Have you guys considered Washington University in St. Louis?

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hey Guys!</p>

<p>I'm an Indian student at Washington University in St. Louis and I'd like to tell you about the the amazing WashU experience. To start of, I'm sure most of you haven't heard of WashU or you probably think i'm talking about the University of Washington ( Which is in Seattle ) or the Washington State University, both of which are public universities. No surprise there haha. </p>

<p>WashU is actually a top notch private university that's up there with Northwestern, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Rice and Brown. It has been consistently ranked in between 9 and 14 over the last decade ( US News and WR) surpassing Brown and Cornell. WashU is a hidden gem as it rose up the ranks only in the 1990's. it's an inside joke at WashU that not many have heard of it, but it doesn't bother students at WashU as everyone here loves the school for other reasons.</p>

<p>Even rankings shouldn't be your sole reason to apply to WashU or to any college for that matter. Unlike colleges in India, most of which are fairly similar in terms or curriculum, courses etc (only to be separated by rankings and quality of students), colleges in the US are very different from each other. Each college has a very different feel to it and students are attracted to WashU because of it's amazing quality of life, abundant research opportunities for undergraduates, Flexibility and much more!</p>

<p>WashU's focus on undergraduates is another reason students are attracted to it. Many top universities out there have a HUGE grad school focus, leaving limited resources and professors for undergraduates.</p>

<p>WashU, in my opinion is one of the most flexible colleges out there. Changing majors time and again, is easy and in fact more than 60% of students at WashU double major! One of my friends at WashU is double majoring in computer science and economics while also taking up a minor in psychology! How awesome is that? The administration at WashU is is extremely supportive and each student actually has a personal advisor for even the smallest of problems.</p>

<p>Being in the Midwest of the United States, WashU is stereotyped as a school with extremely friendly students and honestly, that stereotype is almost completely true! International students have no trouble settling here and almost no one regrets enrolling at WashU.</p>

<p>I can go on and on about the social scene, sports , clubs and courses but i doubt most of you will want to read so much.</p>

<p>More importantly, it' still not late to apply to WashU:
1) jan 15th deadline
2) ONLY COMMON APP: NO SUPPLEMENTS= NO EXTRA WORK ( that's a biggie!)
3) Great financial aid for international students ( I personally know many who were awarded full rides)
4) Among the top 3 in the nation for quality of life, food and dorms haha :D ( Yeah, it's like living in a luxury hotel )</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or if you want to know more about the college. I'll be glad to help anyone out.</p>

2

<p>Hi!
I have heard of Washington University but haven’t really ever thought of applying…I plan to major in journalism so could you perhaps tell me how good is it at WashU? Also does the university have holistic admissions? and how’s the need-based financial aid? Too many questions, i know but i am really curious…</p>

3

<p>The journalism major is pretty good from what I’ve heard. And yes, the admissions are holistic like most top colleges in the USA, but you must keep in mind that grades and standardized test score are always very important. I know many international students who have received full ride ( full tuition) to WashU so I can confidently say that need based financial aid is great at WashU! You can check their website for particular courses etc.</p>

<p>Also, get on their mailing list by sending them a mail and they’ll send you numerous posts about the various opportunities at WashU!</p>

4

<p>hmmmm… so let’s say that i got a 1940 in my SAT and have an average gpa, yet very good ecas and a strong essay…Oh and yeah, i’ll be applying for need based financial aid. So should i even bother applying?</p>

5

<p>You still have time to take that SAT a couple more times. So you can easily reach a score of 2100+ (WashU superstores the SAT) and that would give you a reasonable shot at WashU. Spend a lot of time on SAT/ACT prep! I did that and jumped from a 1900 on my first practice test to a 2310 on my 3rd attempt at the SAT.</p>

6

<ol>
<li>Is it need aware or need blind for internationals?</li>
<li>What is the admission statistics for internationals? How many applied and how many were accepted?</li>
<li>How many of the admitted internationals got aid? What is the percentage?</li>
<li>What is the average financial aid given per international student in this current freshman class?</li>
</ol>

7

<p>Moneyp, WashU is need aware for both US citizens as well as internationals.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, WashU doesn’t release statistics specific to internationals. But I can assure you that they’ve offered extremely generous FA packages to talented indian students over the years.( Most of those who were accepted had 100% of need met).</p>

<p>I personally know MANY students who’ve come to WashU on full rides from China, Korea and India.</p>

<p>You should give it a shot. There’s nothing to lose anyway ( Except for 55$ if you don’t have a fee waiver )</p>

8

<p>@Happyasever </p>

<p>Hi! I’ve applied to WashU St louis for fall 2013,but have no hopes of getting in because of bad SAT score (1970). But I have perfect scores in all the other tests like SAT 2’s,AP’s,TOEFL and also have handful medals in science olympiads. I’ve written very good essays,have excellent recommendations and lots of volunteer work. I’m applying for financial aid too. So do you think I stand a chance to get into WashU?</p>

9

<p>venkatsuhas, it’s great to know that you’ve applied to WashU. However, I feel your SAT score, especially the 560 in CR will hurt a lot. If it weren’t for that, you’d probably have a better shot; but at the moment, chances are pretty slim. Don’t lose hope though, admission to american universities is all a crap shot and you never know, your great SAT 2 and AP scores might get you lucky. </p>

<p>You have a great chance at UIUC, Rochester and Northeastern :)</p>

10

<p>Yeah I know. I’m also applying for financial aid which will further reduce my chances(if there are any). UIUC,Rochester and Northeastern do not give financial aid to internationals so I’ve not applied to them. Trinity college(ED2),Harvey Mudd,Davidson college,Case western and stony brook university are amongst the other schools that i’ve applied to. What do you think are my chances to these schools?</p>

11

<p>I think you have a great chance at Trinity college (ED2).Did you apply ED1 anywhere btw?
Chances at Harvey Mudd and Davidson are slim but you have a great chance at both Case Western and Stony Brook University.</p>

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<p>I am applying for aid so this I think will reduce my chances. I wish my parents were billionaires… :smiley: ;)</p>

13

<p>Thank you Happyserver.
I have applied for this school - Computer Science
SAT-I 800(M) 710 (CR) 730 (W) SAT-2 Maths Level.2 - 800 Physics -800
IB Acads 3.85 Very good ECs - I think wrote good essays
Applied for Financial Aid both Merit or Need based.
What are my chances? Thank you friends,</p>

14

<p>@All - Washington University @ St. Louis is an excellent school. That being said, you shouldn’t limit yourself unless you have a very convincing argument in your mind as to what you want to do. Pick your institution based on what your end-game is - i.e. what do you want to do with your degree? Does your college choice help you achieve that goal?</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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