Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

The school is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The services it offers students from the food, to the gyms, to the rooms, to the architecture, to the biweekly bathroom cleaning services are all top notch. The size it perfect. Large enough that I will never meet or get bored of everyone on campus or in my grade but small enough that a walk across the school will cause me to run into a familiar face. St. Louis kind of sucks. There are small cool things to do, but its really only for people who want to look for those things. It's very easy to comfortably never leave campus.

Although all students are disappointed with the school's lack of name recognition, WashU is a great university with awesome rankings, staff, and people. The administration is great, and I am continually pleasantly surprised to see how quickly people respond to emails. If there is a problem, big or small (for example, your floor's sink is clogged), it will most likely be fixed within 24 hours. St. Louis is a difficult town to get around without a car, despite WashU's free UPass, which gives students access to the underground railroad system and bus routes.

The best thing about Wash U is all the people. Everyone is really awesome and talented, but most important nice and friendly. The one thing I'd change is name recognition; however, when people know about Wash U they are super impressed. I think the school is the right size. When you walk across campus, you see a lot of strangers, but you also see a lot of people you know. St. Louis is a great place with a lot of cool places and it's not that dangerous. There are dangerous places, but if you are smart then you'll be fine. There is not a lot of school pride. The biggest complaints are from the pre-meds with those classes. Gen Chem Lab is the worst/hardest class and that brings a lot of complaints.

Coming from a small, New England, prep school, I was looking for a mid-sized University outside of the Northeast. For me the size is perfect -- big enough so that there are always new people to meet, and small enough so that no matter where you go you'll see a familiar face. Usually when I tell people where I go to school, they respond with one of two things: "So how do you like Washington?" or "Wow, that's a great school." One of the most frustrating things about going to Wash. U. is that not everyone knows what it is. However, the people that do know the school know how competitive the academics are. Wash. U. has been trying to boost its reputation for a few decades now, but it definitely still has room for improvement. Going to school in St. Louis has been surprisingly fun. Everything is affordable, it's easy to get around, and there's a pretty impressive night life. There's somewhere to go out almost every night of the week, and wherever you go, you'll be sure to run into a crowd of Wash. U. students. That being said, it's no secret that St. Louis isn't the safest city to live in. Although the area around Wash. U. is much safer than East St. Louis, it's still not a good idea to walk around alone at night, except on campus. The school tries to make the campus as secure as possible, and does a pretty good job at it, but the real safety issues for students lies in the off-campus neighborhoods. As a student who lives off-campus, I'm frequently frustrated with the lack of attention paid to security around the off-campus student housing. Wash. U. isn't well known for its athletics (except for our basketball teams -- their games draw huge crowds). Our school pride typically comes from our academics and our events. Every semester, the school brings a popular musician to campus for everyone's favorite day, W.I.L.D. The weather is usually beautiful (it's always in the beginning of fall and the end of spring), we either haven't started classes or have just finished them, and all of the frats open their doors to throw huge parties. As an upperclassman, I spend most of my time off-campus, but with all of the on-campus events (like W.I.L.D), I'm still on-campus more than most upperclassman at other schools. Wash. U. has an incredibly close-knit and supportive community, one that I've enjoyed being a part of for the past 4 years and look forward to continuing to be a part of in the future.

Coming from a small, New England, prep school, I was looking for a mid-sized University outside of the Northeast. For me the size is perfect -- big enough so that there are always new people to meet, and small enough so that no matter where you go you'll see a familiar face. Usually when I tell people where I go to school, they respond with one of two things: "So how do you like Washington?" or "Wow, that's a great school." One of the most frustrating things about going to Wash. U. is that not everyone knows what it is. However, the people that do know the school know how competitive the academics are. Wash. U. has been trying to boost its reputation for a few decades now, but it definitely still has room for improvement. Going to school in St. Louis has been surprisingly fun. Everything is affordable, it's easy to get around, and there's a pretty impressive night life. There's somewhere to go out almost every night of the week, and wherever you go, you'll be sure to run into a crowd of Wash. U. students. That being said, it's no secret that St. Louis isn't the safest city to live in. Although the area around Wash. U. is much safer than East St. Louis, it's still not a good idea to walk around alone at night, except on campus. The school tries to make the campus as secure as possible, and does a pretty good job at it, but the real safety issues for students lies in the off-campus neighborhoods. As a student who lives off-campus, I'm frequently frustrated with the lack of attention paid to security around the off-campus student housing. Wash. U. isn't well known for its athletics (except for our basketball teams -- their games draw huge crowds). Our school pride typically comes from our academics and our events. Every semester, the school brings a popular musician to campus for everyone's favorite day, W.I.L.D. The weather is usually beautiful (it's always in the beginning of fall and the end of spring), we either haven't started classes or have just finished them, and all of the frats open their doors to throw huge parties. As an upperclassman, I spend most of my time off-campus, but with all of the on-campus events (like W.I.L.D), I'm still on-campus more than most upperclassman at other schools. Wash. U. has an incredibly close-knit and supportive community, one that I've enjoyed being a part of for the past 4 years and look forward to continuing to be a part of in the future.

