<p>I'm deciding between WashU and Northwestern, and I visited NU early this week for their PreviewNU two-day program. I visited WashU last week, but after staying overnight at NU, I realized that I didn't get the same depth of experience at WashU. So I'm heading back to St. Louis on Monday to stay the night with a friend of a friend.</p>
<p>But the point is... While I was at NU, several students mentioned that WashU was "anti-social." I didn't hear it from everyone I talked to, but it came up a few times.</p>
<p>Of course, they're NU students, they're going to be biased, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say about the social scene at WashU.</p>
<p>Craig117, I've heard lots of things said about WashU, but I have NEVER heard anyone say that it is "anti-social". In fact, what you do hear is how nice and friendly everyone is. Kids at WashU are involved in alot of activities on campus and have a real sense of community. Are you sure those Northwestern kids were thinking of WashU when they said that? </p>
<p>Hopefully some current WashU students will respond to this thread and help clarify. My D will be a freshman at WashU in the fall and one of the big draws of the school for her was its reputation for having a warm, friendly and happy environment.</p>
<p>No way is WashU antisocial. That's definitely not true at all. Like nervous, I've never heard that about WashU, and from personal experience, I think it's closer to the opposite.</p>
<p>craig117, you have to realize that most of the students are very loyal to their schools and you will often hear one-sided or simply false information about other schools they "compete" against.</p>
<p>Being very familiar with both schools I would say that in terms of social activities / interaction / student body they are very similar.</p>
<p>WashU students have a little more on campus activities (due to compact location of dorms, etc). NU will have more sports-related stuff (if this is important to you).</p>
<p>Oh, I'm fully aware that students from other schools can be plenty biased, I even told them so when they made those comments ("Well, okay.. But, you're from Northwestern.......") and they sort of nodded. But since I heard the comment more than once and from a couple different places, I just wanted to throw it out there and see what the reaction would be. =)</p>
<p>I was at WashU last week and I don't think that idea could be farther from the truth. Everyone is wonderful at washu. And I'm deciding between WashU and NU as well, but I couldn't sign up for a Preview NU day. Good luck with your decision, I honestly am having a TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT time deciding because I love both schools...I live near NU and I've visited 3 times. Leaning on WashU right now though for the opportunities and programs though, that's just my take on it.</p>
<p>Craig 117, my son is a Northwestern junior and my daughter is a h.s. junior who wants to go to Wash U. We have been on both campuses multiple times and are definitely not biased (under the circumstances). We love both schools, however, I have sensed a bit of competition between the schools, which are constantly being compared with one another. When we visited Wash U 2 weeks ago and 4 years ago, the Wash U students (and staff) we encountered seemed very friendly to us. In fact, that is something that Wash U prides itself on and one of the things my daughter loved about it. Actually, she sat in on a class while she was there and while talking with the professor afterwards, when she mentioned that her brother chose to go to NU (for journalism) the prof said something like "Eww". I just think that you will encounter a bias no matter who you talk to. I think that you are wise to visit Wash U again to see for yourself. Both are amazing schools; but only you will know which feels better to you. Congratulations on getting into both and good luck with your choice!</p>
<p>Me too. Coming from the Chicagoland area, a lot of kids feel like the NU scene is pretty...low key. Students stay to themselves. Comparatively, it's more anti-social than a lot of the other schools around here (Loyola, Depaul, UIC, etc) but less anti-social than UChicago. <---"where fun goes to die" =P</p>
<p>Wash U is ANYTHING but anti-social. My S is about to graduate and he has made wonderful friends there and believe me, he has had LOTS O' FUN. It's definitely a "work hard, play hard" place, and you should not worry about the social aspect one bit. Good luck with your choice!</p>
<p>My son has been accepted to both schools and he is about to make his final decision. We live near Wash U and it is a terrific Univ. We visited Northwestern and it is equally excellent. When we visited both schools, the faculty and admission people he met knew he was deciding between both schools and he was congratulated for being accepted to both. His final decision will be based on what his interest is and which school will be better for that interest. I am from the east coast and the attitude in the NY area is that NU is better. I think that is coming from a lack of knowledge about Wash U. St. Louis is a great city, the students at Wash U. are extremely friendly, the campus is more cohesive because it sits on a constrained piece of property. I thought NU was beautiful and the faculty and admissions people we met went out of their way to provide additional information about NU. You have a wonderful problem and cannot go wrong either way. As of now (but I have not sent the deposit), he is choosing NU.</p>
<p>Spring 2004, my S had a really hard time deciding between NU and Wash U. He picked Wash U. He liked both schools, but one reason he picked Wash U over NU is that he didn't want to go to a big ten school. BTW, Wash U is a very social school.</p>
<p>I respect his choice. Not wanting to go to a big 10 school is equivalent to a poor reason to not choose a university. I suppose your son would have dismissed Stanford (Pac 10) or Duke (ACC) because of their sports affiliation.</p>
<p>My son is deciding between several schools and it has come down to semesters versus quarters. Obviously, this is a personal decision. He wants to minimize midterms and finals. I believe this is an important distinction between Northwestern and Wash U. I hear Northwestern quarters are a bit grueling but you take fewer classes. Wash U. is semesters that finish before the December holidays (unlike Princeton, for example.) I was surprised that this was an important criteria for my son but it might be for others as well so I thought I would mention it. So check out those college calendars and make sure it fits your study habits and personality. </p>
<p>Remember that this is a personal decision and an individual fit.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that my son is probably going to Wash U over other choices. He really liked it when he visited recently. It's a pretty school with a consistent look. There's also the opportunity to do so much with your education there. One can double major across colleges - it's amazing. And, there are semesters!</p>
<p>Like I said, S really liked both schools. Deciding between WasU and NU for S was like splitting hairs. S isn't into sports, so he chose Wash U. It was his choice, and I believe he made a good choice.</p>
<p>Ditto above for my S. He also preferred semesters to quarters --- one reason WashU was his choice over UCLA and NU. And strictly superficially, he just liked the look and feel of WashU's campus over the other two.</p>
<p>My D is having a hard time deciding btwn Wash U, NW, Penn and a few others that are not as high on her list. She heard from a friend at school that Wash U is very conservative, but doubts this is true. Being from CA, she understands the midwest will be more conservative, but what about Wash U?
And one more question...how does all the "controversy" about Wash U that one sees on this board affect the students? Do most of them know or care at all? Does it carry over to places other than CC?</p>