@goingnutsmom I hope your daughter ends up liking it. Just so you know, I liked WashU so much I was actually a tour guide all four years and very involved on campus. But it has several glaring flaws (outlined above) that I realized as I got older, especially after looking at other schools.
@crisstopherchros I think the problem with your original post is that you claim to be adding to the discussion, but then you only offer negative comments instead of helping steer the conservation in a more balanced direction by offering both criticism and positives.
I’m a current sophomore, I’m majoring in the humanities, and I’m not pre-med. I came in as a freshman very much undecided but leaning toward the humanities/social sciences. I’ll try to offer a more balanced outlook, although as a current student, I can’t speak to such things as job placement because I have no experience there. Anyway, the reality is that you get out of college what you put in, but there are some places that’ll get more out of you. That’s where finding the right fit comes in.
Pros:
-The advising system feels personal. Starting college was the most independence I’d ever had, but I never felt like I was alone. My four-year advisor encourages me to get involved on campus, and he checks in on me sometimes just to ask how I’m doing and if I need anything. Last year, when I had to go home and miss class due to a family emergency, he helped me sort everything out, and all of my professors were understanding.
-I feel like my professors care about me and want me to do well. I think that one of the benefits of being a humanities student is that I have the opportunity to take smaller classes in smaller departments where the professors get to know you by name. There are also freshman seminars which gives freshman students an opportunity to be in a small class taught by a professor.
-The dorms are really nice but very expensive. My freshman floor wasn’t very social, but I hear that some dorms are more social. I lived in a modern single in a suite, which was the right choice for me, so the important thing is to know what kind of dorm experience you’d prefer. I had friends living in doubles and triples, and only one of them really had any issues with her roommate. Most freshmen and sophomores live on the South 40, but this year, there weren’t enough dorms for the number of students, so all freshmen live on the 40 but many sophomores were assigned to Wash U-owned housing on the north side of campus or the Loop.
-There’s lots of flexibility in taking classes across the different schools. I’m currently taking a CS class, and I’m planning on taking a business class next semester. I know plenty of people double majoring or majoring/minoring across different schools.
-There are a lot of things to do on/around campus for people of all interests.
-I was a top student in high school, and now I’m surrounded by my academic peers. Most students I encounter really care about their work and are motivated learners. People are usually willing to form study groups and help you if you need it.
-(Speaking as an Arts and Sciences student) The general education requirements are flexible, so you have to take classes in a variety of departments, but you get to choose which ones. The only absolutely required class is College Writing 1, which is helpful for any student and any subject.
-Wash U is 15 minutes from an airport, which is convenient for a student from out of town.
Cons:
Since many cons have been outlined already, I’ll be brief.
-Sometimes I have trouble sleeping when I first get home for break because my bed at home isn’t as comfortable as the Tempurpedic mattress in my dorm room.
-Sports aren’t really a “thing” here. People don’t go to games or care about how the sports teams are doing. I didn’t even realize this was something I’d miss until I got here. In high school, I went to almost every home football game and a couple away games, but I haven’t gone to a game here, and you don’t find that kind of spirit.
-There isn’t a huge amount of economic diversity. Wash U is trying to improve that, so that’s something.
-If you’re from the east coast like me, a lot of people won’t know much about Wash U, but the people who do know of it will be impressed.
^ Thanks for another perspective on the school. That makes me feel better as a parent if it comes to the point of WUSTL being an opportunity for my daughter.
My D has done a lot of college tours. She came home from WUSTL feeling like all the staff really wanted to support the students and went the extra mile. She was a little overwhelmed with how big the campus felt to her. She comes from a public school with about 1,600 students but small campus.
I think that having a staff that cares makes a huge difference. My S at CMU had a professor knock on his door and ask him why he wasn’t coming to class. That made a huge impact on him. He will hopefully be graduating next year. I say hopefully because until I’m there watching him cross the stage to get his degree, I’ll really let my worries go.
Again, my D will see what colleges accept her and just go from there. But if WUSTL wants her, I can’t wait to visit!!
@ OP
I am a current WashU freshman strongly considering transferring for a variety of reasons. Mostly, I hate the city, and I have not made any friends here, I feel like I have not developed at all (if anything, my growth has stagnated), and I’ not a pre-med student and I’m not sure about the opportunities for liberal arts students at this school. As this is only my first semester, I am keeping an open mind, but I’m rather pessimistic. Do you have any advice for transferring? Did you get any support/help from WashU during the transfer process? Or did they give you a lot of grief over it?
