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Today's "Why WashU Wednesday" was just cancelled. Do you think it has anything to do with what's going on in DC right now?
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I was fortunate enough to receive an II yesterday (OOS, secondary submitted mid-Sept), so I started digging into the financial aid PDF they sent. I'm a nontrad student with kids, so the high cost of med school is my major concern. They have a graphic that compares the average med school debt of the Wash U class of 2020, public MD programs, and private MD programs. The Wash U avg debt is ~80K less than public programs, and ~105K less than private programs. This seems too good to be true, especially since their tuition/fees run almost 70K per year. Does Wash U have a reputation for being a good financial aid school, and I'm just unaware of it? Or is it more that their students tend to come from wealthier backgrounds and can pay out of pocket for med school?
 
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VNLP said:
I was fortunate enough to receive an II yesterday (OOS, secondary submitted mid-Sept), so I started digging into the financial aid PDF they sent. I'm a nontrad student with kids, so the high cost of med school is my major concern. They have a graphic that compares the average med school debt of the Wash U class of 2020, public MD programs, and private MD programs. The Wash U avg debt is ~80K less than public programs, and ~105K less than private programs. This seems too good to be true, especially since their tuition/fees run almost 70K per year. Does Wash U have a reputation for being a good financial aid school, and I'm just unaware of it? Or is it more that their students tend to come from wealthier backgrounds and can pay out of pocket for med school?
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Fellow nontrad with a kid wondering the same thing. A couple things I noticed going through the "Financing Your Medical Education" brochure was 1) the cost of attendance seems to be a bit lower than schools in other big cities maybe because STL has a little more reasonable cost-of-living compared to many big cities, 2) need-based loans are capped at 35% of the entering-year cost of attendance, which helps reduce loans if you have high need, and 3) out of a class of 120 only 47 borrowed. That makes me think they either give out more scholarships than many schools, or many students can afford the tuition based on expected family contribution. It looks like if you have need at WUSTL, they try to do a mixture of Need Scholarship and Need Loans to maintain the 35% cap. They also have tuition stabilization, which I like because at least you know what it'll be all four years.
 
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Question for anyone who has interviewed, been invited to interview, or a current student: what is up with these introductory/welcome videos on the applicant portal? They seem so rehearsed and a little off-putting. I've heard that WashU is gunner central and the pained expression of the current student telling me that "St. Louis has easily accessible green spaces" doesn't do a whole lot to get me excited.
 
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viralhiker said:
Question for anyone who has interviewed, been invited to interview, or a current student: what is up with these introductory/welcome videos on the applicant portal? They seem so rehearsed and a little off-putting. I've heard that WashU is gunner central and the pained expression of the current student telling me that "St. Louis has easily accessible green spaces" doesn't do a whole lot to get me excited.
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I think the “overly rehearsed” videos are just common to COVID interviews. Almost every school I’ve interviewed at has had some video(s) with people clearly reading off of scripts + looking overly rehearsed.
 
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viralhiker said:
Question for anyone who has interviewed, been invited to interview, or a current student: what is up with these introductory/welcome videos on the applicant portal? They seem so rehearsed and a little off-putting. I've heard that WashU is gunner central and the pained expression of the current student telling me that "St. Louis has easily accessible green spaces" doesn't do a whole lot to get me excited.
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There really is easily accessible green spaces, though :rofl:. I'm an IS applicant that has been to STL many times, and Forest Park is awesome and right there! It's huge! I interviewed here in November, and I know exactly what you're talking about. I think it's just WUSM trying to do their best in giving you plenty of content and info in the COVID-19 application cycle, which, although a nice gesture, can't quite make up for an in-person interview day.
 
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VNLP said:
I was fortunate enough to receive an II yesterday (OOS, secondary submitted mid-Sept), so I started digging into the financial aid PDF they sent. I'm a nontrad student with kids, so the high cost of med school is my major concern. They have a graphic that compares the average med school debt of the Wash U class of 2020, public MD programs, and private MD programs. The Wash U avg debt is ~80K less than public programs, and ~105K less than private programs. This seems too good to be true, especially since their tuition/fees run almost 70K per year. Does Wash U have a reputation for being a good financial aid school, and I'm just unaware of it? Or is it more that their students tend to come from wealthier backgrounds and can pay out of pocket for med school?
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Pretty sure they're known for good aid, in their interview day they said they try to aim for a certain percentage of debt free students. And on Reddit people frequently bring it up as a school with low debt and generous aid
 
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viralhiker said:
Question for anyone who has interviewed, been invited to interview, or a current student: what is up with these introductory/welcome videos on the applicant portal? They seem so rehearsed and a little off-putting. I've heard that WashU is gunner central and the pained expression of the current student telling me that "St. Louis has easily accessible green spaces" doesn't do a whole lot to get me excited.
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It's true, though. St. Louis has (imo) the best man-made park in the nation (Forest Park), and it is also one of the largest (much bigger than Central Park). There are also numerous other parks. Can't speak to the gunner mentality and whether that is true, but I'd imagine there are a fair share of gunners at every medical school. But you should really visit St. Louis if you have questions about the green spaces, because Forest Park is literally right across the street from the medical campus lol
 
VNLP said:
I was fortunate enough to receive an II yesterday (OOS, secondary submitted mid-Sept), so I started digging into the financial aid PDF they sent. I'm a nontrad student with kids, so the high cost of med school is my major concern. They have a graphic that compares the average med school debt of the Wash U class of 2020, public MD programs, and private MD programs. The Wash U avg debt is ~80K less than public programs, and ~105K less than private programs. This seems too good to be true, especially since their tuition/fees run almost 70K per year. Does Wash U have a reputation for being a good financial aid school, and I'm just unaware of it? Or is it more that their students tend to come from wealthier backgrounds and can pay out of pocket for med school?
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I think they aim to give full scholarships for 50% of the class and then at least some aid to the rest - Washington University commits $100 million to MD scholarships, education
 
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Any ideas when the next round of As might come?
 
