<p>I feel like washu is dead. i feel like all the socializing is people in clubs and that people dont hang out. what are parties like? Like do u need to be in a frat? etc etc. and besides parties, it seems like washu is very academically focused and so it is very not fun</p>
<p>hahah, when we were there for pre-frosh, there were tons of parties going on.
we stopped by an event called Spirit of Korea, held by a korean club, where there were maybe 200-300 students who came to get free korean food and watch dancers (hiphop and traditional).</p>
<p>we also went to the hawaii club luau where we saw another performance and got some more food! That place was also quite packed.</p>
<p>Aside from the clubs we saw over the weekend, we heard about parties held by frats. Of course you don’t need to be in a frat to go party. There’s almost a party every night and a lot of people like to drink and chill with friends in their dorms. Of course WashU is academically focused. If you want to go to a school that parties all the time, why not just go to your local state school (not even your flagship). </p>
<p>If you were there over multicultural weekend, you might have seen Holi, this insane 300 person waterballoon fight that lasted nearly 20 minutes. Just constant waterballoons exploding on a huge field. </p>
<p>Walking around, i constantly saw people saying hi to each other and stopping to chat. the campus is small enough so that you can find your friends just by walking around! The greek scene is also bigger than most people think. Like i said, you can find a party whenever you want and you don’t even have to be in a frat.</p>
<p>cuz right now im torn between washu and umich. and im considering BME with pre-med. and i’m trying to look at both schools from all angles and it’s really coming down to all these minor details.</p>
<p>i just have no idea how to decide</p>
<p>I am biased of course, but WashU has such a prestigious BME and pre-med program that it is really hard to ignore… plus you said considering, and WashU’s flexibility for switching majors and adapting to your needs is one of its best qualities… I’m not entirely sure how much personal attention you will get from advisers at UMich (I just dont know that much about UMich), but I’m sure your own 4+ advisers at WashU will give you all the insight and attention you desire to fit your needs.</p>
<p>wow, why didn’t you say you were BME and pre-med!
WashU without a doubt has better programs in those fields. It has the #3 medical school in the nation, which means awesome opportunities for you to do research.<br>
if you’re pre-med, you’ll get tons of attention from advisers on how to plan your courses.
but seriously, BME is probably the most difficult major at most colleges. Doing BME JUST TO GET INTO MED SCHOOL is probably the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard. Someone compared that to “climbing Mt. Everest to get some fresh air”. If you want to be pre-med just major in something else. My host during multicultural weekend was a BME major and he had a few tests coming up next week so he was studying over 10 hours a day! for two or three days to just prepare for those exams. However, when he was finally done, he went out with his friends and attended a club event, so he still finds time to socialize. Seriously, if you’re serious about BME, don’t expect to party as much as your friends. This isn’t just what happens at WashU, this will happen at any college you go to.</p>
<p>i know washu has a better pre-med program but michigan’s BME program is ranked higher by us news. but how us news “ranks” things kinda means nothing, so i have no idea how accurate it is. I like physics and math so i like the idea of those subjects combining with biology and chemistry. So BME feels kinda “right.” Getting into med school is all about getting good grades. But i want to have a “good” college experience and while BME is a difficult major especially when trying to complete a premed track, i still want to have a good time.</p>
<p>I wasn’t actually referring to rankings… I dont know how much I buy into it that much. Regarding getting into med school, whether or not you do BME, is I believe it’s 80% acceptance rate for WashU, which is astounding. Also, WashU is incredibly undergrad focused for such a “highly ranked” school. I have heard undergrads have opportunities galore to do research at the graduate level. My doctor (who goes all over the country for expositions and conferences) has personally attested to the preparedness of students coming out of WashU, and he wasnt trying to convince me because I’m an architecture major. Finally, the happiness of students who go to WashU speaks for itself. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>BME is a lot different from just physics, chem, math, etc.<br>
it’s a whole different animal.
