Need help -- preferably from an east-coast WUSTL parent

<p>Here's the deal:</p>

<p>It looks like Wash U. will be the "best" school that my S gets into (where "best" is defined by me, and I'm seldom wrong (; ).</p>

<p>S's mother is very much against him going as:</p>

<ol>
<li>She thinks it's too far (we are from the northeast)</li>
<li>Although it's highly ranked, she don't see it having the "cachet" of an east-coast school.</li>
<li>She's a New Yorker and really and truly believes that the Hudson is the western boundary of civilization.</li>
</ol>

<p>She would rather him go to our big state U. for a year and then try and transfer to "someplace better." I'm against this and I'm trying to sell her on Wash U. and I need some data points.</p>

<p>And to preempt the next question, no we haven't visited yet but will most likely in the coming weeks. I'm <em>hoping</em> that she falls in love with it at that time, but she's very stubborn.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for the help!</p>

<p>P.S.: As to what S thinks, well he goes back-and-forth. At the moment he's still in a funk over a couple of rejections.</p>

<p>My S was accepted ED at WashU and will start there in the fall. We’re from NJ. There are a lot of nonstop flights from Newark and Philly (Southwest Airlines!), which are only about 2.5 hours. Door-to-door travel time could be a lot longer for many East-Coast schools, depending on where you live.</p>

<p>What state are you from, e.g. what would be the big state U? What does your S want to study? Does he have any preferences as to school type, size, etc? What were the favorite schools that he didn’t get accepted to?</p>

<p>Thanks.
We are from CT, so UConn would be the state U. (he was accepted into the honors program with $$).</p>

<p>He applied ED I to Brown, got deferred. Fully expect to get a rejection tomorrow.
He applied ED II to Wesleyan, got waitlisted. He technically still has a chance but I’m not counting on it.</p>

<p>His RD schools (besides UConn) were:</p>

<p>Rochester - Waiting, assuming acceptance
Penn. - Waiting, assuming rejection
Oberlin - In with $$
NYU - In
Tufts - Rejected
Georgetown - Rejected
WUSTL - In</p>

<p>He’s a musician, but is also interested in studying Psychology and/or Philosophy. He didn’t particularly want to go to Tufts or Georgetown, but he doesn’t take well to rejection. The Wesleyan waitlist really hit him hard, he really thought he was going to get in.</p>

<p>I haven’t heard great things about UConn, unless he’s a big basketball fan. I don’t see any other big schools on his list, so I’m guessing UConn wouldn’t be a great fit.</p>

<p>Oberlin is supposed to be great for music. With $$, I would think it would be in contention. It isn’t quite as far away from the East Coast as WashU, but once you get on an airplane, the relative traveling time isn’t too much different.</p>

<p>Given what you say, Oberlin, WashU, and Rochester (if he gets in) would probably all be fine choices, and probably better fits than UConn. I personally don’t think that planning to transfer is a great plan. Sure, some students won’t like their school and end up transferring. But I don’t think a student should go in with that plan, as there is a risk that they won’t really apply themselves to finding ECs to participate in, making friends, etc. </p>

<p>I absolutely agree that a visit to WashU for the entire family is in order. I’m the one who took my S on the college visits, so my husband hasn’t seen WashU, but he was OK with S applying ED, after S and I really liked it after our visit. My husband will take him in August, to see WashU for the first time. Before I started hanging out on CC, I wouldn’t have considered S applying to any schools outside of the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic corridor. And I’m still a bit afraid that S will decide to settle in the St. Louis area rather than returning to the East Coast. At this point he plans on law school however, so I hope he will end up back on the East Coast for law school and afterward. There are LOTS of NY/NJ students at WashU. We visited in late August when WashU was in session but high school hadn’t started yet out east. Absolutely EVERYONE at our info session was from the East Coast, except for a few internationals.</p>

<p>One could always try to transfer from Wash U after freshman year. I imagine that might be easier than transferring from someplace “not” better.</p>

