Thoughts on Wash U in St. Louis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wash U might be a stretch for DC, but it's her current first choice. If your DC fit into this category, what other schools were you looking at.

It wasn't my DCs first choice and DC was wait-listed. Some other options Emory, Michigan, BC, Penn, USC, Northwestern.

Is USC really mentioned in the same breadth as the others you list?

It's an odd list. Michigan and BC aren't even Top 25, but Penn is Top 10. Emory, Northwestern and Penn are ranked higher and quite different. Michigan and USC are HUGE schools with big time sports programs, large class size and major research facilities. Very different from the other schools.

Sorry it doesn't fit your list. The pp asked what schools WE were looking at. These are some of them. You apply to a range of schools in terms of selectivity. If you don't like our list post yours.

Wash U does tend to have very high application overlap with Northwestern, Chicago and Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wash U might be a stretch for DC, but it's her current first choice. If your DC fit into this category, what other schools were you looking at.

It wasn't my DCs first choice and DC was wait-listed. Some other options Emory, Michigan, BC, Penn, USC, Northwestern.

Is USC really mentioned in the same breadth as the others you list?

It's an odd list. Michigan and BC aren't even Top 25, but Penn is Top 10. Emory, Northwestern and Penn are ranked higher and quite different. Michigan and USC are HUGE schools with big time sports programs, large class size and major research facilities. Very different from the other schools.

Sorry it doesn't fit your list. The pp asked what schools WE were looking at. These are some of them. You apply to a range of schools in terms of selectivity. If you don't like our list post yours.

Wash U does tend to have very high application overlap with Northwestern, Chicago and Michigan.

You responded to someone who wasn't responding to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wash U might be a stretch for DC, but it's her current first choice. If your DC fit into this category, what other schools were you looking at.

It wasn't my DCs first choice and DC was wait-listed. Some other options Emory, Michigan, BC, Penn, USC, Northwestern.

Is USC really mentioned in the same breadth as the others you list?

It's an odd list. Michigan and BC aren't even Top 25, but Penn is Top 10. Emory, Northwestern and Penn are ranked higher and quite different. Michigan and USC are HUGE schools with big time sports programs, large class size and major research facilities. Very different from the other schools.

Sorry it doesn't fit your list. The pp asked what schools WE were looking at. These are some of them. You apply to a range of schools in terms of selectivity. If you don't like our list post yours.

Wash U does tend to have very high application overlap with Northwestern, Chicago and Michigan.

You responded to someone who wasn't responding to you.

I responded to the person who said my DCs list was odd. I posted that list to respond to the person who asked where else we looked/applied in addition to Wash U. But whatever.

[Anonymous]

The list is odd only if it purports to be a list of "similar" schools. A good list should include varied schools and the list being discussed has a lot of variation.

[Anonymous]

I have a fairly negative impression of this school. I can't think of another school that makes such an effort to solicit admissions for the sole purpose of turning down applicants and appearing more selective, nor one with parents and students quite so intent on comparing their non-Ivy to an Ivy. It really has no distinct identity of its own. It's the educational equivalent of a reasonably good cover band.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a fairly negative impression of this school. I can't think of another school that makes such an effort to solicit admissions for the sole purpose of turning down applicants and appearing more selective, nor one with parents and students quite so intent on comparing their non-Ivy to an Ivy. It really has no distinct identity of its own. It's the educational equivalent of a reasonably good cover band.

That's consistent with what my DC thought. He also thought, based on the kids he talked to during his overnight visit, that it wasn't anyone's first choice. Obviously not totally accurate since kids do apply ED, but most kids seemed to have had an Ivy or Northwestern as their first choice.

[Anonymous]

This is the weirdest thread. Who knew Wash U causes such passionate emotions in people?

