<p>quiltguru, we have the same thing with Rice and darling daughter. Nothing in Texas, nothing touching Texas. Won't even think about it and it gets a bit testy around here the thirtieth to fortieth time my W brings it up. A week.</p>
<p>Cur- believe it or not, my D was the same way about Texas. She only visited Rice because her wonderful voice teacher insisted that she go and take a lesson with the mezzo teacher at Rice. When we were on campus (June after junior year) visiting, I had to fight to keep my mouth shut because I KNEW it was perfect for her. She kept a scowl on her face (except when she was with the teacher). She had a wonderful audition trip to Rice as a senior and is now starting her junior year. If there is ANY way to trick your daughter into visiting, she might feel differently. Although, S won't even consider it.</p>
<p>thanks curmudgeon..I will get my first look at washu when we move my son in...it's exciting/sad/scary/amazing..all at the same time.</p>
<p>Cur - When my D visited WashU 2.5 years ago, she found it to be the closest smaller uni experience to the LAC's she had research and visited. She and I loved the campus, and the dorm area. They were in the process of opening new ones and imploding an older one. She was extremely comfortable there and liked the friendliness of the students she encountered. WashU's biggest draw for her was that it is possible to transfer to the other schools once there, as well as minor in another school's discipline simply by filling out some paperwork. No competitive application process required. Advisors would be assigned from each school involved, so a student could have several. D is the type that wants to try everything, so thought she'd apply to arts/science school, start majoring in science/math, then maybe transfer to or minor in engineering or business. The school she knew she wouldn't touch was Art - her stick figures wouldn't get her past Art 101. S was accepted to the law school, which I lobbied for. Despite the Anheuser-Busch sponsored Happy Afternoons on Fridays in the law school courtyard, he went elsewhere where he has to pay for his beer. All-in-all, one of my favorite schools.</p>
<p>Cur -- Thanks for the report on WUSTL. Husband and son will be visiting in September and hopefully son will agree to stay in dorm or
fraternity with friend of friend. H & I are pushing this visit as we will be at family affair nearby. Kids who go to WUSTL and their parents are very happy with the school. Do you have a hotel suggestion for H? Thanks.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Radisson in Clayton. It was on the WashU website. Old but nice.Friendly, helpful staff. 1/2 block from J.Buck's , a local eatery owned by the sportscaster (good pork chops!) .Parking and breakfast are on you at the hotel. It was $137 all said and done for two queen beds (room, tax, and self-park). 3 or 4 minutes from campus and cheaper than the others listed. Ask for the special WashU admissions rate. Much cheaper digs and probably nice enough in Creve Couer, I usually try to pay less than $100, but I was too tired to call around.</p>
<p>Just an FYI about hotels ... we always use priceline.com and haven't been disappointed yet. We have gotten some fabulous deals. For the past few years, we have visited St. Louis, done the arch, the brewery, the Hill, the zoo, a couple of baseball games, etc. Last summer, we got a beautiful room at the Westin for $65 per night through priceline.com.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There is no shortage of Richie Riches at WashU--though many may be from the midwest and not given to ostentatious display. You probably saw them but didn't recognize them. Check the annual/alum/endowment giving if you have any doubt. </p></li>
<li><p>A dearth of St Louis students? Hmmmmm. Are you sure? WashU gives HUGE admission advantage to ST Louis students from the top private and public high schools--and St Louis is one of those cities where 25% of all students attend a private or parachial school. My guess is St Louis students tend to be among the most generous alums which is why they are recruited so heavily.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am glad your D liked WashU, cur. I know she is coming from 'the ranch', but she sounds like such a goer. She'd never run out of opportunities at WashU. They give some great merit scholarships--I know a girl from Birmingham who just got a half-ride, turning down a full ride at Miami. She will play on the soccer team. </p>
<p>Is their basketball Div III? Did she get a chance to explore that program?</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon,</p>
<p>You write the greatest descriptions! </p>
