Free Food
Kwasi E., M1
There’s nothing better than free stuff, whether that’s scrubs for Anatomy, tuition to attend our great school, or FOOD! We get so much free food that I didn’t have to cook a meal until about my third week of being on campus. During orientation, the school treats us to breakfast, lunch, pre-dinner snacks, and dinner from local restaurants such as Salt + Smoke (barbecue), Mission Taco (Mexican), and Sameem’s (Afghani). The fun continues into the school year with lunch talks. These are usually after morning classes and are held by faculty, residents, and older medical students discussing their career paths, specialties, and extracurricular organizations, respectively. During these talks, we are fed more food from around St. Louis such as Rasoi (Indian), Snarf’s (sandwiches), and the Vine (Mediterranean) to name a few. On top of that, almost all of the extracurricular organizations that you’ll have the option to join will have either weekly or monthly meetings that will also have catered food. The Student National Medical Association (SNMA), a student group for minority students in health care, has treated us to Porter’s (southern) and Raising Cane’s (comfort), in my personal experience. It’s honestly kind of crazy, I bought about 10 pounds of frozen meat during the first weekend we came here. It’s still not finished. Thank you, thank you, WashU.
Social Corner
Kwasi E., Riley M., Rachel R., Janessa S., Class of 2023 social chairs
M1 social chairs
Social Events During Orientation
It’s 6 p.m. during orientation week, you’ve just finished setting up some IKEA furniture, your M1 GroupMe chat is blowing up with memes from names you can’t associate to faces, but most importantly, your roommate is looking into your cold, empty fridge with despair. Fret not, friends. WashU’s M2 social chairs are here for YOU with so many social events in prime Instagrammable bars across St. Louis that your college friends and family will really question if you’re in medical school or senior year part two. Each night, we’ll throw socials at places such as ITAP, Molly’s in Soulard, Moonrise’s Rooftop Terrace, Updown Barcade, Bar 101, and Pieces. And if that’s not your vibe, every night will also have hangouts where we’ll play sand volleyball downtown, gorge on Mission Tacos, whoop new friends in board games at Pieces, or just get nice at Ping-Pong in the Core Apartment Residences. Whatever you choose to do, we just want you guys to have fun! Medical school can be hard, but four years really won’t feel long if you make some solid “day 1” friends to enjoy the journey together.
Social events during the year (SNHC Gala, Anatomy Party, Club Night, Darty)
It is so important to take a step away from studying and hang out with your classmates. We’re here for a long time and a good time. Before the year began, we went on a float trip on the Meramec River. Imagine floating down the river with you and your classmates and maybe some beverages — simply amazing. We also had an M1/M2 mixer early in the school year with abundant food and beverages for all. This was a great way to meet many more of our classmates and the M2s. The party after the first Anatomy exam is a tradition at WashU. In addition to these larger, planned events, you and your classmates will likely plan trips to nearby wineries or cities, such as Chicago or Nashville. We have found that while the studying and tests continue in medical school, the parties and social events continue too. Your classmates, WashU, and St. Louis certainly have enough to offer to keep you social and entertained.
Societies
Allie L., Lowry-Moore Society Leader for the Class of 2023
Cori (red), Lowry-Moore (yellow) and Erlanger-Graham (blue) go toe-to-toe competing for WUSM Society Cup points during orientation yard games in Forest Park.
On the first day of class here at WashU, we’re divided into three academic societies, called Cori, Lowry-Moore, and Erlanger-Graham. Each society has a signature color and crest, and societies become a part of each person’s unique identity at WashU. The purpose of societies is to introduce us to a group of friends, involve students in wellness activities, and facilitate connections between students and faculty.
Throughout medical school, societies hold events that are open to anyone in the society to attend and are free for society members. Past society events have included a trip to TopGolf, a night at a wine bar, a carrel holiday decorating competition and a cooking class. Faculty are invited to these events as well, which make the events great networking opportunities. These free events are also a chance to take a break from studying and indulge in some fun without having to worry about additional costs.
The societies are a great vehicle for mentorship and advising. Each society has a society dean, a faculty member who advises members of the society. Throughout medical school, the society dean meets with students to guide them through their journey at WashU. Also, all of the M1s receive an M2 “big sib” who is in the same society, and these mentors have helped us prepare for classes, adjust to living in St. Louis, and can recommend fun places to check out in the city. I definitely have many friends from all of the societies, but the bond with my fellow Lowry-Moore society members is one that I really treasure.
Travel During School
Katie C., M1
Whether you have family far away, are in a long-distance relationship, or are just missing your college friends, traveling during M1 is incredibly doable. St. Louis is just a quick drive away from Chicago and Nashville. If you’re flying instead, the MetroLink (which is free for WashU students!) has a Central West End stop directly outside the med school with a route directly to the airport via the red line. The St. Louis airport is small enough to feel hassle-free but large enough to offer pretty affordable flights to most major airports. During the first block of M1, I was able to easily go out of town every 3-4 weekends, even with mandatory Monday/Friday Anatomy labs. Of course, staying organized and making an effort to get a little work done while you’re away will help, but traveling in med school is definitely easier to manage than in undergrad.