2014-2015 Saint Louis University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Rejected pre-interview this afternoon. Complete ages ago, OOS, LizzyM ~71. Best of luck to the rest of you!
 
Buck Winters said:
Sorry to hear that. Did you receive an email?

Best of luck elsewhere!
Click to expand...

yes, it was an email, I'm not upset by it, I am lucky to have an acceptance at a school higher up on my preference list. It was a standard cordial rejection:

"Dear M12B,
The Committee on Admissions of Saint Louis University School of Medicine has completed its review of your application, together with all supporting documents in your folder.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer you a position for the coming year. It is the sincere hope of the members of the Committee that your extensive interest in and intensive preparation for a medical education be fully realized in another school or a related field.
We appreciate your interest in our School and I give you my personal best wishes for success in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
L. James Willmore, M.D.
Associate Dean
Saint Louis University School of Medicine"

Best of luck to you as well!
 
AspiringDocJason said:
Anyone who interviewed 1/26 hear anything back?
Click to expand...

I saw someone interviewed 1/20 and heard back like a week ago. You could be hearing soon, but it also seems pretty random with when they make their decision, they probably push back decisions occasionally because some people waited like 10+ weeks...
 
How long did it take people to get an acceptance/denial from SLU after they interviewed?
 
Rejected pre-II this afternoon. Complete ages ago.

Good luck, folks!
 
Waitlisted today as well. Interviewed 1/20
 
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Friend of mine interviewed 1/27 and heard back on Thursday the 26th! Just for anyone trying to gauge their interview feedback
 
Rejected today after several months of silence. Good luck to everyone else still waiting! :luck:
 
Some updated stats, from a friend. Released today.

This year, the School of Medicine received applications from 8,518 prospective students, an increase of 14.7 percent over last year. The national interview pool this year increased by 5.3 percent. There are 341 students posited in the class with 55 percent women and 11 percent from populations underrepresented in medicine.
 
doesn't sound like there's a whole lot of spots left...
 
KGJDMD said:
doesn't sound like there's a whole lot of spots left...
Click to expand...
Given that particular source's feelings (and position), I would probably agree with that assessment.

Still, always a possibility to come off waitlists and such. I'm amazed at the number of applicants this year.
 
Wait listed 2/26, interviewed 2/3. Good luck everyone! Still hoping for good news from my top school- fingers crossed!
 
Would any current students mind providing some information about housing in the area? What are some of the "safer" and more popular areas for students to live?
 
Interviewed 2/9 so it seems like today is the day for me. Good luck everyone!
 
Rejected pre-II this morning. Good luck to everyone!
 
I just wanted to post a little something about this medical school after having attended it for four years. I want it to help everybody who is considering this school and/or debating between SLU and another medical school. Please move this post to an appropriate location if it is out of place.


A little background on me- 4th year medical student going into one of the ROADs specialties (it requires microsurgery... can you guess it?). I was actually a med scholar at SLU which is how I entered the program. For undergrad, I was debating between SLU med scholars, Wash U, Hopkins, Northwestern, U Miami, Lehigh/Drexel BA/MD and some other good schools. I decided I couldn't pass up the straight medical program. I am originally from the Midwest near a city much larger than Saint Louis.

I will be eternally thankful for the education that this school has provided me the past 4 years. I would argue this is one the THE BEST clinical training programs in the country. The art of a proper physical exam and humanistic care has disappeared in the modern era yet SLU has really fought this problem. My classmates are amazing clinicians who are down to earth as well as knowledgeable- the school really does make you become not only a successful doctor but a wonderful person. Now, people are going to ask about SLU's sister school down the street- Wash U. Definitely a great school with a fantastic reputation... for research and high test scores. Even the Wash U faculty (especially the ones who trained elsewhere) state that many Wash U medical students lack some ability in good patient interaction and a proper physical exam. I'll just leave it at that. In order to keep this post balanced, I will note a couple of weaknesses of SLU's medical school- the hospital system (business aspect of things) is terrible, facilities are older, research is plentiful but needs to be sought after. Ownership of the hospital should be changing in the next 6 months-1 year (Tenet ran SLU's hospital into the ground after taking ownership a couple decades ago, dropping it from national spotlight. This is why SLU historically has a great reputation but does not rank as highly on US news as many hope for.)

