Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Very rigorous depending on the programs. Pre-Med and Biomedical engineers are notably under pressure and the programs each have high drop out rates. The business school has the reputation of being easy, despite B-school students claiming otherwise.

There are a lot of great professors here and a lot of them care about their students. I have this one professor this semester that tells everyone to call him whenever they have questions even if it is at one in the morning. I have yet to take him up on that offer, but I know students that have. There also is this one professor that had us over to her house for brunch before exams! Students study a lot here because it is very competitive. There are a lot of graduation requirements. Many people are focused on their careers and what Wash U can do for their futures instead of about learning for the sake of knowledge.

Wash. U. professors expect a lot from their students, and Wash. U. students expect a lot form their professors. Typically, students work hard for their grades, while professors are generally well-respected in their respective fields as well as on campus. The relationships that we have with our professors at Wash. U. vary with class size. As an English Major, I tend to be enrolled in 15-person classes, so I develop close relationships both with my professors and my classmates. However, in the few lecture classes that I've taken, I've barely gotten to know my professors. They always have office hours, though, where students are allowed to drop by and talk to them about anything. So if a student were so inclined, it would be relatively easy to develop a relationship with a professor of a lecture class. The English Department is one of the smaller departments at Wash. U., but I have been so impressed by each and every one of my English professors. They are consistently intelligent, prepared, and thought-provoking, and they genuinely want you to succeed in their classes. I, like my classmates, work hard for my grades, which typically means a considerable amount of study-time, but I rarely feel overwhelmed by the work load. The most unique class that I've taken while at Wash. U. was Food Journalism. It was offered in the University's night school, which is available to individuals outside of the Wash. U. community as well as to Wash. U. students. It was taught by the restaurant critic for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which allowed us all to have a first-hand experience of the life of a food journalist. Every class was fascinating and engaging, and I was always left wanting more.

The academics and relationships with professors at Washington University strongly depends on your department of interest. Classes in departments like Anthropology, English, and Education tend to have smaller, more discussion-based classes as you reach the higher level courses. Science-based classes such as Chemistry, Mathematics, or even Economics tend to remain large, even through the upper levels, and building relationship with professors can be more difficult. However, every professor is required to hold office hours at least once a week, and professors are always willing to help students outside of class. Competition at Washington University is not very high, especially compared to other top universities in the country. Students are constantly working in study groups in the library and helping one another to understand the material. If students have trouble finding others to study with, the center for advanced learning on campus will find a student who has already taken the course and pay him/her to lead a study group. Washington University is also rather flexible with their academic requirements, as they work off of a cluster system. Instead of a mandatory calculus class, students are required to complete two or three classes that fall under a "Natural Science" heading, providing students more options with the courses they can take.

I am currently a sophomore majoring in Economics and Psychology, with a minor in Mathematics. I think the best about a Wash U education is that one can have a quality liberal arts education while enjoying the great opportunities (like research) the university has to offer. Class sizes are generally small and professors are fairly accessible. My favorite class I've ever taken is Introductory to English Literature. I wanted to learn some introductory skills for literary criticism and read more great novels. But I had been really afraid that I might get a very low grade. However, it turned out I made a good decision. The professor is really nice. He balanced well between giving lectures and facilitating discussions. And also, he gave me extensive extra tutoring after class. I have really learned a lot from the class.

Academics are HARD. I'm not going to sugar coat it, you have to work really hard at WashU. To be fair, some students work harder than others, depending on your major. Pre-med students work the hardest, as well as engineering students. Business school kids have a bad reputation for not working very hard, and their school is commonly referred to as "B-School Preschool." I've never taken a class there (I'm in the Arts and Sciences school), so I wouldn't know. I'm majoring in Psychology, which I still think is very hard. It's important to study something you're truly interested in, so that the work is less of a pain, and more enjoyable and enlightening. Students study a lot, but probably spend at least half the allotted study time procrastinating. Students will complain a lot over how much work they have, and will probably waste hours doing so. I HATE that WashU students do this. I don't see the point in complaining...just do your work and get it over with! Classes are pretty big in general as a freshman and sophomore, but start to get smaller the last two years. Most of my classes last semester, as a junior, had about 20 kids in them. I still took one large lecture class though. I love smaller classes, because teachers really learn your name, and I think it's much more engaging and thus easier to learn. Some kids, though, prefer lectures. It's definitely possible to still learn in a lecture class though, don't let me discourage you. Professors are generally very good, although there are some that are shockingly awful. But I think that will happen at any school. Some teachers have surprised me by being so great, and others the opposite. Most of my Psychology teachers are awesome, which is probably because WashU is known for having a great Psych department - thus attracting many famous Psych researchers and professors. It's so cool to be taught by a teacher whose work I've studied! Many students in the Psych school also work as Research Assistants, for credit or pay, under a famous Psychologist. I've done this for two semesters, and I think it's a great opportunity that all Psych majors should try to do. I'd be happy to talk further about this, if you're interested! I think WashU's academic requirements are pretty lenient. There's a cluster system which I really like, but most students surprisingly hate. The cluster system gives you four or five general areas (math, science etc) that need to be completed before graduation, with two-four required classes in each area. Instead of being forced to take standard english and math classes, we're allowed the flexibility of picking something like a dance class for language arts, or studying Greek mythology for natural history. I love how open the options are, which allows you to break out of the routine of your major requirements and explore other interests, which may even become a minor or another major. I think other students dislike it because they don't like how random some of the classes can be that they're forced to take, since many students don't see the point. They want to focus solely on their major. I disagree. I think WashU really well prepares you for after college, while also focusing on the here-and-now.