Thanks again for your information and honesty!
I’m sure WashU can help. They’ve been really helpful for us in many different ways and I would think they would be able to help you with your concerns. I’m sorry you are having trouble adjusting. That’s not uncommon though. My D is the opposite, she loves the city and she has made lots of friends. She’s even made more friends as she moved into a different dorm and as she became more entrenched in her major. Maybe joining some clubs would help? I would definitely reach out because they should be able to help you. You ought to reach out to your RA too. My D found her RA so helpful and kind. There are all sorts of helpful programs that you may not be aware of and you may be surprised! Good luck!
Ignore the negative posts. Most of them are stemming from some personal issues that probably had nothing to do with the University. I also feel that the same negative poster has posted multiple times under different names as well to spread the virus.
The basic question is whether you / your child liked the school after all the research… If so, go with that … Very few students/parents dislike the campus and academics that is on tap there in WashU.
I’ll offer an alternative perspective of WashU. I transferred TO this school, and I love it (thank god, right?). As a transfer, I was accepted to the small handful of school I applied to, but ultimately chose WashU because of it’s highly academic yet cooperative (as opposed to cut-throat) environment, something that I don’t usually see as much at other top tier schools.
My list of thoughts:
-Jobs: For the record, I am a humanities major, but I haven’t found that to be much of a set-back. I haven’t graduated yet, but I have had my handful of really cool internships, and while I agree that the Career Center isn’t always that useful, I’ve been introduced to plenty of opportunities by other departments and school centers (just gotta subscribe to their email lists) and even friends. My pre-med friends all have had ample opportunity to get research opportunities at the nearby medschool campus or at WashU as well. As for getting business jobs in things like consulting, if you’re in the B-school, it’s not a problem. If you’re not in the B-school, it’s still not a problem. Some of my senior, non-business student friends, interviewed for jobs in consulting, i-banking, and the like. All to my knowledge got offers from top companies.
-The student environment: People are just nice here. Obviously, unless you’re super lucky, most students will struggle with fitting in socially when they first go to college, and I think it’s doubly so for transfer students. For me, though, I found people reciprocate when I reached out to them and I find the general WashU community really open to making new friendships. To be fair, I still felt lonely my first semester on campus, but that was on my part, not because others didn’t reach out to me. You get what you put in. Now, I have great friends and have never been happier. Unlike OP, I found it incredibly easy to make friends with non-transfers.
-Academics: Hit or miss. I’ve had some excellent classes at WashU in and out of my major, but also classes where I question the professors severely. Asking older students about which classes to take might be a good idea. All my classes have been small, which is nice. Obviously I have a different experience than pre-meds, engineers, art school students, and B-schoolers, though. Overall, professors do seem pretty accessible.
-Housing: Most of the dorms are really nice, but the process has been kind of a shit-show, to be honest, and they keep shoving people into less desirable housing. I think it’s partially because they tore down and renovated a dorm that’s due to be up and running by next year, so hopefully it’ll be better.
-Food: Delicious. One caveat, though, is that mealpoints cost more than $1 per, so it’s more advantageous to get the lowest mealplan and buy points at a lower price from other people. Freshman are required to have a silver plan, though, which is the second largest plan. Ridiculous.
-Diversity: I come from the east coast, from a town that is mostly white, so for me, WashU seems incredibly diverse (for the record, I am a minority). I’ve heard the opposite from others, mostly from people hailing from NYC, California, and the like. As for socioeconomic diversity, I don’t find there to be too much. There are students who are less well off as well as some who are ultra rich, but I find that many come from mid-upper middle class, and it shows in their spending habits. But as someone mentioned, the school has been and is continuing to change that. On my part, financial aid has been incredibly generous to me. If your aid package is not what you need, I highly recommend you give them a call, and they’ll probably help you out.
ON TRANSFERRING IN GENERAL: Let me preface this by saying that there is no “good” or “bad” reason to transfer; your reasons are valid.
Many people mistake their dissatisfaction to be stemming from their environment. While another school may be a better fit in many ways and offer a fresh start, ultimately the change has to come from you. If you continue to approach life, academics, friends, etc. the same way as you did before, your life at the school you transfer to won’t be much different. I will say that transferring was one of the hardest but also best decisions I made. I’m glad I chose WashU, of course, but the process of transferring itself forced me to change and grow.