Hi! i’m extremely interested in washu and i’ve heard nothing but great things- great academics, dorms, food, student life, etc. I’m wondering what the cons of this university are
It costs a lot to go there! : ) Seriously, none noted so far. Probably the biggest is the continual “its not an IVY so it can’t be a good school” challenge. Our student thinks otherwise and loves it. Watch the debates Sunday night to see what Wash U is all about!
Good luck!
Pro:
- Very strong academics
- Fairly collaborative environment
- Outstanding food and housing
- Nice campus
Con:
- Though it’s improving, Wash U still does not have quite the rep of some peers.
- Not the most diverse campus. (the main culprits are that they do spend a ton on the experience, while they have a relatively low endowment per student. This means they have to take mostly full-pay students, which unfortunately means less diversity.)
I think that Washington U is an outstanding school overall.
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St. Louis
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St. Louis is a fun and interesting city with plenty of things to do. Unfortunately, people feel that Boston is the be all and end all of college cities. Amazing – a significant number of people from the east actually go to school in St. Louis and like the people and the city. People need to go and explore the city and its nice people, great things to do, good food scene, great art museum and zoo and its reasonable cost of living before opining on “St. Louis is a downer.”
Shrug. I’ve actually spent time in St. Louis along with a lot of other cities across the country. St. Louis wouldn’t make my top 20 list. YMMV.
I actually had a child who applied to WUSTL anyway. It’s a great school with a lot going for it. The city itself is a weaker point IMO relative to other colleges. Can’t fault the school on academics, food, dorms, campus beauty, etc.
Diversity, or the lack thereof, overall but especially socio-economic. Know several kids who have been seriously courted who finally chose elsewhere b/c of that.
While St. Louis may not be on most people’s “top 20 destination” list, prospective students who rule out Wash U solely because of its location in St. Louis without visiting may be doing themselves a disservice. Our sophomore student has had a great time there and has found a lot to enjoy. But I can certainly understand a prospective student who would prefer a more urban, small town or rural experience not being interested. Clearly St. Louis can’t compete with Manhattan or Santa Barbara, but our east coast urban student is quite pleased with Wash U and St. Louis.
Wash U definitely has a ways to go to address the economic diversity – particularly as measured by the percentage of students who are participating in Pell Grants. The Administration has acknowledged that fact and is taking a number of steps to address this. For example, Wash U announced a partnership with KIPP St. Louis (and nationally) to recruit and cover the cost of education for KIPP graduates. The school’s current fundraising efforts includes a significant amount for financial assistance.
Are changes coming fast enough? Only time will tell…
Regarding St. Louis versus Boston:
St Louis: Year to date
Homicides year to date 148
Population 315,000
Murder rate per 100,000 46.99
Boston: Year to date
Homicides year to date 31
Population 667,000
Murder rate per 100,000 4.65
Not sure a single statistic is enough to summarize the differences between two cities. I assume you would paint Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington DC (and other cities that have experienced relative spikes in homicide rates) with the same brush.
I seem to remember Boston (and other cities) having high homicide rates during the 80’s and 90’s as well – particularly related to gang violence. And Boston has made significant progress in addressing this issue. Hopefully the others will as well.
Thankfully! But it would make exploring the city trickier and more constricted.
“While St. Louis may not be on most people’s “top 20 destination” list, prospective students who rule out Wash U solely because of its location in St. Louis without visiting may be doing themselves a disservice.”
Who’s talking about ruling it out?! OP asked for some cons. St. Louis, relative to other cities, is a con. No one mentioned ruling it out or discounted the quality of the experience at WUSTL.
@doschicos – I believe you are being a bit harsh on St. Louis. I am sure that those who live there don’t feel that way.
I know our student doesn’t feel that way nor do her friends who come from all over the country.
I think St. Louis enhances the experience at WUSTL – and the school is trying to become more engaged with St. Louis.
So perhaps you can drop its location as a “con.”
@Parche I don’t think I’m harsh. Is it the worst city? No. Is it the best or even a top 20 city? No.
I mentioned many praises about the school. To ME, it is one area that is a con relative to many other colleges. I’d say the same for Colby College. Great place but its location is a downside.
I’m all for parents being a booster for their kids’ colleges, but every school has its pros and cons. Glad your kiddo is having a good experience.
And I am still trying to figure out what makes St. Louis a “con”? I’m sure I could come up with some “cons” about where you live. Heck – I can do that to where I live. Why not let the prospective student look themselves without flatly (and arrogantly) saying that “being in St. Louis is a con”.
Safety in St. Louis is a con. WashU itself feels very safe. The Delmar Loop is fine at night in groups, but I told my D that if she ends up at WashU not to go there alone. And a mile or two east of campus, things get sketchy fast.
@Parche The OP ASKED for cons, did they not? Of course, the OP will factor that into other items of consideration and others views, including your own.
For the sake of argument, let’s look at schools on either side of WUSTL in the USNews ranking (although I don’t give much weight to rankings) and the cities they are in.
Notre Dame (I’d prefer St. Louis)
Vanderbilt (I’d prefer Nashville)
Emory (I’d prefer Atlanta)
Georgetown (I’d prefer DC)
Saying the only con I care to mention about WUSTL is the city itself (relative to other colleges and their locations) sounds like a pretty strong endorsement to me.
Message boards are all about opinions. The OP asked for opinions. Hopefully, the OP is able to use critical reasoning skills to sift through various opinions and formulate their own preferences and opinions. My guess is he/she will be able to handle that task if they have the academic chops to consider WUSTL. 
PS Thanks for calling me arrogant. Nice, buddy. Toughen up.
For those venturing to St. Louis, this came through my newsfeed today:
http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/st-louis-missouri-guide?mbid=social_facebook
Just for the record…
WashU is on my D18’s radar. The fact that it’s in StL is a con for her. Yes, she has spent time there, and she LOVES the City Museum, but compared to the cities that host her current top choices, StL falls flat. My D sees college as an opportunity go outside her comfort zone and immerse herself in a different culture, and StL is too similar to home (6-7 hour drive away). Not everyone will share her circumstances or her opinion, but that’s okay. Life would be boring if we were all the same.
My D absolutely loves WashU and StL. She literally dislikes the Northeast and especially Manhattan so its a personal decision. She doesn’t like the culture of the Northeast and loves the Midwestern/Southern culture. So StL is definitely a PRO for my D. In short its definitely personal choice.
Awhile back, I invited my D to join the alumni interviewing session with the parents so she could answer questions. We were sitting around a huge table while 40 students came in for alumni interviews and there were many parents and students. There was one crazy parent (ha ha) that started firing question after question to my D and it went on for 30 minutes.
His first question was what DON’T you like about WashU. She couldn’t come up with ONE thing. She just sat there starting at him trying to figure out something. He was like WOW - thats awesome that it is that GREAT. So then he said okay - tell me what you like about WashU. So she answered everything she liked for 30 minutes. Then his D joined us after her interview and he told her to make sure she asks my D questions. Funny!
My D felt that was a great experience that she could help others and she is so happy to be a part of the WashU family. She was also so proud that she even got accepted to WashU. That was quite an accomplishment and other parents even congratulated her. That was very sweet.