Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

One of the great things about being at a school with such dedicated peers is the broad offering of activities and groups available. There are many, many organizations on campus that are active doing whatever floats their boat. WashU does a great job of promoting this through funding. The school basically gives out over 2 million dollars every year to fund student group events. Most parties happen Thursday through Saturday, though there's things going on all the time. St. Louis has a decent nightlife, and students (mostly upperclassmen) like getting off campus to clubs or bars. On campus, especially during freshman year, most students will find themselves at frat parties. Sure, it may not be original, but it's a good time. What I've found impresses friends from other schools the most is that the eater by the dorms is open to 3am on weekends. Most students don't appreciate it until they're starving at 2:30, but then they realize what a gift from God this is.

there are lots of groups on campus, it's kind of insane, there are lots of people who play sports. people get to be really close with the people who live on their freshman floors where a lot of people keep their doors open, in upper class men dorms less people keep their doors open unless they know each other already but people are all about meeting new people on their floors. i met my closest friends during transfer orientation (i'm a transfer student), i hung out with only transfers first semester but second semester i became really good friends with he people on the floor of my dorm (most lived together the year before) and now i'm dating one of them. if i'm up at 2 i'm probably doing homework because i was hanging out with people for too long. we have a concert where everyone gets drunk all day and then hangs out twice a year and a giant water balloon fight every spring. i usually party on weekend nights unless i have too much homework or a test coming up. if you don't want to drink i'm sure you'll make friends with other people who don't want to drink and you all hang out

I'm on the cross country and track teams. Even though WashU is a Division III school, the sports are pretty intense. We practice at 6:45 am in the fall. Many of our teams are really good. In the 2007-2008 season, our men's basketball and women's volleyball teams were national champions. Our women's cross country team was #3 in the nation. Women's outdoor track is currently ranked #1 (the season is still in progress). Considering how talented many of our athletes are, it is kind of sad that athletic events are not very popular among the general student body.

I live off campus and attend the KSA.

Greek life at Wash U is awesome! It is not as cliquey or intense as bigger state schools. It's really easy to find the sorority or fraternity that is right for you. There are ton of Greek events like Greek week in the fall and building facades for thurtene in the spring. People who are Greek are also really accepting of students that aren't greek. it's really easy to mingle across group lines. The only athletic events that are very popular are men's basketball and women's volleyball. But those games are really fun to attend if you like sports. This school doesn't really have the school spirit through athletics though. Most students go out and party on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturday nights. Fraternities are popular hang out spots for underclassemes and apartment parties or the bars on the landing are popular amongst upperclassmen. Morgan street is the place to be on thursday nights if you're 21. Dating doesn't really happen at Wash U. Most people are either hooking up or in a relationship. Lots of people at Wash U are also in long distance relationships with people from home and most of them seem to be pretty succesful if they last past freshman year. There are so many activities to get involved in at Wash U. I think there is a club for anything a person could possibly be interested in from student government and community service to juggling and cooking. My favorite campus activity is the Campus Y. They have like 26 different service programs! They also have a really great space on campus to hang out. There are couches, a tv, a kitchen, and the entire Y staff is super friendly!

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. Now, I hope I do not sound falsely positive about Wash. U... I just am enjoying being here so much and I really haven't found anything bad about the school. I never expected college to be so inspiring, full of so many good smart people, and so beautiful. The academics are extremely challenging, but it helps to be in a place that constantly reminds me that I am getting an super excellent education.

There's a ton of EC's here, more than 200, each benefiting from the Student Union's budget of about $2 million per year. It's pretty easy to start up a club if it doesn't exist when you get here. NCAA athletics aren't that popular here; this is a D-III school with only a few really competitive teams, like volleyball and soccer, and students generally don't go out to sporting events that often. The social scene here is good; students tend to work hard during the week and then go out and have a good time on the weekends.

There are tons of things to do in Forest Park, downtown, on in The Loop. The MetroLink is going to open two stops on campus in 2006 on the route to the Galleria Mall. It also goes to the airport for under $5; a cab is over $20.

The Greek system here is BIG. As a non-Greek, its hard to fit in sometimes. For younger students who aren't 21 and cannot go to bars, you pretty much only go to frat parties. The frats here are surprisingly nice compared to other frats at other schools I have seen-they are clean and new. They are fun-lots of dancing and a lot of free beer for those who drink. I love going out to eat, and St. Louis luckily has a pretty good restaurant scene, with places within walking distance of campus.

Yes, students leave their dorm rooms open. There is not much of a dating seen...more hookups than anything. Athletic events are not very popular at all... basketball gets the most attention. Greek life is pretty popular, and most social life revolves around it. WILD is a big weekend.