<p>I am applying to colleges this fall, and I have run into a big roadblock in deciding whether or not to apply ED to WUSTL or Duke. My big question in what the social life is like at Washington u. I have heard from a few sources that parties are not that great, Greek life is a little weak, and a lot of intelligent people lead to a little bit of a bored social life.<br>
I am a very sociable person and what is really important to me is obviously a good social group of kids.<br>
These are my questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>What are the parties like?</li>
<li>What is the main population of the school like? (as in wayyy too smart to function or balanced athletically or what?)</li>
<li>Are people social inside the dorms?<br></li>
<li>What kind of work load is that average engineer going to have?</li>
<li>Are there any specific things that anyone can tell me about the university that defines it compared to any other places?<br></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for the help, I think that these questions/ answers will go a long way in helping me decide where to go!! :))</p>
<p>1) As at any university, you’ll find them to be a mixed bag. Some will be open to all, and others heavily restricted. Some will just have cheap booze that runs out quickly, and others will actually have stuff worth drinking. You’ll find drugs at some. You can hook up at them or not. Generally though, I’d say the best parties are those thrown off campus.</p>
<p>2) I’ve yet to meet a single person too smart to function. Certainly there are many socially obtuse individuals, but there are just as many normal people that play sports, and drinking games, and go on dates. And still the people in that second category are, on the whole, much less stupid than the general public. So this is hardly a place where one must choose between having fun and developing intellectually, and most people manage to strike a comfortable balance. </p>
<p>3) It certainly depends on the dorm/housing option, and I think its fair to say that the suite/apartment accomidations many find themselves in as upperclassmen are less naturally social. But in most housing, especially freshman housing, you’ll have no problem finding people to socialize with at most hours you’d likely find yourself there and awake.</p>
<p>4) Can’t answer as that isn’t my field of study, though I imagine “tons” would be about accurate given the complaints I often hear about it, and the fact that said major at virtually every university entails a crushing workload.</p>
<p>5) That question is a bit too broad for me to give a good answer. I will though say as a transfer I was surprised by just how warm and outgoing so many of the people here are. Certainly you’d meet the occasional a-hole, but on the whole, I doubt you’d find a more welcoming student body.</p>
<ol>
<li>This very much depends on your major inside Engineering. The average engineer’s workload is busy but manageable - probably not too different from other colleges at this level. However, a BME major is not the average engineer, if that’s what you were going for… ;)</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m a bme and I definitely have a social life.
I made the decision between Duke and WashU (as an rd applicant though), so feel free to pm me if you want specifics.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There is a very available nightlife here if you know where to look. You can expect to find parties on nearly all weekends (finals week is the main exception here) and maybe one good party during the school week. Not finding a party will happen sometimes, especially as a freshman who doesn’t know any upperclassmen, which can be frustrating. Wash U is a wet campus though, so even if you can’t find a party you can still drink in your room/suite with friends provided you leave your door open. Once you’re an upperclassman, you can register parties in your suite.</p></li>
<li><p>Some people are, but the vast majority are not. Majors in science, math, and engineering tend to attract most of the more studious, and by extension, less party-oriented people. A good number of people here are very physically active, but not at all the majority.</p></li>
<li><p>As a sophomore, I believe it depends on the dorm you’re in. I was in a traditional, and not having suites + sharing a common bathroom made people much closer. I knew all 45 people on my floor last year, whereas I’ve heard some people in the moderns (usually 2-3 doubles connected by a bathroom) don’t have that experience. My floor was tremendously social, and so was most of my dorm, but beyond that I don’t really know.</p></li>
<li><p>Depends on your specific field, I think. Biomedical engineering here is very intense from what I understand from my friends in the major, but they still know how to have a good time. I think you’ll find the highest proportion of non-drinkers in that sort of major, but I’m inclined to believe it’s the personality types that are drawn towards more intensive majors, not vice-versa. As at any good school, expect to put off partying sometimes for tests, homework and the like, regardless of your major. </p></li>
<li><p>Practically everyone here is very friendly to strangers; other than that, the student body defies stereotype. There are partiers, sub-free students and everywhere in between.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I chose Duke over WashU and love it, but WashU has great people and I’m sure you’ll like it too.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that at any university there are so many people you will doubtless find types of people who you will love hanging out with and will, in fact, form a cohesive group with these people.</p>
<p>I recently visited WashU for discovery weekend, which is for high school seniors, and I have to say that the social life is excellent. I stayed thur-Sat, so I got to see what friday night life was like. A ton of people went to frat parties to get wasted, but there were also dance parties and other non-alcohol related activities. All in all, washU has a good social life.</p>