<p>I'm curious as to whether or not most people simply troll these forums, or if there are really only a small amount of people who attend Saint Louis University that are involved enough to do in depth online research about their school. </p>
<p>Anyhow, as for the reason I'm making this post, I have been contemplating transferring to SLU during the Fall 2009 semester and had a few questions. Perhaps I'm over-thinking and second guessing myself a bit too much, but can any current students/alumni offer their opinion on the level (quality) of education at SLU and/or it's reputation around the United States, not simply the St. Louis metro area. I've already been accepted as a transfer student, but I'm just not 100% sold that this school is worth $30,000+ annually. </p>
<p>Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has any experience with Washington University, I would love to hear your input on a compare/contrast level & I would also appreciate any insight regarding their transfer policies (particularly dealing with students exiting local Community Colleges).</p>
<p>I am curious about the WashU/SLU comparison as well. We had tons of seniors apply to WashU, rather than SLU. Only two that I know of were accepted, one a valedictorian, the other I only know of as having wealthy parents. The president of National Honor Society was waitlisted. From perusing its forums, it seems to be a very competitive school.</p>
<p>However, many of these kids are looking at either premed or engineering, and both schools have excellent programs. So other than one being Jesuit and the other being private, what is the difference?</p>
<p>WashU is more prestigious, more selective, more expensive and in a better neighborhood. Whether it is a better school for you depends on what you want out of a school and what you plan on studying.</p>
<p>SLU provides a solid education based in Jesuit ideals. I can’t speak to the campus culture of WashU. They do have their own forum here at CC that you can check.</p>
<p>My D is about to graduate and has loved her time at SLU. She has embraced the social justice/service attitude that is fostered there. She also spent a semester at SLU’s Madrid campus and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.</p>
<p>Like said before, WashU is more prestigious (ranked 19) and is considered as a safety for Ivy leaguers. However, whenever I’ve encountered a WashU graduate, I’ve noticed that they weren’t good in their field. Granted, they were nice and polite people but definitely were not up to their “WashU name” standard. I think this is because most students applying to WashU are those who are academically driven. They don’t care for the education presented, only for that final A on the transcript. Also, in my opinion, WashU is the same way. They strive to be regarded as another Ivy so they’ll usually put themselves on a pedestal. They’ll take all the 36 ACTs and 4.0 GPAs as possible so when that “average ACT/GPA of incoming freshmen” report comes out, it rivals that of Harvard, Yale, etc. On the other hand, SLU is regarded as a great school, just not as prestigious as WashU. It concerns itself more with preparing students to be great both in their field and as morally righteous individuals. Deciding where to go depends on what type of person you are. If you care more about the “name” and “reputation” of the college then WashU is the school for you. If you care more about having a reputation based on your extraordinary qualities in your field of work, then SLU is for you. (Disclaimer: I am not a representative for WashU or SLU. I do, however, find the above information accurate from my personal experiences.)</p>