WashU

[Bijou20]

Washington University in St. Louis impressed me as a great place for getting a first class medical education. It is a very highly ranked school, yet there seems to be very little discussion about it in these forums. I would greatly appreciate reading about your impressions and comments, both about the school and St. Louis. How would east and west coast students fit in?

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[Hercules]

I interviewed at WashU in November, and I absolutely loved it! The first year classes there are P/F and the students seem to really benefit from this. There seemed to be little in the way of competition and more in the way of cooperation. I also got the impression that the students were incredibly happy for med students. I had heard such terrible things about St. Louis, but I actually liked the town. The med school sits in a nice little young-professional area. I was impressed with the school before my interview, but I was definitely more impressed after the visit.

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Hercules

But there is also a time for sleeping.
-Odysseus in the Odyssey 11.330-331

 

[lilycat]

I will second just about everything that Hercules said -- I was there a few weeks ago, and definitely came away from it more impressed than before. I didn't totally fall in love with it though, but I think that was b/c I got into a very lengthy conversation with a pretty bitter MS3 which sort of prejudiced me for the rest of the visit. It has very good balance between clinical and research, which I really liked, and which I think tends to be more uncommon than not. Virtually all the students you meet really seem to love the school, and the faculty are extremely approachable to student concerns. One thing that impressed me most was the other interviewees -- extremely diverse, lots of different colleges, incl. really small ones that I was totally unfamiliar with. It really made for a good mix of people, and gave me the impression that the AdComm is looking at more than numbers and school name. However, there did seem to be a slightly greater representation from east coast than west coast. I'm from CA myself, and in talking to students also from the west, I heard that they typically find it a little difficult to adjust to St. Louis at first, but definitely get used to it, and end up being very pleased with their choice. I personally didn't explore St. Louis that much, but the cost of living is great, and it seems fairly safe. All in all, Wash U is a great program, and I'd be thrilled to end up there.

 

[omores]

My interview experience at St. Louis was the one against which all others will now be judged -- I left that place thoroughly inspired. My thoughts, in no particular order:

Really gorgeous facilities, particularly the library and anatomy lab. High ceilings, lots of sunlight.

My interview group was by far the most diverse I've encountered -- the greatest range of ages, schools, backgrounds, prior careers.

The students are almost excruciatingly open and friendly. After awhile you feel as if you're being love-bombed.

The school went out of its way to show me what they had to offer me. I don't just mean in terms of amenities, but rather in terms of philosophy. My background is very atypical: ten years in the art world; then an abrupt switch to pre-med: from zero science to all science. Most schools seem to regard my past life as interesting but not particularly relevant to my future career in medicine. Wash U saw me as someone whose artistic impulses would continue to be a strong influence on her. My interviewer set up a second interview for me with one of WashU's "creative" faculty members, a reconstructive surgeon whom I found completely inspiring. I got the strong impression that WashU was seeing possiblities for me that I had never even thought about.

The Central West End seems to have some really gorgeous places to live. Although its apparently one of the more expensive parts of St. Louis, it's far cheaper than what I'm used to on the east coast!

Lilycat: what was the MS3 bitter about?

 

[lilycat]

See, the problem with the MS3 was that I met him the first night I was there, so it sort of colored everything else I experienced. He seemed to think that there was a very abrupt change between the pre-clinical and clinical years -- the faculty were super-accommodating the first two years, and then suddenly could care less about you once you got to clinicals. He also seemed a little bitter about the cost of the school too, and said he would've taken that more into consideration doing it all over again -- he said with the huge number of people on scholarship (MD/PhDs and merits) it can seem like half the class is going first class while the rest of you are going coach. Because these were the only negative comments I heard during my whole visit, I think he was either just coming off of a really bad semester, or everyone else there is scared to death to be honest. I'm leaning towards the first option. But, I did really appreciate his candidness b/c I did sort of doubted the "genuineness" of some of the other students -- I know what you mean about being "love bombed."

I forgot to mention the facilities -- the anatomy lab was beautiful, if that's possible. And the library was by far the best I've seen.

 

[jawkma]

I went to WU undergrad, though I was just rejected (boo, hoo)... I can tell you that St. Louis can be a great place to live. There is a lot to do (festivals, Forest Park, etc.) and generally WU related people tend to be pretty happy with the institution. The med students regularly participate in intramural sports and the like. I know a few people who went there for med school and were happy.

Best of luck to you all... Even if they dissed me - they remain near and dear to my heart! (and there's always next year?!?)

 

[lilycat]

Thanks so much for the info. jawkma! Good luck with the rest of the process.

 

[omores]

jawkma: well that's a drag; hope you have better luck with the rest of your applications (and I truly believe that luck is a big factor.) Thanks for passing on the information about St. Louis. This is what frustrates me the most about interviews: how hard it is to tell much about a place that may be your home for the next four years. I've talked to some people who have turned each interview into a mini-vacation and have spent a few days checking out each place -- but for those of us constrained by school and work schedules, it's all just a blur.

A few complaints I heard about WashU that I though I'd pass on, although I have no idea whether they're accurate:

One student mentioned the lack of diversity. Diversity means different things to different people, but I got the sense that the student was referring to a lack of people from radically different backgrounds -- although there are lots of different colours of people there, she said that most came from backgrounds that place a strong emphasis on higher education. There weren't many who were the first in their family to go to college, for example.

I also heard one complaint about the merit scholarships: contrary to what the admissions folks tell us, this student said that everyone is asked to apply, and that they tend to be reserved for those who are "in danger" of heading to another school -- e.g., if you threaten to go to Harvard, you'll get the scholarship. Of course, these could easily be the sentiments of an embittered rejectee. Anyone have any concrete information?



[This message has been edited by omores (edited 02-01-2001).]

 

[jawkma]

I would agree with the lack of diversity comment from the point of view of the student population - though it isn't necessarily true from the point of view of the city itself - or the experiences.

One of the paradoxes of the process is that we spend so much time focus on *them* accepting *us* that we forget about the process of taking all of us critical look at the school and environment we want to be in for four years (or beyond). Glad to see everyone raising such good questions!