questions+pros/cons of wustl?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>so i'm a bit surprised that a school as good as WUSTL only asks for the common app essay, is this one of the reasons why it has such a large applicant pool compared to schools of the same or higher caliber? and thus the 17% acceptance rate last year?
and what do the admissions ppl look for the most in the application?
i'm thinking about majoring in international relations, and i know there's an international and area studies major available, if anyone knows more about it, more information would be appreciated! </p>

<p>and just wondering, what are the pros/cons of the school?
i know that it's known for its friendliness, diversity, laidbackness but still work hard ethic.. but i wanna know more specific information that aren't just printed on the viewbook</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>Wash U is a great school- I really can't imagine being anywhere else.</p>

<p>Some cons you may not have heard of:
the school is really tough, especially the pre-med curriculum
Most science classes are free response, not multiple choice
The weather here is pretty crappy sometimes (and unpredictable)
A lot of classes use night exams, classes aren't canceled on exam days</p>

<p>That's it, really. I really haven't found any major problems with the school. Top 20 schools are in the top 20 because they are so great- Wash U is no exception. If you want a real picture of what Wash U life is like, go visit, attend a class or two, and room in a dorm. That also shows interest- another category that adcoms at Wash U like to see.</p>

3

<p>Pros:</p>

<p>1) Beautiful campus and dorms</p>

<p>2) No TA's teaching classes</p>

<p>3) Approachable Professors who care about the undergrads</p>

<p>4) Smart student body</p>

<p>5) Warm, helpful support staff</p>

<p>6) Forest Park</p>

<p>7) Free passes for public transportation</p>

<p>8) Flexible/Easy to take classes in different Wustl schools or transfer between Wustl schools</p>

<p>9) Lots of opportunities for undergrads to do research</p>

<p>10) Great size. Around 6,000 undergrads. Enough students to always find and experience new people, but small enough that you always run into someone you know and don't feel like a number.</p>

<p>11) Filled with super bright kids but not cut-throat</p>

<p>12) Beautiful new student center</p>

<p>13) Great Food</p>

<p>The only real Con that I can think of is that it doesn't yet have the same amount of name recognition as do other schools of it's high caliber. This is however improving with time as WashU's emergence into the "top tier" of universities is relatively new.</p>

4

<p>I think most students here cannot think of many "cons" because they are people who chose to attend the school! There are some things that other folks may not like about Wash U, so I will mention some things that some people find lacking:</p>

<p>1) No big Division I sports. Some people are really big on college sports and Wash U is not the place for that (unless you follow Division III sports). Luckily Mizzou is close by for anybody who wants to cheer for a local national sports powerhouse.</p>

<p>2) No big fraternity, partying scene. There are fraternities here and they are very active, but again it is nothing like at Mizzou or other big state schools. Students at Wash U definitely enjoy themselves, but it definitely is not a heavy duty "party school" for people who like that kind of environment.</p>

<p>3) It's in St. Louis. Many people on the coasts think St. Louis is a dirty, old, crime ridden city with nothing to do off campus. Truthfully, there is crime in parts of the city, and some parts are definitely old and dirty, but in general the metropolitan St. Louis area is very liveable with plenty to offer. The areas around campus are actually very nice. It's not Boston, New York, San Francisco or even Chicago -- it's St. Louis and proud to be St. Louis!</p>

<p>4) Lack of lower income students. Part of why Wash U has risen in prominence in the past 20 years is due to their admission practice of giving generous merit aid to attract top students, which reduces the amount of aid they use for need based aid. That has skewed the demographics here so that the vast majority of students come from upper middle income and higher households. One Student Life article mentioned that only 10% of the undergraduates come from households earning less than $60K/year:</p>

<p>Student</a> Life - Impact of new financial aid program difficult to determine</p>

<p>So even though the school has racial diversity, it is lacking in socio-economic diversity:</p>

<p>Student</a> Life - Need-blind admissions are worth the cost</p>

<p>There are other top schools like Wash U in this respect, but I still consider it as one of its few "cons". Luckily, the administration wants to help correct this with their new financial aid policy. </p>

