Ah, WashU. Everytime I tell my family and friends that I’m interviewing there, I get asked where in Washington it is. (It’s funnier because I actually spent a few years in Washington, and seriously considered applying to UW until I saw the out of region restriction.) To be honest, while I did enjoy my experience in St Louis, I wasn’t exactly “wow’d” by it. I think it was partly due to my anxiety over 10/15 (pleaselovemePritzkerpleasepleaseplease), and partly due to the fact that only the first year of preclinicals is P/F. (Also, I think I was getting burned out from interviewing, which is not a problem I thought I’d have.)
Located in St Louis, Missouri, WUSM prides itself in being a research powerhouse in a growing city. The cost of living is really low (easily $400-500/month with utilities), and there are always free things to do. Moreover, the hospital system attracts both “bread and butter” as well as “zebra” cases, allowing students to expose themselves to a wide range of medical problems. After arriving at the airport, I took the MetroRail to campus, and was amused to learn that the metro system in St Louis is essentially a straight line. And I thought public transport in LA was bad, haha! On the other hand, one of the stops is directly in front of the medical complex, which is super convenient.
I stayed the night in Olin Hall, the dormitory-styled university housing. It was really nice for WUSM to providing lodging for applicants, and the university trieds to keep 10 rooms vacant every year for the interview cycle. That said, once I stepped foot into Olin Hall, I…kinda understood why. While the rooms in Olin didn’t necessarily lack anything, they definitely are a bit worn (current students joked that they are a step down from undergrad) and don’t provide the nicest amenities. A little over half of the freshman class stay in Olin due to its convenience (it is connected to all the other buildings on campus, so one never has to step outside), but most move out starting their second semester. With St Louis’s low cost of living, I’m not surprised. Regardless, I enjoyed my stay, and appreciated the pizza party that the MS1s hosted the night before! They were super nice and stayed to talk to us about things, even though we arrived in the middle of their exam week (whoops).
While talking with the students, I was a bit surprised (and bummed) to hear that WUSM’s preclinicals curriculum is only P/F during the first year, before it changes to the H/HP/P/F system. All the students and faculty were adamant that there’s not change in “culture” from M1 to M2 and that everyone remains collaborative, but I don’t know…I wouldn’t reject WUSM for this reason, as the research and clinical opportuniteis here are incredible, but it is something that would make me reconsider.
I do have to say though: WUSM provides amazing food. Breakfast included hot items (for once!), yogurt, coffee, and juice. I was a full and happy camper by the time we all trekked down to the admissions office. We all received our schedules for the day and had our pictures taken (I’m really curious as to why hahaha) before gathering in the conference room. There, Dean Rattz gave a quick presentation on WUSM, its curriculum, and life in St Louis. It wasn’t very comprehensive, but it did give me enough pointers to research further if I’m lucky enough to receive an acceptance here.
WUSM conducts one open-file interview with a member of the admissions committee. Over the past few years, however, the committee seems to have been experimenting with the closed file interview. Out of our group of 10, only one student was scheduled to do an open-file as well as a shorter closed-file interview. My interview was…to be honest, a bit awkward. It was not nearly as conversational as the ones at other schools, unfortunately, so I don’t know how I did. My interviewer only asked me a question or two about my activities, yet didn’t really give me time to elaborate on them; it honestly felt as though he had already formed an opinion from my application and didn’t really care to get to know me. -__________- Considering how WUSM’s merit scholarships are heavily influenced by the interview experiences, I don’t think I’ll get much luck here ughhhhhhhhhhh. We did spend some time talking about his medical experiences and the social climate of St Louis, and he took me on a short tour, so I hope his pre-formed opinion of me was a positive one? Fingers crossed!
I had about an hour to explore after my interview, and a couple applicants and I sat in on a lecture. WUSM’s curriculum features a mix of traditional lectures and PBL, which I enjoy. The lecture was actually pretty interesting, as it guided students through the steps of “diagnosing” a particular set of diseases. Soon, it was time to lunch with MS3s, MS4s, and clinical faculty. None of the individuals involved are on the admissions committee, so it’s really nice to hear honest opinions! None of the students seemed to mind the transition to H/HP/P/F during MS2, and they actually find that they enjoy it more because everything is clinically based. The MS4s took us on a tour of campus, and all the facilities are beautiful. *swoons* Not Mayo caliber, but definitely very pleasing to the eye. We At the end of the day, we received a brief financial aid session followed by a wrap up (with cookies!) with Dean Rattz.
Overall, I enjoyed my day at WUSM. I wasn’t in love with it, but I can definitely see myself learning there. The opportunities and support are top-notch, and I think there are a lot of things to do in St Louis. Decisions are rolling starting in late November, so we’ll see!
