Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Wash U students are from all over the country. Most of them come from the top of their high school classes or have scored very high on the ACT/SAT. Most of the student body also loves to be involved with campus activities. Most students tend to meet their close friends through their living situations (freshman floor) or clubs and activities. Students on this campus are very open to different types of people. There is very little racial, religious, of LGBT discrimintation on this campus and everyone is accepting. Most students dress pretty casually during the week. Sweatpants and t-shirts are the most common class attire. People save their nice clothes for the weekends.

My only gripes are that everything here is very expensive; in addition to the whopping tuition, the University charges students extra money for in-room Internet service and cable TV. Food is also very expensive; you pay a premium for the good quality. Another problem is that there's so much construction. The University is bringing up two new buildings right now on main campus, and that means there's two giant holes where there were once either an old building or grass. Finally, St. Louis isn't the most hopping city. There are some good museums in Forest Park and excellent shops and ethnic food on the Delmar Loop, but besides that the city is not safe to be in by yourself. Thankfully, the University isn't located right in St. Louis city, but rather in University City and Clayton, the latter of which is a rich, up-scale suburb of St. Louis. On the whole, campus itself is very safe, and I never feel unsafe walking around campus at night.

The location of Wash U is really beautiful. Perhaps people from green areas might not find it that special, but I am from a dry area of the country and I am so excited by all the trees and the beautiful fall colors. Wash. U is right beside Forest Park which is an enormous green park full of trees, a free art museum, and the free St. Louis zoo. It's a great place to wander around in when you're sick of studying. In fact, last month, there was a big hot air balloon event and my friends and I went and saw all these huge colorful hot air balloons getting lit up.

Campus housing and food are by and far excellent. The modern dorms are especially nice--air-conditioned, carpeted, nicely furnished, laundry facilities, common rooms on each floor. By 2010, all the big dorms on the South 40 (the residential area for underclassmen) will be modern. Food is also great here; most places serve things made fresh to order, and they usually taste good. Still, it's not the same as home-cooked meals, so students here tend to get sick of the food after half a year or so. The campus is quite nice, with big green areas and flower-lined pathways and trees everywhere; the campus is sort of modeled off the quads of Cambridge and Oxford, and it works well.

Wash U is majority liberal/democrat, but you will find plenty of conservative/republican outlets and student groups. The campus is heavily Jewish and Catholic, so don't let that surprise you. There are many places to find part-time work on campus - look into the STaRS program. The Career Center is helpful, but more companies eye Northwestern in Chicago than Washington University in St. Louis - even though we are ranked the same.

WashU's student body is very, very diverse compared to the other schools I have visited. We have a million different students groups here that cater to racial groups, religious groups, sexuality groups, everything. WashU is a school dominated by wealthy students, but its not obvious like other schools. No one flaunts there wealth, so its hard to tell who is on financial aid or not, which is how it should be.

Lots of kids from the east coast. Biggest minority is asian. Wealthy. Unfortunately, WashU does not have a very politically active campus, although Barack Obama has inspired the biggest student following here.

Most WashU students are liberal, the young Deomcrats club definitely attracts more than republicans. There are a lot of New York/Chicago/DC kids, but the student body is very diverse on a whole. LGBT groups are active, and I have never heard of any discrimination taking place. Self-segregation between races (black and white) is common, but not restrictive.

WashU is mostly three things: a third jews, a third asian geniuses, and a third devout catholics. WashU calls itself diverse, but coming from a public school, it's pretty much a joke to consider it diverse. Asians and Indians sure, but there is a minute African American population.

Experience with racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic and other groups on campus? Lots of Jewish people. Most groups are well accepted on campus, although some racial groups seem to group together. What kind of student would feel out of place? Anything too weird, like a cross dressing or lots of tattoos. A stupid student would feel out of place too. Most students wear to class? jeans or sweat pants. skirts a lot too. Do different types of students interact? Students from different schools do, yes. Yeah, I'd say so. Four tables of students: Blacks, Asians, Jocks, and normal people. Were are most Wash U students from? "A suburb of Chicago" What financial backgrounds are most prevalent? Upper/middle class. I think. It's kind of hard to tell. Politically aware/active? For the most part, I think. Predominantly left right or center? Center to Left. Students talk about how much they'll earn one day? No.

