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On Being a WashU Grad
Ryan S., M1
Congratulations, you have survived the crucible of Washington University undergrad. Many fellow Bears perished along the way, but you are one of few that has been chosen to attend WUSM: the shining beacon that rises above Forest Park, visible from the front steps of Brookings.
Joking aside, it rocks being at WUSM now. It is paradoxically refreshing to start school just two miles from where you previously spent four years. You are stepping into a new role in a community you obviously care about if you are still reading this. Your evolution within the Washington University community will be more powerful than at any other medical school, because you will be surrounded by your mentors and memories.
WUSM will not just be a medical school, but a home to you. It definitely won’t feel the same as undergrad, for better or for worse. You will live in a different part of town, have new friends, and chase new goals. But you will have more confidence than the average medical student, and that, my friend, is a priceless feeling.
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On Being an International Student
Simona S., M1
When I was interviewing at WashU in the distant fall of 2017, the admissions office told me that, as an international student, I would be treated just like any other applicant. This might sound a bit stressful if you’re fresh off the interview trail, but it’s unfortunately the truth. Getting into medical school as an international student is tough — as if getting into med school wasn’t hard enough already.
(Paragraph indent with pause to congratulate yourself for making it this far!)
However, WashU has been committed to helping us foreigners avoid jumping through any more admissions hoops than the required minimum! And the support for international students doesn’t end there. The Office for International Students and Scholars (which has our very own location on the medical campus) is dedicated to keeping us up-to-date with policies and reminding us to bring our travel documents with us every time we leave the country. (As someone who only remembered that I left my I-20 at home as I was boarding my transatlantic flight from Macedonia, I found this extremely helpful, if not life-saving.)
For those of you who are going, “Where/what was Macedonia, again?” (and don’t worry, there’s fewer of us than there are Nevadans — we’re quite a little nation), it’s smack in the center of the Balkans, north of Greece and south of Serbia. I came from my lovely hometown of Skopje to New York for my undergraduate studies at 18, and now, at 22, have committed eight years of my life to St. Louis (I’m in the MD/PhD program). Certainly, it’s tough being an ocean away from home (and all your relatives, and your mother’s kitchen), but the diversity of the WashU community, and even of St. Louis more broadly (especially with the large Balkan immigrant population), has helped make this place feel closer to home. From my experience, WUSM is an institution that offers you the opportunities to justify leaving home, and the support and growth to justify staying abroad!
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On Being from a Big City
Adrienne V., M1
Brazil, Morocco, London to Ibiza, straight to L.A., New York, Vegas to … St. Louis? Wait, that’s not right. I guess Missouri isn’t what Pitbull thinks of when he’s rattling off the locations where he wants to get on the floor. But it wasn’t until I started telling people I was going to medical school in St. Louis that I realized just how many people had pretty extreme prejudices against St. Louis, and against the Midwest more generally. It made me wonder — could it really be that bad? Could it really be boring, crime-ridden, redneck, cookie-cutter, white-bread, decaying, and slow-paced, somehow all at the same time? I was curious to come find out for myself.
I spent the six years before med school in big California cities (college in L.A., two gap years in San Francisco), and I really got used to it. I got used to ethnic diversity, to beautiful beaches and mountains, to being around outdoorsy people, to having the luxury of getting amazing Thai/Mexican/El Salvadorean/Himalayan/Ethiopian/you-name-it food at any time of the night, to having a million-and-one bars and music venues to choose from every weekend, to pop-up museums, to being at the center of the entertainment and tech industries … and I DEFINITELY got used to fresh avocados. I was worried that I would feel out-of-place and unsatisfied in St. Louis.
On the contrary, St. Louis has been awesome. People are friendly, there’s a bunch of students in the area, the weather is totally bearable (seasons exist!), and there really is PLENTY to do with the free time that I have. Every week, I see Facebook events about community gatherings, new museum exhibits, live music and comedy, and festivals of all kinds. The brewery scene rivals California, too. But unlike in bigger cities, most of it is free and also convenient to get to. With Forest Park a two-minute walk from campus, I’m much closer to greenery than I ever was in the city, and the park is filled with free events all spring/fall/summer long.
