I just interviewed at SLU and am struggling with whether or not I could spend the next 4 years there. I have NOT been accepted so my struggle could be completely irrelevant... But I'm hoping some of you can give me some advice, current students and fellow applicants alike:
I applied late in the cycle and only to 4 schools, have interviewed at 2 of them now. All of the medical campuses I have spent time on have been new and fancy. I'm used to big new hospitals and facilities, so I was really turned off by SLU's facilities. Am I being unrealistic in expecting more updated facility? The quality of the education is really the important part and not necessarily related to the facilities, so maybe I'm being a crybaby about this.
I also didn't love St. Louis. I've run around unaccompanied in NYC, Chicago, Bangkok, Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Denver, San Diego.... I have literally never been somewhere that students and residents were afraid to go out after dark, but the students I met at SLU seemed afraid to go out after dark. I really don't know if I can live in a place where I can't leave my home after dark for fear of being attacked. Can ya'll speak to that- is it just hyper-vigilance or is St Louis really that dangerous?
Finally, I didn't feel like I really connected with anyone during my interview. At the other school I interviewed at, I really liked the interviewees and the current students. They were really funny and joked around and were also obviously smart and hard working- I felt like I really clicked with them. I only met a couple SLU students, but didn't feel like I really hit it off with anyone like I did at my other interview. They were all nice but I just didn't feel like I clicked with other candidates or current students.
I am trying to decide if I should withdraw my application to SLU, or suck it up and just go there for 4 years if I get in and I don't get in at the other program. I did like how busy the hospital was, and I like that the cost of living is so affordable in StL. I also do think the University mission and values align well with my own, and the curriculum seems pretty standard. I am trying to avoid getting accepted and declining to reapply since I heard that's really looked down upon. I just want to go somewhere that feels like a good fit, where I will be as happy as possible through the med education process.
And maybe I won't get in and all my anxiety will be for nothing