<p>I would just like to throw out there that WUSTL supposedly sending out tons of mailings it utterly untrue. I have gotten quite a few from them, but U Chicago, Macalester, Tulane and many more schools are definitely bombarding me more. (I find it so ironic that Mac sends me so many things, since they are famed for being environmentally conscious. EPIC FAIL.)</p>
<p>For whatever reason (didn’t get in, east coast [ivy league] bias, etc), there are several WashU haters on this thread that continue to spread misinformation about the school. They present no evidence to their claims and often react irrationally and immaturely when called out for it. Case in point. </p>
<p>For the record, 90% of the class at WashU is need-blind. The school could definitely improve on diversity, but they are working to do so. They have scholarships for that very purpose, and they recently started a $150 million initiative for financial aid.</p>
<p>Often times, WashU haters criticize the school for methods it takes to increase its name recognition. Here’s my question, if you were a school with the objective criteria of a top 10 school in the country, but lacked the cache and name recognition of the Ivy League, what would you do to increase prestige and name recognition? Market your school? Let people know that you are as good as you, in fact, actually are? Attract top faculty and top students? Improve the dorms and facilities? These are exactly the things WashU is doing and is being criticized for on these threads.
WashU is starting from a disadvantage. They are not an Ivy League school or on a coast. Should education reflect its “ivy tower” reputation by only allowing the elite circle of 8 schools to be “the best”? Are newcomers who play the game just as well (maybe better) than this inner circle unwelcome? Think about it.</p>
<p>Also, if you have such a problem with receiving mail from them, I guarantee you that if you call the admissions office and ask to be removed from the mailing list, your wish will be granted. So there’s really no point in complaining.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, it’s been well documented.</p>
<p>Anyway, my brother visited WashU and was not overly impressed, although he applied anyway. He was waitlisted. He’s a freshman at Wharton right now.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If it is so well-documented, is it too much to provide some of that documentation? Besides the anecdote about your brother.</p>
<p>[How</a> to advertise the University in the recession | Student Life](<a href=“http://www.studlife.com/news/2009/09/21/how-to-advertise-the-university-in-the-recession/]How”>How to advertise the University in the recession - Student Life)</p>
<p>From the students themselves.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>THAT’S CUZ WASHU DOESN’T PUBLISH IT’S WAITLIST DATA.</p>
<p>lol. I wonder why that could be.</p>
<p>There are links available on CC that show that WashU waitlist an incredibly high number of students… but those were self-selecting responses.</p>
<p>WashU manipulates their rankings. I’m pretty sure Chronicle of Higher Education (one of the most respected news papers in higher education) did a special about “gaming rankings” and WashU was on of the schools profiled in their list.</p>
<p>^^ You’re “pretty sure” huh? Care to show me the link?</p>
<p>When we visit the campus, my D was totally taken by it, but what I saw was:</p>
<p>Fake setup, as far as the buildings go (remind me of a Louis Vuitton purse being compared to "designer inspired purse - which in my mind=fake Louis Vuitton purse). </p>
<p>Then, EVERY student we saw that day were playing freesby. Every single one of them. I am assuming they were practicing for a huge tournament???</p>
<p>Our guide appears to have an agenda as far as “pushing” laundry service, and high end food service. Not much was said about self anything. And when someone asked questions about it, he would repeat the “benefits” of laundry services. I guess this specific guide was really taken by it.</p>
<p>I can go on and on. Needless to say, I was very incomfortable because I could “sense” the surreal atmosphere, and could not wait to get out of there. But my D felt in love with it.
Of course, I let her applied being a top 10% student, blah, blah, blah. I was sooooooooo relieved when she got waitlisted. She was crushed for a bit, and then moved on. When they started the same crap with my son, like sending letters, etc… I phoned the school and told them to stop. How much of an idiot do they think I am??</p>
<p>^^ lol. I would say pretty much…</p>
<p>Fake setup? How can the campus buildings be fake? If you wanna say that the buildings look similar to those of X school’s. Then you should do some research on other universities. For example, UChicago’s buildings were modeled after Oxford University’s.</p>
<p>EVERY student you saw that day were playing frisbee? When did you visit the school?</p>
<p>I have nothing to say about the tourguide, not every tourguide is fun. I know Harvard’s tourguides are the most interesting ones.</p>
<p>You could “sense” the surreal atmosphere…HAHAHAA. You sounded like a paranormal or someone who already looked down on WashU even before visiting the school.</p>
<p>Actually what I mean by surreal (from the point of view of a parent) was the knidergarden like procedure of the entire visit, starting with parking your car. Car to be parked forward, visitor card on the left side. In the office, we were given the procedures, the door closed and we waited. At exactly 10:30am, we were handed out our packets (alphabetically), and all pages were explained to us, as to their purposes. A parent entered to room late, and got the look form the lady at the front desk. When she asked for her packet because she realized her name had passed, she was told to wait until the end, as to not disturbe the process already in progress. That is what I mean by surreal. To me, it was unbelievable to be divided and herded. </p>
<p>As for the guide, he was extremely talkative, and nice. However, I felt half of what he told us, had to be say. He was acting like a telemarketer (been to those kind of training myself).</p>
<p>As for frisbee, the guide himself told us that it was a big thing at WASHU. And from what I saw, I believed him.</p>
<p>Others can be very happy in this type of setting, good for them.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Because WUSTL refuses to submit admissions data to the CDS, how do we know these criteria are real, let alone “objective”?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Here you go:</p>
<p>[Playing</a> the Rankings Game - Archives - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Playing-the-Rankings-Game/4451/]Playing”>http://chronicle.com/article/Playing-the-Rankings-Game/4451/)</p>
<p>^^ There is no WUSTL in that article (at least the free version). But if you want me to pay money just to see an online article about WUSTL, you must be kidding me. -_-</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Damn that freesby. Damn it.</p>
<p>interestingguy, do you really think a top 15 university in the country would lie about their admissions statistics? Is that risk really worth it? Let’s examine this rationally. But please, don’t hit me with the “gaming USNews rankings” argument that people continue to make, despite it being refuted on every single thread on which it is made. </p>
<p>Here’s another question (none of my previous ones have been responded to yet): How many of you avid WashU dissenters have actually been to the school?</p>
<p>diontechristmas, I’m sorry your brother was not impressed with WashU and that he didn’t get in. It is not for everyone. If you are implying that he was “Tufts Syndromed,” however, I can offer an equally valid theory, based on evidence (or lack thereof) that WashU has the policy of rejecting its less humble applicants…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Do not put words in other people’s mouths. But if WUSTL isn’t hiding anything, then why the lack of transparency?</p>
<p>FWIW, WUSTL is only a “top 15” school in the one (US News) ranking that it can game. No other reputable rankings (Revealed Preferences, WSJ Feeder, Shanghai Jiao Tong, THES-QS, Newsweek, Forbes, Washington Monthly, etc.) rate WUSTL as a “top 15” school.</p>
<p>
Considering the methodology of some of those so-called rankings, you can take out “reputable.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Maybe, but they’re still no less reputable than the US News rankings. At least these others aren’t actively gamed.</p>