Hello @123sophie I’ll take a stab this. You were asking for more information about Wash U. My D is currently a freshman at WashU studying Architecture.
WashU is about 15 minutes from St. Louis international airport and about 10 minutes from all sorts of shopping (Galleria, Trader Joes, Container Store, Super Target, etc), restaurants (Cheesecake factory, the famous Pappy’s BBQ, etc.) and near lots of other activities such as the Cardinal’s Baseball team. It is also about two blocks from the Loop which is a vibrant street where the kids hang out and where the off campus Loft apartments are located (which is brand new this year).
As of 2013 they had 322 graduate students and 171 undergraduate students in Architecture with 69 professors. http://wustl.edu/about/facts/#students
They currently offer a BA Design in Architecture and BS in Architecture and a Masters in Architecture, Masters in Landscape Architecture, Master of Urban Design. MS in Advanced Architectural Design, and MS in Architectural Studies. http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/node/5369
NAAB Accredited Programs: Masters of Architecture - 60 Credits (2 years), M. Arch 75 credits (2.5 years) and M. Arch 105 credits (3.5 years)
They are building another Architecture building on campus. Currently several top Architects are presenting their bids/proposals and WashU has asked their current Architect students to give their vote! Exciting times!
Design Intelligence has ranked WashU consistently as a top ranking Architect school for leading graduate programs: 2015 – 2006: 10, 11, 9, 4, 9, 11, 6, 5, 6, 10
I was told the undergraduate students usually gain attendance to Harvard, Yale and MIT grad school which is really impressive.
It is a Top 20 US News Ranking school – Ranked 14th as National Universities as of 2015. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/washington-university-st-louis-2520
Wash U was ranked the 9th for having the top average CR & Math SAT scores of 1485.
Top 100 SAT Scores Ranking: Which Colleges Have the Brightest Kids? http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2014/08/04/top-100-sat-scores-ranking-which-colleges-have-the-brightest-kids/ (1. Cal Tech 1545, 2. Univ. of Chicago 1515, 3. Harvard and Princeton 1505, 5. Yale and MIT 1500 7. Vandy 1490, 8. Olin College of Engineering 1489, and 9. Wash U 1485)
WashU was ranked #13 out of the top 25 Best Employers in America per Forbes. Google was 1st. That means the employees and professors are happy which is good! http://www.forbes.com/best-employers/#tab:rank_page:2
Design Internship Network shows a list of Architects: http://careercenter.wustl.edu/alumni/mentor/Pages/Architecture.aspx
Princeton Review has mentioned that Wash U ranked the top 20 for:
- Best-Run College
- The Students Love these Colleges
- Happiest Students
- Best College Dorms (they are usually in first place)
- Best Quality of Life
- Best Campus Food
The campus is stunningly beautiful. I would say it is very similar to University of Notre Dame, Tulane University and Rice University – beautiful campus setting.
WashU dorms are really nice. They have air conditioning which can be a big deal (for example ND doesn’t have air conditioning). Every bed has a Tempur-Pedic mattress and the modern dorms have private bathrooms in your suite. For example, my D sophomore dorm consists of 4 singles for 4 students and it has two full private bathrooms. They also have the bathrooms cleaned twice a week.
Dining – On campus there are over 28 places to eat including a public restaurant called Ibby’s that serves steaks which is in the meal plan. https://diningservices.wustl.edu/where-to-eat/
WashU has a highly collaborative culture which is really nice. The students aren’t highly competitive or cut throat like some other colleges are.
They also offer a PEP program where you can freeze any amount of tuition, room and board at current rates for all four years and it is payable up to 10 years. It is based on simple interest, no fees, no closing costs, and it can be prepaid at anytime. Wash U’s staff, administration and financial aid office are very friendly and helpful.
Other schools similar to WashU are University of Notre Dame, Tulane University and Rice University. They are all smaller universities with a beautiful campus setting.
Good luck with your college application process!
