Wash. U. 2011

Hi there,

I just recieved an interview invite from Wash U. I was wondering if anyone know whether it was likely to be for a seat or for a waitlist spot. Any ideas?

Macbeth said:

Hi there,

I just recieved an interview invite from Wash U. I was wondering if anyone know whether it was likely to be for a seat or for a waitlist spot. Any ideas?

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According to another sdner: From what the students there told me, plenty of them were interviewed in Feb or March. The admission office told me that they don't finish making all their decisions, reject/waitlist/accept, until April 15.

Bottom line: Go to the interview! You definitely still have a shot at a seat. Good luck!

The interviews at WashU are great. Everyone was really nice, my interviewer was amazing, and the facilities are some of the best I've ever seen. Hope you like it as much as I did!

Today I opened my mailbox and saw a 8-by-11 envelope from WashU. Jeesh, I thought, can't they save some paper and save those biggies for acceptances only? Then I opened the package and saw what I never thought I'd see: "I am delighted to offer you acceptance..."

Needless to say, I spent my night cartwheeling~~~

I absolutely loved WashU, and can't wait for the second look! Has anyone received scholarship applications yet? I'm very excited about that.

I was so excited to see a Wash U thread! I'm currently an undergrad at Wash U, so if anyone has any St. Louis questions, let me know.

Hi fellow possible WashU classmates

I'm undecided but stoked to have WashU as an option! Looking forward to hearing more about 2nd look!

Another potential classmate here.

What impression did you guys get of WashU students at your interview day?

brazilary said:

I was so excited to see a Wash U thread! I'm currently an undergrad at Wash U, so if anyone has any St. Louis questions, let me know.

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Perfect, a St Louis person! I liked the school a lot, but I'm a little worried about St. Louis, probably because I know nothing about it. My Wash U interview day was my first time there, and I didn't really get any chance to explore. How safe would you say St. Louis is? How do people get around town? Where do people eat and hang out?

Lorienne7 said:

Perfect, a St Louis person! I liked the school a lot, but I'm a little worried about St. Louis, probably because I know nothing about it. My Wash U interview day was my first time there, and I didn't really get any chance to explore. How safe would you say St. Louis is? How do people get around town? Where do people eat and hang out?

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Hmm... I also went to Wash U undergrad and am still living here. It may be a medium sized city to some, but you have to activate your street smarts like you would in a big city. Certain areas are safer than others, but many times bad areas are near decent ones so they're not always avoidable. The worst neighborhoods, however, are very avoidable and you will want to do just that. You'll be fine in the CWE, just lock your doors and be aware. Beggars will most likely be the worst of your woes.

I wouldn't recommend using the bus system, but the MetroLink is fine. It's very convenient to go downtown for bars/sports without having to park, to go to the Loop and Webster Groves (bars/food), and to get to the airport. The CWE itself has a lot of things to do as does the S. Grand area (lots of ethnic food). The CWE is very conveniently located in terms of things to do.

Describing the places to go...
The Loop: where the Wash U undergrads go. decent food, very good bars, rapidly expanding. hip, expensive boutique shopping. not technically a part of the city.
S. Grand: most diverse part of the city. lots of urban renewal going on. very gay/lesbian friendly. excellent food. variety of bars. a little rougher than the loop but just as cool. older crowd (20-30 something) compared to the loop.
CWE: more yuppie than the loop or s. grand. lots and lots and lots of food. some bars and boutiques and really good coffee shops. tends to attract intelligent, successful people and lots of young med center folk.
Webster Groves: much older crowd. smaller group of shops and restarants than the others, but still worth checking out. very near webster university. not part of the city.
Downtown: very upscale bars & food. some clubs. more and more boutique popping up. rapidly expanding now that people are buying more lofts there. don't go there often, but washington street is where most things are at.
Laclede's Landing: right on the mississippi. lots of clubs and bars with a new orleans-like feel (they try). people from the county like to come here to party. i like to stay away from people in the county generally... they have lots of random events here where drunk people line the streets. usually frat boys. if you hit it at the right time it may not be like that, but i seem to go there at the wrong times.
Soulard: the site of marti gras... which can resemble drunken frat boys in the streets except more girls like to show up to show off. otherwise, a few bars and some food.

