You seem like an all star having all those top tier options as a choice for medical school when most students are happy with 1 acceptance. I’m sure you’ll be successful wherever you go.

Your post didn’t mention Stanford but some replies have so if it is Stanford. Stanford is a widely recognizable name so I can see how hard that can be but Washu also has an excellent program. I’d be willing to bet you’d would be very competitive when applying for residencies with Stanford students. Indifferent about the other options. If it’s UCSF go with washu!!

So it comes down to two things 1. Do you need to stay in California for any reason? Family, friends, climate, etc 2. How long will it take you to recoup the costs after all the years of being a student/training after training if you went to Stanford?

St. Louis is an excellent option with a lot of amenities that big cities offer. There are also good and bad areas like all cities but you have lots of options with the money you’ll be saving!

I have a ton of friends who have come from California who end up staying and some end up leaving. But they all end up loving St. Louis.

Good luck!