<p>Hmm, my list of cons almost sound like pros, don't they?</p>

5

<p>I don't attend WUSTL yet. I applied ED. But one con I've noticed already is the name. Washington University in St. Louis gets kind of annoying to say over and over, and if I say WUSTL or WashU nobody knows what I'm talking about. If I say Washington University people think I'm talking about a school on the west coast. Plus, where I'm from, nobody has ever heard of the school for some reason. Then I have to explain over and over where it is, what programs it has that are good, etc...gets kind of tiresome. So kind of like nervous1 said, the name recognition still isn't quite up there with other top schools, but hopefully it'll get there eventually.</p>

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<p>wudude: Besides number 4, all of those did sound like pros! You totally convinced me to apply, haha!</p>

<p>What schools in the Northeast do you think WashU is comparable to, in terms of atmosphere?</p>

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<p>Haha, guitarman89, I feel your pain. I'm soooo happy I chose Wash U, but that name thing was very frustrating at first. My favorite is when people would correct me. "Do you mean George Washington University?" No. "Do you mean Georgetown?" Seriously? Or, "is that in Washington State or DC?"</p>

<p>As soon as you get here, though, it stops being a problem. Dealing with that frustration at the end of senior year is definitely worth it!</p>

8

<p>guitarman, I'm surprised you have to explain WashU to people if you're from IL. I'm from StL, WashU alum, and live in Boston now. I definitely find fewer people on the east coast that recognize the name, but in the midwest most everyone seemed to know it. To be honest though, whenever I speak to anyone attending another top-tier school, running competitive programs, searching for highly qualified candidates, etc, they are familiar with WashU, and so far that's all I've needed :)</p>

<p>Otherwise I completely agree with all the pros listed so far. I don't personally consider WashU not being a party school and having DivIII sports to be cons, and they're partly reasons I chose WashU. </p>

<p>My favorite story about the name recognition problem was when Saliva performed at WILD... they came on stage and shouted to the crowd "How's it goin Washington State!!!!" Kinda funny, kinda sad, probably kinda drunk too. Don't they at least know what state they're in?</p>

<p>Sunshineyday, I don't know many east coast schools, but from the small amount of time I've spent at Tufts since being in Boston, it feels somewhat similar.</p>

<p>The one big con for me was the engineering career services. I graduated in '04, and since then the program has been completely redone, and merged with some of the other career services programs... I've heard it's greatly improved.</p>

9

<p>Pro:</p>

<p>We have squirrels EVERYWHERE!</p>

<p>...the are so adorable.</p>

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<p>^and a deer every once in a while.</p>

<p>(People's reactions were hilarious yesterday)</p>

11

<p>ooh goshh i have so many colleges on my list already
but i can't resist adding WUSTL :S
seems like there's barely any cons</p>

12

<p>Con: The WashU forum on CC is dead compared to the other "CC Top University" forums. :(
Where are all of the panicked EDers??</p>

13

<p>WashU EDers? We're laid back, mannnn. Just goin' with the flow. Whatever happens happens. :-D</p>

14

<p>This thread makes me feel really good. Cannot wait for ED decisions...</p>

15

<p>haha would love to say that I am laid back. I check the site 4-5 times a day to see if they possibly put the decision up a week early.</p>

16

<p>Well...I check several times a day as well, but I am trying to control it....and failing.</p>

17

<p>Don't they send out e-mails? I'm just checking that.</p>

<p>Where on the site would they put it anyway? In the "check the status of your app." part?</p>

18

<p>talking to my friend who got in last year she thinks she remembers that they just put it under the check the status of your application.</p>

19

<p>i have no idea where it would be...i just check every link under the check application status part.</p>

20

<p>i love WashU. i just visited it today, though it was not an official campus visit...it is absolutely beautiful!!</p>

<p>As a Chinese foreign exchange student, i agree that its biggest cons is not so many people know WashU...sad...people in China know Ivy and Stanford, MIT much better</p>

<p>Anyway, I still love it~i m 2014er, i think i will ED WashU</p>