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ClimbRx

Andrea O., M1

ClimbRx is WashU’s graduate climbing club. It offers a discounted membership for students at a local climbing gym, Climb So iLL, with two locations 10 and 30 minutes away from the Central West End. Students often go together in groups, and the climbing community is very welcoming and supportive of climbers of all levels. Climbing is pretty popular among medical students for a reason — it’s a full-body workout, great for making friends, and tons of fun all in one. ClimbRx also does a free climbing night about once a semester for those interested in trying it out, or for experienced climbers to show their friends the ropes. Pun intended.

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Dance

Ruth L., M1

Whether you love to dance or just want a new way to relax, St. Louis and WashU have plenty of spaces and opportunities to dance. You can take classes at Consuming Kinetic Dance Company or explore the social dance scene at Club Viva and salsa the night away. Washington University School of Medicine Dance Club also organizes workshops with a variety of dance styles for students to take. If you have the time, you can also explore the multiple dance groups on the Danforth Campus. I personally joined the WashU Hip Hop Union (WUHHU) and did a K-pop dance cover with Pl4Y Dance Group. There’s also weekly freestyling sessions with WU Cypher and opportunities to join the performing arts department through WU Dance Theatre or Dance Collective. Finally, there are plenty of cultural dance teams: Chinese dance through LNYF, Bhangra, WU Sauce, and the list goes on!

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Histones A Cappella

Priscilla C., M2

If you’re the type of person who is always singing in their car, in their kitchen, or even just in the shower, we invite you to come join the Histones! We are a fully interdisciplinary a cappella group on the Medical Campus, and it’s a great place to hang out, meet new people, and keep those vocal cords in use. Singing can be such a nice way to relieve the stress of medical school, with the added bonus of meeting people from all different programs and making new friends. You’ll even get to use that hobby to brighten people’s day, as we often get the opportunity to perform for patients and families in the hospital. No auditions necessary — as long as you love to sing, pop into one of our rehearsals sometime and check us out!

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Kendo

Lilly G., M1

Though the exercise and proximity to the Medical Campus are a bonus, I’ve received things much more valuable from Kendo, a Japanese martial art. I started in undergrad, and have loved the emphasis on values beyond strength, like discipline, mindfulness, respect, speed, and skill. As we tell ourselves, “With only strength, even a monkey could kill you with a sword.” The club community has also been incredibly supportive and fun. The way of the sword is seldom walked alone, after all.

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Krebs Cyclers

Joey N., M1

Coming to St. Louis from Montana was a little daunting for me because most of my leisure activities revolve around outdoor activities and I just wasn’t super sure what kind of outdoors things I could get up to in a midwestern city. After moving here in July, I quickly figured out that biking in Forest Park was going to be my go-to activity for getting outdoor time in. Forest Park is an incredible resource to have in our backyard. If you haven’t heard yet, it’s the largest urban park in the U.S., and is about 1.5 times the size of Central Park. Along the perimeter of this park is a gorgeous ~6 mile loop of paved bike trail, and there’s plenty of bike trails and roads going throughout the park that your can easily go for a 20-mile ride just by doing a few meandering loops. There’s a pretty active biking group of med students called the Krebs Cyclers (which is just … **chef’s kiss**) and I’ve mainly been biking with a couple of my M1 classmates which was a great way to get to know my classmates and it was the perfect way to familiarize myself with the Central West End, Forest Park, and out around the Clayton/DeMun areas when I first moved here.

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Med School Musical

Bianca R., M1

I did musical theatre in high school and college, and was so excited to find a medical school where I could continue this passion. The Med School Musical is actually a collaboration between all the health professional schools here — it’s been so amazing having the opportunity to get to know people in other programs and build a community together. The rehearsal schedule is also very relaxed in a way that makes participating no-stress and all fun.

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Music in Medicine

Allison K., M2

The WUSM Music in Medicine Initiative is an organization composed of medical students who perform music as a form of community service and community-building. We perform regularly for patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, organize coffeehouses for student performances, and subsidize student tickets to music concerts and shows around the St. Louis area!

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Narrative Medicine

Judson E., M2

I’ve been very pleased with the opportunity I’ve had to write and collaborate with a community of writers here at WashU. As leader of the Narrative Medicine Interest Group, I’ve led writing workshops with a group of passionate medical students, and encouraged students to submit writing to WUSM’s very own Hippocrene Art and Literature Magazine. I’ve also gotten the chance to make connections with incredible medical humanities professors from the Danforth Campus, like Dr. Cislo and Dr. Arch, who have been generous enough to share and discuss complex humanities topics with medical students.

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Playing an Instrument

Dante N., M2

I have been a musician for my whole life, and continuing to play in ensembles was something I was hoping to be able to continue upon coming to medical school. I was incredibly excited when I found out that medical students are more than welcome in any of the ensembles over on the Danforth Campus — both the Wind Ensemble and the Orchestra, as well as the smaller ensembles. Myself and another first-year medical student are both in the Wind Ensemble, and it is a great time every week to destress and make music with others! Rehearsals for Wind Ensemble are on Thursdays from 7–9:30 p.m., so it is a lower time commitment and easy to fit into our schedules. Additionally, those that want to participate in the Medical School Musical can join the pit orchestra! Logistically, the auditions for the Danforth ensembles usually occur the week before the Medical School Orientation, so just make sure you factor that into your arrival date or reach out to the ensemble manager to work something out!

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WUSM Gaming Club (WUSM-GO)

Tim B., M1

We live in a society where medical students are constantly hustling. When I started medical school, I left my video games at home with the intent to be a real gunner (and also my Mom wouldn’t let me bring them). Coming to Wash U, I realized that the biggest hustle of them all is the hustle for happiness. With my mom none the wiser, I discovered WUSM-GO, Wash U’s gaming club. WUSM-GO brings together students and faculty of all years who enjoy playing all sorts of video and board games. Whether you want to relax after an exam or flex on your peers in a tournament bracket, WUSM-GO has got something for you. We host board game sessions, Smash Bros tournaments, and video game watch parties. Gaming is a great way to connect with your classmates through titles like Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Chess, and Trivial Pursuit, regardless of whether you are a seasoned eSports athlete or new to games in general. At the end of the day, the real WUSM-GO are the friends you made along the way.

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WUSM Plus One

Rosie R., M2

When I moved to St. Louis from Boston with my partner, we were both a little worried about how he would make friends and find social support in a new city where neither of us knew anyone. A year and a half later, we are both settled in and really happy with our friends and social support here in St. Louis. Part of that has come from WUMS Plus One, which is a student-led group focused on fostering community for medical students, their partners, and families. We host social events including picnics and dinner with the deans, where we can all come together to connect, and we also host partners-only social events as well. Medical school has its challenges, and our goal is to foster holistic wellness for both students and their loved ones.

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WUSM Wine Society

Yuxiao X., M2

The WUSM Wine Society seeks to foster an appreciation for and knowledge of the art of wine-making and wine-tasting. Through various educational lessons, the Wine Society aims to increase medical students’ wellness and to bring students together to learn about various types of wine, how to taste and identify tasting notes, and develop their wine palates.

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Yoga Club

Clara H., M2

Yoga Club is a great way to de-stress! A couple of times per month, there is a free yoga class offered to students. The teachers rotate every month, so you can try out a variety of yoga styles. When the weather is nice, the classes are outside in a park on campus. Yoga Club has been a fun and easy way to add physical activity to my week and hang out with my classmates!