<p>We also visited the Wash U campus and my S. interviewed there. Like your daughter, he had a student interviewer. When he came home, my S. sat down and e-mailed her with a question or two, and she responded promptly. Although I might have preferred a "senior" interviewer, I actually think my S. felt more comfortable asking questions of a student than he might have done with an older staff member.</p>
<p>We did talk to the rabbi at Hillel and were impressed with the vitality of the program. Even within the Jewish students, there is great diversity with programs for Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox students plus lots of fun things that pull them all together. </p>
<p>Didn't make it to the dining hall for a meal, unfortunately. Just curious but did you notice if there were vegetarian selections on the menu? That is always a concern of ours, since our son does not eat meat at all. </p>
<p>We have friends in St. Louis and they took us out to a baseball game. The Cardinals must have some of the most devoted fans in the world. I say this with grudging respect since we are Astros fans. Sometimes I think my son has cleverly gerrymandered his list of schools so that, whatever college he gets into, he will be within a 45 minute drive of a major or minor league team. </p>
<p>Don't apologize for the length of your list. My son has his top three choices nailed down in his head. Other than that, we have a long list with too many names....</p>
<p>Yep. Cheers and that's a heck of a D3 basketball program. D had a nice chat, felt reasonably comfortable that she'd get an opportunity to try for a jersey.That's all she can ask for. Bball is always third on her list-academics,academics, basketball. I was proud of her telling both coaches on this trip that she was going to pick her school first and then she was going to play till they made her to leave. LOL.</p>
<p>WashU has less than 10% of the kids from Missouri and we had 1 in a room of 30 or so. Again, admittedly things get skewed on a summer visit. I guess coming from the land of "bigger and better" and "bigger IS better", I've come to think of student wealth as the more ostentatious displays like new Hummers and Porsches in the parking lot . With the chrome wheel package. Nine hundred dollar dresses. $5,000 Diamond encrusted bezels on $10,000 Rolexs. There may have been moneyed people, but they were not dressed or driving what I've seen in California, or Texas, or Florida (to name a few). And that's a good thing.</p>
<p>I would like to ask that we separate "wealth" from "conspicuous consumption which leads to presumed lack of good values". The two circles are not always on top of eachother in the Venn diagram of life.</p>
<p>Alu, the derogatory term "Richies" ,or "Richie Rich" from the comics, is only used by me to describe the latter. I couldn't care less about their bank balance or wealth of their parents. It's the lording it over other students that sometimes happens that pains me.</p>
<p>cami , I did see some vegetarian entrees (and ate the very nice fruit salad). In fact at the burrito counter there was some hummus looking sprout-y thing happening that I assumed was a veggie burrito. And this was at the food court like place with the bear essentials store next to it in the basement on the South Forty. I'm sure the other facilities had more variety.</p>
<p>Cur: you had mentioned Emory in a previous post: I've heard that the display of wealth is noticeable there. Another school that has a particularly strong reputation for that is Vanderbuilt.</p>
<p>curmudgeon,</p>
<p>Nice trip report. I just want to echo Alumother's comment, you may not notice the real rich, they tend to be less outwardly showy. Old money vs Nouveau Riche. I am sure WUStL has a sufficient amount of well off alumni and students. </p>
<p>BTW, I believe William Crystol's, the conservative columnist, child attends WUStL.</p>
<p>We recently returned from St Louis after helping D move in to her apt in advance of starting grad school at Wash U.Very pleasantly surprised with the city. Pleasant,clean,excellent housing stock,intweresting rehabbing going on. Of course, the experience of a grad student is diffeent,we didnt take a regular tour but walked around..saw more tour groups than anywhere I've ever been including Harvard (this was a Friday afternoon,early August).The U obviously has $$ around.Excellent facility maintenance (a pet peeve of mine,something I look for carefully).Didn't see inside the dorms but there obviously lots of "replacing" going on..they build a new one,knock an old one down.Dorm area..known as the "south 40" very nice,fairly compact..as is the whole campus..at least to me..we're used to a really large OOS public.Neighborhood surrounding the school quite pleasant,walking distance to entertainment/shopping.Wash U runs extensive shuttle services to surrounding neighborhoods for shopping malls,apartment areas,etc.The closest light rail stop will be finished soon but until it is, they have a shuttle stop at the nearest completed one so its already possible to do airport/downtown,etc.