These groups are all great. A really conservative student would feel out of place at Wash U. Most students wear relaxed, comfortable clothing to class. Different types of student interact, although there isn't that much diversity on campus. Many Wash U students are from the Northeast, Chicago, and L.A. Most are rich. Some are politically aware/active, while others couldn't care less. Most students are too the left. Most students, other than business students, don't talk about potential salaries.

No experiences with these groups whatsoever. A racist who was also a strict conservative republican would have to go into hiding. Most students wear jeans, but now the girls are wearing tights all the time, what a mishap. Different types of students do interact. Table 1: Super preppies with their collars popped. Table 2: Girls from NYC with black hair and big noses talking loudly. Table 3: Athletes. Table 4: The rest. Most students are from New England. Financial background is predominantly wealthy upper class. Students are politically active/aware. I'd say majority of students are left of center. Students often talk about earnings, especially in the Business school, which is sad, because life isn't about paychecks.

Not the best but not bad Someone who doesn't want to make friends Tights and Uggs Not purposefully Sorority girls, black people, freshman floor, atheletes The Midwest Upper-Class Not very Left Not sure

So chill. The only thing is, too much division along racial lines - I notice it even though I'm not part of this division.

WashU is very open and liberal and tolerant of different people. this is a rule. of course unfortunately, there are some individuals who don't like certain groups but that's not open and blatant. truth is, you can't change what people think you can only penalize them for acting discriminately towards them. i think WashU can improve a whole lot especially with racial profiling of black students. i heard some police officers even approach them and harass them. i've never seen it happen though but just thinking about that is so sad. most kids here are rich and white. many are Jews. politically we're mostly democrat and liberal but there is a very big portion of conservative republicans. the kids here are very socially aware. there are ALWAYS petitions or rallies about this project or that cause. the students are involved in so many community service or political or environmental or civic justices causes its great!

Students wear alot of clothes with the names of "other, better colleges and universities." Different types of students interact, and students are from all over the country as well as from other nations. Most students are from a wealthy background. Most are politically aware. I have heard alot of people talk about what they will earn "one day."

I think that a lot of students at WashU are overly concerned about their futures, and they are only taking courses that they think will help them succeed in the future. This bothers me because it is a liberal arts school for the purpose of exposing students to lots of different subjects. The purpose of the school is not necessarily to prepare you to be on the track for a specific lucrative job.

There are over 290 groups on campus so there is something for everyone. Most of my experiences with various groups have been very positive as I've learned so much from a different perspective. I don't think any student would feel out of place at Wash. U. because people come from so many places and from so many different backgrounds. I see a lot of North Face on campus as well as Wash. U. apparel. Jeans and shirts seem to be the order of the day. Some students are very open minded and mingle with other groups freely. Others are more close minded and will stick with people like them. It all depends. Many Wash. U. students are from the Chicago and New York area. A lot of the students would be from upper middle class or rich backgrounds. Students are politically aware and somewhat active. Former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke on campus while Chelsea Clinton made an appearance at our nearby coffee place. Lots of students went to Barack Obama's rally. We're a pretty Democratic leaning campus. There are few Republicans.

The students at WashU are great. While I would argue there is probably a lack of socioeconomic diversity, there is certainly diversity in interests and opinions. For example, Alberto Gonzales was brought to campus and students quickly rallied both in support and in protest of his politics-- students at WashU are not afraid to get involved in causes or say what they mean. There is a huge variety of student organizations you can get involved in on campus ranging from greek life to community service to politics to environmentalism. Students on campus tend to be predominantly to the left, huge support of Barack Obama currently. Everyone on campus is really friendly and basically anyone you know will say hi to you on campus or give you a hug.

Four tables: Involved kids:Student Union, school newspaper, non-traditional fraternity types, RA's, Black Students Association, Indian kids (Divali) Morgan Street regulars: popular downtown bar frequented by those who like to have fun (25 percent of the population). Largely Greek, athlete, affluent. Randos: completely random kids who do not partake in any school activities. Often Asians who stick with one another. Art-school: Hipsters, electics, drug users, occasional crossover with Morgan street crowd.