Take advantage of forest park with the zoo, the art museum, beautiful views and a great running trail. go downtown for the city museum (indescribable). the science center is worth a walk through. camping in the ozarks, climbing in illinois, and winerys an hour south available... hmm anything else??? lol. i'm sure the other wash u'er can expand.

oh! i've been very impressed with the movies brought here. they have a great film festival and year-round indie, foreign, and selective release films almost always come to st. louis.

wow, thanks for the responses Smokey and especially sprinkibrio. Anyone else care to weigh in?

Lorienne7 said:

Perfect, a St Louis person! I liked the school a lot, but I'm a little worried about St. Louis, probably because I know nothing about it. My Wash U interview day was my first time there, and I didn't really get any chance to explore. How safe would you say St. Louis is? How do people get around town? Where do people eat and hang out?

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I would pretty much agree with sprinkibrio's description of St. Louis.

Overall, St. Louis is better than some people give it credit for.

Parts of the city are sketchy but in my four years here I've only felt unsafe maybe two or three times. The crime rating here is so high because there are some concetrated area where things are bad. The med school is not really near those. The CWE is a nice area and I don't think you would need to be any more worried than you would in a typical major city.

Most people in St. Louis drive wherever they're going, but living near the med school you won't need a car, although it would be convenient. You'll be able to walk to class and to the restaurant and bars in the CWE. I have never used the buses in St. Louis, but the MetroLink is great. It runs places you'll want to go (airprot, the Landing, BUSCH STADIUM!) and is easy to navigate. There is a stop in the middle of the medical campus. The only issue is that it ususally stops running around midnight, so if you take Metro going out, you'll need a cab to go home.

In terms of eating and hanging out, sprinkibrio covered a lot of it. To add a bit:

Soulard: home of St. Louis Mardi Gras (the 2nd biggest in the country), also has a fantastic farmer's market and quite a few blues clubs
Clayton: a A liitle west of the undergrad campus, it is home to a bunch of law firms, banks, and the Ritz. There are lots of great restaurants, a few bars, and some upscale shopping all in a cute downtown area.
Richmond Heights: has one of the better malls in St. Louis, some restauratns, and some open air shopping
Frontenac: has an upscale mall with a good movie theater, some nicer restaurants
Wash Ave: Trendy area with clubs, art galleries, and restaurants. The City Museum (which is amazing and something you need to experience to really get) is nearby. It's near downtown but not within walking distance.
The Hill: Italian neighborhood with a high concentration of restaurants.
Lafeyette Square: Historic Victorian homes surrond a great park. There are some great restaurants here.
Westport: Out in the county. Lots of trendy bars.

The city/county thing is a pretty big deal to St. Louis natives. It all stems from an incident a long time ago where the then-thriving city refused to pay for infrastrucutre for the people living out in the countryside. The county separted and raised their own funds. Today the county has most of the money is stereotypically seen as rich white-flight suburbs. The medical school is in the city, although maybe three miles east of the dividing line. Anyway...

I have to second that Forest Park is Amazing. The zoo, art museum, and history museum are free. There is an ice skating rink, tennis courts, running paths, etc. Every year they also have a huge festival in the early fall whre there are ~100 hot air balloons that light up and (the following day) chase after another balloon. There is also a Shakespeare festival with free shows in early summer.

One of my favorite things about St. Louis is the baseball. People get really into the team. The area around the stadium has tons of sports bars and restaurants.

I hope this helps.

Are any of you set on WashU?

swtiepie711 said:

Are any of you set on WashU?

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Yes, I will be there in August. Anyone else?

does anyone know when WashU has their second look weekend?

twofootslim said:

does anyone know when WashU has their second look weekend?

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April 13-15, from a thread in the pre-allo forum.

yay! finally found a washU class thread! i got in at the beginning of january and have been looking for some fellow acceptees to talk about what you liked about washU and St. Louis and hang-ups etc because i don't know if i exactly clicked with my interview group but i'm certain there are others out there from different interview groups ie potential classmates that i'd love. also, the scholarship thing, are you certain the invites aren't til march?

