<p>No matter where you live, there are more qualified students these days than spaces at the Ivies and their high status brethren (MIT, Stanford, Duke...etc.) Strong students need to search for other good options. </p>
<p>WashU has become "hot" because it has been able to attract a high caliber student body which rivals the Ivies, et al. Not to mention the school's beautiful campus and dedication to undergraduates. </p>
<p>In general, high performing students want to go to a school filled with other high performing kids. WashU has become another great option for these students.</p>
<p>I believe nervois1 mentioned the single biggest factor which I believe makes Wash U a great choice for freshmen: a dedication to undergraduates. </p>
<p>Liberal arts colleges are obviously focused on the undergrad experience, but are generally small with limited size and activities. The big-name universities, inlcuding Ivies to some degree, are focused on research, generating grant money, and attracting high profile faculty. Wash U seems to balance the two well, providing an extraordinary "liberal arts" undergraduate experience in an environment that has the attractions of a research university.</p>
<p>Well said, HartinGA. I myself went to a "prestigious Ivy" and remember most of my classes were taught by TA's. I worked as a research assistant for a "big shot" professor and remember him and his buddies constantly complaining that they had to teach. All they cared about was their research and they considered teaching to be a distraction from their "real work".</p>
<p>My D is currently a freshman at WashU and has been so impressed and intellectually challenged by her professors. She has learned so much already and is so "turned on" by her classes. At WashU teaching undergraduates is a real institutional focus. All Professors teach and TA's only teach Writing I and discussion sections for large lecture classes. D was "blown away" by her freshman focus class which was a small class of under 30 students taught by a world renown professor in the field. In most universities only upperclassmen are given opportunities to take such classes.</p>
<p>WashU really does do a great job providing a "liberal arts undergraduate experience in an environment that has the attractions and benefits of a research univiersity".</p>
<p>I'm from Illinois and my dad was flying from Chicago to Dallas a couple of weeks ago when something interesting happened on the plane. As they were flying over St. Louis, the pilot came on over the address system and told them that if they looked down, they could see the Arch and he talked about that for a bit. Then, out of the blue, he says, "St. Louis is also home to Washington University, often called the Ivy League of the Midwest." My dad thought it was interesting that the two things the pilot mentioned were the Arch and WashU!</p>
<p>I have just been admitted to graduate studies @washU. Very happy,... but when I told my friends, they said "Great. Seattle is now developing fast" or "Great. DC is very good" :(
I am from Vietnam. Those ppl only know some schools like MIT or Harvard.
I will visit washU in the end of this month :-) I heard that it is very beautiful.</p>
<p>My parents are immigrants, and when one of my relatives abroad found out that I was going to WashU, his first question was why I wasn't going to MIT or Harvard...it's indeed true that they believe no other US universities are relevant.</p>
<p>For the poster that inquired about washu's being well-known on the east coast---the school is a magnet school for kids from the metropolitan New York area. As well, it also has a high familiarity level in the L.A. area. As for everyone's testimonials, I just want to add the "cult" feel of the school. The students, when asked, will consistently say that they love going there. A happy student will achieve more and, as well, will take advantage of the opportunities that the school offers.</p>