Where We’ve Been

I grew up and went to college in Chicago before moving to St. Louis to attend WashU Med. I definitely experienced an adjustment period when moving. At times, walking the streets of St. Louis feels a bit quieter than what I am used to, which was a bit of a shock, especially during the first few weeks of school. However, the Central West End neighborhood is extremely walkable which is a definite strong point for me, although it is not the most walkable at night. There is a Whole Foods Market and plenty of restaurants in close proximity to the medical campus where most students live. Forest Park is also an incredible resource, as it is the largest urban park in the U.S. It is great to walk through the park and see many runners, bikers, and families outside together, especially on the weekends. While there is generally less to do in St. Louis than in a bigger city, I think St. Louis is a perfectly sized city for medical school. There are just enough events and activities going on to keep us busy. However, we are also medical students and wouldn’t have time to take advantage of all of the events occurring in a bigger city. The cost of living in St. Louis is also cheaper than in other bigger cities, and there is considerably less traffic. While I do miss the buzz, excitement, and more expansive public transit of a bigger city, I have found that St. Louis has a quaint charm that I have come to really enjoy, and it has been fun to explore new neighborhoods with friends.

While St. Louis feels just as busy and impersonal as any other city, I’ve discovered that the locals here are just as warm as those in my hometown in rural Oklahoma. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the abundant opportunities to quickly lose myself in nature.

I miss the clear night skies of Cherokee County, but Forest Park and natural areas on the edges of the city have helped to keep me connected to nature. During my evening strolls in the park, I’ve spotted several families of whitetail dear, wild turkeys, and a pair of bald eagles. St. Louis is a great place for nature lovers.

As I’ve learned to navigate the transit system, people have been consistently kind and ready to help. A bus ride isn’t complete without passengers thanking the driver before leaving. I’ve found it easy to explore and make myself at home here, thanks to the friendliness of the people and all the green spaces in the city.

I grew up in a pretty small town. To give some perspective, our high school and middle school were one building. Everyone knew each other, and some of our families had been in the area for generations. I went to one of the biggest universities in the country for undergrad, but coming to medical school has felt more like a return to my small town. Everyone knows each other’s names and makes a strong effort to get to know each other. Additionally, our administration is very approachable. They often try to get to know you on a personal level or provide you with opportunities where they can. Additionally, the further you get into medicine, the more your world will shrink, and you will start recognizing a lot more faces.

Living in St. Louis is very different from a small town. The city is loud and busy, and it took some time to adjust. However, I feel like the large environment allows for a lot more opportunities to pursue my interests than I would have had in my hometown. Within WashU Med, we have countless clubs or interest groups, but the city of St. Louis itself has a lot of opportunities to branch out and join various cultural, musical, or sport-related groups.

As many St. Louis natives know, the city is a patchwork of smaller municipalities. I grew up in one area, went to school in another, and hung out with friends and family all over the city/county. There are neighborhoods and stories about the city that I know very well, so it has been fun to be an ambassador of sorts for the city. I’ve had to explain some truly strange St. Louis habits, such as toasted ravioli, mandatory jokes on Halloween, and judging each other based on what high school we attended. At the same time, I have been constantly surprised by how much better I’ve gotten to know St. Louis as a medical student! First of all, I’ve never lived here as an adult and it’s fun to see what has changed since I left for college. Having friends from outside the city has encouraged me to explore new restaurants, go to annual St. Louis events I’ve never experienced, and visit hidden gems I never knew were in my own hometown. I think the best thing about attending WashU Med as a St. Louis native is that I’ve met so many amazing people who have come to love this city as much as I do.

