Official SLU Class of 2012 Thread!!!

[OnlyLiveOnce]

Welcome incoming class of 2012. I am an MS3 here at SLU and I just wanted to drop by this thread to say how much I love it here at SLU. I believe that you will find that 90% of the professors/M.D.'s really enjoy teaching and are excellent. Practically speaking, the syllabus is incredibly thorough as are the other A/V materials provided. The only thing not to like, as some on this thread have mentioned, is the tuition. My advice for you...enjoy the rest of your summer and make sure you are well rested when Anatomy begins. In my estimation Anatomy was the most difficult and time consuming course of the first year, just to warn you...it's all downhill from there!

Awesome, that's very good to know...

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[mc4435]

Is the school really strict on receiving payment on Aug. 1, or will they work with you and give you an extension if, say, your loans are still being processed and haven't been disbursed yet?

Has anyone ever had a situation where the payment deadline had arrived but their loans hadn't been disbursed yet?

The orientation packet calendar says tuition is due on September 5th...

When is everyone signing their promissory notes? How long after you do that does it take for loans to be disbursed?

 

[bcat85]

The orientation packet calendar says tuition is due on September 5th...

When is everyone signing their promissory notes? How long after you do that does it take for loans to be disbursed?

I already signed my promissory note in early June. I think the loans are disbursed on like August 1, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

 

[OnlyLiveOnce]

The orientation packet calendar says tuition is due on September 5th...

I remember seeing that too, but then I began thinking that was for undergrad students or something because I also remember seeing somewhere that tuition is due Aug 1? Maybe I'm just seeing things. I could've sworn I read "Aug 1" somewhere regarding tuition.

 

[Aplicoz]

Hi all. I'm an incoming first-year and I was wondering if using SLU Health Insurance was mandatory for medical students. I am still covered under my parents' insurance plan until age 25, so if I could save money by not purchasing SLU Health Insurance that'd be great!

 

[mc4435]

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[ItOnlyTakesOne]

Hi all. I'm an incoming first-year and I was wondering if using SLU Health Insurance was mandatory for medical students. I am still covered under my parents' insurance plan until age 25, so if I could save money by not purchasing SLU Health Insurance that'd be great!

Hey, MS2 here and you can definitely keep your own coverage (and opt out of the school's coverage). There is a form that either has already been sent/e-mailed to you (as some part of the piles of paperwork you've received) or that you can pick up at orientation that allows you to opt out of SLU's insurance, as long as you can prove you have your own coverage. Hope that helps!

 

[Aplicoz]

Incoming first-year here again with another question - How do you get one of those parking passes that allow you to park in the garage near the medical school?

 

[OnlyLiveOnce]

I remember seeing that too, but then I began thinking that was for undergrad students or something because I also remember seeing somewhere that tuition is due Aug 1? Maybe I'm just seeing things. I could've sworn I read "Aug 1" somewhere regarding tuition.

K I figured out what I was talking about. In the med school packet, it says the tentative deadline for tuition is Sept 5th.

But in the fin aid package we got earlier on, in the university-wide academic calendar, it says tuition for "Fall Registration" is due on Aug 1. Is that referring to undergrad students?

 

[Aplicoz]

Anyone know a good place to buy a mattress and other furniture in St. Louis?

 

[Unitzer01]

Hey all!

Just got in to SLU! Not much time left till school starts and I'm out of the country. So much to do. I'm thinking about finding housing in the Tower Grove area and now I really need to start the financial aid. Any thoughts on the Theresa Lofts or the apartments in the area? Glad the area is pet friendly . Also thinking about making the drive from CA. See you all in August!

 

[ItOnlyTakesOne]

Incoming first-year here again with another question - How do you get one of those parking passes that allow you to park in the garage near the medical school?

Everything will sort itself out during Orientation week. All first years will be split up into groups of 6-8 and paired with 2-3 second year students who will show you guys around, get you set up with ID badges (you might have to remind them that you need this though, my group leaders almost forgot to tell us about that last year) and parking permits (which come from the same place as the ID badges).

One thing about parking passes, there are two options, one of which is the 'preferred' parking pass that costs more and really only gives you parking 100 feet closer to the building. The two lots ('preferred' and regualr) are literally right next to each other so everyone just goes for the cheaper option. Just throwing that out there.

Anyway, I'll be one of those orientation group leaders so I'm looking forward to meeting you guys in a few weeks. Feel free to PM me with any last minute questions.

 

[OnlyLiveOnce]

sorry if someone's already addressed this in this thread:

I probably won't have a car my first semester. Is there a bus system or something near campus?

And is it practical to ride a bike to campus?

 

[bcat85]

Everything will sort itself out during Orientation week. All first years will be split up into groups of 6-8 and paired with 2-3 second year students who will show you guys around, get you set up with ID badges (you might have to remind them that you need this though, my group leaders almost forgot to tell us about that last year) and parking permits (which come from the same place as the ID badges).

