Wash U, What the heck?

[Shaz]

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So i'm looking at the US News (I know, I know, US News is the devil) and I see under "03 avg MCAT Score," Wash U's is the only school to break the 12pt barrier! What's up with that? Gaylord M. Fauker probably couldn't even get in with that average

 

[rtmcad2319]

So i'm looking at the US News (I know, I know, US News is the devil) and I see under "03 avg MCAT Score," Wash U's is the only school to break the 12pt barrier! What's up with that? Gaylord M. Fauker probably couldn't even get in with that average

Yeah strictly by the numbers they are the hardest school to gain acceptance.

 

[LRmed2003]

yeah, but i'm giving it a shot anyway.. maybe i'll be the fluke applicant 🙂

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

This is a guess. I think they aren't necessarily picking for this, but generally the applicants who BOTH good enough to get in AND willing to move to St. Louis for the school are the ones who are willing to forgo some conveniences to start their research career at the best research school. So, they don't get a lot of 33's and 34's who pick them over the Coastal schools who also accept them.

Just a guess. I might be totally wrong, they may just want 36 to be their average MCAT.

 

[principessa]

Actually, Wash U accepts a rather large percentage of their applicants. Look around, people. There are all sorts of theories on Wash U's MCAT average.

 

[pauleuglis]

This is an interesting topic, but it has already been debated and analyzed on this forum to a level you wouldn't even believe. Read this old thread:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=101573&page=3&pp=20

forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=101573&page=3&pp=20

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I thought everyone on this forum had at least a 36 on the MCAT.


No????



Good luck at your state school!
j/k 🙂

 

[ms2209]

Gaylord M. Fauker probably couldn't even get in with that average

Can't wait for MTP 2...

 

[MacGyver]

WashU is a numbers *****. They take teh 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA people with no personality that get rejected at Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Hopkins, etc.

They are doing this on purpose to boost their MCATs to climb up the US News rankings. Also, they dont accept many URMs. They'll tell you that they accept a lot of "minorities" but they are including the high MCAT east/south asians in that group.

Lets be clear: there is a specific reason why WashU's MCAT numbers are so high. They are a FULL POINT ABOVE EVERYBODY ELSE'S! This is no accident. They are searching for high MCATs by design. Every school wants high MCATs, but WashU is the only "top" school thats willing to sell its soul and sacrifice everything else to get the MCAT gunners with no social life.

 

[Scandal]

yeah, but i'm giving it a shot anyway.. maybe i'll be the fluke applicant 🙂

Hey, I get to be the fluke applicant this year!

 

[aura1202]

Wow, MacGyver, bitter much?

Wash U. has its share of gunners, like any school, but it also has its share of people who are genuinely smart, nice people. If anything, I agree with those who've said it's because top students get in, and only those who are really motivated to move to St. Louis come!

Besides...I'm bringing down the average and pretty much the opposite of a gunner and they took me. Which makes me remind myself P=MD....P=MD...

 

[Swack]

Can't wait for MTP 2...

I think it's called Meet the Fockers.

 

[ms2209]

I think it's called Meet the Fockers.

Yes, you're right! At any rate, it looks to be pretty good (even though sequels usually suck).

 

[Swack]

Yea Ben Stiller has had a whole buncha flops lately. Well..Dodgeball was pretty funny I guess. Lookin forward to Meet the Fockers as well 🙂.

 

[ms2209]

Yea Ben Stiller has had a whole buncha flops lately. Well..Dodgeball was pretty funny I guess. Lookin forward to Meet the Fockers as well 🙂.

Yeah, he has. I've been kinda disappointed because I thought he was hilarious in MTP and also in The Royal Tenenbaums (even though I wasn't a huge fan of this film). I didn't see Dodgeball, so I don't know how that one was.

 

[Gbemi24]

WashU is a numbers *****. They take teh 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA people with no personality that get rejected at Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Hopkins, etc.

Where is your evidence?

