a premed at WashU is the abundant opportunities for research. Not only are there excellent labs in biology, chemistry, anthropology, and PNP (again, that’s philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology) on the Danforth campus, there are also hundreds of labs at the WashU School of Medicine that are easily accessible.

Getting to the school of medicine only requires a quick MetroLink ride—a station is available at either end of the undergraduate campus, and there’s a station right in the heart of the medical campus, just a 10-minute ride away. This is only made easier by the Metro U-Pass provided to every WUSTL student, which gives you unlimited free rides on the train.

Despite all these opportunities, finding research can still feel challenging. The WashU Office of Undergraduate Research offers great assistance in finding positions. However, if you are still looking for a position, here are some tips:

Talk to your professors. If you’ve forged a good relationship with a professor in a class, office hours, or as an advisor, talk to them about opportunities for research. While they may or may not have research available to you, they can often refer you to colleagues who do.
Talk to other students. Your friends and other older premeds may know of positions in labs that may be available and aren’t listed at the formal Office of Undergraduate Research
Take an advanced lab class. Many majors offer courses with formal research components. These can often serve as a great introduction to a faculty and lab that can ultimately turn into a long-term productive position.
Cold-email faculty. After exhausting other options, this can be a great way to find research. Look at the websites of departments you are interested in at WUSM and send emails to faculty that you think have interesting research. Expect to send quite a few emails before getting results, but with persistence this method can find you an opportunity.

Once involved in research, the Summer Undergraduate Research fellowship (SURF) can be a great way to have funding to pursue your research over the summer and offers you an introduction to grant writing.

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Part 4: Getting into medical school from WashU

Aside from the opportunities inside and outside the classroom, WashU also provides excellent premed advising thorough the PreHealth Office. After you indicate your interests, you will be matched to an advisor who best fits you. For example, there is one specific advisor for students applying to MD/PhD programs.

Outside of your specific advisor, there are also walk-in hours available for urgent questions. The PreHealth Office also presents sessions on a variety of topics throughout the year, such as how to request letters of recommendation, choosing medical schools, and pre-health opportunities during the pandemic.

Throughout your process, you will be supported through the PIR system, which collects information on your background, accomplishments, and goals. When you do apply to medical school, the PreHealth Office will assist you in compiling your letters and using the information from the PIR system to help with drafting a letter of institutional support that will summarize your application and letters (i.e., a committee letter).

While the PreHealth office will offer assistance and guidance throughout the process, much of the rest of the process of applying to medical school is the same as at any other school. You will have to draft a strong personal statement, complete your AMCAS Work & Activities section, provide transcripts and letters of recommendation, and compose secondary essays.

(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)

WashU premed acceptance rate and admissions statistics

With all of these resources available, how do WashU premeds actually do when they apply to medical school? Let’s discuss the published WashU premed admission statistics.

First, for overall numbers, WashU reports an impressive 76% acceptance rate for first-time applicants from WashU to U.S. medical schools. This chart also contains a breakdown by science GPA and by MCAT percentile (combining both old and new exam scores). Here you can see large differences by scores, with students with a 3.9–4.0 GPA having a 93% acceptance rate vs. those with 3.00–3.19 having a 55% rate. Similar trends can be seen for MCAT scores.

WashU publishes similar data for re-applicants to medical school, which show an overall acceptance rate of 51% from 2014 to 2018, with similar breakdowns to first-time applicants by GPA and MCAT percentile.

While the AAMC doesn’t publish the overall acceptance rates of first-time applicants vs. re-applicants, it’s worth noting that, at WashU, both groups significantly outperform the national medical school acceptance rate of 36%.

WashU also offers extensive data around applicant characteristics at specific schools. They break this data down by schools that consider state residency (mostly public institutions) and those that do not (mostly elite, private universities). This data offers a wealth of information that will help you get a sense of the competitiveness of your application as a WashU premed for a large number of U.S. medical schools.

The data also gives insight into where WashU students get in, showing that the largest number are accepted to Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), while many others are accepted at private medical schools throughout the Midwest. Sizable contingents have also been accepted at many of the top medical schools in the country, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and NYU.

Getting into WashU School of Medicine as a WashU premed

Students often ask if being a WashU premed will help you to gain acceptance at the WashU School of Medicine. Looking at the data, students accepted to WUSM from WashU premed had an average GPA of 3.65 (ranging from 3.36–4.0) and an average MCAT score of 518 (ranging from 512–528).

When compared to WashU’s School of Medicine's average accepted GPA and MCAT score of 3.87 and 518, respectively, this indicates that WashU undergrads may have a significantly higher chance of acceptance than students from other institutions. And, between 2011 and 2020, WashU has sent the most students to WUSM out of any undergraduate institution by far, good news for those who hope to stick around campus for another four years.

Final thoughts

WashU is among the nation’s top producer of premeds and has a strong track record of success in placing its students in U.S. medical schools. While navigating the challenging environment of being a WashU premed can seem daunting, by following this guide’s advice to maintaining a strong GPA, acing the MCAT, and developing a compelling profile of extracurriculars, you too can have this type of medical school admissions success.