<p>I have been researching colleges for the past year or so, and WashU has always been high on my list. But when I talk to my friends about it, they have never heard of it. I know its not an ivy, but it is ranked better than some ivies and is a wonderful education experience. my question is why is it such a well kept secret? and is this likely to last much longer?</p>
<p><em>last much longer as a well kept secret</em></p>
<p>You make it sound like a well kept secret is a good thing. When you interview for a job and they haven’t heard of it, well yeah, not too great.</p>
<p>It used to be in the top 10 in rankings (I think 9th when I applied back in 04), and it’s fallen slightly. I wouldn’t say I’ve noticed much of a change in people’s perceptions of the university. Will it be different in ten-twenty years? Doubtful. Will everyone have heard it in the next century? I’d put my money on it.</p>
<p>It’s not a well-kept secret, it simply is not socially prestigious.</p>
<p>I think a few really selective academic schools probably fall into the “well-kept secret” category, as you like to describe it. I’m not sure the reason. School branding or the apparent lack thereof, is hard to define. Sometimes a school brand only covers one sport. I can understand how a Liberal Arts College can fly under the radar, but not a National University. Admittedly, I was not familiar with the WashU until my D went through the college search process a few years back. </p>
<p>Another top-flight school, imo, that also doesn’t get as much exposure, is Rice. There are probably more people who think of Rice as a perennial Big 12 loser in football than they know that it is an academic heavyweight. (It is nothing short of amazing that they can even compete in the Big 12 conference with 3,000 students, and even more amazing that they seem to be always be nationally ranked in baseball.) </p>
<p>You would think that both WashU and Rice would become household names after getting the high rankings/ratings from USNWR, Princeton Review, Kiplinger, Forbes, etc. etc. To me, one of the most important categories in selecting a school is “quality of life”. and WashU and Rice top this list over the past several years.</p>
<p>As someone who teaches at a university in another part of the country, I can tell you that WashU is well known among academics as being a top academic institution. WashU students do very well in grad school admissions.</p>
<p>I can tell you that every physician I’ve visited since deciding to come to Wash U (who has asked me where I go to school) has not only been familiar with the university but also has made a comment like, “Wow, that’s a great school!” or “They have a great medical school,” etc.</p>
<p>Don’t expect praise if you’re applying to McDonald’s, but mid- to high-level employers certainly know about Wash U and appreciate its quality.</p>
<p>The only really “well known” schools among the general population are Harvard, Princeton, Yale, big sports schools, and schools in your particular region.</p>
<p>I know when I was applying to schools, half of my class didn’t have any clue that Dartmouth was an ivy… or event that Dartmouth existed. And I went to an excellent private school where 100% go to a 4 year university.</p>
<p>The important thing: the people who matter know about WashU (ie grad schools, employers in various fields, etc).</p>
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<p>As I was reading the thread, I thought to myself “remember how nobody had heard of Dartmouth when you were applying?” And then I read the post right above this one.</p>
<p>People hear of big state schools because they’re…states. It would be truly embarrassing for somebody to not have heard of University of Mississippi, as it would imply they’ve never heard of the state. Does that mean, in your book, UMiss is a better school than WashU?</p>
<p>The gauge you are using to measure school quality is misplaced.</p>
<p>[Washington</a> University in St. Louis - Newsweek - Education](<a href=“http://education.newsweek.com/2010/09/12/the-best-25-schools-for-brainiacs/washington-university-in-st-louis.html]Washington”>http://education.newsweek.com/2010/09/12/the-best-25-schools-for-brainiacs/washington-university-in-st-louis.html)</p>
<p>Well, considering Wash U was mentioned a few times on The Office last night - hopefully it won’t be as much of a well-kept secret amongst the general public :)</p>
<p>^Haha. Yes, Washington University was mentioned on The Office several times last night:</p>
<p>[“The</a> Office” gives shoutouts to Washington University | ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO](<a href=“404 Not Found | ksdk.com”>404 Not Found | ksdk.com)</p>
<p>Of course, Andy Bernard (a Cornell alumnus), was less than enthusiastic. Will this help with name recognition? Probably not.</p>
<p>Location…location…location…! I think that the recognized “name schools” are largely located in the East. Most people know the names of SOME of the Ivies…arguably the most famous “recognized names in higher education” but ask them to name all of them, and they falter after HYP. I think what we consider “well known” will vary by where we live ourselves. I am embarrassed to say that I knew very little about WUSTL before my son applied (and he now is a VERY happy freshman here). But, I also knew very little outside of the schools I attended, those my family or friends attended, or the few like HYP that are known by name to most people. Once people start looking at schools (like we did!) it becomes obvious that WUSTL is an amazing place. There are several others as well that we were very impressed with- even though the initial name recognition was not as high as those in the east. Look at application numbers, though, and it also becomes clear that this well kept secret is still pretty popular.</p>
<p>Same here maddenmd.
Only my son visited the school, not us, by the time he decided this is where he wanted to go. He chose WashU over a lot of other peer schools he got into. He loves it there.</p>
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<p>No, I think that CC members are disproportionately from the East and they then think that what is known in their region of the country is universal. “Name schools” differ region to region. Whether WUSTL is “unknown” merely depends on what part of the country you’re from. There’s no one part of the country that makes a school known or unknown.</p>
<p>Employers know there are great schools in this nation that don’t have the Ivy brand on them. Wash U is especially known for its great Pre-med program and its Medical School, too.</p>
<p>don’t forget that WashU is also strong in some areas in business. </p>
<p>when it comes down to it, just know that it is quite a prestigious school, and those who are not ignorant and truly matter to you will recognize it. If you’re wondering why it’s so unrecognized, it’s probably due to location; I hear it’s well-known throughout the midwest. </p>
<p>and everyone’s gonna have to search for college at some point; that’s when they’ll see washu; that’s exactly how I found out, and now here I am: a freshman at washu</p>