 

[Mutterkuchen]

Where is your evidence?

You can't really measure personality. However a number of Wash U med students that I knew when I was a master's student definitely fit this description.

I'm sure that there are some great people there, but it's true that the main selection criteria is numbers, specifically MCAT. They use this to remain high in the US News and World Report, in order to secure research funding, and in order to recruit faculity. This selection of students by the numbers, leads to a different kind of student body and school.

Incidentially I have had similar experience in Barnes-Jewish hospital, as well. The residents that I met as a healthcare consumer, though perhaps "book competent," did not communicate well with patients and their families.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

Lets be clear: there is a specific reason why WashU's MCAT numbers are so high. They are a FULL POINT ABOVE EVERYBODY ELSE'S! This is no accident. They are searching for high MCATs by design. Every school wants high MCATs, but WashU is the only "top" school thats willing to sell its soul and sacrifice everything else to get the MCAT gunners with no social life.

I don't agree with the premise that having a high MCAT indicates no social life. First off, med schools aren't assessing for social skills, but rather your conformity to a perceived vision of what a "good" doctor should be, which generally involves doing a bunch of community service, doing essentially futile international health projects (as if a country with a $100 per person yearly per capita income really needs a US student to provide manual labor and learn about their culture, as opposed to a decent educational and economic system, to achieve prosperity), and the like. There is also a research component, which is more legit. However, none of these things necessarily indicate any particular social skills, that the person is fun to be around, etc.

WashU undoubtedly does have to sacrifice on giving points for these more qualitative factors which play no role in the US news rankings than other schools (it sure as Hell isn't the case that people are choosing WashU over Harvard and UCSF for the quality of life in Missouri). I don't know about the URM statistics, but a lack of admitting URMs could certainly provide half a point MCAT boost to their stats. Another factor is that WashU provides ten plus merit-based scholarships that are basically bribes to recruit some of the uber high MCAT people that likely would go to another top school instead of WashU.

I just don't think the statement about high MCAT scores correlating with being uninteresting people is necessarily true.

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

I just don't think the statement about high MCAT scores correlating with being uninteresting people is necessarily true.

I would have to agree here. While there are those that might fit the mold of "unsociable" there are plenty of others that are normal people, and this generalization is just untrue. I don't mean to sound like a jerk-off, but this is one of those stereotypes that helps those with lower MCATs accept their scores. The same is true of GPA, and someone has mentioned that before.

I think this is all just part of the "pre-med" mentality. Many of us try to rationalize what we think our applications are deficient in. If you have a mediocre MCAT/GPA, then those with high MCAT/GPAs have no social ability. If you have mediocre ECs or LOR, then MCAT/GPA is what adcoms must look at more than anything. If you are not a very good at writing, then the PS and secondary essays probably don't matter as much. All of these things are just rationalizations that almost none of us have any idea about.

 

[clowne]

Lets be clear: there is a specific reason why WashU's MCAT numbers are so high. They are a FULL POINT ABOVE EVERYBODY ELSE'S! This is no accident. They are searching for high MCATs by design. Every school wants high MCATs, but WashU is the only "top" school thats willing to sell its soul and sacrifice everything else to get the MCAT gunners with no social life.

I'm one of the "MCAT gunners" you're talking about, and I think your comments are offensive and not accurate at all. During undergrad, I snowboarded 50 days a year, went to bars on weeknights, etc. and still kicked the shlt out of the MCAT. Just imagine: it's possible to have a life and still do well on a stupid standardized test! Maybe you should stop spending all your time watching a lame-ass TV show that's been off the air for years and start trying to find the social skills it takes to withold from insulting people you've never met and know nothing about.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I'm one of the "MCAT gunners" you're talking about, and I think your comments are offensive and not accurate at all. During undergrad, I snowboarded 50 days a year, went to bars on weeknights, etc. and still kicked the shlt out of the MCAT. Just imagine: it's possible to have a life and still do well on a stupid standardized test! Maybe you should stop spending all your time watching a lame-ass TV show that's been off the air for years and start trying to find the social skills it takes to withold from insulting people you've never met and know nothing about.

