School

A year is a long time. Having been dreaming of being a physician for over 20 years, I decided against taking an extra gap year before medical school. For me, waiting another year was too much to bear after countless years of education. Although some of my classmates had exceptional experiences during their gap years, I have found plenty time to check off my own bucket list items during summers and recesses without delaying the pursuit of an MD. Now I find myself back in the swing of classes without having to relearn how to study. While I’m sure gap years were exciting and rewarding for those who utilized them, I’m happy to be on my way, notably a year sooner than some, to becoming a physician.

While not a requirement, I pretty much attend every class. I would consider about half of the class “lecture-goers.” I personally get more out of attending the lecture than watching the video recording later, but having the option of re–watching portions of lectures is very nice. The professors are great and love to interact with the students that actually attend. Having lecture in the morning gets my day moving and is a good incentive to be productive in the morning. There are countless educational outlets available; you just need to decide what works best for you.

One of the wonderful things about WUSM is the fact that you almost never have to go to class! There may be a few mandatory classes each week, but they are things you would not want to miss anyways, like some small group activities or learning how to do a neurological exam in Practice of Medicine (our clinical skills course). All of the lectures are video– and sound–recorded for ease of watching at 2x speed. I would say our class is still evenly split between people who go to lecture and people who don’t, but I never feel like I am being judged or slacking by not attending any lectures.

We even have great resources like professor-written “coursepacks,” which are like written–out forms of every lecture.These are so well written that I usually don’t even watch the lectures, since I learn way better by reading. I love this option since I still know all the testable material without having to pretend to listen in class and take notes like I did in undergrad.

Regardless of your learning style, WUSM has resources for each class so that you don’t have to feel guilty about skipping class but can enjoy playing basketball with friends, shadowing whenever you would like, or just sleeping in and watching Netflix.

I basically live in the carrels … highly recommended! Each student receives an assigned study carrel, which consists of a desk and personal locked cupboards for storage (I store snacks, athletic apparel, my stethoscope, white coat, and more snacks). I’m currently considering bringing a pad to take naps. It’s the place to be! WashU has provided this awesome study/social space that keeps the whole class tightly knit. I do all my studying there, but it’s also a relaxing space where you can hang out with classmates. The carrels are unlike anything offered elsewhere and legitimately are a valuable asset. There is also a kitchen and lounge space where mounds of free food somehow land! Get pumped for the annual winter carrel decorating contest, it’s a blast!