This year, 123 medical students chose Washington University School of Medicine. Here, see some of the reasons we chose WashU Med.

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Haewon S.

M1

When choosing where to go for the next phase of my training, I considered whether I wanted to stay in St. Louis for (at least) four more years. The pros of leaving would be the opportunity to network with different professors and faculty members and getting acquainted with a new city. The pros of staying, however, meant that I could expand the connections I’d made at WashU, enjoy a Midwest cost of living, and find things in St. Louis previously inaccessible to me as car-less college student.

One of the benefits of having gone to undergrad at WashU was that I knew for a fact that the professors are truly supportive of aspiring physicians and scientists. Generous with their advice, honest about their experiences, most of these extraordinarily accomplished faculty are committed to creating a generation of scholars better even than themselves. Research and shadowing opportunities abounded as an undergrad; I didn’t imagine that would change when I started medical school.

Right after graduation, as I watched many of my friends leave St. Louis for jobs or programs all over the country, I felt a strange sense of feeling like they were moving on while I was stagnating here alone. But then my new classmates started trickling in, and they were from all over the country as well. I may have been used to seeing Hope Plaza and studying at the Becker Medical Library, but doing these activities with fresh faces makes me feel like I’m still learning and growing and experiencing new things — with all the benefits of knowing my way around town.

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Nicolette P.

M1

When I was looking at medical schools during my application process, my goal was to find a school that truly valued its medical students and encouraged them to explore their own passions and interests over the course of their medical school journey. I also wanted to live in a city that had interesting things to do but that wasn’t too big and overwhelming. After looking carefully at several different schools, I felt that WashU School of Medicine was the school that was able to fully meet those goals.

The first thing I noticed when I interviewed at WashU was how welcoming my faculty interviewers and the rest of the administration were. It felt like I was valued both as an applicant, and later as an admitted student. From my interactions with WashU students in the admission process, it was obvious that they were a tight-knit class who had been able to connect with each other and the WashU faculty even during a virtual start to their school year due to COVID. They were so supportive and welcoming that I immediately could see myself as one of their peers.

In hindsight, I did not put enough emphasis on the curriculum of each med school in my decision-making process. However, after the first few months of experiencing the new Gateway Curriculum here at WashU I know that it is a huge reason why I love WashU so much. The curriculum is designed to support each of our individual journeys to becoming physicians through a fully integrated pre-clinical phase, early clinical experience, and extra time after our rotations to explore specialties and our interests before applying to residency. Everyone is very invested in making the new curriculum a success, and so far, it has been an amazing experience.

Although I knew quite early on that I would feel at home in the WashU community, I was a bit more apprehensive about moving halfway across the country to St. Louis. However, I have been very pleasantly surprised by this city! There are tons of things to do (many activities are free), the cost of living is low, and the Central West End (where the med campus is located) is a really nice neighborhood located right next to the amazing Forest Park. I have been very pleased with my transition to Saint Louis, and I know it is yet another reason why I love WashU so much. Choosing a medical school is a difficult decision, but I think the most important thing is to find a school where you feel valued and where you feel that you will thrive and grow into the best physician you can be. I definitely found that place here at WashU, and I hope you will find it here as well (or wherever you end up)!

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Rosie R.

M1

Before coming to St. Louis, I had spent my whole life in the northeast — I grew up in New York, and then did my undergrad and gap years in Boston. Because of the pandemic, I was never able to visit the campus to scope out a “vibe,” which was a big way I chose my undergrad institution — I visited and it felt right. Before I committed, there were a few things that drew me to WashU. The first was the world-class research being done here in many different fields. This was important because I’m still not sure how I will specialize as a scientist or physician, so I needed to know that I could find excellent resources and mentorship in many fields. Another thing that drew me to WashU School of Medicine was the caring and supportive administration, especially the administration of the Medical Scientist Training Program. When making my decision, I had some questions about WashU and starting medical school in general, especially with family obligations in New York. The administrators I spoke with were so understanding, flexible, and supportive that I instantly knew I would be well cared for and guided throughout my time here, both as a student and a whole person outside of medicine and science. Once I realized that, I knew WashU was the place for me.

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Gianna S.

M1

I first stepped onto the Washington University Medical School campus to participate in a summer research program in high school. After spending a summer doing research here I was confident in two things: I wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to come back for medical school. WashU faculty are incredible. Not only are there so many doctors here who are conducting cutting edge research and running multi center trials, but these same doctors are often eager to mentor and teach students. As someone who wants to practice academic medicine, I knew WashU was the place for me because of the research caliber and the mentorship to match.

Besides research, I was drawn to WashU because of the new Gateway Curriculum, particularly the early clinical exposures during immersions. The pre-clinical part of medical school is generally very science heavy. During this part where you are learning from lectures and studying for tests, it can be easy to lose sight of the human side of medicine. For me, I really wanted to attend medical school at an institution that emphasized patient centered medicine. WashU does this through various avenues, including our health equity and justice thread and professional development thread, and through immersions. While I have not been in immersions yet, I have seen and heard from the class above mine about how they are really grounding and put into perspective that medicine is more than science. I am really looking forward to my immersions and this aspect of the curriculum really drew me to WashU.

Finally, the financial aid at WashU is really comprehensive. Many students receive some sort of merit scholarship including full tuition scholarships. Tuition and financial aid is also stabilized for your time at WashU, so you know how much medical school will cost over 4 years upfront. This has helped me plan ahead financially and has given me a lot of peace of mind so I can focus just on getting through medical school without worrying so much about my finances.

We asked over 100 of our classmates, “In one word, what do you like / appreciate / enjoy / value most about WashU Med?” Here are some of the most common responses.

Section Editor:

Haewon Shin

Haewon Shin

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Why WashU Section Editor, Website Editor

Welcome to St. Louis! My name is Haewon and I’m originally from Columbus, Ohio. I graduated in 2021 with degrees in Computer Science and Biology right here at WashU, and I’m part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at WashU. Outside of school and research, my hobbies include making bad Bob Ross paintings, running the Forest Park trails, and pursuing the best ramen in St. Louis (not sure if I’ve found it yet). The past Dis-O Guide was incredibly helpful to me in making my medical school decision, and I hope this one will serve you well too.