Overall, Washington University seems dedicated to maintaining a high quality of life and an enjoyable learning environment. One of the best things about Washington University is the abundance of easily accessible help on campus: advisors, disability resources, professors, mentors, and teacher assistants. The faculty is very prompt when responding to emails, and everyone seems to genuinely want to help one another. Alumni maintain the same passion for the university, and donations and tuition are constantly recycled right back into the school for things such as new student centers with hot chocolate bars and dormitories equipped with Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Wash U is a very centralized, medium-sized school, so the university works hard to carefully watch for long lines and crowds in order to determine what changes will make every experience more efficient and enjoyable. For instance, a large eating center was recently built in one of the main residential areas to decrease lines and increase food variety. Now, made-to-order stir fry, Indian cuisine, and seared crab cakes can all be ordered under one roof. Many students from New York City or Los Angeles frequently say that St. Louis is not the most active or vibrant city. The university is about a 15-minute drive from downtown, which has bars, shops, and restaurants but is not as walkable as Manhattan, and about a 5-minute drive from Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis dominantly filled with a young professional crowd. Although St. Louis is not the epitome of a "college town," other St. Louis schools such as St. Louis University are close by and feature other student-targetted burger joints and sports bars. However, for the student who prefers to not explore the city, everything you need can be found right on campus.

In my opinion, the best thing about Wash U is that we can really learn what we want. Although we have many schools, such as the School of Arts and Sciences, the Business School, and the Art School etc., students can choose courses across school divisions. We can double major across schools and we can transfer very easily if we want. Overall, the academic policies are amazingly flexible, which is different from many other colleges. And the foods are of quality. There are various kinds of cuisines in dining halls and they taste delicious. Thirdly, I have to mention the living experiences here. Wash U is proud of its dorms, especially the modern dorms. They are like rooms in fancy hotels. And the facilities in there are great. We have many residential halls. Students living in their respective ResHalls really get to know each other through many nicely designed group activities. I spend much of my time on my floor, with my floormates. Academically, we are strong in Pre-med, Biology, Chemistry, History, Political Sciences etc. And the language departments are mostly great. Among them, German Department is one of the best in the states.

I really wasn't sure I wanted to go to the mid-west when I first started looking at Washington University. However, once I went to visit the campus, I knew I was hooked. You immediately feel a collegiate atmosphere, and the entire student body seemed actively involved around campus. One of the things I now love about campus, is that I find it the perfect size. It is great because you are constantly able to meet new people, yet you're always going to see a familiar face walking to class.

Washington University is the Stanford of the Midwest. It should be in the Ivy Leagues. Seriously! We rank close to if not higher than them on several colleges lists. I have a higher wor load as a theatre major than some of my pre-med friends at Harvard or Yale. Wash U is severely underrated.