Hey I was accepted in January also. I'm looking forward to attend WashU. From last year threads I think the scholarship invites are in March/April I would have to check again.

The way it worked last year (I'm a current first year) was that you got invited to apply for the merit scholarships within a few weeks after you got accepted, and the app was due about a month or two from then. The Olin Scholarship for women did NOT require you to be invited to apply, but i think those applications were due at the beginning of Feb.

Congrats to everyone who got in... my advice regarding deciding between schools is to go to the revisits -- not so much to find out more about the school itself, but more to see if you jive with your potential future classmates. I didn't really get along with anyone on my interview day, but i had a blast at revisit. And none of the people from my interview day came to wash u in the end (or even revisit) so it didn't matter that i didn't click with them

btw, if any of you are international students and have questions about the logistics surrounding that, drop me a PM. I know it can be a little confusing

well i talked to someone i know on admissions and they said that the scholarship apps are by invitation after further committee review of your app. however, the committee won't begin reviewing til mid april so that's what i heard. well wecould both be saying the same thing anyway especially if you got in in early march or so then the letter would be a few weeks after. regardless, that's what he told me for those like myself who wondered about scholarships

EBI831 said:

well i talked to someone i know on admissions and they said that the scholarship apps are by invitation after further committee review of your app. however, the committee won't begin reviewing til mid april so that's what i heard. well wecould both be saying the same thing anyway especially if you got in in early march or so then the letter would be a few weeks after. regardless, that's what he told me for those like myself who wondered about scholarships

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Stherling is right. You are invited to apply for the Wash U scholarships soon after you are accepted, within a week or two. Your application is then due about 4 weeks after that. Interviews are conducted in St. Louis in either March or April (they fly you out and put you up for free), and you will hear back as to whether or not you got the scholarship about a week after that.

I think that pretty much every applicant accepted by late January is inivted to apply for the scholarships. If you have not yet received an invitation, I don't think that you will get one. Anyone who is accepted at this point in time or later would not have enough time to finish the application in time for it to be reviewed before interviews are extended.

Thanks for clearing it up guys! My acceptance was dated Jan 11 but I haven't received anything mentioning a scholarship in my mailbox. I suppose that says something. One less fish in the pond hehe.

If the process is still the same as what the MS-1s are describing, you would think someone on SDN would have gotten a scholarship application by now.

Dr Durden said:

If the process is still the same as what the MS-1s are describing, you would think someone on SDN would have gotten a scholarship application by now.

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Agree with this. My interviewer told me that you would hear in March, but she didn't seem sure.

Has anyone out there gotten one?

Haven't heard anything here.

well in the past when my dad was on admissions they'd interview u on the spot for scholarships if your regular interview went well and you had good enough stats, they'd ask if you could push back your flight etc and just go ahead and do it so you'd save travel. seeing as they don't do that now (that was about 7 years ago), i'd think its completely plausible that they've changed their scholarship system since last year and the admissions person i spoke with is probably telling the truth.

I hope that special committee starts meeting before mid April like you predicted EBI. By the time they invite everyone, fly the lucky few out, and make the final decision, that's cutting it awfully close to May 15.

Nothing we can do but wait and see.

HumbleMD said:

Why are we all obsessing over the merit scholarships? Didn't they tell us that they only have URM scholarships this year?

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Really? Financial aid told me that there are 20 full-rides open to all accepted applicants.

HumbleMD said:

Why are we all obsessing over the merit scholarships? Didn't they tell us that they only have URM scholarships this year?

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I believe that is the case with Duke, not WashU. If this is true, it was not reflected to me on the interview day or on the website.

Towelie said:

I believe that is the case with Duke, not WashU. If this is true, it was not reflected to me on the interview day or on the website.

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Agreed. I believe our financial aid guy said approximately 15 out of a MD class of ~100 has a merit scholarship. There didn't seem to be any restrictions, either racially or financially.

Since we're all already in, what else is there left to obsess about?

I haven't received any scholarship applications either. Maybe they're changing the system this year and will determine winners based on the apps we've already completed. That would be nice.

