anyone at SLU?

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.

 

I can't tell you too much about SLU--everything I've heard is second-hand from students at my school with significant others who attend SLU. They seem to think that the curriculum there is very difficult, and SLU students are definitely in class and lecture longer than we are.

I can tell you about St. Louis, though. Coming from California, I didn't expect to like it very much. I didn't expect to find diversity or to find enough things to to keep me occupied. While I still find the lack of diversity and the lack of beaches and sun to be an issue, I think St. Louis as a city is a decent place to live in. Because there are so many schools in the region, there are plenty of places from coffee shops to bars to hang out. People here tend to be friendlier, and across the street is Forest Park, a wonderful place to get away into nature. After living here for over a year, I can tell you that the city really ain't so bad!

 

I am a med student at SLU, and would be happy to answer any specific q's you have. I imagine SLU is a lot like any school in the country- good at some things, not so good at others. I can tell you that SLU has an excellent track record for the match (residency positions), and the concerns about USMLE performance the past few years are not as black and white as they may seem; SLU has also had some outstanding board scores the past few years.
One of the best aspects about SLU is its dedication to caring for the underserved population of St. Louis. Some hospitals (and medical schools, for that matter) are truly nothing but businesses, and could really care less about medicine and healing. SLU, however, seems to attract genuine people who will sacrifice quite a bit for the greater good of medicine and their patients. It has been an honor, so far, to work with many of them.
Best of luck in your interview and feel free to ask me any q's if you have any.

 

Hey there, I think everyone has just about covered St. Louis...I think I will add just a few comments. It is definitely a great sports city...minus the Ram's record thus far this season! I am from So. IL and attended SLU my Fr-Jr undergrad years. I must say St. Louis isn't a bad place and after moving to California I must admit the people in STL are much friendlier. Also SLU, the undergrad school, is a great place...fairly difficult and kind of competitve but I enjoyed it there. I am sure the Med School is difficult as well; I think it has something to do with the school's Jesuit affiliation. Anyway my only problem was the school's location. It is fairly close to downtown St. Louis and the crime rate is pretty high. I lived there and also volunteered at SLU Hospital and if you like a very active Level I trauma center then their ER is for you!! Don't let that be too discouraging though....there really are a lot of great things to do there and I have to agree that the zoo is the best! Good luck to you!

 

I know we have beaten SLU to death but there is still one thing I am uncertain about. I had read that SLU is a jesuit institution and I am wondering if that IS true, how it affects the way they choose to teach medicine. I know at Gtown it plays a large role in the types of research they will or will not allow one to perform as well as medical procedures that are taught to the students. Can anyone further explain how SLU fits into this mold. THanks.
-CT