Reply to Why the Wash U haters? (Washington University/St. Louis)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]On this forum, no matter the school, someone is going to have a visceral hatred for it.

My kid looked at WashU. It's a very nice campus with great programs, including in business and pre-med, which is what a lot of students are interested in today. Nice kids. Good vibes. And it's a nice neighborhood with the park and whatever that neighborhood is called.

I think the downsides are Missouri, which is far away from everything. And it feels... too comfortable. Like it's a swanky retirement home for 20 year olds.

There's a country club vibe to it, which is great for some, but not for everyone. Academically, it's a very good school in nearly everything. The students are all very solid. It's a very good school, but for the location and it feels like a place for wealthy students, like SLACs do.

Basically, WashU is a very comfortable school with great academics in a nice neighborhood in a faraway state that's close to nothing. [/quote]

This is a pretty good description, and I would agree with the 'country club vibe' - academically, it is excellent in many areas, and with a very low faculty:student ratio for its size so the opportunity for close relationships with profs, tons of clubs and other activities, and seemingly endless resources. South 40 seems like a great place to spend freshman year and things like StEP and entrepreneurship programs are a big plus for some students. Plus it's nice to have great, comfortable dorms, easy apartments and off campus housing, and lots of food choices.

It's true that's not for everyone - some kids want a centuries old NE school with gothic architecture, etc. My dd is that kid - and while she would probably like to have a nicer dorm (not sure why so many very wealthy schools are resistant to spending money renovating dorms), other than that she really loves her school and is living her dream. My ds would be miserable there - and unsurprisingly, he really likes WashU. The location does not bother him - it's an easy direct flight from NYC, not far from the airport, and he likes what they offer - including quality of life. He likes the "country club" atmosphere and doesn't really want to be in a city like NY or Chicago, or in the middle of nowhere. He does not want a big party school or huge university or SLAC. Will he apply to places that DCUM thinks are "better" than WashU? Sure, but WashU is high up there for him - in a way that many higher rated schools are not. This is a kid with legacy at 3 T10 schools but he has no interest in any of them.[/quote]

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