<p>Congrats to everyone who made it! :) I'm pretty excited about this. Is anyone familiar with the interview process? I have absolutely no idea on what to expect.</p>
<p>I'm a finalist for the Moog Scholarship and was accepted to the Summer Scholars Program.</p>
<p>Congrats! I am a fellow Summer Scholar and I am also a Rodriguez finalist. I am excited for finalist weekend but I would like to know more about the interview process as well.</p>
<p>nina1228, awesome! Are you an ED’er?</p>
<p>Yes I am, batman:)</p>
<p>Congrats! I’m RD, so the decision will be tough. And I wish I were Batman…I’m just a fan, actually. ;)</p>
<p>Have you visited the campus before? I fell in love with it my first time.</p>
<p>Not yet - this will be my first time!</p>
<p>Congrats on being named finalists! I am a past Summer Scholar in Biology and Biomedical Research, so if you have any questions regarding that program, let me know!</p>
<p>@musicalscientist, what made you pick WUSTL over your other schools?</p>
<p>Good question batfan; I’m actually on the fence now about WashU and hopefully the finalist weekend will sway me.</p>
<p>My final decision was between the top UC’s, Rice, and WashU. I chose WashU for several reasons. First, you should know that financial aid packages made all of the schools I was choosing between essentially the same price. That said, I decided to shy away from the UC’s due to their iffy finances and their large size; so my choice was between Rice and WashU. Both have excellent science programs; however, I ended up choosing WashU because of it’s medium size, it’s location (actual seasons! this is big for me because i’m from los angeles), it’s music department (very relaxed feel), and the research opportunities. Namely, WashU offered me the SSBBR program whereas Rice did not offer me any such immediate research experience. Of course, these are not the only reasons I chose WashU and I could go on for hundreds of words about why WashU turned out to be the best school for me, so if you would like to hear more, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>MusicalScientist, I’m actually deciding between Rice and WashU too! 
I like the close knit Rice community and the residential colleges, but I’m worried that I’ll outgrow it after my freshman year and want more undergrads to interact with. WashU is the perfect size and I liked St. Louis more, plus the amount of chemistry courses WashU have pwns Rice’s courses. But, Rice is more diverse and has D1 sports. GAHH maybe finaid will make a difference. How is racial interaction at WashU? Can you share how your time at WashU has been so far?</p>
<p>If sports are significantly important to you, then Rice may be a better fit. Sports at WashU are very laid back. Many people do Intramural, quite a few do club sports, and fewer do varsity. However, there is not a huge amount of school spirit regarding sports. (Personally, I have yet to go to a football game and I have been here two years).</p>
<p>As far as diversity goes, I can give you a white male’s perspective. The ethnic breakdown is more or less 1/3 catholic/protestant white, 1/3 Jewish, and 1/3 most everything else (predominantly Asian, Indian, African American, and Hispanic). My friend group probably follows this breakdown pretty well. There are many cultural student groups on campus who put on hugely popular events for the Lunar New Year, Holi, Diwali, Carnaval, and other cultural celebrations. From what I observed during my college search, I found that WashU was one of the more racially diverse top-tier schools than many others.</p>
<p>My personal experience at WashU has been awesome. As a Biochemistry major, I have become very plugged in to the research community on campus and have subsequently published my research (with a second paper on the way). Additionally, I was just offered my first job in the biotech industry! When I’m not in the lab, I sing in one of the a cappella groups on campus which has been amazing and a great way to meet a variety of people on campus. Finally, my seminar program (the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability) allowed me to learn in the field through several week-long field trips. To sum up, there are a huge number of opportunities at WashU (especially in the sciences) and the academic environment is surprisingly collaborative. Choosing WashU was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made and I can’t recommend the school enough. Please let me know if you have any more questions!</p>