2009-2010 Saint Louis Unversity (SLU) Application Thread

Who else is excited for SLU?! Id love to be able to move back to st louis agian.

I am. Saint Louis is tough, though, I hear.

BlueElmo said:

I am. Saint Louis is tough, though, I hear.

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there are some ****ty parts but its easy to avoid. No different then any other city. Its not like SLU is in the middle of the ghetto and the school is handing out kevlar for walks to class

go rams...

Elijah05 said:

there are some ****ty parts but its easy to avoid. No different then any other city. Its not like SLU is in the middle of the ghetto and the school is handing out kevlar for walks to class

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oops. I meant admissions standards.

BlueElmo said:

oops. I meant admissions standards.

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oh haha ok that makes more sense...SLU stats arent that bad pretty average or near the "lower tiers" as far as most people here would classify them.

if you guys think the secondary will be the same I can edit the questions from last year into the first post. If they end up being different we can change them at that time. I am applying to SLU if you have questions about the area, let me know.

Caesar said:

if you guys think the secondary will be the same I can edit the questions from last year into the first post. If they end up being different we can change them at that time. I am applying to SLU if you have questions about the area, let me know.

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I think tahts a good idea. Last year it was just an optional prompt saying like "anything else you want to add" right? I used to live near st louis too. Do you know though what their take on not writing anything in the optional prompt? I know the general idea most SDNers have is to write something about why you want to go to SLU but is that really necessary? Looking through last years thread it seems those who wrote essays and didnt still got accepted, so im thinking it really doesnt matter? I mean how much can saying the normal bs about how you love their cirriculum or somethig really help? Truthfully I want to go there just because of location and i would be happy to attend any of the jesuit schools, doubt they are about that?

correct, most people seem to use it to write why they are interested in SLU. I may do that as well. I don't think it will really make a huge difference one way or the other, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. I love the StL area so location is big part of it for me too. I think commenting on the curriculum is a bit odd for any school because we most likely haven't seen it in action.

Caesar said:

correct, most people seem to use it to write why they are interested in SLU. I may do that as well. I don't think it will really make a huge difference one way or the other, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. I love the StL area so location is big part of it for me too. I think commenting on the curriculum is a bit odd for any school because we most likely haven't seen it in action.

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I dig around on their website, and I find some good pointers. I write about them.

BlueElmo said:

I dig around on their website, and I find some good pointers. I write about them.

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when i did that there didnt seem to be a lot on there as far as interesting programs or things to talk about...i always felt it was kinda stupid to just say i want to live in st louis again...but maybe i will add that in stated in a more eloquent fashion

anyone remember if SLU pre-screens / when they have the app available?

Caesar said:

anyone remember if SLU pre-screens / when they have the app available?

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they dont screen as for when its available . too lazy to go look at least years thread lol

6/30 last year... so could be this week or next...

Does anyone know how much emphasis SLU places on its jesuit identity? G.Town seems to be quite proud of it, and is very vocal advocate; SLU does not mention much about their values on their web site. Any one have a perspective on this?

NeuroChaos said:

Does anyone know how much emphasis SLU places on its jesuit identity? G.Town seems to be quite proud of it, and is very vocal advocate; SLU does not mention much about their values on their web site. Any one have a perspective on this?

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It was something I wondered before I interviewed there. From my experience, it is an excellent secular institution that just has Christian resources available. During the tour, we met the med school priest and he is a really cool guy that kinda serves as an advisor rather than a crazy cleric or something. Many of the students I talked to said they were nonreligious and it wasn't a big deal.

However, that question might be best answered by a current student.

NeuroChaos said:

Does anyone know how much emphasis SLU places on its jesuit identity? G.Town seems to be quite proud of it, and is very vocal advocate; SLU does not mention much about their values on their web site. Any one have a perspective on this?

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My brother-in-law's wife (not my sister!) is going into her fourth year at SLU, and she is most certainly not religious at all. I have asked her, and she has told me there is no emphasis on it directly (ie they don't force it on you). Let's just say I wouldn't be applying there if I thought they would force anything like that on me, but as PremedIowa said they do have religious resources available if you want it.

lrkoehle said:

My brother-in-law's wife (not my sister!) is going into her fourth year at SLU, and she is most certainly not religious at all. I have asked her, and she has told me there is no emphasis on it directly (ie they don't force it on you). Let's just say I wouldn't be applying there if I thought they would force anything like that on me, but as PremedIowa said they do have religious resources available if you want it.

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I am not too concerned about them imposing religion and promoting jesuit beliefs. I am well aware of the Jesuits; they are educators at heart not religious clerics going around converting people.
I was interseted in learning how much do they emphasis their jesuit ideals (cura personalis, 'men and women for others') in their educational system.

NeuroChaos said:

I am not too concerned about them imposing religion and promoting jesuit beliefs. I am well aware of the Jesuits; they are educators at heart not religious clerics going around converting people.
I was interseted in learning how much do they emphasis their jesuit ideals (cura personalis, 'men and women for others') in their educational system.

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Oh...well then I guess I am not the right person for you to talk to, sorry.

NeuroChaos said:

I am not too concerned about them imposing religion and promoting jesuit beliefs. I am well aware of the Jesuits; they are educators at heart not religious clerics going around converting people.
I was interseted in learning how much do they emphasis their jesuit ideals (cura personalis, 'men and women for others') in their educational system.