One thing about parking passes, there are two options, one of which is the 'preferred' parking pass that costs more and really only gives you parking 100 feet closer to the building. The two lots ('preferred' and regualr) are literally right next to each other so everyone just goes for the cheaper option. Just throwing that out there.

Anyway, I'll be one of those orientation group leaders so I'm looking forward to meeting you guys in a few weeks. Feel free to PM me with any last minute questions.

Thanks for the insight on the preferred vs. the regular parking lots... that probably saved me some money.

sorry if someone's already addressed this in this thread:

I probably won't have a car my first semester. Is there a bus system or something near campus?

And is it practical to ride a bike to campus?

Speaking as someone who has lived in the St. Louis area pretty much my whole life, public transportation is not very reliable there. You can probably get by with a bike, but I don't know too much about it. Be careful though, SLU is in a rough place.

 

[geogil]

sorry if someone's already addressed this in this thread:

I probably won't have a car my first semester. Is there a bus system or something near campus?

And is it practical to ride a bike to campus?

I biked every day last year, and am planning on biking every day this year. There are about 6 people who bike to school. There are good streets and bad streets to ride on, both from the point of view of uncourteous drivers and from dudes with guns. I ride up Grand ave for about 2 miles and have no problems. I'm pretty comfortable with urban riding though. There are some good streets that don't have cars that will get you to school though. PM me if you want specifics.

 

[Aaronkun]

Ditto for me. I rode every day and will ride everyday. If you live within a couple of mile (or 1/2 like me!) it is easy and cheap to ride to school.

 

[CPmustangs]

Is anyone moving from California out to SLU and willing to share a moving van?

 

[kashif]

Hi, I'm a MS4 and I too biked solid for two years during MS1 and MS2. Biking on Grand is generally safe, stick to Grand Blvd and you should be OK. The only issue is night time biking. Now I would ride the bike at night but lets just say I could average around 15-20 miles/hr on my way home. During the Day it's fine, but at night I would keep an eye out. Nothing ever happened but still this is the inner city we are talking about. The good thing is I live 0.6 miles from the campus off Grand and 44 so I would get home in less than 10 mins. Another benefit is I could be in lecture at 9:00 am after leave my apt around 8:48 am. You really build the Gluteus max that way.

 

[wahahooha]

Hey all, - I was just accepted off the waitlist and need to find housing, etc. Anyone looking for a roommate still? PM me if so...

Also - I plan on buying a new laptop, most likely a Macbook Pro. Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to have a Mac at SLU? Does it not matter?

 

[OnlyLiveOnce]

Hey all, - I was just accepted off the waitlist

This late in the game? That's quite remarkable. Consider yourself truly blessed.

 

[eddie13231]

Hey guys

Really excited to meet everyone and finally get started again! I got an apartment in Soulard last week amist all the bars and such so if anyone needs a place to crash you're welcome to my place. What is everyone doing the night after the white coat ceremony?

 

[eddie13231]

Hey all, - I was just accepted off the waitlist and need to find housing, etc. Anyone looking for a roommate still? PM me if so...

Also - I plan on buying a new laptop, most likely a Macbook Pro. Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to have a Mac at SLU? Does it not matter?

I am guessing its ok since Mac can run both windows and Leapord. When I interviewed my student host just had huge binders with notes so I think a lot of the material is in paper but am not sure. I wish I could get a Mac but will be stuck with my old lenovo oh well it still works.

 

[geogil]

Hey all, - I was just accepted off the waitlist and need to find housing, etc. Anyone looking for a roommate still? PM me if so...

Also - I plan on buying a new laptop, most likely a Macbook Pro. Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to have a Mac at SLU? Does it not matter?

Typing this on my Macbook, so no, no problems at all. The wireless at SLU isn't superb, but it works.

 

[wahahooha]

This late in the game? That's quite remarkable. Consider yourself truly blessed.

Yes i feel incredibly lucky... 2 weeks of scrambling and last minute planning to move halfway across the country really beats two years of retaking MCATs/Masters work. Unfortunately, I'm too busy to celebrate now so i guess i'll have to save that for orientation..
thanks for the input everyone

 

[bcat85]

Hey guys

Really excited to meet everyone and finally get started again! I got an apartment in Soulard last week amist all the bars and such so if anyone needs a place to crash you're welcome to my place. What is everyone doing the night after the white coat ceremony?

We had been talking on the facebook group about getting people together either that night or some night during the week and going out to some local bars. We were going to try to figure it out at the ceremony or reception maybe.

 

[OnlyLiveOnce]

Man I'm stoked! I visited the campus yesterday, finalized all my tuition issues with the financial services office, campus was looking BEAUTIFUL (man I've never seen a campus or city so green!), and I'm ready for the White Coat Ceremony tomorrow! Bring it on!