Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

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.

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 (I'm from California, and the lack of a well-known name was a big concern for me and I was temped to choose Cornell instead because going to New York sounded so much better) 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.

When I came here, I knew that WashU was really good in fields like anthropology, biology, philosophy, psychology, business, political science, chemistry, English, etc., but I was not too sure about physics. Thankfully, I have been very satisfied with my experience in the physics department. The physics course I'm in right now is easily the best educational experience I've had of any type; the professor is funny and engaging, he explains things very clearly, and he emphasizes understanding. Additionally, he's always accessible after class and has very lenient office hours. It's been a great experience.

I am starting my last semester at Wash and will graduate with a double major in Accounting and Finance. I can honestly say that this university was the best choice for me. The students are friendly, the population is diverse, the professors are stellar, and the campus is gorgeous. Each semester we have WILD - Walk In, Lay Down - an all day party with a big name band. I've never gone because of the crowds and the drinking, but you can hear the music from outside the Quad and it sure sounds fun. In the Spring we have Thurtene - a huge carnival that attracts many in the city of St. Louis. (My only regret is that is takes up close to 100 of our valuable, and rare, commuter student parking spots.) I've helped TKE build and have enjoyed many rides, shows, and pulled-pork sandwiches there. You can usually find free or cheap food on any given day - it entices people to attend meetings. Some of the freshman dorms are old, but they are building a new dorm each year. There is always construction on campus, but it doesn't usually get in the way and it keeps the campus up-to-date and beautiful. Living on campus was great, but I currently live with my fiance (we met here!) and there are no co-ed rooms, only co-ed floors and dorms. The off-campus apartments are a joke: 50+ years old, shoddy, street parking, sketchy neighbors, and crime. Either live on campus al 4 years or find a nice rental in Clayton. We also get 4 weeks off for Winter Break, which is nice because after 4 winters up here I hate snow. Dont be fooled though: St. Louis gets hot in the summer. I live in West County (30 minutes away) because housing is cheaper, the area is cleaner and newer, and there is more to do. Driving is snow is not fun, but neither is walking in it.

WashU is a great school, but its a little hard to get used to. Its a research university, so professors are not necessarily going to be concentrating on undergraduates. Its hard to make relationships with your professors, but if you try really hard, you can develop them. One benefit of being at a research university is that we have a lot of resources that smaller schools wouldn't-great libraries, extensive course selections and a lot of research opportunities. WashU is a nice size, in terms of student body. At about 6,000 undergrads, it is easy to make a defined group of friends, yet I can still walk around campus and see new people. However, St. Louis is not a college town, so you either spend a lot of time on campus or you need a car to get around.

Housing is a pain in the ass. Right size. No school pride... at least for sports. Lots of jews.

WashU=amazing! Everyone is intelligent and fun, people you can have a good discussion with and then race off to the club with for dancing/drinking. Work hard/play hard is definitely a motto at WashU. St Louis is okay, it is a big enough city with a really good public metro transportation system. Coming from New Orleans it was definitely less exciting, but there still are good things St Louis has to offer. After recently winning the men's basketball D3 championship, I feel that school spirit has risen. Most people have pride in the school (i.e. wearing the obligatory college sweatshirt) but not necessarily for athletics.

WashU has the feel of a larger school, but with a smaller community. Everything is relatively spaced out so it feels rather large. I ended up loving it here because everyone is so nice. A stereotype is that we have the academics of an Ivy, but a southern etticette. Most people have never heard of WashU, but it's nice when someone raves about it being amazing.

Best Thing: People and Professors One thing I'd change: our mascot School size?: just right Reaction when I say I go to Wash U: "State or DC?" Where I spend most of my time on campus?: Bixby aka the art school college town or "what college town?": St. Louis is what you make of it. Wash U's administration?: Mostly helpful and friendly. Biggest recent controversy: The Dean of the Engineering School School pride?: Not for sport teams, but we wear the clothes and are generally proud. Anything unusual?: Good food, and lots of bunnies and squirrels. :) One experience I'll always remember: The Vice Presidential Debates this coming fall. Most frequent student complaints: The weather (it's still raining?!), the smell of the mulch in the spring, Writing 1 assignments, walking all the way across campus for class.

The best thing about Wash U are the nice, caring kids. I wish that they had more time to just hang out, though. It is just the right size. Many people don't know what Wash U is. I spend most of my time on campus, but there are good places to go nearby (aka average college town). Wash U's administration is a little bit draconian at times. The biggest recent controversy on campus was that some guy was tasered at a concert. There isn't that much school pride, which sucks, at least in terms of athletic games and such. I will always remember meeting my girlfriend at Wash U!

The best thing about Wash U is the picturesque campus, feels like Europe. I would change the engineering school's curriculum a bit. My school is just right. Most people are of two categories: the either know about Wash U and are super impressed, or haven't heard a thing about us. Biggest recent controversy - a student getting tasered while naked. Wash U has zero school pride as a whole. An unusual thing is that Wash U has an underground bowling alley in the chancellor's basement. I'll always remember bowling in this alley in the chancellor's basement with the lifelong friend I had just made. Students complain about the Engineering Dean daily.