When choosing a medical school, you need to think about residency. Residency is about board scores, grades, research, and who you know. SLU medical students generally average 230s (range about 210-268) on their boards which will make you very competitive in general specialties and a decent contender in the most sought after specialties like derm, ophtho, ortho, and ent. This means the basic science curriculum is rather good; however continues to evolve every year for the benefit of the students. As I said before, research is present but students need to seek out and find it. This is as simple as mentioning interest in a topic. SLU gets a lot of case reportable data due to the type and population of people that visit the ER. The reason for this is that most of the faculty at SLU care more about the clinical aspects of being a doctor. Lastly, who you come to know at SLU will amaze you- most specialties truly do have big names that can make a big influence on your future (phone call/letter). I'll list a few below in more competitive specialties:

Neurosurgery: S. Abdulrauf
Ophthalmology: S. Chung
Orthopaedics: L. Cannada
Otolaryngology: M. Varvares (went back to Harvard this year, but think about interview possibilities in the future)
Surgery: T. Schwartz, J Tuttle-Newhall, C. Huddleston (peds cardiothoracic)
Dermatology: S. Fosko
Urology: S. Siddiqui

The city of Saint Louis has made a remarkable change over the past 5 years. Midtown is bustling with fine dining, bars, and breweries. There is an IKEA opening up later this year. The weather is rather mild year round. Crime has improved much recently but like any city comes in bursts.
 
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vl0913 said:
I just wanted to post a little something about this medical school after having attended it for four years. I want it to help everybody who is considering this school and/or debating between SLU and another medical school. Please move this post to an appropriate location if it is out of place.


A little background on me- 4th year medical student going into one of the ROADs specialties (it requires microsurgery... can you guess it?). I was actually a med scholar at SLU which is how I entered the program. For undergrad, I was debating between SLU med scholars, Wash U, Hopkins, Northwestern, U Miami, Lehigh/Drexel BA/MD and some other good schools. I decided I couldn't pass up the straight medical program. I am originally from the Midwest near a city much larger than Saint Louis.

I will be eternally thankful for the education that this school has provided me the past 4 years. I would argue this is one the THE BEST clinical training programs in the country. The art of a proper physical exam and humanistic care has disappeared in the modern era yet SLU has really fought this problem. My classmates are amazing clinicians who are down to earth as well as knowledgeable- the school really does make you become not only a successful doctor but a wonderful person. Now, people are going to ask about SLU's sister school down the street- Wash U. Definitely a great school with a fantastic reputation... for research and high test scores. Even the Wash U faculty (especially the ones who trained elsewhere) state that many Wash U medical students lack some ability in good patient interaction and a proper physical exam. I'll just leave it at that. In order to keep this post balanced, I will note a couple of weaknesses of SLU's medical school- the hospital system (business aspect of things) is terrible, facilities are older, research is plentiful but needs to be sought after.

When choosing a medical school, you need to think about residency. Residency is about board scores, grades, research, and who you know. SLU medical students generally average 230s (range about 210-268) on their boards which will make you very competitive in general specialties and a decent contender in the most sought after specialties like derm, ophtho, ortho, and ent. This means the basic science curriculum is rather good; however continues to evolve every year for the benefit of the students. As I said before, research is present but students need to seek out and find it. This is as simple as mentioning interest in a topic. SLU gets a lot of case reportable data due to the type and population of people that visit the ER. The reason for this is that most of the faculty at SLU care more about the clinical aspects of being a doctor. Lastly, who you come to know at SLU will amaze you- most specialties truly do have big names that can make a big influence on your future (phone call/letter). I'll list a few below in more competitive specialties:

Neurosurgery: S. Abdulrauf
Ophthalmology: S. Chung
Orthopaedics: L. Cannada
Otolaryngology: M. Varvares (went back to Harvard this year, but think about interview possibilities in the future)
Surgery: T. Schwartz, J Tuttle-Newhall, C. Huddleston (peds cardiothoracic)
Dermatology: S. Fosko
Urology: S. Siddiqui

The city of Saint Louis has made a remarkable change over the past 5 years. Midtown is bustling with fine dining, bars, and breweries. There is an IKEA opening up later this year. The weather is rather mild year round. Crime has improved much recently but like any city comes in bursts.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the post. I didn't get the impression at my I interview that the students I talked to were very enthusiastic about anything in particular about the school and/or the city. It was hard to get a feel about happy they were with the program. I really appreciate your honest insight on it, good luck with match and your career!
 