Man that sounds like a lotta fun, what school do you go to that has great skiing and bars?

 

[freaker]

I would think you'd find more gunners at schools like Harvard or Cornell. There are going to be far more people there just looking for validation every time they tell someone which school they attend.

I'm speaking from my law school experiences here, but there were definitely people choosing lower ranked schools which offered fewer opportunities just because the school carried the Ivy name when I was going through. I would think that a school like WashU would avoid some of this garbage, which is quite fine by me.

I could be wrong on this one, but the WashU name doesn't carry the prestige-*****, I've gotta be #1 cha-ching that other places do.

As for gunners, I wouldn't worry about the MCAT as much as I would GPA. Those are the kiss-up, studyworms moreoften than the guy who nails the standardized test. Though they do have an insanely high avg. gpa, don't they?

 

[Haybrant]

is it worth a applying with a 3.7/32 from cal?

 

[willthatsall]

is it worth a applying with a 3.7/32 from cal?

If you want to go there, sure. But obviously your numbers aren't going to be very competitive.

 

[MacGyver]

You guys dont get it. Look at the US News ratings. WashU's MCAT is a 12.2.

thats 1 full point higher than Harvard, Hopkins, and every other top school out there.

Which begs the question, what does WashU value in applicants which makes them such a statistical anomaly from schools that are far more prestigious?

The main reasons are:

1) WashU doesnt go after URMs like the other schools do. The REASON they dont go after URMs is because they know it will hurt their MCATs and their rankings. Now, they'll still go after the few URMs that have 38 MCATs, but they refuse to go after other URMs with lower scores.

2) WashU accepts the 40 MCAT gunners with "other" application weaknesses that get rejected at the other schools. Think about it. Why would a well rounded 40 MCAT applicant choose WashU over Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, etc? Answer: they WOULDNT! There is absolutely zero reason for the MCAT gunners to choose WashU over the other top schools, therefore I conclude that these 40 MCAt gunners that go to WashU happen to the be the ones with substantial weaknesses on the other parts of their application that other schools use as grounds for rejection.

Lets face reality. If WashU accepted the same high MCAT type people that the other schools did, their MCAT wouldnt be a full point higher than Harvard's. The ONLY explanation is that WashU places a MUCH HIGHER EMPHASIS ON MCAT relative to the other schools.

 

[Gleevec]

They take teh 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA people with no personality that get rejected at Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Hopkins, etc.

You realize that this statement is the same thing that lower ranked schools say about higher ranked schools, DOs say about MDs, etc.

I mean, lets face it, does the fact that you score lower on your MCAT before studying and then score higher after studying for a couple months mean that in the intervening period you suddenly completely changed your personality? Please.

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

You guys dont get it. Look at the US News ratings. WashU's MCAT is a 12.2.

thats 1 full point higher than Harvard, Hopkins, and every other top school out there.

Which begs the question, what does WashU value in applicants which makes them such a statistical anomaly from schools that are far more prestigious?

I find a few points of weakness in this argument. First, you assume that all those with high MCAT scores that go to Wash U were rejected from some other top school. Perhaps they were accepted at Columbia, Harvard, etc and *gasp* chose to attend Wash U. You assume that there is something that would make anyone drop Wash U for some other big name school, which is just ignorant. You don't know the applicants location preference, impression of the school, etc. Perhaps they just liked the school better, or got a better financial aid package (someone mentioned Wash Us generosity when it comes to this).

Also, there is not a full point difference when compared with Harvard, its .9 (I know I am splitting hairs here, but you exaggerated for effect). Also, you assume that Wash U has the sole motivation of climbing in the US News rankings. Well, the fact is, that Peer Assessment score and residency director score has much more to do with rankings than average MCAT score. And seeing how Wash U and Harvard rank so close in these categories, I don't see how you can consider Wash U as unprestigious, or that being a numbers ***** is the only reason that Wash U ranks so high. Apparently there are people who believe they educate excellent doctors.

