I am also a first year, and I would like to respond to this.
Most of this information is true. Wash U has a traditional curriculum with an emphasis on normal human body function during the first year (pathology is not ignored by ANY means) and on abnormal function during second year. We do use real microscopes in histology IN ADDITION to digital projections and atlases. There is a lot of free time first year (first year is pass/fail), but that is actually a MAJOR reason I decided to come here: I enjoy free time. As for second year workload, I challenge you to find me a medical school that does not have a challenging second year curriculum. Also, do you really need 8-9 weeks off to study for Step 1?
Classes so far have primarily been lecture based, as Equality indicated. However, we have small-group sessions 2-3 times per week. We also have significantly more hospital time during our first year than compared to other medical schools (according to comparisons with friends in other medical schools). During our first month, we have had three in-hospital sessions at Barnes (one of the "top hospitals in the country", whatever that means), one off-site primary care session, and several opportunities for shadowing. I have already personally put staples into a patient's head in our Level 1 Trauma Center (this is not a typical experience, but the opportunity has certainly been made available to us), conducted an HPI and partial physical exam on two patients, and been offered a clinical research position by a cardiothoracic surgeon simply by being in the right spot at the right time.
My point is this: curriculum IS a very important part of medical school experience. Obviously, Wash U's curriculum does not work for some (see above). It DOES work for me, even though I do frequently fall asleep in lecture. I would go so far as to say that not only does it work for a majority of our class, but that we would not have it any other way. So please look at curriculum when considering your medical school choice. During your interviews, consider what would work for YOU, not what would work for some random person on Student Doctor Network (including me). And ask students in person. You will get a better impression of how happy they really are with their school than you ever could on this website.
If you have any questions about Wash U, I would be happy to honestly answer.
I definitely want to echo all of this. I'd argue that most of the students feel the same way aweso does, I definitely do.
To address the Step 1 thing more (it seems to be the most concerning thing that Equality said in her post - many of you have asked me about this at the applicant pizza parties).
Think about when you studied for the MCAT. Some people focus their full energy on the MCAT for months and do nothing else in the meantime. Thus, these people expect to have the same opportunity to do so for Step 1. However, the people that spend this amount of time on MCAT studying are people who took the GChem, Organic, Physics, and Biology quite awhile before their MCAT. Most of the study time is spent relearning all that stuff that you conveniently forgot after you took that final. Additionally, during undergrad a good amount of your time is spent in humanities and other classes not covered on the MCAT.
Step 1 is not like this at all. You effectively study for Step 1 for two years, because the things on Step 1 are the things in all of your classes in medical school. This material builds on itself so it's not easy to forget it like it was for MCAT material. Sure, it might be a good idea to start going over old material during the last part of second year, but I assure you that all the little details you may forget from block to block are easily reviewed in that 4 weeks, and you'll still have plenty of time to do practice tests, etc.
If the 4 weeks were an issue, you'd expect to see the WashU students doing poorly on the boards relative to its comparable schools that have more time. This is simply not the case. We do just as well even with less time to study.
Take this as you will. Ask current students at your interview pizza party or at breakfast or at lunch or on your tour. We're happy to answer any questions you have.
So we kinda sorta have student side negatives to washu; what are the positives?
What I think sets WashU apart may not be what other people are looking for in a school, but I'll go through some of my favorite things about the school. I'm not saying the school is perfect - there are things that frustrate me as well, but as a whole, I don't think there's any other school out there better for me and I have never regretted choosing WashU.
As aweso mentioned, we have excellent opportunities for patient interaction. It's a bit scary because they just put us in a hospital and say, "go interview this patient," but it's an amazing learning opportunity. We have fourth years who go with us to help us out if we get stuck on what to ask, and they offer great feedback.
The research is AMAZING. This past summer I worked in a lab with the Chair of the Department of Medicine. I had zero science research and he took me into his lab and spent his resources teaching me all the techniques I needed to know. It would have been much easier for him to hire someone who already knew the skills, but the faculty here really care about teaching the students and instilling their passion for research and patient care in us. I've never seen faculty members so open to work with students.
The administration really cares about us as students. They want us to learn, obviously, but more importantly, they go out of their way to make sure that we are happy. They provide us a nice budget for class parties (yes, this means the school pay for our drunken debauchery after exams). They also really listen to us. If I ever had a problem with a class, I could contact the lecturer or coursemaster, discuss it with them, and they would do something to fix it (we even have people in our class who are responsible for these kinds of talks with the professors). On a bigger scale, I can email any of the deans and they will take time out of their schedule to meet with me regarding whatever I want to discuss with them.
I mean I can type all day long about how awesome I think WashU is, but it really doesn't mean much to you people unless you actually see it for yourself. I can't tell you how much I think you'll get from going to the applicant pizza parties and just talking to the students. We LOVE meeting applicants and answering your questions about school or just hanging out.
If you can't make it to your pizza party because of a late flight or something (that was the case for me), PM me and I'll set up something for you so that you can talk to current students.
As always, any questions about WashU or anything, contact me. I'd be happy to help.
🙂
It's so not happening. Les Miles is too lucky to lose. 
