<p>what other colleges did you washu applicants apply to?</p>
<p>also, what schools would you recommend that is great in the sciences, laid back, good food/dorms</p>
<p>I think the most similar would probably be Northwestern and Rice.</p>
<p>maybe even emory? and duke? but yea, NU and Rice are prob the most similar</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins also is similar to WUSTL -- great reputation in many areas (including sciences), strong research orientation, about the same size (slightly smaller), beautiful campus, etc.</p>
<p>I and many others I know also applied to Rice and Emory. NU is up there as well, as is Chicago to a lesser extent. But there aren't alot of other schools with a largely shared applicant pool from what I've seen. I mean yeah, a bunch applied to any given top 20 schools, and undoubtedly similarities exist between us and other well-ranked institutions. But based on what you stressed, the closest match by far of these overlap schools is Rice.</p>
<p>In terms of reputation John Hopkins is similar, but in terms of atmosphere, they're nothing alike. John Hopkins is a very cut-throat school whereas WashU has that amiable cooperation feel to it. That's my take on it, anyway.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends also applied to Cornell and Duke. But I think WashU is more like Duke.</p>
<p>Along with the ones already mentioned (Northwestern, Rice, Emory & Duke) I would also add Vanderbilt, but more so academically than socially. Vanderbilt definitely has more of that Southern feel to it. Another one similarly academically would be Carnegie Mellon, but its social environment is a bit more "East Coast" than Wash U/NU (but not as "East Coast" as the Ivies), and its academic strengths are somewhat different.</p>
<p>I got a totally different feel from WUSTL and Cornell. I didn't fall in love with WUSTL when I visited but that's probably because no one was around in summer and there was a ton of construction going on. I did apply though because I did like it, just wasn't crazy about it.</p>
<p>not to offend BearCub, but I have visited Cornell twice and and WashU twice (including a 2-week summer program at WashU) and they are entirely different from each other. Yes, they are both in the most competitive category, but Cornell feels like a small city of its own, whereas WashU has more of a small community feel. Also, I got the feeling that people at WashU are mostly just very nice in general (maybe a Mid-west vs Northeast thing?)</p>
<p>For similar strength in science and somewhat more laid-back, less edgy atmosphere, there are many, including Northwestern, Duke, Tufts, Vandy, Emory and others (not JHU, which is very strong, but not at all laid back). But not for similar "good food/dorms"; on that front, the new freshman dorms at Vandy are impressive, but WashU is pretty much at the top in terms of overall quality of life among top universities, including food/dorms.</p>
<p>What about in terms of social scene? Rice is similar in terms of what?
This is interesting.
Someone on a different thread told me Tufts btw when I asked this question (but limited the answer to East Coast schools).</p>
<p>There are a lot of cross-admits between Wash U and Rice -- they're both mid-sized research universities with strong academics, a laid-back, friendly vibe, a non-east coast feel, nice campuses, close to large public parks/zoo/museums, close interaction with faculty, ease of changing majors, and collaborative student body.</p>
<p>I know I regret myself for not applying to Rice. I mean, after seeing how similar it is to WashU...plus NO SNOW!!! But that's just because I'm from tropical country.</p>
<p>As a Sconnie, St. Louis seems like a tropical paradise. Below zero temperatures already!</p>