WashU is actually the perfect size, both with its campus and the student population. Every place on campus is no more than a 10 or 15 minute walk away from the dorms, and Freshman and Sophmores have Bear's Den (the dining hall) located a mere thirty seconds away. Very convenient when the late-night hunger strikes. 6,000 students is an amazing number because you will always be able to walk into a room and know a few people, but it's not like you know everybody. There are always new people to meet, which is nice. One thing I'd change are Saturdays. Although WashU students love to party it up on Friday and Saturday nights, many people are too preoccupied with homework during the day on Saturdays to do anything fun. Sundays are made for homework, not Saturdays, and the students here just don't seem to be able to grasp that concept. Unfortunately, most people have never heard of WashU even though it's one of the best colleges in the country. Seriously, the kids here are smart, and we don't get enough credit. Name-recognition is pretty much non-existant except in the medical community. Tell your doctor that you go to WashU and they'll be really impressed. But the guy next door will probably just tell you to have a good time in D.C. I spend most of my time on campus in Bear's Den. Unlike many schools, which require you to swipe a meal card every time you want to enter the dining hall, WashU's dining system is points only. This makes Bears Den a popular hang-out spot even if you're not hungry. But the point system can definitely be a challenge because points run out quickly. The College Town around WashU is really nice--The Loop is a long street of streets, restaurants, a movie theater, etc, and it's only fifteen minutes away walking. But aside from the loop, students rarely get off campus. "The WashU bubble" can be hard to escape, and students often forget that St. Louis is an actual city. The bubble is one of the biggest complaints of students, because even though our campus is great, things can get repetitive. I honestly do think that our school has the most amazing campus. The buildings and architecture are amazing--they were enough to sway me to spend 4 years of my life in Missouri! Being an east-coaster, this move says a lot about the draw of the campus. Unfortunately, having such a great campus also means that the campus works way too hard to maintain it's picture-perfect image. This means constant construction and way too much money being poured into new projects all the time.

Coming to Wash U has been the best decision of my life. The professors are excellent, approachable, and make efforts to get to know you--even in lecture classes. I had one professor who taught a class of 100 and knew nearly everyone's name by the end of the semester. The administration is really geared towards undergrads--so you feel like you're getting the attention of a small liberal-arts school with the opportunities of a large university. The undergrad student population is about 6,000, which to me is a perfect size. It is not too large that it is overwhelming, and not too small that you don't know everyone's business and so you can always meet new people. Wherever I go I see people I know. The best thing about Wash U is the people. These are the most welcoming, friendly, and all-around most dedicated people I have ever been around. People here are so multitalented and interested in all sorts of things that you can be sure to meet people who share similar interests as you do.

WashU has 6,000 undergrades and as such, is a medium-sized school. It is one of those up and coming schools, plugged a "hot school" these days. People sport shirts that say "WashU pride... in St. Louis dammit" because most of the time when you tell people outside the Midwest area, they think you mean Washington University in Seattle or George Washington University in Washington, D.C. But, the word is spreading and while it certainly doesn't have the recognition of Harvard, employers should know Wash U is a great school. People spend a lot of time on campus but Forest Park, a great place to run, bike, etc., is 2 feet away, the Loop which has been written up in the New York Times has a bunch of restaurants and shops is also a short walk from campus, and finally the metro is available to go into downtown St. Louis where a lot of a upperclassmen go to the bars on Thursday nights. The WashU administration can cause controversy on this predominately liberal campus. Recently, they would not like Barack Obama speak with the argument that if all the candidates had wanted to speak, they couldn't have provided accurate space. This was also upsetting to some because Mike Huckabee had spoke a year before at our Assembly Series. Most recently, Phyllis Schafly, a woman who argues that a woman's place is in the home among other things, was given an honorary degree at graduation. The administration did apologize for it and seem to feel it was a mistake and it was good to see the student uprising agaisnt it. In fact, many students turned their backs when she got the degree. One big complaint of mine is WashU's Study Abroad office. Like many schools across the country, you have to petition to go on a program outside of the 20 or so they offer, and even if the program is not Wash U affiliated, they managed to take a slice of the tuition. In my case, they are charging me an additional $8,000 despite the fact that I will not be taught by a single WashU professor when I am abroad. You do have the option of taking a leave of absence and not having to pay WashU anything, but you need enough extra credit (from additional classes you took or AP Credit) because WashU won't give you any credit for your classes abroad if you take a leave. Nevertheless, don't let this disuade you from applying- just be aware of it. I love WashU and overall, I've had a great experience thus far.

