Does WUSTL seem right for me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
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<p>I'm a senior but I just started looking into WUSTL- I didn't think it was right for me because I'd rather not be in the Midwest, but I recently (as in yesterday night) realized that its academics seem perfect for me. I'm not sure if that means I should apply though, since I don't know that much about the culture, and since I thought I had already finalized my college list. Can you guys try to help me decide whether or not I should apply?</p>

<p>Some things about me and what I'm looking for:
-I won't post my stats (I think you can look them up or I'll post them if you really want) but I'm pretty sure WUST is a mid-high match for me.
-I'm fairly quiet around people I've just met so I'd love if it was a campus where people who aren't quite as outgoing as most people can still make friends.
-I'm planning on majoring in Middle Eastern studies, which WUSTL seems perfect for, and I also want to study abroad in the Middle East, namely the West Bank or Jordan (which WUSTL doesn't seem to offer...does anyone know how flexible they are with study abroad?).
-I'm really hoping to get internships related to Politics and/or the Middle East (so being in a good city for that is important; I don't know that much about St. Louis or what it offers).
-I'm not into partying or anything (putting hundreds of people who don't know each other and turning on techno music has never seemed like a recipe for fun for me) so I'd love a college that's maybe a little more nerdy (also in general I just want a more intellectual atmosphere) where there are a lot of options of what to do.</p>

<p>My other colleges (in approx. order of selectivity, not preference):
-Swarthmore
-Georgetown
-Pomona
-Claremont McKenna
-George Washington
-NYU
-Bard
-American
-UMD-College Park
-U Mass Amherst</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!! :)</p>

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<p>Just a few responses:</p>

<p>There are lots of introverts here, but mostly, people here work past social awkwardness, at least toward the beginning. If you’re willing to put yourself out there a little bit toward the beginning, you’ll be fine–but you need to put out that initial effort (probably the same for 99.9% of all schools)</p>

<p>Study abroad is very flexible, so I’ve heard.</p>

<p>St. Louis isn’t necessarily the best city for internships of any sort, but the nice thing is that you’re really not competing against other top-tier colleges, and I’m sure there’s a lot you could find if you looked.</p>

<p>People here are definitely rather nerdy, in the down-to-earth kind of way, but a lot of people do party. You’ll be fine as long as being around alcohol doesn’t make you too uncomfortable (again, this is probably like most schools)</p>

<p>It’s impossible to say if WashU is the perfect school for you, but I do think that almost anyone could be very happy here.</p>

<p>There’s still a soft spot in my heart for Pomona though (which I was convinced I’d apply ED to until my parents said they didn’t want me deserting them to California. And if I were doing it all again I’d definitely give more weight to LAC’s, since I’m not really interested in research.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>