Welcome to our new students!!!! I LOVE this time of year. Things start to cool off a little, Pedal the Cause is just around the corner (there is still time to sign up), and our new students arrive. Their arrival ushers in such an important excitement and enthusiasm- an excellent reminder of why so many of us are here at WashU School of Medicine! With this month’s newsletter, I thought I’d tell you a little about some of our incoming students.
The MD student entering class consists of 124 individuals, 65 of whom are women and 52 (~42%) self-identify as being a member of a group under-represented in medicine. Applications to the MD program were up 8% despite a national drop of 12%. These students are exceptional academically, come from 31 states, 4 countries and 63 institutions.
In OT, we welcome 108 exceptional students- 2 PhD, 56 OTD and 50 MSOT. Twenty-four of these students self-identify as under-represented in medicine, and an additional twelve identify as Asian-American/ Pacific Islander, a group under-represented in OT. These students come from 29 states, 9 countries and 82 different undergraduate institutions.
In PT, the entering class is comprised of 90 learners, 65 of whom identify as women and 37 individuals (42%) identifying as members of the BIPOC community. They come from 5 countries, 24 states, and 67 different institutions, with backgrounds ranging from degrees in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science to French and Music, and a few entering Physical Therapy as a second career.
And in DBBS, we are welcoming 115 new students and 6 transfer students. More than 50% of these students identify as female, 19 self-identify as under-represented in medicine and science and 49 of whom are international. Twenty-three students are first generation and 18 come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Also new in the last few years, we welcome students to the Masters programs in Medical Genetics, Masters and PhD in Medical Physics and PhD in Nursing Science- the latter in collaboration with Goldfarb School of Nursing. And finally, we welcome our audiology and communication sciences and masters students.
Some of my favorite quotes from incoming students as to why they chose us among the many options they had were:
“I want to learn in an environment with mentors who will set me up for success and alongside classmates that will lift me up.”
“I love that everything about the WUSM program feels intentional and you can see how wholeheartedly the school values its students, empowering them to thrive as individuals and team-members. Also, the musicals.”
Welcome to these incredible students. We are so happy to have you here as part of the WashU family.