<p>As someone who grew up in Missouri but lives in a major city in Ohio (I know, I know, New Yorkers would argue that no such thing exists), I will suggest to you that while Oberlin is a fantastic music school, it is in the middle of nowhere from city-dweller’s perspective. WashU from a location standpoint is placed beautifully if you can get your wife out of the New-York-Is-The-Center-of-The-Universe mindset. It is also perceived as a better school than Wesleyan without a doubt. For a student who is not really sure what he/she wants and would like to explore the curriculum, WashU is fabulous. It is a school for very hard working students, however.</p>

<p>As far as cachet goes, it clearly has the most “cachet” or prestige of any of the other schools to which your son has been accepted.</p>

<p>And if he loves the East coast, it is unlikely he will decide to live in St. Louis when undergrad is over.</p>

<p>one trip to wash u and he’ll be sold. it is an easy trip to st louis from northeast- it is a nice change to be with others besides the east coasties. wash in is a very highly rated school and if he does well,and isn’t happy, he could transfer.</p>

<p>I don’t live in the east coast now, but grew up there and I have a son who’s a freshman at Wash U. I totally agree with westmom – one visit and you’ll be hooked! You couldn’t ask for more in a college. Beautiful campus, happy students, collaborative and supportive environment. It’s all there.</p>

<p>There are a ton of New Yorkers at Wash U.</p>

<p>Pursuing different and unrelated interests is easily done and strongly encouraged. </p>

<p>Oberlin is a very good school as well, but its musical fame comes from the conservatory, which is separate from the college. You have to be accepted to the conservatory by audition in order to take classes there.</p>

<p>Our S also got into WUSTL. A few days ago we (the parents) got a letter from them with a long list of parents from all over the country willing to speak with parents of newly admitted students. If you didn’t get that mailing, maybe you could call WUSTL and request they send you this list. It had several hundred names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc…</p>

<p>

Both of my best friends at WashU are, incidentally, from New York :D</p>

<p>

When I was accepted I remember getting a mailing like this. I remember my dad speaking on the phone with a parent in the area whose kid was at WashU. WashU keeps in close touch with its parents (now that I’m a senior they are keeping in closer touch/ alumni donation mailings!)</p>

<p>Time for your wife to show a little sophistication. The NY-is-the-center-of-the-universe mindset is the antithesis of sophistication. People who know what’s what are aware that it’s a big country out there and a lot of culture, opportunity and wealth all over. I am from the east myself. I understand the mindset. But it’s provincial and narrow.</p>

<p>What does your S want to do?</p>

<p>He’s a musician, but is also interested in studying Psychology and/or Philosophy.</p>

<p>OK but I was meaning does he have his own preference regarding Wash U vs other UConn or other choice. Listen to what your S wants. He has to do these next four years.</p>

<p>Philosophy is awesome, lots of opportunity to pair up with prof for independent study. I also sent you a PM on some other stuff about WashU.</p>

<p>Plus, I have some interesting info on UConn, which I did not include in my PM, but no time to write about that now. I’ll send another PM later.</p>

<p>@SrlkHolmes</p>

<p>Problem is, S doesn’t know what he wants.
He was not super-excited about any of the schools, really.
He did get a bit excited about Wesleyan, but then got pretty crushed when the waitlist came.</p>

<p>Frankly, I don’t really think S has the best judgment. Not that he’s irresponsible - quite the opposite, he’s very responsible, it’s just that he dismissed many good schools for absolutely no good reason (Vassar, CMU, UChicago, Case, Northwestern).</p>

<p>It’s important to know that it’s more difficult and more competitive to get into “top” schools as a transfer student than it is straight from HS. The plan to transfer to get into a “better” school is a poor one. Go to the school you plan to be at for all 4 years. Only transfer if there is a problem with that school once you are there.</p>

<p>Hm.my sister just transfered into Wash U with no problems at all.</p>

<p>^^I don’t understand that. I personally would have chosen WashU, Northwestern or U of Chicago over Wesleyan in a heartbeat.</p>