Homer Simpson said:

I haven't received any scholarship applications either. Maybe they're changing the system this year and will determine winners based on the apps we've already completed. That would be nice.

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I was talking to Dean Chung today and asked her about the scholarships for you guys. She said that they're doing it differently this year than previous years. The scholarships will be awarded based on the material you have already sent in. There are no additional applications to fill in and no interview weekend to be invited to. Everyone who has been accepted to the school is in the running for a scholarship. They hope to notify the winners by the middle of April.

Good luck everyone!

Thanks for the info!

That's good to know. Thanks Syranope!

Syranope2 said:

I was talking to Dean Chung today and asked her about the scholarships for you guys. She said that they're doing it differently this year than previous years. The scholarships will be awarded based on the material you have already sent in. There are no additional applications to fill in and no interview weekend to be invited to. Everyone who has been accepted to the school is in the running for a scholarship. They hope to notify the winners by the middle of April.

Good luck everyone!

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Syranope2 said:

I was talking to Dean Chung today and asked her about the scholarships for you guys. She said that they're doing it differently this year than previous years. The scholarships will be awarded based on the material you have already sent in. There are no additional applications to fill in and no interview weekend to be invited to. Everyone who has been accepted to the school is in the running for a scholarship. They hope to notify the winners by the middle of April.

Good luck everyone!

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Sweet. Thanks Syranope.

So, current Wash U students, what other schools were you considering and why did you ultimately choose Wash U?

My situation is a little unusual. I narrowed my schools down before applying rather than after -- which means I applied to 5 schools and would have gone to any of them that I got into. Also I applied MD-Phd and changed my mind part way through the cycle (i don't recommend this). But long story short, I came primarily because after I got in here, I got rejected at 3 schools and waitlisted at 1. since I preferred wash U to the school that waitlisted me, i didn't pursue it (columbia).

But to help you out a little, my favorite things about Wash U are: the anatomy faculty (all the faculty are REALLY approachable, but the anatomy staff are phenomenal), the students (laidback and friendly and surprisingly diverse), the cost of living (cheaper than philly!), the research focus, the openness of every single doctor at Barnes that I've met in terms of letting students shadow etc, the city (st louis is big enough to have what you want but not as overwhelming as say, manhattan), the region (midwesterners are just nicer. what can i say. and i'm not from here.), and the administration (once you're in, they take GOOD care of you.).

As you can see, it's a fairly long list. There isn't much i dislike about Wash U. If i had to come up with something, the only thing that bothers me a little is that the class in young. but that's because i'm old for my year AND i took 2 years off before applying. also, they insist on using lotus notes, which is a pain. but you get used to it .

i'll be glad to answer specific questions if anyone has any.

When I was accepted, I guess I was technically deciding between Wash U, Northwestern, USC, and a couple of other places that I was awaiting decisions from. I say "technically" because it wasn't really a decision - Wash U was my top choice from the moment I interviewed. I'm not sure what struck me, exactly, I just knew I'd fit in here.

I'll echo Stherling that my class is young but diverse and easy-going. The research program available to you here is one of the top four or five in the country, but if you're not interested in research (like me), you won't be pressured into doing anything. That said, to get into most competitive residencies, you need to do at least a little research and it is really easy to do here AND easy to get funding for it. I like the schedule where first year starts off relatively easy and fourth year is incredibly easy, so you've really only got two hard years. But most importantly, everyone seems genuinely glad to be here, from the faculty to the students. So many of the physicians that lecture are Wash U alumni and others came here 30,40, or even 50 years ago and have never left. People like to be here, are incredibly smart, and are very willing to teach you as students. Additionally, the administration is second to none in taking care of you. Feedback is appreciated and actually listened to and changes are made incredibly quickly.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

Syranope

just to reiterate some things that Syranope brought up:

1) Wash U is a great research facility. That doesn't mean you have to do research -- I have lots of classmates who have the 'Hell, NO' response to anything research related -- so don't worry about that. What it does mean is that if you decide you are interested, or you want to have a little under your belt for residency applications, it's EASY to do and EASY to get funded.

