<p>I know there is a lot of back and forth on CC regarding WashU's admissions policies because of which many seem to question (unsubstantiated or not) WashU's image/ranking/reputation.</p>
<p>CC'ers opinions aren't of concern to me. I will be attending WashU on scholarship this fall. However, I just wanted to make sure that this "question of image" is just on CC right? As in, do the circles of future employers/admission officers consider WashU up there with the Chicagos, Rices, Emorys? Have any graduates of WashU ever faced any questioning or "doubt" about their degree?</p>
<p>This question may sound stupid but I just wanted to make sure that the opinions posted on these boards are limited to waitlisted applicants or their family even though, frankly, there's nothing I can do about it at this point.</p>
<p>It’s subjective because it depends on what you studied at Wash U… but overall I would say yes employers know what Wash U kids are capable of. </p>
<p>For your information, where you graduate can play a role in getting a job. But, don’t be discouraged because bigger factors such as GPA, extracurricular activities, and personality (via interview) have a stronger impact. A family member of mine works in the Hopkins hospital, and he tells me that there was a Princeton grad who worked as an intern, and couldn’t do a single thing at work. He lacked “social skills,” not about making friends and partying, but forming social networks.</p>
<p>Wash_U’s rep easily is equal to not only Rice-Chi, but all of the Ivies. Don’t worry.</p>
<p>I think that part of it is that this site has tunnel vision, everyone focuses in on only the top 20 or so colleges. Here, people hash out the minute differences between the top schools because the scope is so narrow that you can. In reality, the differences aren’t going to be all that large. Out in the real world, there are thousands of colleges, and whatever differences may exist in reputation in the top 20 or so schools really becomes negligible in the face of what opportunities you’ve taken advantage of and how you’ve preformed.</p>
<p>Even if an employer or whatnot does have a bias against WashU, I can’t imagine a reasonable person would hold that against a qualified candidate.</p>
<p>^PandoraHearts and DadWhoCares hit it right on the nose. </p>
<p>Most of any image issues that are floating around CollegeConfidential revolve around Wash U’s admissions office… specifically regarding putting so many people (allegedly) on the wait list.</p>
<p>There are no image issues (at least none that I’ve found??) regarding Wash U’s academic reputation or quality. Of my friends graduating this May as seniors, I’m actually having a really hard time thinking of anyone that isn’t going on to graduate school or a job. Much of these graduate schools are of amazing quality (top 20 level), and companies with great brand-name cachet all over the country. There are a couple people I know who have an in-limbo status, but I don’t doubt that their plans will be finalized by the end of the summer. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that on CollegeConfidential, most of the people who are posting are 17 year olds who have biases and preferences that are not informed by actual experiences. Take all this with a grain of salt… especially any reputations or allegations regarding an admissions office. These kids haven’t attended Wash U - they’ve only applied as prospective students and most of their statements are hearsay formed by conversations with other 17 year olds. It’s really quite amusing from many standpoints. Most of these posts in questions start with “I’ve heard that…” which you know must hold tons of accuracy when coming from the keyboard of a high school student.</p>
<p>^^ Hahaha so true.
I don’t believe single posts anymore on cc, but rather try to formulate the truth through arguments from both sides, which usually happen to lie in the middle. (I don’t even believe everything I say, since we 17-year-olds are so limited by the amount of information on WashU, mostly received from other posters on cc threads.) Guess I’ll become more knowledgeable as I experience WashU myself and all the opportunities available ;)</p>
<p>I live in the NYC metropolitan area and wondered this too. After all, I grew up being surrounded by ivies, even my father went to Princeton, but I didn’t know about WashU. (Actually, I didn’t know about many schools other than those in DC, Boston, and parts in between). But all that is very different today. WashU, it turned out, was on many of my son’s list.</p>
<p>Still, I wondered if non-college age parents knew about WashU. I wasn’t sure if, when I said my son was going to WashU, they ask “where’s that?” Or worse, confuse it with another school. But I haven’t found that to be the case at all. In fact, many parents tell me about WashU that I might not have known. Clearly I’ve been living under a rock! lol</p>
<p>So, whatever you and I have heard or feared is totally unfounded. We didn’t get one of those nice scholarships you did, but I’m thrilled to be sending off my son to WashU in the fall. I am learning why it’s such a special place and already know it will be an excellent choice for his future.</p>
<p>I’m a college professor in the liberal arts and I can report that among my fellow academics WashU has the reputation of being very strong academically. Grad schools know the value of a WashU education. My husband is in the sciences, and he says the same thing.</p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>
<p>What limabeans mentioned is what had - along with the arguments on this board - unsettled me. When I say WashU, many friends of my parents or even parents of my friends are like, Seattle? Or, “oh…”? (As in, “I thought you were smart, but oh…”). </p>
<p>I wanted to make sure that in grad school admissions offices, WashU students have made strong, lasting impressions. And that the accusations hurled at WashU are limited to its admissions office and most often, by high school seniors.</p>
<p>@green, and so these impressions are indeed not limited to med schools? As in law schools or masters programs (in my case, polisci or IR), would also know about the caliber of programs offerred at WashU?</p>
<p>@Crozet, Having been one of those parents once, someone who didn’t know anything about WashU, its reputation, its academic excellence, and its beautiful campus among other attributes, I think it’s up to us to educate others. Here’s a start, but more than facts, just being proud you’re going to such a terrific school says a lot. </p>
<p>“According to a general search engine, WashU was founded in 1853, the university has students and faculty from all fifty states and more than 110 nations. Twenty-two Nobel laureates, nine doing the major pioneering research. $4.07 billion endowment is 18th largest in the country. In 2006 WashU rec’d $434 million in Federal research funds, ranking seventh among private unis, and the top four in funding from NIH.”</p>
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<p>It has been my experience, in talking to colleagues not just at my university, but at other universities as well, that WashU is highly respected beyond medical school admissions. This is something of personal importance to me, as my child, who will be attending, is not interested in going into medicine.</p>
<p>As mentioned by limabeans, WashU has a large endowment and is the beneficiary of many research dollars. This is important because it means that the school has the money to fund its programs, as well as to attract and fund the research of top-notch professors. In an era when many of us in academia are dealing with cut-backs in programs, from what I have been able to glean WashU seems to be investing its money in continued growth. This bodes well for the future.</p>
<p>As for name-recognition outside of the region, I would say that among the general public, there is confusion about many schools outside of the big name brands or sports powerhouses. (There are also stories about how Univ. of Pennsylvania graduates sometimes have to deal with some people thinking they went to Penn State). But among people who need to know, such as graduate school admissions committees, there is no confusion about WashU. We live far away from St. Louis and I have no concerns about my child’s future in this regard.</p>
<p>Yeah most people in America think Penn is Penn State. To which Penn people answer, the people who matter know the difference. The same is true of Wash U. The people who matter know the place, and generally admire it.</p>