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There's an article in nytimes.com which attributues Wash U.'s rise in the rankings to its fund raising and the fact that it can give merit aid which Ivy League schools cannot. No surprise so far. Here's my concern - assuming I get in to Harvard, or Penn or Cornell or Michigan - If I also get into Wash U and they offer me a lot of money to tempt me, and I decide to go there, will the reputation (or its ranking) still be there when I graduate in 4 years. Don't any of you have the same concern?

By Belowivy (Belowivy) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 10:39 am: Edit

I was not impressed by Wash U or any other school based on it's ranking.

I chose to go ED to Wash U over all the other schools I visited (Georgetown, Tufts, Emory...) because in my mind it provided a better education as well as social experience.

Academics:
In the real world no employer will turn down a Harvard grad w/ a 4.0. But to get that 4.0 he will not have to work that hard and get taught by TA's.
All Wash U classes are taught by professors. In my field of study, poly sci, there is a nobel prize winner in econ. and a senator. Both teach freshman.
I think their research fund is as larger as most ivy's and endowment too (4 billion $). Their med school is top 5 or top 10.
SImply put, the academic experience is amazing.

But you can get good academics at any school so I based my choice mainly on everything else it had to offer
-great food voted #1 or #2 in the country
-social atmosphere
-School is real chill w/ parties (Anheiser-Busch) gave them their endowment
-WILD is a WASH U sponsored party where student organizations sign up w/ WASH U for kegs. Prof's drink w/ students
-All my friends there so people are amazingly friendly
-ST. Louis is a great city
-bars, clubs, etc.

Campus is right next to a park allowing you to walk to museums and other free stuff. As well as hanging out there etc. You can walk to "the Loop" which has great restaurants and bars. Sand Volleyball courts next to dorms.

I mean I could go on and on but I'm getting bored.

By Pdragon17 (Pdragon17) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 01:45 pm: Edit

The reason why I chose Washington University was simple. The people and community there were far superior than those of the other schools I visited. And I visited schools such as Harvard. The students at Washington University were genuinely nice and friendly. On the tour, I talked with a lot of students and I was impressed! They seemed like neat and interesting kids I would want to go to school with and learn so much about. The professors were also great! The kids I met at other schools were also impressive, but I didn't find them as friendly as Wash U students. I found a majority of the students at some of these schools to be very arrogant and cocky. These schools seemed to be very cutthroat.

I guess you can say Wash U is a true "Midwestern" school.

You should not pick a school simply by rankings. As a matter of fact, I find rankings to be misleading. US News cannot say Wash U is a better school than Northwestern, or vice versa. It all depends on the person. You have to see what school better fits your interests and needs. Personally, I find Washington University a better school.

The academic experience you will get at any of the nation's top schools, Wash U or Harvard, will be identical. You should ask yourself, will I be happy at this school for four years, and could I envision myself at this school next year? It is not simply where you go to college that's important, it's what you make of it. It would be foolish just to pick a school because it's a brand name.

By Jfehr (Jfehr) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 11:21 pm: Edit

In response to Belowivy, I think Wash U. has been scaling back its party policies in response to its ascent to the top. For example, WILD no longer allows kegs and profs don't drink with students. However I can still attest to the great social atmosphere and academics at Wash U. Though Wash U. may be climbing in rankings (9th-- USNEWS, 11th in Selectivity--Atlantic Monthly...etc) I think its greatest asset is the wonderful diversity of intelligent, genuinely kind students. Every year Wash U. attracts students from all 50 states and more than 100 different countries. I am a freshman in Architecture and I am continually amazed at the broad range of high caliber students. Within the school of architecture there is a great sense of community without the cut-throat competitive arrogance that is often present at schools of similar prestige.

By Su1954 (Su1954) on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 07:57 pm: Edit

How good is the Physics Dept. at Was. U. ? I'm interested in Nuclear or Astrophysics?