if you want to study and party all the time, either school is fine.<br>
I just hope you understand that as a BME major, it’ll be more like 80% studying, 20% partying, wherever you go, and that might still not get you good grades.</p>
<p>yea i understand that BME is very different, but my interesting in those subjects led to my interest in BME. WOW that 80% statistic to med school is amazing. do u have a place where i can read that? (i believe you, it’ll prolly just lead to more helpful information as well). I dunno i feel like i have an internal struggle: i can easily see myself at both schools. and i liked both a lot when i visited and so its hard to tell what’s better. cuz im largely independent so the size doesnt really frighten me much. Just committing to one school or the other is just so difficult</p>
<p>as far as the original question about social life… believe me, there’s tons of fun stuff going on, all the time, parties and not. I was BME at washu, was involved in a few clubs here and there, and definitely had time to go out on the weekends. I spent a good amount of time on the weekend doing problem sets too, but it’s engineering, it happens.</p>
<p>For parties, my friends from my floor or classes and I usually went out together. Freshman and sophomore year were half frats, half parties in friends’ dorm rooms (i was in sub-free). Junior and senior years were mostly off campus parties. It’s nothing like a state school, but if you’re a social person, it’ll be easy to find fun things to do. You definitely don’t have to be in a frat. It’s nice to have some friends who are, and get invited to pre-parties, but the frats throw large parties open to everyone too.<br>
Clubs are popular because it’s a great way to meet people outside your dorm/major, otherwise you’re stuck studying with the same people every day :)</p>
<p>i feel at washu cuz the dorms are so nice, people just hang out there so much or are just in there dorms alone. i’d rather be out and be with people and have a good time like that</p>
<p>when i stayed in one of the traditional dorms at washu this past weekend, kids went out of their dorms all the time, even at 2 am.</p>
<p>As a current premed sophomore in a frat, I’m probably qualified to answer this. My freshman year I felt very constricted on a subfree floor. I never felt as though I had that typical “freshman” experience, hence why I was so interested in joining a frat. </p>
<p>To really answer your questions: WashU is far from dead, yet it is far from a party school. On weekends, there will always be parties at the frats, and anyone is welcome. You do not need to be in the frat to party at it. I will say that being in a frat has made my social life considerably more enjoyable. It opens up a huge world of friends and experiences that are rewarding in different ways. </p>
<p>If you live on campus (freshman and sophomore year), the parties you do go to will be in friends’ rooms or at the frats. There are times when you will go out to the clubs on Thursdays, but if you are engineering, that’s doubtful haha. </p>
<p>My sister went to Michigan and had a blast. I’m at Washu and having fun, but academically challenged. It’s up to you whether you want to struggle for grades at WashU, or go to Michigan and most likely have an easier time getting good grades. Michigan also has a huge amount of school spirit, whereas WashU has almost none. </p>
<p>WashU has a small student body, it’s starting to feel like I see someone I know everywhere I go, which is nice. But at times it feels very small. That wouldn’t be the case at Michigan.</p>
<p>Hopefully those few things help, otherwise pm me for more questions of a current student</p>
<p>smartysportboy thank you so much. you offered opinions from both sides and what you said was really informative. Like going to med school is pretty high up there in my priorities and i know getting good grades is extremely! important. but someone said in thus thread that washu sends like 80% to med school or something like that. so do u think its difficult at washu to maintain a good social life and still do well? cuz i feel like both schools will offer good education and i could do well at both.</p>
<p>social life with BME and premed?
you should be looking at your major not the school.</p>
<p>what does that mean exactly?</p>
<p>I think they’re trying to say it’s the major that may be inhibitive to your social life, not the school you choose.</p>
<p>oooooooooo i see. that seems possible</p>
<p>everyone describes the washu atmosphere as work hard, play hard. There’s always something to do, but the parties aren’t exactly going to come to you either…</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I think washu is amazing (esp for BME) and anything but dull, but maybe if you’re this concerned about the party scene, you should just go to umich.</p>
<p>i dont know if im “concerned” really, its more of im from a school of 600 and our town sucks and people like hang out in little clicks and groups. and id just want to know that whereever i go ill be able to do well, learn a lot and still have lots of fun</p>