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I feel confident in my lifelong decision to abstain from drinking — largely influenced by understanding my own personality and family history — and have never felt held back from social events because of it. No matter your rationale, I promise that you will find your amazing WashU School of Medicine classmates to be very supportive and mature. My biggest advice is to not feel daunted about making your own choices! You will not be alone. Just remember to focus on being together and enjoying each other’s company rather than passing judgment. Whether it’s post-exam partying, weekend clubbing, or late-night kicking back with friends, bonding with your classmates will be a major highlight of the first year.

I had the privilege of doing several years of research post-bacc before starting medical school, during which years my mentors were mostly “MD-only” (note the scare quotes) physician-scientists spending >80% of their time on research and the rest in the clinic. WashU School of Medicine is well-known for its MD/PhD (MSTP) program — and rightly so! —but I think it’s safe to say that every student benefits from having such a robust MSTP program and research culture (particularly with the Gateway Curriculum, which includes substantial time for research). In my own case, I currently have no desire to pursue a PhD, but could see myself having a career in academic medicine; running a lab, teaching, etc. Whatever your previous experiences, interests, or career ambitions regarding research may be, the keys to success seem to be having good role models, opportunities, colleagues, and support; all of these I’ve found in abundance at WashU School of Medicine. (N.B. Our beloved MSTP director, Dr. Wayne Yokoyama, is himself an “MD-only” physician-scientist, and will speak frankly to you about the challenges involved in this path.)

One month before moving to St. Louis, I reached out to WashU’s Office of Military & Veteran Services. Through e-mail and Zoom, Nancy and her team ensured my family got settled into St. Louis and that we had everything we needed. She also got me connected with some veteran community service opportunities and has been a good one-stop-shop for veteran/military resources. If you have GI Bill questions or are attending the School of Medicine on military scholarship, Bridget O’Neal and her team in the Office of Student Financial Planning are very helpful and responsive. I also highly recommend going to the Veterans Day Banquet put on by the Office of Military & Veteran Services. It was a lot of fun, thoughtfully put together, and a great way to meet other veterans and the military-connected community in all WashU schools.

As an international student, you oftentimes have additional hoops to jump through, whether they’re financial, administrative, cultural, etc., and it was definitely a worry of mine when I first got into medical school. The Office of International Students and Scholars was incredibly helpful when I needed to set up my finances for medical school, and they responded super quickly. There’s also quite a few international students in my class, and we have been pretty good at helping each other out as well.  

Having been born and raised in Mexico, I was worried that I was going to feel too far from home when I decided to go to medical school in St. Louis. Even beyond the cultural shock that comes from living in a different country, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find like-minded people and fit right in. But WashU School of Medicine is really good at putting together a very diverse class. With students coming from many different backgrounds, it was easy for me to find my people. And even outside of my class, I found a community across the medical school. Very early on I decided to attend the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) meetings as well as the charlas. The latter are meetings where students, residents and faculty come together to speak and practice their Spanish. Going to charlas allowed me to find other Spanish speakers, both domestic and international. That’s where I found a group of other international students and residents also from Mexico. With that group, I have now come together to celebrate Dia de Muertos and Mexico’s Independence day. Believe me when I say that — even though it may not be obvious at first — it is certain that you can find your familia here away from home.

Like many other students of color coming from hometowns with rich cultural diversity, I too had my doubts about moving to the Midwest away from familiar cuisines, languages, and architecture. I recall expressing these concerns during my WashU School of Medicine interview, to which my interviewer explained how St. Louis actually has a significant refugee population, especially a Vietnamese one. To be completely honest, besides my M2 big sibling, I have not met other Southeast Asian students here, and I am the only one in my class. Though I now find myself in the minority here, I do not feel alone. I am blessed with a large and diverse class with many of my new friends coming from all kinds of different backgrounds. This has allowed for ample opportunity to broaden my perspective, gain insight, and connect to others. Though not strictly Vietnamese, there is a large Asian community here! I’ve been able to join the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), which brings together the student Asian community here, and we’ve been able to celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival (with mooncakes!), Diwali, and coming up next: Lunar New Year! Additionally, there are so many classmates here that share similar interests with me. We have had anime watch parties, streamed the recent BTS concert at Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC), and more. And what’s surprised me is that I’ve met plenty of people who also love Vietnamese food, so we end up exploring nearby restaurants like Little Saigon Cafe, Mai Lee, and Pho Grand. Sure, there is so much I miss from home that I will not be able to replicate here in STL, but I’ve also gained an open-minded, supportive community with which to share my perspective, identity, hobbies, and experiences.

St. Louis is a city with a loaded history of racism, disparities based on race, and unequal access to opportunity for people of color (POC). WashU is an institution that is cognizant of their contribution to these harsh realities, and is invested in addressing these issues in the WashU community, as well as in the Missouri communities surrounding us. As a Black student, I feel immensely supported by Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and community organizations for POC, and know that my hopes for the betterment of POC in medicine and society are also a priority of theirs. Additionally, being in St. Louis, which has a vibrant POC community, has allowed me to interact with more POC organizations, communities, and individuals than I’ve ever had the opportunity to anywhere else I’ve lived. I feel empowered here, and I know that the fight for equality for POC is also being fought by my peers, educators, and mentors.

Though I was raised Buddhist by my parents, my own exploration of Buddhist thought and philosophy coincided with my interest in pursuing a career in medicine, both of which blossomed during my sophomore year of undergrad. Compared to other religions, Buddhism can have somewhat less of a community aspect, but the monastery just outside of my hometown was essential to my practice, knowledge, and development. As with most cities in the United States, there is a small but active Buddhist community in St. Louis; Wat Phrasriratanaram is the main Theravada center, and there are more Mahayana options available if those are of interest to you. The humanism and compassion intrinsic to the teachings of Buddhism lend themselves very well to a career in medicine and were undoubtedly influential in my choice to make medicine and research my career; the tenets of medicine align very well with the Eightfold Path, and there are few other careers that are so inseparable from science while being simultaneously based on generosity, virtue, and compassion. I’m not very vocal about my upbringing or practice due to the fear of being exoticized or categorized as “new-agey,” but if any of you reading this are curious about Buddhism or just want to talk, feel free to reach out to me, as I really enjoy talking about it!

The St. Louis and WashU Catholic communities have so much to offer! There are many different churches all over the city to try out, and they are all a little bit different. It’s always fun to try out new ones! I have also never really had a problem with finding a mass time that works with my schedule, because each church offers different times. WashU also has the Catholic Student Center (CSC) near the Danforth Campus, which has a plethora of opportunities for engaging with other graduate students and the community. They also offer two masses, 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and serve free dinner after the 4:30 p.m. mass. The CSC also has daily mass once a week on the Medical Campus, once at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy campus (right next door to the Medical Campus), and at three different times and days at the CSC. They also offer lunch talks from various community speakers on the Medical Campus during our lunch hour and provide more free food.

Originally, I was a little scared to move to St. Louis. My hometown has a population of around 4,000 people, and the population of St. Louis far exceeds that. I first moved to St. Louis for college at WashU and loved it so much that I really wanted to stay in the city for medical school. There are so many cool restaurants, bakeries, shops, and parks to visit, and there are many suburbs to explore if you want to step away from the busyness of the city for a bit. Living here is so much fun!