I almost chose to stay in San Francisco for medical school, but I almost think that such a stimulating, crowded, and expensive environment wouldn’t have been as conducive to building relationships with my classmates, focusing on school and extracurriculars, and getting to know the city’s community (our patient population). St. Louis has a lot of problems — with segregation, inequality, obesity and cardiovascular disease, gun violence, and more. But WashU does a great job of addressing these with us. At one of the panels at Second Look, a student remarked that St. Louis feels like just the right size for the medical school and its students to make an actual impact. That really feels true. As much of a big city girl as I am, and as much as I love California, I really feel more connected to the St. Louis community and less like an anonymous face in a crowd.
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On Being from a Small Town
Morgan P., M1
I’m originally from a SUPER tiny town in Nebraska (1,111 people strong!) and went to undergrad and did my gap year relatively close to my hometown, so I knew that moving to St. Louis would be an adjustment for me. I was most worried about losing the sense of community that comes along with growing up in a small town. However, I have found a wonderful community at WashU amongst my classmates and within St. Louis. Everyone here has been so kind, welcoming, and accepting, making my transition much more seamless than I anticipated. While St. Louis is definitely the largest city I have lived in, I have enjoyed that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Everywhere I need to go is easy to get to, and there are so many new places to explore. In addition, Forest Park is perfect for when I feel like I need a quick escape from the city feel. Overall, St. Louis has exceeded my expectations with the wonderful people combined with a busy city full of things to do.
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On Being from the East Coast
Natalie K., M1
While I grew up in Massachusetts and worked in Boston for my two gap years, I went to college in Minnesota and am a huge fan of being educated in the Midwest! First off, St. Louis has all the fun activities of a city for a much cheaper (or free!) price. There’s a good variety of restaurants and bars in the neighborhoods surrounding the medical school, and the huge and beautiful Forest Park right across the street includes a history museum, art museum, and zoo (all free). It’s also affordable to live in a spacious apartment within walking distance of the medical campus AND most housing is pet-friendly! The only downside is that St. Louis’ public transportation is not as frequent or extensive as some of the East Coast cities’. However, many of your classmates will have cars and it’s very easy to get a ride to Trader Joe’s if you are deeply craving their peanut butter cups or lime popsicles. In terms of weather, think Northeast weather, but add approximately ten degrees to every season. If you are like me and love snow, rest assured that St. Louis still gets some beautiful flurries (and you’ll be endlessly amused by their definition of a snowstorm). I’ve loved living in St. Louis so far and am so happy that I chose to come back to the Midwest!
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On Being from the Midwest
Anna H., M1
I grew up in North Dakota and attended college in Minnesota, so when I decided on WashU, I was excited to check out a different area of the country! I had always thought of Missouri as the South, but since moving here, I’ve realized that it has a lot of Midwestern vibes that make it feel like home. It’s a lot bigger than I anticipated and has a fair number of events and food options that work for a med student budget.
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On Being from the South
Jennifer B., M1
As a North Florida native and a lover of all things BBQ, sweet tea, and Southern hospitality, I was not too sure that I’d find what I was looking for in St. Louis. After going to college in Boston and then spending my gap years in D.C., my plan was to make my way slowly back down south. But in a twist of fate, St. Louis stole my heart during interview day and Second Look, and this Southern belle was suddenly a Midwest transplant. So, what tore me away from my Southern dreams, you ask? Let’s chat.
First and foremost, THE FOOD! The BBQ here rivals some of the best spots in my hometown. Sugarfire, Salt + Smoke, and Pappy’s, to name a few, can serve up some of the best pulled pork and baked beans I’ve ever had, and with some Southern prices to boot. Speaking of prices, the cost of living here is wildly cheap. I never thought I’d live in a city that had prices to rival those of places below the Mason-Dixon line. Housing, entertainment, and food are cheap and readily available, even on a grad student budget.
Aside from the food, the people here could give some Southerners a run for their money when it comes to hospitality. Everyone on campus, in CWE, and even downtown is willing to lend a hand when I inevitably get lost on the way to the Metro or need recommendations for things to get into. St. Louis just has this intangible quality of good Southern vibes that makes me feel right at home even though I’m smack dab in the middle of these United States.