@vl0913, I really appreciate you posting about your experience thus far. Thank you! SLU is one of my top choices and their focus on the clinical side of things (and the fact they actually seem to care about even their prospective students) is definitely why.

I'm interviewing this Monday (3/9/15) and I'm pretty nervous, especially it being so late in the cycle :S
I've interviewed at two other schools and have a LizzyM of ~70 but the schools I interviewed at seemed sort of out of my league (but fingers crossed!)

Does anyone know if SLU interviews people for their waitlist or am I actually interviewing for an open seat?
 
Anonymoose_65 said:
@vl0913, I really appreciate you posting about your experience thus far. Thank you! SLU is one of my top choices and their focus on the clinical side of things (and the fact they actually seem to care about even their prospective students) is definitely why.

I'm interviewing this Monday (3/9/15) and I'm pretty nervous, especially it being so late in the cycle :S
I've interviewed at two other schools and have a LizzyM of ~70 but the schools I interviewed at seemed sort of out of my league (but fingers crossed!)

Does anyone know if SLU interviews people for their waitlist or am I actually interviewing for an open seat?
Click to expand...

All I've heard is that interviews are basically over. You must have the last date. I heard this from a current m2 on the admissions board
 
vl0913 said:
I just wanted to post a little something about this medical school after having attended it for four years. I want it to help everybody who is considering this school and/or debating between SLU and another medical school. Please move this post to an appropriate location if it is out of place.


A little background on me- 4th year medical student going into one of the ROADs specialties (it requires microsurgery... can you guess it?). I was actually a med scholar at SLU which is how I entered the program. For undergrad, I was debating between SLU med scholars, Wash U, Hopkins, Northwestern, U Miami, Lehigh/Drexel BA/MD and some other good schools. I decided I couldn't pass up the straight medical program. I am originally from the Midwest near a city much larger than Saint Louis.

I will be eternally thankful for the education that this school has provided me the past 4 years. I would argue this is one the THE BEST clinical training programs in the country. The art of a proper physical exam and humanistic care has disappeared in the modern era yet SLU has really fought this problem. My classmates are amazing clinicians who are down to earth as well as knowledgeable- the school really does make you become not only a successful doctor but a wonderful person. Now, people are going to ask about SLU's sister school down the street- Wash U. Definitely a great school with a fantastic reputation... for research and high test scores. Even the Wash U faculty (especially the ones who trained elsewhere) state that many Wash U medical students lack some ability in good patient interaction and a proper physical exam. I'll just leave it at that. In order to keep this post balanced, I will note a couple of weaknesses of SLU's medical school- the hospital system (business aspect of things) is terrible, facilities are older, research is plentiful but needs to be sought after. Ownership of the hospital should be changing in the next 6 months-1 year (Tenet ran SLU's hospital into the ground after taking ownership a couple decades ago, dropping it from national spotlight. This is why SLU historically has a great reputation but does not rank as highly on US news as many hope for.)

When choosing a medical school, you need to think about residency. Residency is about board scores, grades, research, and who you know. SLU medical students generally average 230s (range about 210-268) on their boards which will make you very competitive in general specialties and a decent contender in the most sought after specialties like derm, ophtho, ortho, and ent. This means the basic science curriculum is rather good; however continues to evolve every year for the benefit of the students. As I said before, research is present but students need to seek out and find it. This is as simple as mentioning interest in a topic. SLU gets a lot of case reportable data due to the type and population of people that visit the ER. The reason for this is that most of the faculty at SLU care more about the clinical aspects of being a doctor. Lastly, who you come to know at SLU will amaze you- most specialties truly do have big names that can make a big influence on your future (phone call/letter). I'll list a few below in more competitive specialties:

