<p>WashU v. University of Chicago?</p>
<p>... on what grounds? On which majors, type of social life, type of setting, overall generalization/stereotype of the students would you like a basis?
They're both great schools but neither is the hands-down best for everybody.</p>
<p>academic environment and for majors English/Biology/Premed</p>
<p>You should do some research by yourself, and then ask more specific questions if you are looking for a meaningful response.</p>
<p>I am looking for school where students are focused and driven by academics. A school that teaches students how to read, write, and improve their abilities. I would also like there to be a feeling on campus where students are involved in extra-curriculars and volunteering in their free time. Friendly administration and professors who are willing to help students every step of the way. I come from a small rural town and the city life is intimidating. Participating in class and speaking my mind has always been a problem, but I would like a school where everyone participates in the discussion and no one is put down for doing so. Medical school is the path I am looking for in the future, but literature has also been a passion of mine. However, I do not know how I would put this into practice.</p>
<p>What is a typical WashU student like?</p>
<p>I'm having the same problem: UChicago vs. JHU.</p>
<p>I also want a school "where students are focused and driven by academics", but if you're serious about med school, you have to look at the statistics...</p>
<p>Now JHU and WashU are BY NO MEANS NOT intellectually driven institutions. i think chicago just has a unique, highly respected aura about it. it's interesting, but at the same time a little scary.</p>
<p>in the end, i think i'm gonna go with JHU. for me, life isn't about whipping out random little facts in the corner of starbucks just to impress an academic. it's about setting a goal, and doing everything i can to get there. i have a passion for medicine, and i've worked hard thus far to get a medical degree.</p>
<p>god, i sound like such a dirty capitalist there. hah.</p>
<p>From what you said in post #5, I have to say that you should go to WashU. I may catch some flak from Chicago lovers, but IMO UofC is not the right place for someone who would be put off or intimidated by a major urban environment. The campus of UofC is beautiful, but it is surrounded by the city and it is nearby to areas of the city that have not gentrified and you will be warned to be on your guard on certain streets, at certain times of night etc. For a lot of people, that doesn't bother them, or they make sure to travel about in groups and never have a problem. For others, it can be a distraction from an otherwise wonderful college experience. If you know yourself well enough to know that's not for you, come to WashU. Wash is on the edge of St. Louis, mostly in a suburban town called University City. Its not totally crime free, of course, but this is city "lite" if you know what I mean. There is a metro link station that can take you from campus to the airport and also to shopping areas and movie theaters. There is a section of restaurants and shops and a theater within a 10 minute walk from the campus and its a very safe area. </p>
<p>Judging from what my son tells me, WashU students are actively engaged in their education. There are tons of clubs and intramural sports and many opportunities to volunteer and do community service in nearby St. Louis neighborhoods. My S and friends seem to have plenty of fun on the weekends, but the culture of the place seems to be to work hard during the week on academics (at least that's what I believe in my happy parents' fog). S is happy with his classes and professors. Lots of personal contact; most of his classes had 20 or fewer students in them. </p>
<p>One interesting thing happened when we were visiting the campus last year around Labor Day weekend. We were walking from the library toward that really beautiful dining room near Brookings Hall when a group of about four WU students passed us on the walkway. They were having an animated discussion about "Beowulf." My S caught my eye and grinned; he had recently gone to B&N and bought the new translation for himself. He visited a few other colleges for overnights and admitted student weekends, but I don't think he ever really wavered from the feeling that WashU was the right place for him. I think you would be very happy at WashU. Good luck whatever you decide.</p>
<p>I have never met more-involved students in my life than here at WashU. Last year, as a transfer student, I was debating between WashU and UChi. After visits and such, I decided that UChi was a little depressing (though that could have been because it was cloudy the day I visted :-P ). I am so glad that I decided on WashU and I've never looked back. If you want more information about my personal decision making process, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>From what you said that you wanted, you sound like you'd be happier with WashU. Along with what everybody else said, the faculty really takes care of you and is great for helping you with each step of your education.
Settingwise, many describe WashU as being its own personal "bubble" yet integrated with St. Louis. The campus is beautiful and if you want/need to step outside and go into the city or something that's totally accessible.
The whole feeling for the students is that you are there to succeed but you are motivated by yourself... meaning that you aren't overly competitive with your peers making the education turn itself into a game rather than a directional system. It's a good balance. Yes you will find your extremes, but that comes with the package of having a variety.</p>
<p>Also, the selfproclaimed description for U of C is "The place where fun goes to die."</p>
<p>At least you acknowledge that it is self-proclaimed, theydidwhat. Most just assume that Fiske or Barron's made it up. But please, take the phrase with a grain (a pound, maybe?) of salt-- it shows more about our sense of humor than about any truth for the school.</p>
<p>As a Chicago, I can tell you that nearly all Chicagoans put academics first. That's not to say that they all spend their lives in the library or that they never have parties, play sports, or do community service. Chicagoans have all sorts of personalities and all sorts of interests, but the "academics first" attitude remains a near-constant.</p>
<p>As a result, you end up with absolutely stimulating class discussions, and you watch as the star of the tennis team pulls out his dog-eared and highlighted copy of Kant's "Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals."</p>
<p>I think WashU is an excellent school, even though it's Chicago's archrival, and the students I know who go there are bright made good contributions to class discussions, but they aren't in it the same way Chicago kids are in it. However, I also agree that Chicago/Hyde Park can be a scary place. Safety aside (I imagine awareness of one's surroundings is as important at WashU as it is in HP), I think it's important to know that Hyde Park is an extremely racially and socioeconomically mixed neighborhood. The University and non-University community do a pretty good job of ignoring each other, but you'll go into the Loop and wonder why everybody seems to be wealthy and white.</p>
<p>I think its interesting that your interpretation of the Loop is that everyone was wealthy and white, amykins. I have found this to not be the case. I see many different types of people whenever I'm on the Loop, but that's just been my experience.</p>
<p>It's an exaggeration, that's for sure :-) it was meant to be funny. Maybe I should have said Lincoln Park instead of the Loop.</p>
<p>I think WashU might be a better school for a student who has expressed reservations about living in an urban environment. Though the school is easy to navigate and it's small enough that you feel connected to it, I imagine that Hyde Park might not be the most user-friendly locale for somebody who is expressing doubts about an urban environment. If the OP is willing to work around that, though, I think that he or she might really like Chicago.</p>
<p>And I was under the impression that the entire midwest was under the huge cloud that often covers Chicago... I actually happen not to mind the weather that much. It means that we savor every beautiful day we get, and when it's nice out, the campus absolutely sparkles.</p>
<p>Amykins-
"I think WashU is an excellent school, even though it's Chicago's archrival, and the students I know who go there are bright made good contributions to class discussions, but they aren't in it the same way Chicago kids are in it." </p>
<p>How do you know what Wash U kids are like in the classroom? Have you gone to any Wash U classes? Me thinks that your UC ego is way too big!!!!</p>
<p>hahahaha sorry :) didn't mean to offend! I like WashU a lot, and I was just thinking about the handful of students I know there now rather than the school as a whole, which I realize is a huge mistake.... if I were to evaluate my dear Chicago based on the handful of people I knew before I came, I would have concluded that all of the students there were annoying and socially awkward, which, of course, they aren't on the whole.</p>
<p>Truce?</p>
<p>amykins
Of course, truce!</p>