<p>Just wanted to ask current students how they felt about the racial relationships in St.Louis, b/c Missouri is next to Tennessee and Ark. does anyone feel that URMs aren't fully accepted or are greeted with hostility? I'm thinking about visiting the campus this year and wanted a heads up =) (I'm black btw)</p>
<p>It's extremely friendly.</p>
<p>If you can PM a poster called Jeffwun, he might be able to answer your question. Or do a search on this forum for some of his posts. He's an Af-Am who seems very happy and supportive of Washu (and not just because he was a recipient of a prestigious merit award.) Hopefully, you can visit and see that WU has a very friendly down-to-earth student body, which comes from all over the country.</p>
<p>While Missouri does border Tennesee & Arkansas, St. Louis sure does not (physically, and in population-mindset). I have many URM friends, and I don't think any of them have ever felt unwelcome here on campus, or in the surrounding area. We get more of the midwest friendliness towards everyone out here than southern racial hostility.</p>
<p>thank you all for the replies! Judging by how friendly you all seem I'm sure Wash U will be the same =D</p>
<p>My daughter and I flew to St. Louis for a one day visit to Wash U. At the airport going down we got into a conversation with the 2 guys in front of us on line. They were so friendly and I thought they were together. But they said, "No, everyone in St. Louis just kind of feels like they know each other." When we got on the flight, an African-American man told us that he was a Wash U alumni and that my daughter would really love the school. My daughter was at Wash U. for a 5-week summer program and to answer both questions, everyone is very friendly, and there are lots of African Americans and they seem happy and accepted.</p>
<p>i love this city</p>
<p>Florida student,</p>
<p>St. Louis has a sizeable African-American population and has had in the recent past, two African-American mayors, as well as Chief of Police and Fire Chief. One of three US Congressmen is African-American as is the current St. Louis County Executive (similar to mayor). Furthermore, many judges on the state bench are also African-American.</p>
<p>I think you will find that the St. Louis metropolitan area is much more like Chicago than Tennesse or Arkansas.</p>
<p>in terms of acceptance, st. louis is very open to all cultures and there is a pretty good number of African Americans. HOWEVER, St. louis, as a whole, is an extremely racially segregated city, even more so than most cities. these segregations however are becaues of the financial disparites between the two races.however the place where washu is located is much more diverse than the average st. louis suburb v. city segregation</p>
<p>is it super ghetto? since st louis ranked #2 or #1 for most dangerous city</p>
<p>Most kids don't go far away from campus and that area is nice. Some suburbs are pretty scary but usually students don't go there, there is no attractions or restaurants in those areas.</p>
<p>Clayton is a very, very nice suburb located about six miles west of downtown. It also has a "downtown" that is a satellite to downtown St. L. The campus is beautiful and is within walking distance of the "Loop"----restaurants and boutiques catering to a student-type crowd. Look, St L is like any other North American city...there are areas to stay out of, but the students are aware and they're really nowhere near those areas.</p>
<p>I grew up in a St. Louis suburb and didn't experience the segregation purplepumpkin speaks of. Prejudice, yes, but it was early 1970's, not long after the Civil Rights Movement. My high school was 1/3 African American and we all got along just fine - a few of my closest friends were black. ( sorry I'm old school with my terminology - not meant to offend)</p>
<p>I think the location (and the campus) are a big part of the reason Wash U is the so-called "hot" school. (Why do I seem to hear this whenever its name comes up?) Mtl dad is right again - the "loop" has a sign on it that says it was voted by some survey as one of the ten best streets in America. It's a five minute walk from campus and you can spend a good part of the day reading the "stars" emblazoned on the sidewalk with all the names of famous St Louis' residents - my pick is Yogi Berra but you'll also find Phyllis Diller, Bob Costas, John Hartford (Gentle on my Mind for parent baby boomers), Stan Musial and dozens of others. Not only that but I read somewhere that Chuck Berry (at 79) still plays at the music theater there once a month. Clayton is modern and clean satellite city as mtl dad describes that is also an easy walk - but it gets better - the safe clean Metro line stops right at the campus and can take you to the airport in 25 mins or the Cardinals ballpark and the Arch in about the same time (or Clayton in one stop.) And the ride is free with the student pass. Want to be near a big city but not in it (like one student we met), within a walk of one of the ten best streets in America, a Metro ride from a major league ballpark and on one of the most beautiful campuses in America? You need to go to the "hottest" school in America. The kids are voting with their feet.</p>
<p>Thx, jimb7.....add in the fact that it's the 6th most selective in the country, as well. I recently e-mailed a friend of mine that I hadn't spoken to in many years that our S was at WashU.....he responded that "it's the hottest school on the planet".</p>
<p>It's not true! It's pretty cold here right now ;)</p>
<p>haha you guys are great thanks for all the posts =D</p>