Neurosurgery: S. Abdulrauf
Ophthalmology: S. Chung
Orthopaedics: L. Cannada
Otolaryngology: M. Varvares (went back to Harvard this year, but think about interview possibilities in the future)
Surgery: T. Schwartz, J Tuttle-Newhall, C. Huddleston (peds cardiothoracic)
Dermatology: S. Fosko
Urology: S. Siddiqui

The city of Saint Louis has made a remarkable change over the past 5 years. Midtown is bustling with fine dining, bars, and breweries. There is an IKEA opening up later this year. The weather is rather mild year round. Crime has improved much recently but like any city comes in bursts.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the very helpful and insightful look into the School. You said "Ownership of the hospital should be changing in the next 6 months-1 year". Does it mean there has been some agreement to sell the hospital by Tenet? I used to work at SLU myself.
I have seen how Tenet has totally destroyed a top notch hospital and turned it into a county hospital to maximize their profit. I believe that SLU medical students and patients deserve better. I will be very glad to see Tenet go.
Let me know. You can PM me.
 
Called admissions today. Told me that when you get your post interview decision depends on when your interviewer can present you to the committee. Also they told me that they never interview for just alternate spots, theres always a chance of acceptance if they're interviewing you.

No acceptances for me yet. Losing my mind. Hopefully I hear soon.
 
KGJDMD said:
Called admissions today. Told me that when you get your post interview decision depends on when your interviewer can present you to the committee. Also they told me that they never interview for just alternate spots, theres always a chance of acceptance if they're interviewing you.

No acceptances for me yet. Losing my mind. Hopefully I hear soon.
Click to expand...
I interviewed 2/3. Haven't heard anything yet. I feel your pain.
 
Are people ever rejected after interviews here or is everyone just put on the waitlist? I was just put on the alternate waitlist so im wondering.
 
Interviewed 2/17 and put on the alternate list as well . . . not sure what to think about that
 
Here's what I don't understand is the alternate list and waitlist the same thing or are they different? If they are different which is higher priority?
I was accepted here so now im debating between this school and another school but I'm just curious because I don't understand the whole waitlist proccess
 
Kemosabe said:
Are people ever rejected after interviews here or is everyone just put on the waitlist? I was just put on the alternate waitlist so im wondering.
Click to expand...
My understanding is that there are no real outright rejections post-interview - pretty much everyone is accepted or goes to the ranked wait/alternate list. They gradually reject the lower-ranked applicants as it becomes apparent that the class will fill without offering them a spot. The SoM conducted a little over 600 interviews this year and accepted 341 (so far, not sure on the finality of that number), so take that for what you will. For what it's worth, the waitlist won't budge until after May 15th, if it moves. So hang in there.

I've never had one of my students come off the waitlist at SLU, but I've heard of other members of their classes that have in the past. No idea what waitlist movement has looked like in recent years. Seems that very few people around campus have that information.

Hope good news comes your way - or already has!
 
Johnny Topside said:
My understanding is that there are no real outright rejections post-interview - pretty much everyone is accepted or goes to the ranked wait/alternate list. They gradually reject the lower-ranked applicants as it becomes apparent that the class will fill without offering them a spot. The SoM conducted a little over 600 interviews this year and accepted 341 (so far, not sure on the finality of that number), so take that for what you will. For what it's worth, the waitlist won't budge until after May 15th, if it moves. So hang in there.

I've never had one of my students come off the waitlist at SLU, but I've heard of other members of their classes that have in the past. No idea what waitlist movement has looked like in recent years. Seems that very few people around campus have that information.

Hope good news comes your way - or already has!
Click to expand...

Ty for the GREAT response. Odds don't sound very promising especially with the whole rejecting waitlister thing.
 
RoundTwo15 said:
Would any current students mind providing some information about housing in the area? What are some of the "safer" and more popular areas for students to live?
Click to expand...

https://sites.google.com/a/slu.edu/slusom-housing/

The most popular area is Tower Grove/Shaw. It's close to school, Tower Grove Park is right there, and it's close to lots of cool restaurants on S.Grand. It's safe, but not as safe as some other areas. You (probably) won't get shot, but I've heard of several car break-ins and the like. When I was looking for places to live I found this crime visualization handy: http://www.trulia.com/local/saint-louis-mo/tiles:1|points:1_crime
 
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