Hi everyone! I was planning on applying to WashU, but recently I’ve been having some second doubts because of the location of the school, and I’d really appreciate it if anyone (current students, alumni, relatives, etc.) could give me some advice. I absolutely fell in love with WashU when I started to research about the school. I love how student-life oriented they are, how amazing their business school is, how beautiful and diverse the campus is, how collaborative the students are, as well as so many other factors. However, one very significant factor in my criteria is the location of the schools I’m applying to. Missouri isn’t an area that I view as being able to give me so many opportunities (mostly career-wise) compared to Massachussetts, Washington, etc. I always imagined myself living in a state/city that’s very lively and exciting, and would Missouri fit that criteria when, for example, being compared to cities in the east coast? I’m not trying to offend anyone that does live in Missouri or goes to WashU because I know that everyone has their own experiences, but could anyone give me some solid advice about my dilemna? I feel like where I attend college is most likely where I’d settle down in the future, and I want to be sure that I don’t have second doubts about my choice if I did get into WashU.
Also, I feel like I’m speaking as in I would 1000% get into the school, and this is not the case at all; I’m not trying to sound arrogant. I would be so lucky if I were to get into a school as amazing as WashU!
My son has some good friends who went to WUSTL and loved the area and the city. They found STL affordable, with plenty of culture, restaurants etc. National universities like WUSTL send students around the country for post-grad, so going to WUSTL doesn’t commit someone to staying in the area. Consider researching more on WUSTL’s career services – what regions have the highest percentage of grads, what fields etc.
WashU is in a great location. It is in a nice part of town and next to a massive park with a zoo and museums etc… As mentioned St Louis is very affordable. The campus has excellent dorms but many students also live nearby in nice apartments. WashU is a global university, it attracts top students from across the country and the world. They create a collaborative environment so you will develop friendships with students that will then pursue opportunities everywhere. The alumni base is spread around the world. The university has resources including a developed career center that can help students find career opportunities across the U.S. including Silicon Valley, NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, etc… Also, many students go on to the best graduate programs around the country. For the class that began this year, the university only accepted about 13% of the applicants - some people believe that it is best to apply Early Decision to improve your chances. Good Luck!
Would help to know what you want to study and of any career plans.
Also, if you plan on attending graduate school, the location of one’s undergraduate school is not important.