Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

I wish I knew it was okay to make mistakes, say "no, " change your mind, and pursue your own path. I wish I knew that I didn't have to plan everything and figure out my life in those four years- be open minded and let people inspire you, not hold you back, from becoming your true self! WashU is an amazing school with such creative, caring, and compassionate staff and students- take advantage of the resources!

I wish I knew more about white privilege and racial disparities; As a white female I was unaware about ways in which to become involved in redefining communty experiences by engaging with diverse students.

I wish I had better understood exactly the academic rigors I would have to put myself through. I found high school to be pretty easy, and to be honest, most of the classes here aren't incredibly difficult. However, taking a laissez-faire to college here is a sure way to murder your gpa. If you come, come prepared to work and work hard. The work is both fulfilling and rewarding, but it is still a lot of work.

I wish I had known more about the ease by which an undergraduate student can find an interesting lab for a work study. I chose to be assigned to a lab, out of fear that I would not be able to find on otherwise. Unfortunately, I soon realized that the research did not strongly interest me, and that my peers were easily finding jobs in labs of their choosing.

I wish I had known just how academically challenging this school would be so I could have prepared my parents for the GPA with which I would return home at the end of each semester.

Previous to this college, I attended a small community college in Illinois which was very affordable. Being that I was extremely sheltered at the time, I wish I had knowledge of typical university costs. I also wish I would have learned more about financial aid and student loans. I believe I would be much more comfortable attending if I had been more familiar with these things at an earlier date. A wonderful thing to know, as well, is how badly the professors and other facaulty here want you to succeed.

How big the classes were.

I wish I would have known what is was like to slow down before I went to college because I was used to stretching myself. I went in with the same mentality in college without considering there was going to be a transition and I suffered for it. I learned my lesson, but not without a cost.

I wish I would have known

I wish I had known that even if you go to a really good high school, it doesn't always prepare you for all the things you'll come across in college. College is way more than just academics, and it's important to focus on those of course, but it's also important to interact with people and professors and to try new things.