WashU is certainly no less fun than any other top school. At any school, having fun is what you make of it. You can be miserable at a frat party yet be very happy being with one or two friends or even being alone.

Anonymous wrote:No, that is the University of Chicago. I have a t-shirt with that slogan from my time there. I did have fun though! Even stayed and went to grad school.

We all know that was said about University of Chicago for decades. They have made an effort to change that though and their admissions reflect this priority change. The vibe there is a lot different now. This is quite noticeable just in the last 4 years. My DC’s private school sends about 8 kids there a year and they tend to be the smart kids that are more social and outgoing. In the 90s, these kids would have been at Duke or Northwestern. Top 25% of the class or so and full pay.

Anonymous wrote:Is this true? My dd applied despite hearing this. When we visited she felt like the students looked miserable, which surprised me because I have heard of happy students there. She was thinking of switching her app to ED2 but now has second thoughts.

1. Your daughter heard it is where fun goes to die.

2. She applied anyway.

3. She thought people looked miserable when she visited.

4. She’s now considering applying ED2 there.

Either you’re a troll or your child does not understand the ED process. You don’t ED somewhere you’re already predisposed to not liking. I suspect a troll…

Personality plays a big role. I attended WashU for undergrad and loved it. If you’re intellectually curious and more introverted but still enjoy hanging out with a few close friends on weekends, it’s a great fit. For me, the biggest highlight was the people - everyone I met was genuinely kind. Just good vibes. Yes, we care about our classes, but I never felt it was ‘grindy.’

Regarding the USC post, my brother attended USC, and I’ve visited a few times. From my perspective, people there didn’t seem to take academics as seriously compared to WashU. It also felt like you had to be extroverted to fit in. I would’ve transferred out, but my brother enjoyed his time there. Ultimately, it’s about fit.

Anonymous wrote:No, that is the University of Chicago. I have a t-shirt with that slogan from my time there. I did have fun though! Even stayed and went to grad school.

I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that. I have for at least two decades. OP is being flip

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are washu and hopkins similar from a social/academic vibe perspective?

Honestly, I think Hopkins is more fun. They have more Greek life and lacrosse is d1, which promotes school spirit. But as I said earlier, not all kids need parties to have fun. Wash U seems to be for more introverted, studious kids, much like Emory.

Emory is more fun though. At least that's what Princeton Review says, it's also in Atlanta a much better city.

OP, my DD is a sophomore at WashU and really enjoys it. I’ve posted about it at least twice before in this forum.

DD is in a difficult major and she does work a lot, but I believe she has her share of fun, too. She’s in a sorority, belongs to various clubs, played an intramural sport this fall, etc. There’s always something to do on campus or nearby.

In fact, DD texted me from the St. Louis Zoo this morning, which is not too far from campus. She was on a run, having gone through the historic Forest Park (which is beautiful and larger than Central Park) and stopped at the zoo to see the Christmas decorations. The temperature was right at freezing, but plenty of people were already at the zoo - which is free. She ran by herself, as she often does in the area during daylight hours, and felt perfectly safe.

WashU’s campus is predominantly in the city of Clayton, MO, which is the most affluent area of the state. Crime can happen anywhere, but DD also lived off-campus this summer (in an area called The Loop) and had no problems or concerns. People are generally friendly, both on-campus and off. WashU can seem like something out of a college movie in some respects - beautiful campus and surrounds, nice people, collaborative energy, always something going on, etc.

This is just my DD’s experience, however, and if your DD isn’t sure about WashU, she should not apply ED. Much of the class is admitted ED and then the student is locked-in. My DD applied RD and was accepted, but she says that’s more uncommon than not.

No, that is the University of Chicago. I have a t-shirt with that slogan from my time there. I did have fun though! Even stayed and went to grad school.

Anonymous wrote:Our daughter graduated from Wash U and safety was a real concern. Part of the campus is surrounded by Clayton, but the rest is surrounded by very unsafe areas. Her friends apartment was broken into while she was sleeping. Not sure if this is part of it.

Unfortunately this isn’t exclusive to WashU and the list of places where I know kids who have had this happen to them recently include the University of Washington in an off-campus apartment building via the bedroom window, Yale in an off-campus house via a back door, and Dartmouth in a dorm through the dorm room door. It’s bad, but also common on or near college campuses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt def has grade deflation. It’s gotten better but it’s a known thing. So do wash u and Lehigh

Is this a stem thing?

It isn’t even accurate.

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt def has grade deflation. It’s gotten better but it’s a known thing. So do wash u and Lehigh

Is this a stem thing?

Anonymous wrote:OP, almost all of the top 20 schools that used to be “fun” are now grindy and competitive. The top schools that are fun in 2024 are USC, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth and Chicago.

Duke

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this true? My dd applied despite hearing this. When we visited she felt like the students looked miserable, which surprised me because I have heard of happy students there. She was thinking of switching her app to ED2 but now has second thoughts.

Not at all true, it is as much or more fun/less stress than most T15/ivy types. It was ranked in the top 15 quite recently and belongs in the same grouping and is close enough to an ivy peerwise. None of the private T20ish are tons and tons of "fun" if you mean crazy drinking all the time and can easily go out 3 nights a week and study only a few hours on sunday and still make Bs. These schools are filled with high achieving students. WashU is no more grindy than any other school and is less grindy than MIT, CMU and a couple others. Students have a reasonable amount of fun yet also study hard and care about school, and are involved on campus. However only your student will be able to assess whether it is a good fit for them.

Less grindy tha MIT?

Washington sounds like a hoot.

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt def has grade deflation. It’s gotten better but it’s a known thing. So do wash u and Lehigh

It’s isn’t at all, everyone I know who attends has gotten all As, and I have four family members who attended Vandy, and they all were involved in Greek life. Smart kids but not geniuses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are washu and hopkins similar from a social/academic vibe perspective?

Honestly, I think Hopkins is more fun. They have more Greek life and lacrosse is d1, which promotes school spirit. But as I said earlier, not all kids need parties to have fun. Wash U seems to be for more introverted, studious kids, much like Emory.

So bizarre. No college students are going lacrosse games.

You obviously didn’t go to a school with a top lacrosse team.

I very likely did. Actually, I checked and I went to a college with the best lacrosse team: Princeton. No one gives half a damn.

No one gives a damn about lax.

FTFY