WashU is separated into 5 different schools (Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Business, Art, and Architecture). This allows all students to have a microcosm within the school where they are all surrounded by people that have similar interests. With a student to faculty ratio of 8:1, students are committed to knowing every student by face, name, and story. Interactive conversations in classes are common, and often extend outside of the classroom. WashU also allows you to easily double major. As a Finance and Spanish double major, I know that it is feasible to not only double major, but also pursue two majors in two different schools within the university.

The stereotypical WashU student is perceived (both by outsiders and by WashU students alike) as living in a sort of bubble. The campus is beautiful and certain residential areas feel like small, contrived ski villages in that you never really need to go anywhere because life on the Forty (the very modern residential area for freshmen and sophomores) has everything. Now, is that true? Yes and No. People do go out, students have lives that revolve around things off campus. Additionally, there is a lot to do outside of the campus which abuts Forest Park which, as someone from Pennsylvania I honesty had never heard of, is astounding in the sheer magnitude of things to do there. It's actually larger than Central Park in NY and is jam-packed with all manner of fun stuff. Additionally we are very close to "The Loop" - a funky shopping, eating, and hanging out sort of place two blocks north. Finally, there are two metro stops and many bus routes on campus that make it convenient to go to stadiums, theaters, and just into St. Louis in general. In one sense people do go out. A lot, too. However there is always the return to "the bubble" and the day-to-day experience of being on campus, going to classes, etc... is conducive to getting trapped in what can only be described as, well, the WashU bubble. The lines which delineate the boundaries of campus are abundantly clear and if for no other reason than it honestly does feel like you're walking into a different world once you step inside. This is neither good nor bad however it nevertheless is undeniably true.

The stereotypical WashU student is perceived (both by outsiders and by WashU students alike) as living in a sort of bubble. The campus is beautiful and certain residential areas feel like small, contrived ski villages in that you never really need to go anywhere because life on the Forty (the very modern residential area for freshmen and sophomores) has everything. Now, is that true? Yes and No. People do go out, students have lives that revolve around things off campus. Additionally, there is a lot to do outside of the campus which abuts Forest Park which, as someone from Pennsylvania I honesty had never heard of, is astounding in the sheer magnitude of things to do there. It's actually larger than Central Park in NY and is jam-packed with all manner of fun stuff. Additionally we are very close to "The Loop" - a funky shopping, eating, and hanging out sort of place two blocks north. Finally, there are two metro stops and many bus routes on campus that make it convenient to go to stadiums, theaters, and just into St. Louis in general. In one sense people do go out. A lot, too. However there is always the return to "the bubble" and the day-to-day experience of being on campus, going to classes, etc... is conducive to getting trapped in what can only be described as, well, the WashU bubble. The lines which delineate the boundaries of campus are abundantly clear and if for no other reason than it honestly does feel like you're walking into a different world once you step inside. This is neither good nor bad however it nevertheless is undeniably true.

The academics at WashU are top notch. Haters will say that we're a wannabe Ivy school, but honestly, most kids who I met here want to be here instead of the much snobbier universities like Hahh-varrd. The class sizes can be as big or as small as you want them, except for the huge intro classes like Psych and Bio. But if you really love seminars, it's definitely easy to get into a bunch of classes that are around fifteen students. My favorite class is called "Birth of Venus," which is a team-taught class that synthesizes art history and literature. We read three historical fiction novels by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dunant, who actually flew into WashU and lectured us for four classes. You're just not going to have an opportunity to do that at so many other schools. Because the academics are amazing here, students are constantly studying. Tons of students come in pre-med (which changes once they realize how hard it is), so there are definitely a lot of study sessions here. If you want to create relationships with the professors, it's generally really easy. Professors are open, nice, and receptive. The academic requirements here are pretty lose, and it's nice to not have a "core" curriculum. We have to take classes from four categories, but it's not hard to find something in each section to fit your interests. It really depends on the department, but I don't think WashU is too centered towards getting a job any more than other top-notch colleges. Students here want to succeed, and are ready to put in the effort for it, so naturally there's going to be an air of pre-professionalism.