The following informaiton is mostly first-hand, with some second-hand mixed in. I am from St. Louis - lived there my whole life until this year. I went to SLU for undergrad and did research at WashU for two years before med school.
First about the city: St. Louis is a great place to live = medium-sized-city, best sports town in America, all midwestern cities try to be like St. Louis (except Chicago of course), great restaurants, one of the best zoos in the country (free admission too), second largest park in the country (Forest Park), generally friendly folks, slightly liberal, decent public transportation, many great ethnic neighborhoods, etc.
The bad = crime in the inner city (this is standard for all big cities though), hot summers, cold winters, bad roads. People from the coasts always complain about not having enough to do, but there are many hidden gems in St. Louis and enough to keep you busy as a young adult or growing family. Many great outdoor destinations only a short drive away.
About the med school: Great if you are thinking about neuro, orthopedics, or neurosurgery (Dr. Young is one of the most famous neurosurgeons ever - he wrote the book on the brain).
I have several (>20) friends that are either there now or have graduated already. The teaching is really hit or miss. Some classes are outstanding and others are piss poor. Last year over 20 students failed the USMLE Step I. Unfortunately, the dean and president do not care much about the students' interests. The facilities look nice on the outside, but are very old. The school sold their hosptial a couple years ago, but still have clinical rotation and residency privileges. However, quality of residency training has declined rapidly.
The school seems to have conflicting admssions guidelines - I know people with great numbers, interviews, ECs, grades, etc., that did not get in. Seems to be some politics going on.
Anyway, a lot of the residency programs are in shambles. Lots of unhappy residents with bad board certification pass/fail rates.
Obviously, all these are generalizations of sorts - I'm sure you can find some students/residents that totally disagree with me. My information comes from friends in the school, professors that I know personally, contacts from having lived in St. Louis my whole life, and experiences at the medical school as an undergrad.
And no - I am not disgruntled because I didn't get accepted there. I actually got accepted there but chose to go to another school. And a D.O. at that. So I'm living proof that people do turn down MD schools for DO schools. BUT I digress- I'll leave that for another thread.
I hope that answers most of your questions. If you need any more info about St. Louis or SLU let me know.
P.S. I would highly recommend WashU for med school or any residency. I love the place and hope to do my residency there. Unfortunately, I did not get accepted to their med school.😡 😀