2)Feedback is taken extremely seriously. Every school you go to will be great in some ways and lagging in others. What I love about Wash U is that they are incredibly responsive to feedback. Many of the things that we (the first year class) found a little 'off' last semester have already been fixed, based on our input.

I found out I got in today. The funny thing is that I didn't find out through an acceptance mailing since the mail at my University is really slow. I found out through an e-mail inviting me to second look!

Has anyone received any info about merit scholarships yet? I heard from a fellow acceptee that we might be asked to submit a short statement in the next few weeks if we're under consideration.

Oh, and congrats, Gabujabu. Welcome!

stherling said:

just to reiterate some things that Syranope brought up:

1) Wash U is a great research facility. That doesn't mean you have to do research -- I have lots of classmates who have the 'Hell, NO' response to anything research related -- so don't worry about that. What it does mean is that if you decide you are interested, or you want to have a little under your belt for residency applications, it's EASY to do and EASY to get funded.

2)Feedback is taken extremely seriously. Every school you go to will be great in some ways and lagging in others. What I love about Wash U is that they are incredibly responsive to feedback. Many of the things that we (the first year class) found a little 'off' last semester have already been fixed, based on our input.

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Thanks, stherling, this is really helpful info.

Could you tell us a little about what your weekly schedule is like (class time vs. elective time)? When do most students who get involved in research typically get started?

monday_best said:

Thanks, stherling, this is really helpful info.

Could you tell us a little about what your weekly schedule is like (class time vs. elective time)? When do most students who get involved in research typically get started?

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Answering for stherling, here's our week next week (pretty typical for this block). As far as research, most get involved summer after first year, with a few taking a year off after second or third year to get more involved.

The schedule:
Monday, 3/12/2007

8:30-9:30 AMLE: COS Bio-Histo (Female Reproduction I)Moore AuditoriumNancy L. Baenziger, Ph.D.
9:30-12:00 PMLab: COS Bio-Histo (Female Reproduction I Lab)LTC 301A, LTC 301B, LTC 302A, LTC 302B, LTC 303A, LTC 303B, LTC 304A, LTC 304BNancy L. Baenziger, Ph.D., Paul C. Bridgman, Ph.D., Krikor T. Dikranian, M.D., Ph.D., Tatyana I. Tenkova, M.D.
12:00-1:00 PMStudent Activity: (Sexual Awareness Lunch Talk - )Moore Auditorium
1:00-2:30 PMLE: Ethics (Government in Medicine: Medicaid and Medicare)Moore AuditoriumKatherine Mathews, M.D.
3:15-5:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
5:15-7:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
6:00-9:00 PMStudent Activity: (APAMSA - Aids in India Discussion)LTC 401A, LTC 401B

Tuesday, 3/13/2007

8:30-10:00 AMSG: Genetics (Small Groups - Cancer Genetics (See syllabus for small-group assignments and room locations))LTC 301A, LTC 301B, LTC 302A, LTC 302B, LTC 303A, LTC 303B, LTC 304AMs. Nicole L. Armstrong, Kimberly A. Martin, M.D., Thomas Morgan, M.D., Linda Piersall, Tyler E. Reimschisel, M.D., Amie Pannier Stanley, Alison J. Whelan, M.D.
10:00-12:00 PMLE: COS Bio-Physio (Endocrine Pancreas)Moore AuditoriumKenneth S. Polonsky, M.D.
12:00-1:00 PMStudent Activity: (Financial Home Buying Presentation)Moore Auditorium
3:15-5:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
5:15-7:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
6:00-9:00 PMPP: Clin Skills/PP: Pt-Phy Comm (Standardized Patient History and Exam)LTC 501, LTC 502, LTC 503, LTC 504, LTC 505, LTC 506, LTC 507, LTC 508, LTC 509, LTC 510, LTC 511, LTC 512, LTC 513, LTC 514Robb R. Whinney, D.O., Anne L. Glowinski, M.D.

