<p>Urban</a> Dictionary: WUSTL</p>
<p>WashU's name must be heard</p>
<p>I get this quite a bit…</p>
<p>“So where are you going to school next year?”
“Washington U, St. Louis”
“Oh that’s great, I love Washington!..wait, Washington State or DC?”
“No, it’s actually in St. Louis, Missouri”
“Then why do they call it Washington? That’s confusing”
“Not sure, I’m not really going to the school for the name, you know?”
“Well obviously, I know my colleges and I’ve never heard of it!”</p>
<p>Same here - I hate those comments! ughh the worst is when you tell someone, “I’m going to Washington University in St. Louis next year!” and, having never heard of it before, they give you a look that clearly says, “oh…I thought you were smart…”</p>
<p>it’s very frustrating :S</p>
<p>ha, i think everyones has the same experience</p>
<p>It’s truly a nightmare that people don’t know. I always get weird looks and asked, “Is that George Washington University or is that the on in Washington state?” And I wholeheartedly agree about the looks of “I thought you were smart.”</p>
<p>maybe it’s because I live in Illinois and it’s right nearby, but wash u seems to be pretty respected around here…</p>
<p>That makes sense I guess.</p>
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<p>Actually, it’s a nightmare FOR the people who don’t know. Imagine going through life being so oblivious…</p>
<p>Interesting point. I do feel sorry for people who think the only good colleges are the Ivies.</p>
<p>I’ve had the exact same problems. It’s really upsetting to have to explain it so many times and then have people look at me like I’m dumb. It’s a top 20 school for heavens sakes!</p>
<p>it also sucks because the name is so long. I have a friend who’s going to wash u and when people ask where she’s going she always has to say “Washington University…in St. Louis” in order to clarify</p>
<p>Yeah, I would love to say Wash U, but I have to say Washington University in St. Louis most of the time so that people can understand what I’m talking about. And even then, they think, “What’s that?”</p>
<p>This problems especially bad on the west coast for some reason.</p>
<p>tell me about it! i live in LA and sometimes i half-wish i went to harvard or someplace so people would know what the heck im talkin about when i say im goin to washington university in st louis</p>
<p>They need to develop the basketball team, win the NCAA Final Four and then everyone will know about the school.</p>
<p>Hey, it worked for Duke!</p>
<p>uhhh, dude…they did. The men’s backetball team was recently the DIII champion. Yet nobody knows because hardly anyone pays attention to DIII sports…</p>
<p>and even so, one win will no be enough; Duke’s won many championship titles, and that’s why it earned its unique recognition today.</p>
<p>I think Wash U is well known across the country in the medical area. Engineering not so much.</p>
<p>actually it is in some areas of engineering…but mechanical-based, practically none</p>
<p>and regarding medical arena, you’re probably going to be talking to professionals, because to average citizens, it still doesn’t struck them in awe like Harvard Med or Johns Hopkins, even though its med school like…4th best in the country</p>
<p>but what we’re talking about is overall, WashU’s name is just not properly heard, yet it is one of the greatest schools in the nation, probably better than at least 2 ivies</p>
<p>while on a superficial level it can be frustrating at times, i really do appreciate it deep down. honestly, it keeps Wash U kids grounded because YOU know that you go to a great school - you don’t necessarily where it on your sleeve. While in circles that matter (grad schools, big companies, etc) the right people know about Wash U, a lot of kids here come from places where they do get the question “what kind of school is that?”… it takes a certain type of person to be able to deal with that AND still be proud of where you go.<br>
I think a large percentage of Wash U students come here for specific reasons beyond “name recognition”, which makes for a more laid-back yet spirited student body… that may sound like a paradox, but once you come to Wash U I think you’ll understand the balance between laid back and spirited. </p>
<p>i also think that a lot of it depends where you live, your background, and where you want to go after graduation. i went to a private high school and anyone in the honors/AP classes and the teachers all know about Wash U. just looking at the list of companies recruiting on campus, you’d never guess that we have an image/perception deficiency. and, given the preponderance of students we have from Chicago, the NYC metropolitan area (NY, CT, NJ), the Boston area, and other larger states like Ohio and Texas, Wash U’s name clearly travels well outside St Louis with the brightest of high school students</p>
<p>The level of name recognition has gotten, and will get, higher as time goes by. Keep in mind, though, that there are many parts of the country (where I’m from, for instance) where a lot of people don’t know that UPenn isn’t a state school, that Duke has strong academics outside of basketball, that Northwestern has strong academics outside of football, that “Ivy League” is synonymous with “snob”, etc. In these cases, name recognition might be driven by something that isn’t correlated to what the school and students probably want. Duke, for example, is a great school and a lot of high school students choose between Duke and Wash U… but if you ask average Joe on the street the 1 thing he knows about Duke, I’m sure the most popular answer will be “basketball.” Is that something we want to happen to Wash U? In my opinion, screw what average Joe says. Just worry about yourself and look at things that matter in a college besides the cachet and perception people have when you tell them were you go to school. I’d rather someone have NO idea what kind of school we are than someone who knows our name for a different reason than I think they should (athletics vs. academics, as the most prominent example). </p>
<p>Until then, Wash U still has a little bit of the hidden gem quality, which deep down I think a lot of people here appreciate… no matter how many times you might have to explain what type of school we are 
Frustrating at times, but I think it has substantial positives for the campus</p>
<p>^WashU approves</p>
<p>and the “hidden gem” quality is like a test to show how oblivious people are. Many may have never heard of WashU, but we just need to know those people are just indeed ignorant and that after we graduate and get a successful job (because in the real world lie the circles that matter as stated by vbball), we will be the ones who get the last laugh.</p>
<p>but I still wish WashU (the school’s nickname) would be more recognized. I seriously hate telling people the WHOLE name…</p>
<p>“Where do you got to school?”
“Washington University in St. Louis…<em>deep breath</em>”</p>