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Orims said:
Any ideas when the next round of As might come?
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Seems like the adcom meets 2nd Thursday of every month so next round is probably right after next Thursday (1/14)
 
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Have R's been sent out? Or do they just not give an II and you find out at the end of the cycle (similar to Emory)?
 
penguins2727 said:
Have R's been sent out? Or do they just not give an II and you find out at the end of the cycle (similar to Emory)?
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I think once the interview is over, they let applicants know. So I guess sometime between Feb and March, there will be an email notifying the completion of the interview season.
 
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wstand said:
I think once the interview is over, they let applicants know. So I guess sometime between Feb and March, there will be an email notifying the completion of the interview season.
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God the wait will be brutal then...:(( Submitted mid Sept and nothing.
 
Did anyone with an acceptance submit a letter of interest/intent? I am wondering how much it helps. I am starting to feel anxious even though I know there is still time.
 
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ep3073 said:
Did anyone with an acceptance submit a letter of interest/intent? I am wondering how much it helps. I am starting to feel anxious even though I know there is still time.
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Yes. I submitted a letter of interest a week after my interview. Not sure how much it helped, though.
 
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nodesofjavier said:
how did you guys feel about your kira?
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I honestly did not do well on it. I fumbled really badly on one question. But I still got accepted, so my guess is they're not weighing it as heavily as live interviews.
 
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I'mInDer! said:
I honestly did not do well on it. I fumbled really badly on one question. But I still got accepted, so my guess is they're not weighing it as heavily as live interviews.
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I had the exact same experience. It worked out fine for me in the end. I think it's just one small component.
 
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How long has it been taking to hear back after interview for those already accepted?
 
nodesofjavier said:
How long has it been taking to hear back after interview for those already accepted?
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As far as I know, there was one wave of acceptances in November I believe, and there haven't been any since. People in this thread speculated that the next wave might occur at the end of this week. I believe the majority of As come in a big dump in February or March. I hope that helps.
 
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Is there a certain deadline that the KIRA has to be done by? I know for schools like Case they want VITA done at least 1 week before your interviews. Or does WashU only want their's complete by interview day?
 
viralhiker said:
Is there a certain deadline that the KIRA has to be done by? I know for schools like Case they want VITA done at least 1 week before your interviews. Or does WashU only want their's complete by interview day?
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You just have to do it before your interview day
 
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viralhiker said:
Is there a certain deadline that the KIRA has to be done by? I know for schools like Case they want VITA done at least 1 week before your interviews. Or does WashU only want their's complete by interview day?
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I did it the morning of my interview....like an hour before haha
 
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Soooo are we thinking the next round of As might come tomorrow?!
 
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Did y
average_guy15 said:
Does anyone know if WashU is open to negotiating financial aid?
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Did you go to your Financial Aid interview session already? If not, that'd be the perfect forum to ask your question. Otherwise, I'd email them. I'm not sure if they do, but I'd doubt it.
 
average_guy15 said:
Does anyone know if WashU is open to negotiating financial aid?
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They specifically addressed this in the financial aid info session. Essentially, they said no. They have their own criteria for determining how much aid/money an applicant needs
 
Here's how I'm reading the email from WUSTL today:

"We won't admit you, but here's another email from us showing how great of a school we are. Sorry you're missing out loser. Peace out."
 
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doktoralya said:
Here's how I'm reading the email from WUSTL today:

"We won't admit you, but here's another email from us showing how great of a school we are. Sorry you're missing out loser. Peace out."
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Same :(( No IIs but so much teasing, why must you hurt me this way
 
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doktoralya said:
Here's how I'm reading the email from WUSTL today:

"We won't admit you, but here's another email from us showing how great of a school we are. Sorry you're missing out loser. Peace out."
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At least they put the video on YouTube for everyone. Makes you wonder how special the access to leaders in medicine is when so many of these interactions are virtual/recorded and made available to everyone. Obviously there are networking opportunities, research opportunities, etc. only available to students, but many "exclusive" things are now available to everyone.
 
justagirl213 said:
If they’re meeting today, will the next batch of IIs be released soon too?
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Those meetings are for making post-II decisions. I believe IIs are independent of those meeting schedules.
 
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iloathemakingusernames said:
As far as I know, there was one wave of acceptances in November I believe, and there haven't been any since. People in this thread speculated that the next wave might occur at the end of this week. I believe the majority of As come in a big dump in February or March. I hope that helps.
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I thought there were acceptances after December 17 though...? Anyway. Hoping for that call today lol. I bet this post notification will freak people out. Sorry. I'm just also anxious and am scrolling through this thread every 30 minutes :'D
 
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Just got the call!! I nearly dropped my phone from shock
Also side note WashU faculty are so freaking nice
 
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Anyone else now refreshing this page every 30 secs? :lol:
 
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akg0119 said:
Congrats!!!! When did you interview?
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Thank you!! :) I interviewed November 30th - actually didn't expect to hear back until March, but I am also pretty clueless about how these timelines work
 
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Congratulations! It's been 3 months since I interviewed and I get very nervous every time A calls are reported o_O.
 
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also got the call I am DECEASEDDDDDDDDDDD
 
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