 

[ravaha08]

Have y'all ever thought that some people choose Wash U with those numbers over Harvard or wherever because they'd rather be in the St. Louis area rather than Massachusetts or New York or wherever else in that area? I know if I had the choice, I would choose Washington University just because I'd much rather be there. Even though I am from TN, I'd choose Washington University over Vanderbilt just because that is my personal preference. Be careful when you group everyone together. Many people choose where they go because they want to be there.

 

[Gleevec]

Have y'all ever thought that some people choose Wash U with those numbers over Harvard or wherever because they'd rather be in the St. Louis area rather than Massachusetts or New York or wherever else in that area?

That's crazy talk. No one would choose St. Louis over NY or Boston or SF. Nice try though.

 

[ravaha08]

That's crazy talk. No one would choose St. Louis over NY or Boston or SF. Nice try though.

I know a lot of people who have. 🙂

 

[samurai_lincoln]

You guys dont get it. Look at the US News ratings. WashU's MCAT is a 12.2.

thats 1 full point higher than Harvard, Hopkins, and every other top school out there.

Which begs the question, what does WashU value in applicants which makes them such a statistical anomaly from schools that are far more prestigious?

The main reasons are:

1) WashU doesnt go after URMs like the other schools do. The REASON they dont go after URMs is because they know it will hurt their MCATs and their rankings. Now, they'll still go after the few URMs that have 38 MCATs, but they refuse to go after other URMs with lower scores.

2) WashU accepts the 40 MCAT gunners with "other" application weaknesses that get rejected at the other schools. Think about it. Why would a well rounded 40 MCAT applicant choose WashU over Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, etc? Answer: they WOULDNT! There is absolutely zero reason for the MCAT gunners to choose WashU over the other top schools, therefore I conclude that these 40 MCAt gunners that go to WashU happen to the be the ones with substantial weaknesses on the other parts of their application that other schools use as grounds for rejection.

Lets face reality. If WashU accepted the same high MCAT type people that the other schools did, their MCAT wouldnt be a full point higher than Harvard's. The ONLY explanation is that WashU places a MUCH HIGHER EMPHASIS ON MCAT relative to the other schools.

This has been beat to death on other threads, but WashU 1) has a fairly small enrollment, 2) has a large MSTP program (~25 per class), and 3) hands out mad types of scholarship dough, including 20+ full tuition scholarships per entering class. These seem to be the primary reasons behind the high number (coupled with the lack of URMs). While your first point has some validity, you are completely speculating on your second. Those 45+ MSTP/scholarship folks in an entering class of less than 200 are going to have a huge numerical impact.

 

[bewitched1081]

So i'm looking at the US News (I know, I know, US News is the devil) and I see under "03 avg MCAT Score," Wash U's is the only school to break the 12pt barrier! What's up with that? Gaylord M. Fauker probably couldn't even get in with that average

well yeah, he probably could because the last time i checked the mcat score is slightly higher than 36 at the 98th percentile.

 

[velo]

I'm one of the "MCAT gunners" you're talking about, and I think your comments are offensive and not accurate at all. During undergrad, I snowboarded 50 days a year, went to bars on weeknights, etc. and still kicked the shlt out of the MCAT. Just imagine: it's possible to have a life and still do well on a stupid standardized test! Maybe you should stop spending all your time watching a lame-ass TV show that's been off the air for years and start trying to find the social skills it takes to withold from insulting people you've never met and know nothing about.

shhh...quiet clowne, let him rationalize...

as i've said before....