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Most medical schools do put emphasis on humanistic qualities so that is always a good thing to include. However, I do know one student last year who kept mentioning Jesuit ideals in her secondary essays only to have an interviewer tell her it is not really a focus at the med school. Remember that the people looking at your application are not priests; they are physicians and researchers of a variety of spiritual views. Keep that in mind.

Just got this secondary.

Seems to be the same software as MCW. Also, like MCW, there is no essay.

just got this as well, jimmer

same here, but i guess they got rid of the optional essay from last year? Thats sweet if they did

Elijah05 said:

same here, but i guess they got rid of the optional essay from last year? Thats sweet if they did

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No such luck... it is still there.

SportingMD54 said:

No such luck... it is still there.

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oh dammit, i didnt see any big text boxes so i assumed no writing...didnt realize u just click on the question -_-...I hate these what else do u want to add, i dont know what to write or if i even should write anything...I wish they would just say hey "tell us why slu" "or tell me something special about you.

yeah, I just got this one, don't know if I want to write a why SLU essay...

Would it hurt my application to forgo the optional essay?? Thoughts??

neuromcdoctor said:

Would it hurt my application to forgo the optional essay?? Thoughts??

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Yes. I bet it would.

neuromcdoctor said:

Would it hurt my application to forgo the optional essay?? Thoughts??

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Well a current student would be best but since thats not here, if you look through last years thread youll see people got interviewed both ways and that at least imo it didnt seem to matter, but thats based solely off posts from last years thread which isnt exactly the greatest evidence in the world. Take it for what you will. I think im going to use my boston essay about why im special or w/e...im pretty sure they dont want a why SLU speech, if they did why not ask for it like other schools?

neuromcdoctor said:

Would it hurt my application to forgo the optional essay?? Thoughts??

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If you have something worth writing about I would, but otherwise it seems like it doesn't matter too much.

I am just writing about why I chose to apply to SLU. In that essay Ill be able to talk a bit about a couple extra curricular (since they were in StL).

I figure it can't hurt, and I don't want them to think I just picked them to pick them, you know?

also I am only in school one semester this year. I guess I'll have to write about that too in that essay box.

I just received the invite to fill out the secondary. I can't find the essay you guys are talking about.... Help!

When you answer "no" to question 3 or "yes" to question 4 they show up.

alljazz said:

I just received the invite to fill out the secondary. I can't find the essay you guys are talking about.... Help!

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On the table on the left-hand side, click MD application, question #4 Do you wish to include any comments, other than your AMCAS personal statement, to the Admissions Committee?

If you select "yes" to question #4, then a text box will appear.

Edit: I second what Caeser said...

Cool, also received.

Oh, sorry I just glanced through it and didn't check. THANKS SO MUCH, and good luck!!!

I am thinking that essay is pretty optional. I mean it simply asks if there are any comments you wish to include other than your personal statement. I think they are looking for something that is similar to your personal statement, like if you ran out of space in that. I don't have any comments I wish to include other than my personal statement, so I feel like I should click no. I don't want to click yes just to fill up space. I think my primary application speaks pretty well for itself as is, and anything extra would probably just be a distraction. I think I might skip this, but I am going to think about it for a little bit.

Just submitted. I don't see anything about LOR on there though. I guess I'm complete?

I left out one volunteer activity on my AMCAS application. Do you think it's fine to talk about that activity in the optional essay?

Ilovewater said:

I left out one volunteer activity on my AMCAS application. Do you think it's fine to talk about that activity in the optional essay?

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This is what I did... I picked up a few medically relevant activities in June, so I talked about these. I figure that it can't hurt.

Ilovewater said:

I left out one volunteer activity on my AMCAS application. Do you think it's fine to talk about that activity in the optional essay?

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I think that is exactly what they are looking for, not some BS essay trying to fill up more space and take up more of their time. If your primary covers everything, then you have no reason to write that essay.

I'm not writing that essay. I have nothing else of any importance to add. I hope it works out ok for me. I wouldn't have even noticed it was an essay if not for SDN, because my answer to "do you have any additional comments?" was "no."

Submitted. So do they send a complete email or am I complete?

BlueElmo said:

Submitted. So do they send a complete email or am I complete?

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You should be able to check your status in the secondary application itself. Just look for the appropriate button on the left side of the screen. Mine says there that I am complete. I did not receive a confirmation email for anything except the fee payment.

So I'm just using my generic "anything else you'd like to add" essay (did it for Baylor), and it has nothing to do with SLU, so I think that's an OK route.
Well, I guess I'm done with this one - submitting later tonight.

metallica81788 said:

So I'm just using my generic "anything else you'd like to add" essay (did it for Baylor), and it has nothing to do with SLU, so I think that's an OK route.
Well, I guess I'm done with this one - submitting later tonight.

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This is what I do... I just talk about my activities since submitting the primary.

How much are people actually writing for the what are you doing if you are not in school next year question? I'm only using about 800 characters to say what I'm doing and they give you 10000! Just wondering.

VooDooo327 said:

How much are people actually writing for the what are you doing if you are not in school next year question? I'm only using about 800 characters to say what I'm doing and they give you 10000! Just wondering.

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I just used 1000 characters. No big deal.