<p>Just wondering about WashU's reputation. Who thinks the reputation is overrated and that the school puts way too much emphasis on climbing up the USNWR rankings?</p>
<ol>
<li>WashU is NOT overrated. It is underrated.</li>
<li>WashU does put WAY too much emphasis on the US News ranking.</li>
</ol>
<p>Whatever you want to say about how they play the rankings (which they COMPLETELY do), WashU is still regardless a top notch school with brilliant students.</p>
<p>clevfry, WashU has actually earned its reputation. They have invested in the school and brought in top professors, they have invested in the facilties, and they are totally committed to the undergraduates. I went to an Ivy League school and had loads of TA's and professors who were only interested in the graduate students. At WashU TA's do not teach classes, only discussion sessions and the freshman writing class. My D is a freshman at WashU. She has had fabulous professors who actually know and care about the students. As a freshman, she was able to get a position as a research assistant and has developed a close relationship with the professor who runs the lab. Her assigned advisior is a full professor who gets back to her with any questions or issues immediately. At WashU you get the advantages of a large research institution combined with the undergraduate committment and caring of a small liberal arts college. </p>
<p>As for the UNSWR rankings, people love to bash WashU for it's high ranking. People seem to have alot of trouble letting a newcomer make it into the upper echelons of education. Of course they care about their ranking, so do most schools. But the fact is that the only thing any school can "manipulate" is the acceptance rate. However, the acceptance rate only accouts for 1.5% of the USNWR rating ( 10% of the 15% Student Selectivity rating). 90% of the student selectivity rating is based on the caliber of the student body--SAT/ACT scores and top 10% of class. WashU constantly gets bashed for rejecting or waitlisting students who they believe will not choose WashU if accepted in order to protect its yield, and for marketing itself in order to bring in more applications and decrease its acceptance rates. However, even if you believe that to be true, its impact of 1.5% on the USNWR ranking is minimal. WashU's ranking has been hard earned by investing in the areas which make for a great education and environment.</p>
<p>You will undoubtedly get all the bashers chiming in now. Look at the facts and what makes a reputation don't listen to the sour grapes.</p>
<p>Exactly how do they "put too much emphasis on climbing up the USNWR rankings?" I have uet to have anyone identify anything that Wash U does that other schools do not do. What is they should NOT be doing? Stop growing their endowment? Stop trying to attract students with higher SAT scores? Try to lower their peer reputation? I mean seriously, what is it they should stop doing?</p>
<p>The too much emphasis on the rankings comes from a few things, IMO (keep in mind I'm WashU 2012 and LOVE the school, so this is from a nonbasher pov)</p>
<p>1- HARDCORE Waitlisting. They tend to accept people that have shown a lot of interest and therefore are more likely to attend. I seriously think the only reason I was accepted is because I showed a LOT of interest (beyond being qualified). People complain that they waitlist overqualified applicants, but seem to ignore the fact that the people they are letting in are also very qualified on their own merits.
2- Lots of mailings. They use a lot of money and throw it at sending out information to prospective students. I have basically a WashU library after being on their mailing lists. Its just getting the word out about WashU but also is so more people will apply (and therefore selectivity will be higher)
3- IMO, the application for WUSTL is another example of it. There is no supplement for the common app so you basically just have to click another button to apply, encouraging more people to apply and hence, greater selectivity.</p>
<p>Just my two cents. But I do love WashU and think theyre just doing what they need to to show themselves to the world since they are greatly academically underrated.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Some excellent points. I must say, I asked that question based on things I've read on other forums about WashU. I need to stop doing that! I know many people who attended the school, absolutely love it and have virtually nothing negative to say about that school.</p>
<p>The world has changed, but it seems to me that Wash U. is better to it's students than my alma mater was - or is. There is a HUGE focus on helping students succeed, and parents to survive their kid's four years also (financially and emotionally.) When my daughter arrived at campus for move-in, student ambassadors were present at the dorm cheering for each new arrival - and THEY carried my daughter's things (not a small amount) three stories up to her new room. This isn't an academic example, but does illustrate the Wash. U aesthetic. It is not northeast puritan, nor is it one of entitlement. </p>
<p>Aside from the kids being well-educated, look at the forums and you'll see...</p>
<p>no complaints. Kids like it at Wash U. </p>
<p>They wish other people knew how good their school was when they told them where they attend. They wish it wasn't confused with schools in the northwest of the US, or GW, or Mary Washington, etc... But, if that's the worst complaint? Pretty darn impressive.</p>
<p>I've said this in other postings, this discussion topic will likely no longer be around in a couple of years. WashU has been a top-ranked USNWR school for several years now and it continues to attract outstanding students who go on to enjoy success in their post-graduate choices. It is widely-regarded as a "hot" school and its students, when asked if they like going there, typically respond with "they love it" (in cult-like fashion). </p>
<p>As for the school's marketing efforts, they're like many highly-ranked schools trying to attract the best, most-qualified students in a competitive marketplace. Current and prospective students should be happy about this.</p>
<p>Prospective students receive mailings, etc., from HYPS and others, all the time.</p>
<p>Yeah, WashU definitely puts a lot of emphasis on their ranking- the dean mentioned their rank in his speech and how "they're continually increasing" and every student on campus reiterates the same thing. But that's also because, like every other school, they use these rankings as a comparison to other schools- it's the only "system" we use to compare the schools in the nation.</p>
<p>But as a currently admitted student who recently visited the school, I believe that they do deserve it- their facilities, admin, profs and students are truly amazing. I think they should be higher! But granted, I haven't visited other highly-ranked school so I may be biased. And yes, they mail a LOT of things- Express Mailings too! And I agree with NUgraduate- I get annoyed when people have never heard of WashU and they think it's some low-class school out in ol' little Missouri [yes, not in Washington..]</p>