The location of Wash U is underrated, and I feel bad for high schoolers who reject the school because it's in St. Louis. The campus is located in an upscale neighborhood in Clayton, surrounded by mansions that must have unholy price tags. Old oaks line the streets and paths on and off campus, making Fall an outstanding time to be outside. For me, at least, the best thing about Wash U's location is its proximity to Forest Park. As a runner, I enjoyed the scenic paths that flow throughout the park. Further, the park houses a free zoo and several free museums within walking distance of campus. "The Loop" is just a few blocks north, and students go there regularly for food, bars, and concerts. There are a few clubs downtown that are popular, and a bus shuttles students to a club every Thursday night. Wash U lacks name recognition. When people ask where I go to school, they always seem confused at my answer, or at least they have no idea of its caliber. Occasionally, though, I do get an "oh, wow" (especially from doctors). Generally, I think nearly all students are happy here.

alot of people get confused as to why washington university is in st. louis and not washington, but that's not too hard to deal with. it's a really good size because it's big enough that there are lots of places to eat on campus and there are lots of different classes but there are also small classes. it's within walking distance of a cute area called the loop where you can go to get lots of different kinds of food and has great shopping. because it's in the midwest everyone is really nice ad says hi and is helpful, i've heard some people get a little freaked out by it at first.

People really are happy. They are there not because they want to be in the particular city geographically, but because they wanted to come to the school. People are very friendly.... Greeklife especially, each sorority and fraternity easily socialize with one another. It's a very open system. The administration really seems to care about students and that is apparent in the amount of advisors you get, including a peer advisor freshman year. Wash U is kind of an enigma, where the athletes and those involved in greeklife are some of the smartest people here.... Though basically everyone here is really smart. The campus is gorgeous, I visited 18 schools and it was by far the prettiest.

The campus is really beautiful, especially in the fall and spring! I'd say that the size of the student body is just right. It's big enough so that you don't know everyone, but small enough so that you usually know someone! This means that you can avoid people if you want, but you'll be sure to run into them once in a while. I've gotten a lot of different reactions from people when I say that I go to WashU. Some people have never heard of the school. "Why did you decide to go THERE?" they ask. Usually, I don't want to brag and say that WashU is tied with Cornell for being the #12 school in the nation so I just say that I was recruited by the cross country coach. Then, they ask if I went there for athletics and if I'm getting a scholarship. I have to say, "No, it's a Division III school. They don't give athletic scholarships. I'm there for the academics. I'm on an academic scholarship." If people do know the school, however, they usually say, "That's a great school!" I have to say, though, that every medical doctor I've ever been to knows WashU, and they always say, "Oh, they have a very good Med School!" The biggest recent controversy on campus is that WashU is awarding an honorary doctorate to Phyllis Schlafly, an anti-feminist known for her opposition to the Equal Rights Ammendment. Students are currently planning to protest at the ceremony. I think people spend most of their time on campus, especially underclassmen. The campus is sometimes referred to as the "WashU Bubble." You can get basically everything you need there. When people go off-campus, they usually go to the Loop (it has restaurants and shops) or to the city. WashU has a fun, big concert twice a year called WILD.

Just right, but too many students in one class. Most people have no idea where Wash U is. Most of my time is at olin. What college town? don't care about wash U's administration, because I could not get information about them and have no idea when to vote. Biggest recent controversy on campus is whether to bring obama, clinton, and mccain to wash U. Pride, yes, and people are just comfortable. student complaints about food price in wash u.

The atmosphere of Wash U is really great. Campus Life is exciting and there are always things to do. St. Louis also has a lot of hot spots like the city museum and the landing. The only thing that I find it hard to do is get off campus and explore the city. Transportation has been improved with the addition of the metrolink though. Wash U is also a very politically charged campus. We always have speakers coming in to talk about political issues and next year we are hosting the vice-presidential debates. Political student groups are always raising controversy over different political issues. I'll always remember how many great things there were to do. There is always some event going on... almost every night of the week. Although its hard to choose what things to go to I am always glad that there is something to keep me entertained.

I am a freshman this year at Washington University in St. Louis, and I am so happy I decided to come here. I had a very tough time deciding last year because I had a lot of good options, but I could not have made a better decision. The university is a beautiful place; there are trees all over and the buildings look exactly how I always thought a university should look. That may sound really shallow, but it really does make a difference... when I walk out of Chemistry I may feel concerned about understanding the material or doing well on tests, but then I look around me at the cool Gothic buildings and I am so amazed that I am here. A lot of people don't know of Wash. U or may not like the idea of going to school in Missouri. But I have found that the name doesn't matter so much now. Everyone here in this part of the country knows Wash. U is a spectacular school, and so do the med schools and graduate schools. So I wouldn't worry too much about the name.