Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Though superficially, the students of Washington University in St. Louis may look very different, with some sporting bodaciously red hair and others in more conservative collared shirts and khakis, we all share a certain, specific essence: we thirst for knowledge, for excellence, for achievement, just as many others our age, but because our sense of family is so strong, we would not dream of putting another in calamity's path to achieve these things, and when taken as a community of 600 strong, this is something to be reckoned with.

I don't think anyone will feel out of place. There are a lot of different people here from all kinds of back grounds. There are a lot of different religious groups on campus and a lot of international groups. I do think people tend to clique into groups that are more like themselves. I think a lot of people on campus have money but are still very modest about their back grounds. There is some political activism and over all I think the campus is moderate to liberal. I do know a fair number of republicans. It's not about how much people will earn someday, but people have a lot of goals. Most people want to be doctors or want to go into business.

Geographically, most students are from the Northeast or the Midwest, with a decent amount from the West Coast, some from the South, a few from outside of the U.S., and, of course, some that don't fit into any of these specific categories. Many students come from affluent families, but wealth is by no means a norm. It is very common for students to come with scholarships or considerable financial aid. Since Wash. U. hosted the vice presidential debate in the last presidential election, and one of the presidential debates in the election before that, most Wash. U. students would consider themselves fairly politically active. For the most part, Wash. U. is a politically left-leaning community. There are countless numbers of groups on campus dedicated to raising awareness for gay rights, as well as issues of racial diversity and gender inequality. Wash. U. has a very open-minded campus -- it would be hard to find any student who wouldn't be friends with his or her classmates because of their religion/race/gender/sexual identity/sexual preference/political opinions. Wash. U. is known for having a very large and active Jewish community, but there are also very active groups of Christians, and there is a Wash. U., Catholic Student Center next to campus.

All students are very warm and welcoming on campus. Washington University has a variety of student groups for different races, religions, interests, sexual preferences, and cultures. While the diversity on campus may not appear extremely high (60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are classified as "white"), multicultural groups do have a large presence on campus, and it is very common for students of all backgrounds to participate in different cultures' activities, such as Ashoka, Wash U's South Asian Cultural Group.

Students I've met here are generally nice. They are ladies and gentlemen. They truly treat each other as friends. We learn and live in a very cooperative and supportive setting. They are smart, really smart. It seems everyone knows exactly what s/he is doing and why s/he is doing.

A common link I see amongst all WashU students is their ambition. Students are involved in both academics and extracurriculars. Outside activities vary from varsity athletes to a member of the newly instituted Butter Churning club. Most students are middle class, with a decent amount coming from the suburbs of Chicago. One thing I have noticed, however, is the amount of political apathy around campus. Granted, St. Louis is not a hub of political energy, but students do not seem to be as informed as their East Coast counterparts.

They're very friendly, a little competitive, mostly very intelligent, and pretty great.

The students around campus are rather politically oriented, very much to the left. In addition, an overwhelming majority of students seem to come from either the east coast or the west coast with, of course, some mid-westerners as well. I think students interact inasmuch as the various extracurricular groups are open to everyone although many groups may have a specific socioeconomic, religious, or political base they are geared towards. There are also many ethnic student groups. In some regards parts of the student base self-separate however conversely we have a ton of exchange students so it's not surprising that there are a number of groups where people can get together who may be from the same part of the world or all speak the same language in a family-away-from-home sense.

The students around campus are rather politically oriented, very much to the left. In addition, an overwhelming majority of students seem to come from either the east coast or the west coast with, of course, some mid-westerners as well. I think students interact inasmuch as the various extracurricular groups are open to everyone although many groups may have a specific socioeconomic, religious, or political base they are geared towards. There are also many ethnic student groups. In some regards parts of the student base self-separate however conversely we have a ton of exchange students so it's not surprising that there are a number of groups where people can get together who may be from the same part of the world or all speak the same language in a family-away-from-home sense.