Wednesday, 3/14/2007

8:30-9:30 AMLE: Immunology (Clinical Session)LTC 201, LTC 202, LTC 203, LTC 204, LTC 205, LTC 206John Atkinson, M.D., Anthony R. French, M.D., Ph.D., Caroline C. Horner, M.D., Jason C. Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Barry Sleckman, M.D., Ph.D., Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.
9:30-10:30 AMLE: COS Bio-Histo (Female Reproduction II)Moore AuditoriumNancy L. Baenziger, Ph.D.
10:30-12:00 PMLab: COS Bio-Histo (Female Reproduction II Lab)LTC 301A, LTC 301B, LTC 302A, LTC 302B, LTC 303A, LTC 303B, LTC 304A, LTC 304BNancy L. Baenziger, Ph.D., Paul C. Bridgman, Ph.D., Krikor T. Dikranian, M.D., Ph.D., Tatyana I. Tenkova, M.D.
12:15-1:00 PMStudent Activity: (Town Hall Meeting)Moore Auditorium
1:00-1:10 PMQu: Microbes (Quiz: Fungi and Parasites)Moore AuditoriumStaff
1:10-2:10 PMLE: Microbes (Introduction to Tropical Medicne)Moore AuditoriumJoseph Vogel, Ph.D.
2:10-3:00 PMLE: Microbes (Infection Control)Moore AuditoriumSara Doll, RN, BSN
3:00-4:00 PMRe: Microbes (TA Review Session) (Optional)LTC 303A, LTC 303BNone
3:15-5:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
5:15-7:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)

Thursday, 3/15/2007

8:30-10:00 AMLE: Genetics (Human Functional Genomics)Moore AuditoriumMark A. Watson, M.D., Ph.D.
10:00-2:00 PMStudent Activity: (Match Day)Moore Auditorium
10:00-12:00 PMLE: COS Bio-Physio (Clinical correlation: Diabetes)Erlanger AuditoriumKenneth S. Polonsky, M.D.
12:30-3:00 PMRe: Microbes (REVIEW SESSON) (Optional)Erlanger AuditoriumStaff
6:00-9:00 PMPP: Clin Skills/PP: Pt-Phy Comm (Standardized Patient History and Exam)LTC 501, LTC 502, LTC 503, LTC 504, LTC 505, LTC 506, LTC 507, LTC 508, LTC 509, LTC 510, LTC 511, LTC 512, LTC 513, LTC 514Robb R. Whinney, D.O., Anne L. Glowinski, M.D.

Friday, 3/16/2007

8:30-9:30 AMLE: Immunology (Immunodeficiency)Moore AuditoriumBarry Sleckman, M.D., Ph.D.
9:30-11:30 AMLE: COS Bio-Physio (Physiology of Shock)Moore AuditoriumSteven L. Brody, M.D.
11:30-12:00 PMReserved: COS Bio-Physio (tba) (Optional)Moore AuditoriumNone
1:00-3:00 PMLE: Microbes (Streptococci, Legionella, Avian Influenza, SARS
Moore AuditoriumMichael G. Caparon, Jr., Ph.D., Henry V. Huang, Ph.D., Joseph Vogel, Ph.D., David Wang
3:15-5:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)
5:15-7:15 PMSpecial: (Held for Selectives)

Saturday, 3/17/2007

8:30-2:00 PMStudent Activity: (Play Rehearsal)Moore Auditorium
9:00-2:00 PMStudent Activity: (Orchestra Rehearsal for Play)LTC Hearth

The "held for selectives" time is the time during which elective classes meet - you'll usually have 1/block (but can take up to 8/block, depending on what's offered and how much time you want to dedicate to it).

monday_best said:

Has anyone received any info about merit scholarships yet? I heard from a fellow acceptee that we might be asked to submit a short statement in the next few weeks if we're under consideration.

Oh, and congrats, Gabujabu. Welcome!

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I just received an email today asking me to submit a short statement to apply for the merit scholarship. 300 words or less, due next week. Also, yesterday I received the invitation and form for the revisit weekend on April 12-15th. April 12th afternoon and Friday 13th morning of the revisit weekend are for "students of color" which will join the regular revisit weekend, which starts Friday 13th in the afternoon.

Great! Thanks for the schedule, Keg.

Thanks, jbl16, I just got that e-mail too. It's rather open-ended, isn't it?

You seem pretty much set on WashU, are you planning on going to Second Look?