According to the ultimate source on this matter, SDN: high gpa/MCAT= egotistic, unamicable, robot-gunner. 9 times out of 10

if you have lower stats it means you're a more well-rounded person and will probably be a better doctor...also having good LORs, ECs, and volunteering completely makes up for low stats (which is GREAT! 'cause anyone can get those things if they have free time and motivation)

If you don't let him believe this his world will come crashing down around him

 

[coincidental]

2) WashU accepts the 40 MCAT gunners with "other" application weaknesses that get rejected at the other schools. Think about it. Why would a well rounded 40 MCAT applicant choose WashU over Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, etc? Answer: they WOULDNT! There is absolutely zero reason for the MCAT gunners to choose WashU over the other top schools, therefore I conclude that these 40 MCAt gunners that go to WashU happen to the be the ones with substantial weaknesses on the other parts of their application that other schools use as grounds for rejection.

gee, I guess if you aren't in Boston, New York City, San Diego, or Los Angelos, you just must be screwed, eh? Why in the world would you want to go to a nice little city like St. Louis unless you were exiled from the rest of civilization? The school has a lot of resources, it's in a nice part of the city, living costs are reasonable (especially compared to NYC), the hospitals are good...why wouldn't you want to go there?

It's a good school...I'm sorry you got rejected.

 

[PublicEnemy]

my friends in this fraternity had this shirt, it said "Don't hate us cause we're better than you" - Phi Delta Theta

i liked those fraternity shirts, they had some good ones. "If you're going greek, why not be a god?" - Sigma Chi

 

[Syranope2]

Think about it. Why would a well rounded 40 MCAT applicant choose WashU over Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, etc? Answer: they WOULDNT! There is absolutely zero reason for the MCAT gunners to choose WashU over the other top schools

What an incredibly arrogant statement. It's people like you who make me run to a place like St. Louis. I grew up in the midwest and went to a smallish town on the east coast for college. That was enough for me. I would never, NEVER choose to go to any school in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, etc., over Wash U. In fact, as soon as I got my acceptance to Wash U., I withdrew my applications from all other schools, including the super prestigious ones on the east and west coasts.

If you like the big city feel of the east coast, then of course you'd want to go there. But I personally, and a lot of my friends, prefer the more laid back, friendly, personal atmosphere that you find at places like St. Louis.

MacGyver, you are always the most outspoken anti-Wash U. person on these threads. Why do you spend so much time and energy on it? You don't like Wash U, you're not going to Wash U, so what do you care?

That is all. 🙂

 

[DireWolf]

That's crazy talk. No one would choose St. Louis over NY or Boston or SF. Nice try though.

I would.

Interesting to see you defend WashU earlier.


MacGyver is ignorant. I'm a sex, drugs, and rock&roller who knows many WashU students, residents, and attendings. They are in general the nicest, most down-to-earth, well-rounded people you'll ever meet. And they can drink anyone under the table.

As my PI said when I asked her why she left Harvard for WashU, "you have world-class facilities, equally intelligent colleagues and students, and all of this without the attitude and backstabbing."

 

[pauleuglis]

2) WashU accepts the 40 MCAT gunners with "other" application weaknesses that get rejected at the other schools. Think about it. Why would a well rounded 40 MCAT applicant choose WashU over Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, etc? Answer: they WOULDNT! There is absolutely zero reason for the MCAT gunners to choose WashU over the other top schools, therefore I conclude that these 40 MCAt gunners that go to WashU happen to the be the ones with substantial weaknesses on the other parts of their application that other schools use as grounds for rejection.

Hey now, I happily chose Wash U over Johns Hopkins 😀 , so your premise here is not accurate!

 

[stinkycheese]

All's I know about Wash U is that my ex-boyfriend got a letter from them after scoring his 39 basically begging him to apply because of his "outstanding academic achievement and talent". Clearly, they place a lot of emphasis on this test.