The campus The weather Just right Either very positively or not at all In my room What college town? Nice enough Barack Obama not speaking/Alberto Gonzales coming Eh Not particularly Everything The prices

Good School

Too much classification by race. Otherwise, awesome.

i'd say my school is just right as far as size. i like seeing the people walk around campus, but in the classrooms most are small enough (like 12 people max) that you're able to have that relationship with your professor where they can actually get to know who you are. lots of people have either never heard of my school or forget the name of it. lol. i really like it here though. st louis is not a college town, but washu is its own community. we call it "the bubble" and you have to work very hard to get out of it and explore the city (esp freshman year cause you can't have a car) st louis is great though and it has TONS of free stuff to do which is great for us broke college kids! most people don't have any serious qualms with administration. there are a lot of student groups though, so making sure all of them get fair funding and attention can be a challenge sometimes. as far as school pride, people like wearing school apparel and bumper stickers and stuff like that. people show up to the games, but honestly, its nothing like my high school when people went crazy at home coming. here, i didn't even know when homecoming was. did we even have one? the kids here are kind of well off so they're accustomed to certain things. i find that they sometimes complain about lots of stuff that seems unwarranted. we don't have enough flexibility with scheduling classes though. on very snowy days etc classes still will not be cancelled. the shuttle doesn't come frequently enough or its sometimes late. most kids hang out in their rooms or in Bears Den when they're on the forty (that's where all the dorms are) or in the cafe adjoined to the library when on campus. when its nice out, people will just lay out on the grass and study, chat or hang out. WashU prides itself with being very diverse and liberal and tolerant of everybody. compared to other schools of its caliber, its definitely more diverse than a lot of schools but we need way more people of color to come here. its mostly white and Asian but Blacks and Latinos and others are still underrepresented. i literally only know 2 Peruvian kids. WashU spoils the freshmen rotten!! its all about you guys! your freshman year-yes the entire thing- will for sure be one to remember just because of all the extra attention you get. its great but its also like hand holding which just makes the transition into the rest of your years harder. its just delayed a little longer(which is why its called the sophomore slump)

Washington University offers a tantalizing diploma in the eyes of your future employers. People in the work world seem to know that middling grades here are still better than A's at state schools. And A's here, well, you won't get A's. Indeed, I'm not sure why Wash U isn't considered Ivy League officially, since the teaching staff is top-notch, the campus is breathtaking, and the price is sky-high. The average American doesn't have a clue what Wash U is, much less where it's at. Those who *do* know are almost always awed by my being a student here. St. Louis is a dirty, dangerous city. That's why Wash U kids mostly stick to the campus, a phenomenon known as "The Wash U Bubble Effect." There's a strip of cool stores and eateries just a few well-lit blocks away, which is about as far as most of us ever go on weekends. Because we mostly don't have cars. Campus Crime: Last spring some guy (not a student) waltzed into one of the dorms, raped a girl in the butt, and got away scot-free. That freaked everyone out pretty severely, so they installed peepholes in all the doors and made it so each dorm has only one entrance (which is a big hassle, actually, in some of the buildings). There have also been a couple on-campus muggings, because the campus blue-lights are few and far between. As for student crime... I guess kids get caught with kegs or pot pretty frequently, and there's the occasional coke bust, but we're mostly docile suburbanites.

The best thing about WashU is the size--there are few enough people that groups are interrelated but not too few. If I could change one thing, it would be the pompous attitude that many people have about how difficult it is to get accepted into WashU. I spend most of my time in the library. St. Louis is not really a college town, but it is a very good area for a school. I have no opinion about the administration; the only thing that I ever hear from them is that tuition is increasing. There is alot of [misplaced, in my opinion] school pride among the students. It is unusual, I think, that there is such an abnormally large Jewish population here at WashU.

I love the diversity of students at Wash U (I think we could use more racial/ethnic diversity, but I was just referring to social groups). You can find almost all types of people from frat and sorority members to indie scene kids, computer geeks, hippies, yuppies and everything in between. Having that diversity of personalities has been a key reason why I've enjoyed my experience here. One thing I would change is our relative apathy towards political issues. We are a liberal campus, but we are not very activist from my experience. It is possible to join young dems/republicans to get more involved, but I sometimes wish that more people were active, even idealistic about politics.

The best thing about WashU is that everyone is so willing to help you in your endeavors. My four year advisor will help me with any problem I am having, even if it does not pertain to school. ResLife was helpful for me too- I had to move dorms mid-year and they helped me and allowed me to choose exactly where I needed to move. When I tell people I go to WashU they usually have no clue what I'm talking about. There is not much school pride, but I'm okay with that. It fits me that it's not a major sports school. The fact that we don't have much school pride just shows how mellow we are. I would say we have pride in the fact that we go to WashU. I rarely hear major complaints about the school; everyone seems pretty happy with going to WashU, and I'd call that having school pride of sorts. I think WashU's administration is fabulous. They are so friendly and seem concerned about the students, more so than when I talk to my friends from other schools. For example, I would feel that I could drop a class if I said I was having psychological issues, yet one of my friends at a state school wasn't allowed to drop a class when she needed to use that reason.

The best thing about Wash. U. is the people from the teachers to the students to the staff. Each person has their own unique story and there's just so much potential. At first people will ask if you're going to Washington State or Washington D.C. but those in the know, are really happy for you. My school is just right in terms of the number of people. St. Louis isn't really as big a city as it is made out to be. It feels like a huge suburb but at Wash. U. you get a U pass which lets you take all the buses and trains in the city for free so you can really explore the area. The biggest recent controversy would be the resignation of the engineering dean. School pride isn't really seen in athletics or anything like that although we have a good Division III program with 19 sports. Basketball's probably the most well supported sport though the volleyball team has won the national championship nine times. Students take pride in their own extracurricular activities. When asked, students will probably say I'm a member of this frat/sorority and this club rather than saying I'm a Wash. U. student. Students frequent complaints are about rising tuition costs and a lack of administration listening to the concerns of students. I don't really feel the impact of Wash. U.'s administration in my everyday life. Most of the time on campus I'll be in my dorm, at the Athletic complex watching games, in the newspaper office writing articles, out on the Swamp tossing around a football, or in class.