Before moving to St. Louis, I lived my whole life on the East Coast. I am originally from Arlington, Virginia, went to college in Pennsylvania, and moved back to the Washington D.C. area for my gap years. I did not know what to expect of St. Louis, as I had never been to the Midwest before visiting WashU Med during Second Look Weekend. I had an amazing experience that weekend, and since moving to the Central West End, I remain extremely content and excited about living in St. Louis. People in St. Louis are friendly and welcoming, and the neighborhoods around the campus are walkable and bustling, which reminds me a lot of home. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the plethora of options for experiencing nature in and around St. Louis, with Forest Park, Tower Grove Park, and more in the city, as well as many hiking trails within driving distance. Additionally, St. Louis provides many free and low-cost activities (sports games, museums), a great MetroLink and bus system (similar to D.C.), and very minimal traffic (a huge change coming from East Coast cities). For trips back to family, flying back to the East Coast is easy and affordable from the St. Louis airport (only ~1.5-hour flight to D.C.). While I still have much more exploring to do, I am loving living in St. Louis and being part of a new community.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and then moved away to the South for college. Being in St. Louis has truly felt like coming home! It may be a smaller city, but St. Louis has all the Midwestern charm that I loved about growing up near Chicago. I’ve loved having the opportunity to really set down roots in the Central West End, where a lot of WashU Med students live. True to Midwestern form, people are always happy to chat; I’ve quickly become a regular at my favorite wine bar, ice cream parlor, bookstore, and coffee shop! If you’re from the Midwest, you’re probably used to having to drive everywhere, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that St. Louis also has a great public transit system. You’ll often find me riding the city bus to get to school, and it’s not uncommon for me to take the Amtrak home to Chicago over a long weekend. There’s always something going on in the Central West End or Tower Grove (another popular neighborhood for WashU graduate students), and it’s easy to find whatever type of activity you’re looking for — whether that’s sporting events, farmer’s markets, nightlife, or outdoor parks. Overall, St. Louis is a great embodiment of the chill Midwestern vibe, and I could not be more grateful for that kind of environment as a busy medical student.

I am a born and raised mountain girlie from Boulder, Colorado. So, admittedly, I was nervous about the move to the famously non-mountainous St. Louis (especially during the long drive through Kansas … SO. MUCH. Kansas). However, just a few weeks in, I found that I was doing all the same activities in St. Louis that I had been doing in Colorado (hiking, camping, going to breweries, attending outdoor live music events). To be honest, “hiking” in and around St. Louis is equivalent to an easy trail in the Mountain West, but there are more challenging trails if you are willing and able to drive. Forest Park is also very close and a good spot for running, biking, or just walking to clear your head. And if this isn’t enough, flights to Denver are short (~two hours) and relatively inexpensive!

Moving to St. Louis from Atlanta, Georgia, was initially a daunting transition. However, in the short time I have been here, I can honestly say that it hasn’t been as big of an adjustment as I expected. One of my hopes for the Midwest was that it would provide a respite from the blazing, humid summers of the South. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. While moving during mid-July, it felt just the same as it did in Georgia. But I can say that the heat and humidity do dissipate earlier in the year here. I have also found Southern hospitality alive and well in St. Louis in the form of good old-fashioned Midwestern charm. People at the grocery store hold doors open for you, and people on the streets greet you with a friendly “hi.”

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended college in southern California. Before coming to WashU Med, I spoke to one of my hometown friends, a fellow lifelong Californian who had moved to St. Louis a few years ago. My friend had found adapting to the Midwest very challenging, so I fully expected my own transition to be rough. To my pleasant surprise, I have been able to find many of the things I was worried I would miss — a diverse food scene, nature, and an Asian American community. The difference between my experience and my friend’s highlights that the adjustment is unique for each person.

I do notice a lot of differences between the West Coast and the Midwest, especially in the landscape (flatter and oceanless) and the weather (more extreme). Contrary to popular belief, the seasons do change in California, just not nearly as much. I saw snow for the first time, and my entire class clapped to congratulate me on this milestone! I can’t say I’m a fan of the weather, but I do love the significantly cheaper housing prices. In California, I would never have been able to live in an apartment as modern and big as my current one, and as a major homebody, this greatly improves the quality of my life here.

Ultimately, I believe that how much these differences impact you depends on what you value in a city. For me, I am still a die-hard believer of “West Coast Best Coast,” but I’m also really enjoying breaking out of the California bubble and experiencing a new environment.