<p>My daughter has applied RD to Wash U and is waiting for the decision. She applied to three other schools and has been accepted to all three (two with full rides because of NMF status). The one negative thing she keeps hearing about Wash U is it is "very competitive", especially in the premed/science areas. She comes from a rural, mediocre, noncompetitive high school and would not thrive in a cutthroat environment. Kids ask for her help all the time and she is very generous with her assistance. We visited Wash U in the summer (unfortunately few students there) and she really loved the school.
What can you tell us? What do people mean when they say "competitive"?</p>
<p>You may find parts of this thread interesting.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=3580622#post3580622%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=3580622#post3580622</a>
My own personal take on the phrase that WashU is "very competitive" in the science areas is that, in relation to other schools, their program is pretty good. I would not say that WashU is cutthroat at all, and from your description, it sounds like your daughter is just like your typical WashU student and would fit into the culture well : )</p>
<p>I'm a student in the physics department at Washington University. I haven't sensed even a hint of cut-throatness in the department so far. The students are generally quite laid back and more than willing to help you out. Even in the pre-med courses here, I haven't really sensed much competition, if any.</p>
<p>OP Midwest Parent here!! I am going to dredge up the subject of WashU's "climate" again, and here's the reason why (also will give us something else to talk about other than who got scholarship offers and who didn't!). This past week D went for an "in-depth" visit to one of the schools offering a 4 year free ride due to her NMF status. There was another NMF visiting the school and a past NMF who attends the school involved in one of the meetings D attended. Coincidentally, both of these students were from St. Louis, so we asked if they had considered WashU. BOTH students said that they had, but they didn't want to be in "that kind of environment". Student who attends the college said she didn't want to be the object of harassment if she "set the curve on a test" or the object of ridicule if she wasn't a top scorer. When we first visited WashU, we could tell in our quiet, brilliant daughter's eyes that she LOVED WashU. After hearing so many comments that the students are cutthroat, backstabbing, grade grubbing, etc. etc., I have sadly seen the WashU light dim in her eyes. I am asking any student, any parent, ANYONE to give us their experiences. D has applied RD, so hasn't heard if she has been accepted yet. If she is accepted, I would like to try be able to dispell these rumors if they aren't true before she turns her back on WashU for good.</p>
<p>(Man I am upset about this - accidentally posted it on the wrong thread first!)</p>
<p>I have three WashU students at our house for spring break - all sophomores - 1 pre med, 1 business and 1 science. I just mentioned your post and their reaction was that your coments were totaly off base. Their sugestion was, why not ask kids who go there as opposed to kids who have not attended and don't know the atmosphere. They all feel that the one thing WashU is not is cut throat. Kids work together & help each other. Study groups are common & it is normal for kids to work together both in & out of the classroom. The best description of the atmosphere is friendly and cooperative.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, the best solution is visit the campus, have her spend an overnight in a dorm with the students. That way she will have a chance to experience the type of kids she might be spending 4 years with.</p>
<p>A Wash U parent here--my son is about to graduate, and he has LOVED his years there! He is a laid back, organized kid who studies as much as he needs to and also loves a good time.</p>
<p>His main concern about attending Wash U was that the kids were too serious and he wouldn't have enough fun. We laugh a lot now about that--because these are truly kids who work hard AND play hard. If your daughter loved it, she should go with her gut. If she gets accepted (good luck there!) would you be able to send her for an overnight visit before she has to decide? If finances are a problem, I've read, at least at other schools, that you can ask whether WAsh U would be able to defray at least part of the travel expenses.</p>
<p>If at all possible, she should visit, spend a night, and experience the students up close and personal.</p>
<p>I grew up in St. Louis, back when Wash U was a very good, but regional, university. When my son took the campus tour during spring break of his junior year, I was amazed to hear that almost all of the tour guides were from NY or NJ--I was pretty out of touch and did not realize the extent to which it had shed its regional identity. During the tour, I asked our guide, a young lady from Long Island, how she had ended up at Wash U. She said the school has a reputation among her friends back home as very non-competitive, non-cutthroat compared to east coast schools. In fact, one of the take-home points of the tour was the helpful, cooperative spirit of the students.</p>
<p>My son is just now a hs senior, so I can't say from experience if this is just a line, or if it is really the case. But I certainly did not come away worrying that the atmosphere would be nasty and cut-throat.</p>
<p>MidwestParent, Wash U caliber it is not cutthroat / competitive compared to its peers (in terms of students caliber, academics level, etc.). The comments that your D heard probably came from students who go to schools that are a notch or two lower in their demands. Those schools of course will not be as competitive due to a weaker student body. You should not confuse relatively demanding / competitive educational requirements of the school (which Wash U does have) with unfriendly-cutthroat-unfriendly student body (which Wash U does not have).</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to post and PM! All of your comments have been very reassuring. The plan is to wait and see if D is accepted (?!?!), set up another trip to St. Louis for a more in-depth look at the school, and give her the posts to read. My hope is that your comments will open her up to the idea that the things she has been hearing could possibly be due to misinformed people who actually know very little about the school. </p>
<p>If there are any other students or parents of students out there, I would love to hear what you have to say and be able to pass it on to D.