Architecture is fairly homogenous,they build their new buildings in the style of the old.Library "sticks out" as modern but the inside...WOW...was redone I think last year..maybe two years ago..it drips wood panelling,etc.Very impressive...D will be associated with a fairly small department with its own enclave on one side of the campus.Was initially attracted to apply by an imminent scholar in an area shes interested in who teaches there.HAs been treated royally by them I must say.They flew her out for an interview,gave her full tuition plus a fellowship/stipend large enough to live on.No TA'ing first year.Wash U is known for long term support of its grad students...they made a decision a few years back (mid 90's I think?) to cut back on the # taken in,and to extend the support given those they do take.She's getting support through the 7th year of PhD..thats practically unheard of. She was able to find housing easily,able to live alone for $550 a month w/heat included,cute one bedroom,safe neighborhood.Wouldn't have been able to do that at other schools she applied to...wonder what the 550 would have gotten her here in NY...
By the way, she was put up at that same Radisson in Clayton by t he dept.Then H went out to meet her to find living space and they stayed there again.Now we both went out to help her move in (she drove cross country from her undergrad)and we stayed there again.I used the Radisson site directly..paid 79 two nights and 89 one night.What the called an Internet "Hot deal"Have never paid more than 100 there.No breakfast,but they throw in parking vouchers when you check in.Theres an Einsteins Bagels,Starbucks right down the block.Local coffee star is Kaldi's..very pleasant coffee house .Ask for non smoking room,St Louis is still a smoking-inside allowed town.Clayton is very convenient to the University area.</p>
<p>Having grown up in St. Louis, I can honestly say I would move back there in a heartbeat if the circumstances allowed it!!!! It is a wonderful place, lots to do and great people. Wash U. is not my Alma Mater (not wanting to be that close to home during college), but it is an excellent school! Our S considered it, as he also loves St. Louis, and we still have lots of family there, but ended up focusing on other schools better suited to his interests. </p>
<p>Cami215 was absolutely correct about St. Louis Cardinal fans!!!!</p>
<p>And...just so you know, we have found La Hacienda (on Manchester Road in the Rock Hill area) to be a great place for Mexican food. </p>
<p>Good luck with everything this year, curmudgeon--we're glad to have a couple of years off before we go through it for the last time!</p>
<p>curmudgeon - it's funny what people can be sensitive about, isn't it. Thanks for the clarification.</p>
<p>Cathymee,
Do you mind me asking what neighborhood your daughter is in? I'm in St. Louis as I write, helping my son move into his first off campus apartment, right around the corner from Kaldi's. He's paying a bit more and with two other roommates, so I think your daughter got a great deal. He's in the DeMun neighborhood by Concordia Seminary just south of campus. It's a beautiful little neighborhood I had never seen before.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon,there are definitely signs of wealth - just walk through a parking garage if you get a chance to visit again -quite a few new Lexuses. I don't think kids flaunt it or lord it over one another - they may have a lack of awareness of how privileged they are. My son's perception is that most of the obviously wealthy kids come from the coasts, especially the East. He has also noticed a high concentration of Catholic prep school kids from the St. Louis area - all anecdotal of course, but he has pretty shrewd observation skills. </p>
<p>It's a beautiful campus - I love walking around it and the surrounding areas - very liveable and definitely close to the best parts of St. Louis City life. The academics,advising, and professors are first rate.</p>
<p>Just checked out Wash U on their website. $48,000 year. Whoa, and from what I understand they are not need-blind. Is that so?</p>
<p>Cami, your son will be fine. I transferred out of Wash U after a year, but I must admit that the year I spent there I was a very well-fed vegetarian. The black bean burgers at Bear's Den are delicious, and there are tons of wraps and veggie sandwiches, also usually some form of tofu at the main dining hall. Soy milk too, if he is also vegan or prefers soy milk (as I do).</p>