Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Dis-Orientation Guide! This annual publication, written almost entirely by Washington University School of Medicine students, provides a unique glimpse into life at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM). We hope you enjoy what we’ve put together. Of course, how you may use this book depends on who you are.
If you’re an applicant or an accepted student still deciding among schools, then ideally you’ll get a better sense of what it means to attend WUSM. Choosing the right medical school, we know, can be tricky, so we’ve done our best to go above and beyond what you may have gleaned from U.S. News & World Report, WUSM’s website, Wikipedia or — shudder — Student Doctor Network. Forget about rankings, admissions stats, essays and interviews for a second. We want to show you who we really are as people. We’re a diverse bunch with a lot to share! Come pick our brains as we give you our unfiltered experiences as members of both
the WUSM and St. Louis communities. Few, if any, schools will give you such an inside perspective.
Or, if you know that you’re 100% attending WUSM, this guide becomes even more exciting. Soon, what you’re reading about won’t just be abstract concepts; they’ll be integral pieces of your life. Let these articles be the SparkNotes for your transition to medical school. The stressful part is finally over. You now have a new to-do list, which involves tasks like looking forward to moving to St. Louis, finding the ideal roommate, preparing for a novel academic experience, and shedding any anxiety you have about your next big step. Get amped, because you’ve made one of the best decisions of your life.
Even if you’re not considering medical school, we believe that you can find entertainment in these pages. Think of it like people watching, but in text form.
Personally, we all became involved with the Dis-O Guide because it was immensely helpful to us while we were applying to medical school. May it serve you equally well. WUSM is a tremendous place. With any luck, we will have faithfully relayed the myriad reasons why we have come to love this school.
Sincerely,
Alex Yahanda, Jessica Kuo and Catherine Xu
Dis-Orientation Guide Editors-In-Chief