Thank you again!</p>
<p>My son is currently a junior in in the Business school. In high school he never had to study, needless to say he does now. But he has plenty of time for fun. He is a fraternity president, and through the fraternity takes part in community service and social events, but still works hard in school. He's also in the business fraternity. Work hard, play hard is exactly Wash U. And he has never thought of Wash U as cut-throat. I don't know where that rumor comes from, possibly in one of the other schools? The school is beautiful, the area has so much to offer for all different kinds of students. The weather varies but changes soon enough not to get to be a hassle. I think Wash U is possibly the closest to a perfect blend for most types of students as a university can be. The size, environment, campus and most importantly the academics make it a great choice. I know the graduation rate is high, as it is for most top universities. But I wonder how many students, proportionately, transfer out of Wash U. to continue their education elsewhere. I never see this statistic for any university, and it would be interesting to compare.</p>
<p>Another parent of a WashU junior here (although my daughter's currently doing study abroad). From what I can tell from my daughter's experience (she's a very conscientious but non-competitive person), the environment is opposite of cut-throat. While standards for performance are high, her overall experience has been that students are generally of a cooperative, collegial bent. Her freshman year was good, but not great, because her course requirements in the art school precluded the degree of extracurricular involvement she would have liked; in her sophomore year, she switched to minoring in the art school and became deeply involved in several activities, and has LOVED WashU ever since (to the point where she has trained to become a student interviewer in the admissions office for next year). With exceptions like those found everywhere, WashU is a very warm, friendly place.</p>
<p>Midwestmom, my son is a graduating senior and I would agree with all the positive comments that counter what you have heard about Wash U in general. The premed students are probably a little more intense but not cutthroat and competitive. I would guess any of the students that want to get into a top med or law school will be concerned with their GPA. </p>
<p>I got a kick out of this comment in midmo's post: "She said the school has a reputation among her friends back home as very non-competitive, non-cutthroat compared to east coast schools." </p>
<p>The competitiveness of the east and west coast kids might be a surprise to a midwesterner and may explain the comments you heard from ST. Louis kids. I hope no one takes that the wrong way - I just think that both coasts have a more competitive environment in general and it shows. I actually see the same dynamic on CC. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.</p>
<p>lizchup, I think you are onto something. Now that WashU is considered to be one of the top elite schools, and is no longer a "regional school", it attracts alot of the top students from the East and West coasts. These students are the same students who are attracted to all the top schools and yes, they probably are more competitive. I think that what might be happening is that with its rising reputation, WashU's student body is becoming more like all the other top schools in the country! If you are searching for a totally non-competitive atmosphere, you probably need to stay away from any top 20 school. </p>
<p>That being said, everyone claims that the warm, friendly midwestern attitude does seem to rub off onto the east and west coast students!</p>
<p>Thank you, thank you to everyone! I think some very interesting theories have been noted as to why such thoughts about WashU are surfacing. I will mention that my nephew (who lives in another state, NMF, 2390 SAT, fabulous kid) has ALSO heard the same things. My sister would love to see him at a school 3 1/2 hours from home rather than half way across the country. He has applied RD as our D has, but my sister reports that his interest is also waning due to negative comments he hears. We want to set the record straight!! Keep those comments coming!</p>
<p>Last semester, the finals for both chem and chem lab were at 8 in the morning. (As they are this semester as well). On our floor we had a "don't leave anyone behind" policy, and taped flyers to eachother's doors reading "wake me for the chem exam!" on both days. I think that says something at least about WashU's atmosphere.</p>
<p>Haha--I am one of those terrible competitive East Coast kids. I didn't like Wash U much because I felt it was too laid-back :) The people there were definitely very friendly and warm and didnt seem cut throat at all</p>
<p>I know D's friends from out east who could have gone to top schools there have said they were glad they did not after talking to friends who did! Not only are kids supportive of one another (this is no to say they are not competitive or that is is not academically challenging) but also the support systems that includes several sets of deans, counselors, peer advisors , academic advisors, the tutoring center etc is almost "over the top". The regular letters from the freshman dean and other updates make most parents feel quite comfortable with the challenging but supportive environment--at least that's what we feel and also hear from the folks we know.</p>
<p>My son is a junior at Wash U and one of the "selling points" of the school when he was "shopping" three years ago was its non cut throat environment. Add to that the midwestern friendliness and hospitality and you have a winner!
As a parent, I greatly appreciate the nurturing qualities of the school.</p>
<p>I came across this thread as I had this similar question and am most likely going to apply to Wash U for class of 2017. Being that this thread is over five years old, and Wash U has (I think) moved up in rankings, etc. since then, would people that go there or have children that go there currently say that Wash U still is collaborative and not cut throat? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>It is still very collaborative.</p>