[Anonymous]

Wash U appears to be the most likely place to find a Maret graduate of the past 5 years

http://www.maret.org/academics/college_counseling/index.aspx

I found that very surprising in that many more chose WashU than others mentioned in the same peer group

[Anonymous]

I have had a number of Wash U undergrads work in my research group over the past twenty years, including some very recently, and they were extremely well-prepared academically and uniformly enthusiastic about their experience there. It is a top ten program for biomedical research in terms of NIH funding and is considered a very top medical school and particularly MD/PhD program. Far better "name" in "pure" sciences than Northwestern, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, etc. I know less about the humanities there, but for sciences, premed can't imagine going there would be a bad decision over any schools short of HYPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a fairly negative impression of this school. I can't think of another school that makes such an effort to solicit admissions for the sole purpose of turning down applicants and appearing more selective, nor one with parents and students quite so intent on comparing their non-Ivy to an Ivy. It really has no distinct identity of its own. It's the educational equivalent of a reasonably good cover band.

At #14 Wash U is ranked as high or higher than 2 of the 8 Ivy League schools. I don't think a comparison is unreasonable, do you?

Then again, I wouldn't call #14 Led Zeppelin a "reasonably good cover band," so I guess my standards aren't as high as yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:30 years ago nobody outside the midwest had heard of Wash U. Since then, it has raised its profile, primarily by awarding merit money to coasties. Now it draws a ton of very strong applicants from this area, as well as other metro areas along the east coast.

Really, I think you're mistaken. I went to high school in Virginia over 30 years ago, and it has always had an excellent reputation.

I went to Sidwell 25 years ago and one of my classmates went there. No one had really heard of it then (that was before US News rankings of course). Now it's one of the most popular schools for Sidwell students to attend. Definitely changed.

At GDS, Harvard and Yale are still the most popular schools for graduating seniors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wash U might be a stretch for DC, but it's her current first choice. If your DC fit into this category, what other schools were you looking at.

It wasn't my DCs first choice and DC was wait-listed. Some other options Emory, Michigan, BC, Penn, USC, Northwestern.

Is USC really mentioned in the same breadth as the others you list?

If you want to work in LA and are physically beautiful it is. I know a couple of very pretty girls who turned down Penn (the college, not wharton) and Georgetown for USC. They are doing well working in finance in LA. Both were extremely sexy (they would be 10's at gtown or penn), very outgoing, confident, did the sorority thing, and wealthy - USC was a good fit for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I meant that as a whole, wash u is far more selective with a far higher caliber of student than UMD or UVA

Washington University is ranked ahead of Ivy Leagues schools such as Cornell, UVA and UMD are not even close.

It depends for what.

Wash U is really strong in sciences.

UVA (McIntire) will place you in NYC, Boston, West Coast Finance and top consulting way better. Wash U is not very well represented in top finance and consulting shops.

I think Wash U is a lot like Hopkins - rigorous education, but isn't a pipeline for 'dream jobs' out of UG. Grad School is a virtual necessity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:30 years ago nobody outside the midwest had heard of Wash U. Since then, it has raised its profile, primarily by awarding merit money to coasties. Now it draws a ton of very strong applicants from this area, as well as other metro areas along the east coast.

Really, I think you're mistaken. I went to high school in Virginia over 30 years ago, and it has always had an excellent reputation.

I went to Sidwell 25 years ago and one of my classmates went there. No one had really heard of it then (that was before US News rankings of course). Now it's one of the most popular schools for Sidwell students to attend. Definitely changed.

At GDS, Harvard and Yale are still the most popular schools for graduating seniors.

Harvard and Yale will always be popular, but even at the top private schools (St Albans and NCS) fewer than 1 in 8 grads ends up at HYPSM and at GDs fewer than 1 in 12 end up at HYPSM http://matriculationstats.org/day-schools-outside-of-nyc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I meant that as a whole, wash u is far more selective with a far higher caliber of student than UMD or UVA

Washington University is ranked ahead of Ivy Leagues schools such as Cornell, UVA and UMD are not even close.

It depends for what.

Wash U is really strong in sciences.

UVA (McIntire) will place you in NYC, Boston, West Coast Finance and top consulting way better. Wash U is not very well represented in top finance and consulting shops.

I think Wash U is a lot like Hopkins - rigorous education, but isn't a pipeline for 'dream jobs' out of UG. Grad School is a virtual necessity.

We have a McIntire grad working at our local fish shop. No guarantees.