 

[felipe5]

you know, i get really sick of all of this crap WashU gets. if you wouldn't go to the school, DON'T FRICKIN' APPLY and shut the hell up. I'd bet mad-money that more than 90% of all of the washu haters have had absolutely NO personal experience w/ the med school at all, just crap they hear from others or make up in their own minds. I had the opportunity to work at the med-school for a few months, meet and kick it with students/faculty, do community projects, and attend/present at seminars (in other words actually get a good feel of the atmosphere of the place), and I thought the place was absolutely amazing...I wish I had the opportunity to go there. So, to summarize, if you are a washu hater, shut the hell up to those that aren't

 

[velo]

All's I know about Wash U is that my ex-boyfriend got a letter from them after scoring his 39 basically begging him to apply because of his "outstanding academic achievement and talent". Clearly, they place a lot of emphasis on this test.

Yeah, I know a fair amount of people who recieved that letter. Its been theorized that they send it out as a way to try to attract top students who might not otherwise consider a school in the "fly-over" states.

However, you shouldn't assume that just because you got a letter and a high MCAT score you're a shoe-in. My friend got that letter, applied, and didn't even get an interview.

 

[nicholasblonde]

I've got your evidence...I'm an undergrad at University of Missouri...a very good friend of mine who is now an M3 at MU S.O.M. worked in the admissions office at Wash U as an undergrad....he said they have a computer automated system that chucks out rejection letters to everyone below a certain gpa/mcat based on the number of apps above a certain gpa and mcat.....then they interview the people "above the cut" and the lucky people w/ 32-34s and 3.6-4.0s get in....I also agree w/ someone's statement that wash u gets the science geeks who have no personality....I did a research project at Wash U two summers ago and I heard HORROR stories about kids dropping out.....MAKE SURE YOU ASK THEM HOW MANY KIDS DROP OUT AFTER M1/M2.....get the facts before you go there....btw I'm biased b/c I don't want to go to a school that lectures 40+ hrs/week like Wash U....plus I don't want to be 4 blocks away from the worst neighborhoods in STL.

 

[nicholasblonde]

ALSO...I forgot to mention...my friend said that roughly 50 percent of wash U's accepted applicants receive full rides...though the website states that the Olin scholarship goes to a few applicants, because wash u is a fly over school, they give out big big grants...btw if anyone wants info on the area around wash u, stl, etc. let me know....my ex lived in a realy nice neighborhood two blocks from the medical school/barnes hospital so I've spent a lot of time in the hood down there, and my family lives really close to STL anyways..

 

[samurai_lincoln]

I've got your evidence...I'm an undergrad at University of Missouri...a very good friend of mine who is now an M3 at MU S.O.M. worked in the admissions office at Wash U as an undergrad....he said they have a computer automated system that chucks out rejection letters to everyone below a certain gpa/mcat based on the number of apps above a certain gpa and mcat.....then they interview the people "above the cut" and the lucky people w/ 32-34s and 3.6-4.0s get in....I also agree w/ someone's statement that wash u gets the science geeks who have no personality....I did a research project at Wash U two summers ago and I heard HORROR stories about kids dropping out.....MAKE SURE YOU ASK THEM HOW MANY KIDS DROP OUT AFTER M1/M2.....get the facts before you go there....btw I'm biased b/c I don't want to go to a school that lectures 40+ hrs/week like Wash U....plus I don't want to be 4 blocks away from the worst neighborhoods in STL.

Methinks you are full of it. I guarantee the attrition rate at WashU, and every other top med school, is virtually nil. And evidently I missed out on touring the ghetto when I visited St. Louis a few years back? The Central West End neighborhood bordering the WashU med school is beautiful, even quite cosmopolitan.

 

[Gleevec]

I would.

Interesting to see you defend WashU earlier.

On the one hand, I dont think WashU is the #2 med school in the nation (and I think it tries to capitalize on rankings formula related to applicant stats in that regard). On the other hand, I think WashU is a top notch research medical school with a lot of great students and faculty.