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On Being from the West Coast
Sean Y., M1
If you have accepted your destiny to spend a third of your life stuck in traffic, or if you consider your college hoodie to be your “winter coat,” then the move from Southern California to St. Louis can both pleasantly surprise and thoroughly humble you. The cold here is no joke. The day will come when it starts being painful to exist outdoors, and your Amazon cart will fill up with all sorts of fuzzy accessories. You’ll have a blast building your first sad misshapen snowman and throwing snowballs at your non-West Coast friends who don’t understand what the big deal is. The sports scene is also a step down from home. Instead of the glory of the Dodgers and Lakers you get the mediocrity of the Cardinals and the nonexistence of St. Louis basketball. On the bright side, the Dodgers and Giants visit 4+ times a year to crush and get crushed by the Cardinals, respectively, and tickets are cheap!
In general, minus beach-y and some nature-y things, you will find in St. Louis whatever you would have back home — museums, great restaurants, parks, concerts, nightlife, and even Six Flags, and everything is pretty close to campus. You’ll never lack for something to do on a weekend. Most of all, you’ll come to love the incredible friendliness of Midwesterners who make you feel at home. There’s no place in the world like California, but this slower-paced, friendly, budget-happy town has certainly made a convert of me!
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On Being Local
Thomas V., M1
After growing up on a steady diet of toasted ravs, Ted Drewes, and Cardinals baseball and then going to WashU for undergrad, staying in St. Louis for medical school wasn’t high on my radar during the start of my application season. But the more I got to know the school and my class, the more I realized that this was the best place for me to be. I loved how the school really tries to embrace all aspects of its students’ diversity and would allow me to develop my non-medical interests during my preclinical years. Everyone I have met in my class is an expert in something, and we all bring our different perspectives to bear on the study of medicine.
But even more important, I knew that if I stayed in St. Louis for another four years, it would need to be with a school that really cared about my city, and I saw that WashU really recognizes its responsibility as a major care center in the area and works to engage its students in addressing health disparities early and often (be sure to read about WUMP elsewhere in this guide)! So, if you are from St. Louis, know that after 22 years here I’m still learning new things about my city, and there’s always more to do in the Lou!
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On Taking a Lot of Gap Years
Michael R., M1
I came to WashU as a non-science major (philosophy and Russian) six years out of college. I’d just completed a PhD in a non-medical field (philosophy again!) and had moved to St. Louis with my wife, who was also starting a new career. While winding paths to medicine are becoming more common, mine is still far from the norm. So, it’s important to be aware of the potential challenges of being a non-traditional student at WashU, as well as of the (more numerous) opportunities. My biggest adjustment was reacquainting myself with a very general basic science curriculum heavily focused on memorization. Naturally, some degree of rote learning in medicine is inevitable. But non-traditional students with other work backgrounds, or students from other disciplines, might find the first-year curriculum more constricting than someone just out of college, for whom such classes may be more familiar.
However, WashU provides numerous outlets for those still adjusting to the style of first year classes. It’s really easy to drum up enthusiasm for new student groups, and your classmates are incredible partners with whom to explore your interests. In my case, it meant getting involved with a Medical Humanities group that organizes discussions on topics in clinical medicine and bioethics, attends poetry readings together, and throws amazing dinner parties! You can also get involved with research early on, and WashU faculty are incredibly supportive, even if you lack experience in their field.
Finally, non-traditional students should embrace the biggest advantage they have as new physicians-in-training. As older adults who have worked other jobs, started families, and had to pay bills on their own, they are far more similar to, and thus well positioned to empathize with, the patients we serve here in the St. Louis community. And this empathetic service is, of course, what medical training is all about.
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On Taking Gap Years
Cyrus G., M1
Before starting at WashU, I spent one year living and working abroad after graduating from college. Returning to the life of a student was a challenging transition, but definitely manageable.
(1) I needed to ease myself back into the studying mentality. It takes time to rebuild momentum, so my key piece of advice is to give yourself time and not be too hard on yourself. For some it may be a few weeks, for others a few months — there’s no rush.
(2) Never regret having taken a gap year! In the depths of the studying grind, it may be tempting to fantasize about how far along the MD path you would be had you gone straight to med school. But your gap years are an invaluable part of your medical journey, and they will color M1 in ways you might not anticipate. Keep your eyes open for those moments.