<p>@christine37, I got admitted ED too, and I’m guessing this just means that we can’t totally give up on school. I’m sure a couple of B’s won’t be too big of a problem.</p>
<p>Which languages at Wash U are considered by the students to be the best taught and teach students the most? Also in general how demanding are language courses?</p>
<p>I’m not intimately familiar with washu’s languages department, so I can’t tell you which has the best reputation. I can tell you that the courses are very intensive; the school is of the mentality that in order to learn a language you have to put a lot of work into it. Classes are 3/4 days a week, with plenty of outside work as well. (Don’t let me scare you off it though - it does work quite well)</p>
<p>Wow… @RyanMK, thanks for reassuring me about financial aid. I worried for nothing, because I just got my financial aid offer today, and they were incredibly generous! Wash U is really an amazing school; everyone is so friendly and willing to help, I’m so glad to be able to have the opportunity to go there next year. </p>
<p>And @MrCupcake5, I’ve done some research into languages, because I wish to study a language in addition to my primary major of biology, and I know that the first few classes of learning a language (grammar, structure, speaking, etc) are typically 5 credit courses, meaning that it’s a lot more work, kind of like a science course with a lab. But I’ve heard from some current students that if you have a natural proficiency with languages, it really is not as bad as it seems. Yes, a lot of work, but I think most courses are anyway. As for the best taught, I don’t know… They do have a lot of choices, that’s for sure. If you took an AP language exam, I know that even a 3 on the exams can get credit (conditional credit), although a 4 or 5 is obviously preferable.</p>
<p>@jadefire94
You’re welcome! Glad I could help. Nice to hear that washu is treating you well.</p>
<p>Initially I came into washu considering minoring in spanish in addition to a bio major, after taking 5 years in junior high and high school. I got a 5 on the AP test, then took washu’s placement exam, and got placed into a 300 level course. 2 lectures in, and there was already an essay on the horizon, so I dropped 
I realized I liked my high school teacher a lot more than I actually liked the subject. But that just goes to show you, never be afraid to try out a class you don’t know if you’ll like - worst comes to worst, you can drop it with no penalty.</p>
<p>Honestly, what type of grades do you need to have to get rescinded? Will one C hurt you severely or elicit a response from WashU?</p>
<p>One C? Absolutely not. Hell, you could probably get at least 2 or 3 C’s before Wash U would even begin to consider it, and even that seems like a long shot.</p>
<p>I sincerely doubt it. While I won’t make any firm promises, I think that it would be extremely uncommon to be rescinded on the basis of a lone C. It would be my quasi-educated guess that it takes a D or an F, or multiple Cs to elicit a response. That being said, there’s always a chance; get it up to a B-, and I’m positive nothing would come of it.</p>
<p>Coming fresh out from my French final today. WashU language departments are typically strong. We do have strong German, French and Chinese program. I don’t know about Spanish but I’m sure it’s quite good as well. First two levels of language have 5 classes a week and weekly homework. I don’t know about higher level classes since I’m not planning to take more, but I’m sure there would be lots of homework. It’s fun to learn though.</p>
<p>How hard is it to get the merit scholarships? Is it something almost nobody gets or are there a decent amount of people who get them?</p>
<p>It’s extremely competitive to get a merit scholarship - especially the really big ones. I believe scholarships are more competitive than admission.</p>
<p>How is the political science department?</p>
<p>I can’t say anything from personal experience, obviously, but I do know it’s been ranked fairly highly by a few different sources. What that actually translates to in terms of quality of the program, I can’t say.</p>
<p>My son is a poli sci major at WashU and he is really happy there. </p>
<p>The range of course offerings is quite impressive. Every semester he has to pick and choose from among many classes that he is interested in taking, but doesn’t have room for them all.
[Course</a> Listings | Department of Political Science](<a href=“http://polisci.wustl.edu/undergraduate/course_listings]Course”>http://polisci.wustl.edu/undergraduate/course_listings)</p>
<p>The department is well regarded, and ranked pretty highly.</p>
<p>For those of you who are considering merit scholarships, I would definitely apply. You never know unless you apply. If you are unsure about what academic merit scholarship to apply for, try some of the university-wide scholarships such as Ervin or Rodriguez.</p>
<p>I’m in the political science dept. I just finished my first semester at WashU but I’m absolutely loving it and very much enjoyed my pol sci class/professor. I do know from the upperclassmen that the department is very particular about who they hire. And as people said, it’s very well regarded. I chose it over Duke/Northwestern/Cornell. It may not be as highly ranked but WashU was a better fit than those schools overall and I didn’t feel like the academic difference was significant enough to go somewhere else.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re planning on studying poli sci, consider writing for WUPR (WashU Political Review) and getting involved in College Dems or College Repubs. You’ll meet a lot of other people with your interests, which can be nice since it can feel like everybody here is premed. Upperclassmen are also helpful in finding/applying for good internships and suggesting classes.</p>
<p>If you get a 3, 4, or 5 on a language AP exam (French, Spanish, etc), do you still need to take the language placement exam?</p>
<p>Yep! Washu decided that even if two people got 5 on the AP test, there could still be a large gap in knowledge, thus they mandate the placement exam regardless.</p>
<p>I’m at a 79% in AP Physics C-- it’s one of the most difficult classes offered at my school, and I’m planning on majoring in English. WashU accepted me ED, so they already know this-- would a C in this class be grounds for rescinding my admission? I know that this question has been asked on CC before and the answer is generally “no, one C is fine,” but do you know anybody at WashU who had a C their senior year? I’m just trying to put my mind at ease…</p>
<p>How are Washu’s engineering departments? I’m particularly interested in either Bio-medical engineering, nanotechnology, or chem engineering.</p>