Wash U in St Louis

[Anonymous]

Apparently my kid got in. What's the school like? Is St Louis a bad place to be (there were those riots...)?

Major is Comp Sci. I tried to look it up but didn't find much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently my kid got in. What's the school like? Is St Louis a bad place to be (there were those riots...)?

Major is Comp Sci. I tried to look it up but didn't find much.

Did he get the full ride scholarship?

[Anonymous]

Campus is safe and in a nice area of St Louis. Academically very strong, particularly in biologic sciences (medical school is top 10 in country in NIH grants and other metrics). Definitely a very well-respected school for jobs or grad schools. Size is medium, which is nice, not too big or too small. No idea what its computer science is like, not what it is known for in graduate school, but I am sure it isn't bad (for sure great in bioinformatics for instance, my own field). Many kids who are friends of my DDs have gone there, most love it, but they tend to be the highly social ones who love the sorority/frat scene, which is pretty strong there. A few have hated it and left, found the place overly competitive/ preprofessional and materialistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently my kid got in. What's the school like? Is St Louis a bad place to be (there were those riots...)?

Major is Comp Sci. I tried to look it up but didn't find much.

Sigh....if your kid got into Columbia, would you be concerned? After all, there were those thousands of marchers.

[Anonymous]

I went there in the early '00s and LOVED it. My family's joke was that it must be a special place because I'm a bit of a complainer by nature and they couldn't believe how much I loved it. I honestly don't have one negative thing to say. My professors were phenomenal, I made great friends, the campus was sparkling and beautiful, and the food was fabulous. Wash U puts a lot of resources into keeping everyone happy, and it works. I also have a fantastic career for what it's worth. Oh and St. Louis was such a great place to live!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently my kid got in. What's the school like? Is St Louis a bad place to be (there were those riots...)?

Major is Comp Sci. I tried to look it up but didn't find much.

Sigh....if your kid got into Columbia, would you be concerned? After all, there were those thousands of marchers.

Nailed it.

[Anonymous]

I used to work there and I was very impressed. I wish I had gone there to school. Great campus, great academics, nice location in St. Louis (you can walk to fun stuff), and the administration really invests themselves in the student activities side of things, which makes all the difference in terms of how many interesting things there are to do in your off time. It is not in a dangerous area.

[Anonymous]

They call it the "Wash U Bubble" for a reason; it's almost too safe. The CompSci program is on a theoretical slant as opposed to a rote 'coding' curriculum, which sets up graduates for the higher-level (non code monkey) jobs, or entrance into top MBA programs. I don't think you or your kid would regret going there.

[Anonymous]

I know several recent grads. Not a single one really disliked the place. One received close to a free-ride. All three said they would go again, and would recommend it to others. Note that all three had solid records and did well; I suspect that it's sufficiently selective and challenging that it can pick and choose, and that admission has become very competitive. OP, congrats!

[Anonymous]

My neighbor's DD is there right now... her first year. She was a good student (i.e. took the AP AB and BC Calculus classes)... and she says it's easier than HS was in FCPS. The mom says it's like a country club on campus. They are paying full for it -- I think it's like $40K/yr. She's having a great time on the golf team -- flying all over the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently my kid got in. What's the school like? Is St Louis a bad place to be (there were those riots...)?

Major is Comp Sci. I tried to look it up but didn't find much.

The school gets some bad press for spamming kids who would never get in and encouraging them to apply, in order to tout a lower admissions rate. Same with NYU, Chicago, Tulane.

But, seriously, "apparently" your kid got in there? Did you share your over-the-top enthusiasm with him/her?

[Anonymous]

I always thought Wash U was one of the best schools in the country, but then, I'm from STL. Located in a great area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor's DD is there right now... her first year. She was a good student (i.e. took the AP AB and BC Calculus classes)... and she says it's easier than HS was in FCPS. The mom says it's like a country club on campus. They are paying full for it -- I think it's like $40K/yr. She's having a great time on the golf team -- flying all over the country.

if they are paying $40k it's not full. Full tuition, r&b is $63k.

Op, did your DC visit? I would encourage a visit before deciding. It's a very good school, although I think they game the rankings a bit. My DC liked it all right but chose not to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor's DD is there right now... her first year. She was a good student (i.e. took the AP AB and BC Calculus classes)... and she says it's easier than HS was in FCPS. The mom says it's like a country club on campus. They are paying full for it -- I think it's like $40K/yr. She's having a great time on the golf team -- flying all over the country.

if they are paying $40k it's not full. Full tuition, r&b is $63k.

Op, did your DC visit? I would encourage a visit before deciding. It's a very good school, although I think they game the rankings a bit. My DC liked it all right but chose not to attend.

ouch! they are paying full price unless maybe she got something as a golf scholarship. Only child. Two professional working parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor's DD is there right now... her first year. She was a good student (i.e. took the AP AB and BC Calculus classes)... and she says it's easier than HS was in FCPS. The mom says it's like a country club on campus. They are paying full for it -- I think it's like $40K/yr. She's having a great time on the golf team -- flying all over the country.

if they are paying $40k it's not full. Full tuition, r&b is $63k.

Op, did your DC visit? I would encourage a visit before deciding. It's a very good school, although I think they game the rankings a bit. My DC liked it all right but chose not to attend.

ouch! they are paying full price unless maybe she got something as a golf scholarship. Only child. Two professional working parents.

It's D3 so no sports scholarships, although historically they were generous with merit aid for top students.