 

[nicholasblonde]

Methinks you are full of it. I guarantee the attrition rate at WashU, and every other top med school, is virtually nil. And evidently I missed out on touring the ghetto when I visited St. Louis a few years back? The Central West End neighborhood bordering the WashU med school is beautiful, even quite cosmopolitan.

Walk three blocks north of delmar, heading straight north from that "quaint little neighborhood" that is the central west end and you'll know what I'm talking about....I also bet they didn't take you too far north or south on Kings Highway when you toured the school....live in student housing, CWE, or Clayton if you go to school there...and call their admissions office to ask them about the attrition rate. BTW I'm not full of it...I didn't even apply there, b/c I've been in Missouri for too long to stay...

 

[velo]

I also agree w/ someone's statement that wash u gets the science geeks who have no personality....I did a research project at Wash U two summers ago and I heard HORROR stories about kids dropping out.....MAKE SURE YOU ASK THEM HOW MANY KIDS DROP OUT AFTER M1/M2.....

huh? If they were science geeks with no personality why would they be forced to drop out?

Also, I have yet to met someone who fits that description at wash u. I'm sure you can come up with anecdotal evidence that these types are students at any med school, this doesn't really prove much about the student body as a whole.

As far as the neighborhood goes, a lot of med schools are in crummy neighborhoods....wash u happens to be close to a bad neighborhood, AND the central west end which is fabulous...so, the med students live in the CWE, problem solved.

 

[j-snake]

I don't know what nicholasblonde is smoking. I am a current Washu student and I don't know of anyone dropping out. Also, I know people in my class who have MCAT scores as low as 29. I know an MSTP with an MCAT of 32. I also know those who have much higher MCAT scores. But, three quarters of the students speak a second language, half play intruments, the medical students always do well in the intramural sports leagues, and there are many other talents that my colleagues have. Every time I am around them I am impressed at the class that the admissions committee put together. The administration is very supportive of the students. They pay for eight first year students to have an research or clinical experience abroad. Everyone else is also funded for the summer to do research at the school or just shadow primary care doctors throughout the summer. The Central West End is not very dangerous--yes, there are bad parts of town, but we don't usually have to go there. You must be a complete wuss if you are afraid of the Central West End. That is not to say that the school is perfect either. I think that some of their teaching can be improved. But, I think that you get good teachers and poor teachers at any school. The school averages about thirty hours a week of class time, but you don't have to go if you don't want to. I think that there are a lot of people that make judgements about the school that aren't very familiar with it.

 

[pauleuglis]

nicholasblonde, your facts are not accurate. I looked at the 2003-04 bulletin for students they gave us when we interviewed. In the back there is a section that lists the names, hometowns, colleges, and college graduation years of all students enrolled at the medical school. It breaks it down by degrees conferred in 2003 (graduates), MSTP trainees, and MD trainees. Assuming class size is about constant, the graduation rate at Wash U is phenomenal, at least 97%.

Even more exciting, they listed the residencies that the '03 graduates were starting, and they all were headed to extremely top notch places.

Of those who are not MSTP, only about 15% receive full-ride scholarships.

The financial aid package offered to me at Johns Hopkins was actually slightly better than Wash U's (in terms of loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized). In the end I chose Wash U.

 

[ravaha08]

As far as the neighborhood goes, a lot of med schools are in crummy neighborhoods....wash u happens to be close to a bad neighborhood, AND the central west end which is fabulous...so, the med students live in the CWE, problem solved.

And have y'all ever been to Memphis? You can walk just a few blocks down from the nicest neighborhoods and be in very sketchy, gang-related territory. And the Med School is in the middle of Downtown, which can also be quite sketchy at different times. That said, I still am going to UT Memphis. I agree with velocitypedalist that many med schools are just down the street from scary places. That does not make them bad schools to go to. And by the way, I visited Wash U's law school a few weeks ago with my boyfriend, and I loved the area. It's quite beautiful. When you live somewhere all your life, I can see how you can get sick of a place though. I really like the school I'll attend, but I am slightly sick of Memphis.