<p>To whoever can't believe that WasU is obsessed with rankings:</p>
<p>The letter I got from the dean of admissions when I applied a while back began with "WashU is one of the top ranked schools in the nation" and it really turned me off a lot with the school. The fact that the Dean of Admissions thinks that the most important thing about the school is that its ranked high speaks volumes to me. Don't I already know how highly ranked WashU is considering I applied there?</p>
<p>I'm not trying to say that WashU is a bad school(on the contrary, it is one of the best), I still might end up going there if I get a good financial aid package and get denied from my first choice--I'm a transfer btw.</p>
<p>take it for what it is.</p>
<p>Let's be honest guys, this country and the college craze has become prestige obsessed. Just read through this website if you have any doubts about this! Very few people choose schools without at least considering the prestige value of their choices. Loads of students and their families pour through the rankings in order to help decipher which schools will give them more "prestige" or status.</p>
<p>Why shouldn't WashU use their rankings to help "sell" themselves to this status seeking culture? HYPS...etc don't have to use their rankings to sell themselves because EVERYONE KNOWS they rank at the top. Lots of people however, have no idea how highly ranked WashU is, so it is smart of them to let you and everyone else know.</p>
<p>When I've already applied there? Do you really think that there is a significant number of applicants who don't know Washu's ranking?</p>
<p>I understand them thinking that it is important but when the DoA could have put something like "we have x number Nobel Laurette's" or "Our academics our among the best in the country" as the opening remark instead of "A news magazine seems to think that we are one of the best schools in the country" it makes me question what my experience will be like when I get there. </p>
<p>Please don't take my distaste for this letter to mean I think the doesn't deserve its ranking or isn't l33t or something. I just found it rather shocking.</p>
<p>stoneimmaculate, first of all, you would be surprised how uninformed some people are, even those who have already applied to WashU. Also, just look through CC. There are loads of people who after being accepted to schools, try to figure out which one will give them more "status". There is nothing wrong with reminding applicants of WashU's standing especially when they have the option to go to other top schools. </p>
<p>Stoneimmaculate, might I be correct in assuming that you are only interested in transfering to a school that has high "status"? If so, I rest my case!</p>
<p>Stoneimmaculate- I got letters like that too (best in the nation, blah blah blah).</p>
<p>Not only from WashU, but also from every other highly ranked school I applied to (I'm looking at a letter from Johns Hopkins now; I'm sure one from Duke said the same), and from schools before I applied to them. They all do it.</p>
<p>Nervous: No, you are dead wrong in that assumption actually.</p>
<p>Johnson181: There is nothing wrong with mentioning how prestigious a school is but when the first sentence form the letter I received from the Dean of Admissions mentions how "highly ranked" they are it's a little different. It shows me where their priorities are at.</p>
<p>None of this matters anyways, I've said what I've wanted to and this conversation is not furthering the original topic at all.</p>
<p>The way I see it, as an almost-alumni, Wash U should continually try to improve its prestige as long as it does not negative impact the student experience. And yes, that means maintaining / increasing its ranking.</p>
<p>Someone is always going to argue that Wash U, or Duke, or Emory, or Penn, is overrated. For the vast majority of students who attend each one of those schools it is not.</p>
<p>Let's move on folks.</p>
<p>stoneimmaculate, Go there, don't go there, just stop your d*** whining already please. I agree with mtldad, "all the best schools do it", and there is nothing wrong with it. Wake up and smell the coffee kid, college is a BUSINESS, not only a place of higher learning. If you don't realize that you are hopelessly unprepared to even be at Wash U. I sincerely hope you aren't planning on studying business or advertising.</p>
<p>I think it's a legitimate concern to want to increase their prestige. I, for one, am worried that when I try to find a job, employers who hire graduates of top ranked schools will think I'm applying from some obscure little college in the PacNW.</p>
<p>If anything, Let the peer review section of the US News report give us some insight on how Wash U stacks up against other world class institutes. What do Universitiy Presidents, highly regarded professors in academics, University Provost, people in academic think about each other's status. </p>
<p>You'd be surprise on how low Wash U ranks on peer reviews, which accounts for 25% of the US News report rating, a big big portion of it. This peer review is coming from people who know about Academics. Its really hard to dispute. What do we know more than the people who are actively involved with research and academia? How can Wash U get such a relatively lower peer review score and still achieve 12th rank on the US News report? Thats the real mystery. Wash U does actively manipulate the faculty-student ratios, actively increase its full time faculty staff, drives to increase its graduation rate, increase its endowment, all of which is GOOD for the university and everyone does it. However, Wash U's method of advance is purely to play the game known as US News ranking. Go to any other ranking and see Wash U's ranking drop across the board. Wash U plays US News like no other. Its fine, but people recognize it and people will say what they like if they don't like it.</p>
<p>Fact is, Other universities, presidents, administrators, provost, deans in academics don't view Wash U as their peer instituion as reflected in US News report. Sure, they get a high overall ranking when combined with all those other factors, but to really see what OTHER colleges think of each other, Look at the PEER REVIEW section of US News. Wash U does horrible in that section, and is not regarded by many in academics to be on par with Cornell. Wash U's peer review score is equivalent to that of Tufts, University of Notre Dame, and etc..</p>
<p>If other universities do not think Wash U is of equal caliber, that says a lot of the actually perception the university itself outside the academia in the real world. What university presidents thinks based on their experience matters a lot in US News report.</p>