When the Director of Admissions tells you that “being nice
matters” in the admissions process, you know that you are somewhere special.
When I visited Washington University in St. Louis, that emphasis on character
and community was abundantly apparent. Everyone on campus says hello to each
other and I came away thinking that people in the Midwest had a reputation for
being friendly for a reason! Although 65 percent of their students come from
more than 500 miles away, you definitely pick up on the welcoming feeling that is
created by their environment of passionate and engaged students, faculty and
staff.
WashU has 6,400 undergraduate students in five different
undergraduate schools. Students apply and are accepted to one of the specific
schools, however, students can major and minor across schools and more than 70
percent of students have more than one major. I was particularly impressed to
learn that more than 60 percent of the engineering students have a second major
or minor, allowing them to explore their other interests. They have a great
school of Architecture and Art, which is home to the oldest art museum west of
the Mississippi River. We got to see some impressive studio spaces and
creativity in action during my visit.
To further emphasize the sense of community, all first year
students live on campus in an area that is called the South 40. Students are
placed into residential colleges and members of the faculty also live in the
residential colleges. After experiencing some of the food from one of the
dining halls in the South 40, I was not surprised to learn that WashU is often
rated some of the best campus food in the country! We also had the chance to
eat some native St. Louis cuisine, including Ted Drewes’ frozen custard and
toasted ravioli, both of which I highly recommend.
The university is located in St. Louis and they have a
beautiful campus that is located right next to Forest Park, which is one of the
largest parks in the country- even bigger than Central Park! Students are only
a few miles from downtown St. Louis and they are given a free Metro pass to
explore the city to go see the Gateway Arch or Busch Stadium.
With an outstanding academic experience that offers students
a focus on collaboration between disciplines as well as opportunities for
undergraduate research, it was easy to see why the students at WashU were so
happy and welcoming. Thank you to WashU for a great visit to their wonderful
campus!
Published by: LP
