<p>Does anyone know the answers to some of these questions? I’m from the East Coast and am considering applying RD, so I don’t know too much about the school.</p>
<li>What are the strongest academic programs/fields at WashU? Is there a good balance of the humanities and sciences?</li>
<li>Does a lot of learning occur through student-student interaction outside of class? -I.E. how intellectual is the student body?</li>
<li>How easy is it to form close relationships with professors?</li>
<li>…to get funding for individual research or other projects?</li>
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<p>Any answers from current/past/prospective students would be helpful, thanks a lot!</p>
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<li><p>What are the strongest academic programs/fields at WashU? Is there a good balance of the humanities and sciences?
The pre med track is one of the best, and most competitive, in the entire country. That said, the humanities departments are exceptional (see Record:</a> WUSTL is top 10 in 19 disciplines%5DRecord:">http://record.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/8536.html))). So yes there is a balance.</p></li>
<li><p>Does a lot of learning occur through student-student interaction outside of class? -I.E. how intellectual is the student body?
Lots of students form study groups. It's a friendly place, and most students are very motivated. </p></li>
<li><p>How easy is it to form close relationships with professors?
Many professors are very approachable, and definitely do NOT have this ivy-league mentality that teaching undergrads is an annoyance. At harvard, some classes are really run by the TA's. At WashU I had profs grading my papers, emailing me personally whenever I missed a class, inviting me over for dinner (happened three times for class dinner).</p></li>
<li><p>...to get funding for individual research or other projects?
This is sort of tricky. I mean, if you're talking about forming a student group or club, that's easy. Just petition SU, they have tons of money lying around. For academic research, it helps to be in some sort of scholarship program and to pay attention to department emails. Declare your major early and keep in touch with the profs in the department -- ask them and they'll give you opportunities..</p></li>
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<p>My 2nd question may have been a little misleading, however, what I meant was not how much students necessarily study outside of class, but how much they are there for love of learning. For example, is it common to hold intellectual discussions until late at night, like discussing politics until 3 AM or over dinner? </p>
<p>Again, thanks for the response, it was very informative.</p>
<p>That can depend on who you talk to. There are of course students here who are more interested in the social scene than anything else. But I get the general sense students are really interested in academics as well.</p>
<p>As an example,when I went to my final anthropology class this semester, the lecture hall had over ~450 people in it (there were only 355 seats, and 355 kids in the class). Dozens of kids came because the teacher, Prof Smith, has this great reputation for giving a great last lecture. They didn't come because they had to, they just wanted to hear his lecture. At the end he got this 30 second standing ovation (which apparently he gets every year) ..And yes, people discuss that course and others all the time..whether its in study groups, or in the dorms. Especially organic chemistry/gen chem =) Those are classes that for better or worse everyone obsesses over.</p>
<p>Appropriate Conclusion: While many of the qualified applicants to Georgetown self-identify as "Catholic," this does not mean that the school discriminates against non-Catholics or gives any preference to Catholics on the basis of their religious preference. It simply means that the overwhelming amount of applicants say they are Catholic.</p>
<p>Seriously, you do realize like 90% of the student body here is white? It's similarly wrong to then state that Georgetown discriminates against minorities. It's directly related to the applicant pool, not their own picking and choosing.</p>
<p>Haha cool. Those two schools are my top choices. I wasn't even considering Wash U until I went down there for Discovery Days. It's not too well-known but it's a great school.</p>