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Hi people, I applied to Wash U without knowing anything about it, except that it's a good school, and now it looks like that may be where I'm going. Could anyone who's definitely going there tell me a little more about it, and why it's their first choice? Like I said, I really know nothing about the school. Thanks!

By Analogboy (Analogboy) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 11:07 pm: Edit

i hear that

By Melissa27 (Melissa27) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 03:07 pm: Edit

bump

By Kjofkw (Kjofkw) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 06:33 pm: Edit

Nice size, city, location, campus, mix of programs, great academics, mid-west! There's lots to like. I have heard very little negative comments.

By Goneinfivemin (Goneinfivemin) on Thursday, April 01, 2004 - 07:21 am: Edit

Flexibility, opportunities, merit scholarships, awesome bio and chem labs, beautiful campus, can double/triple major w/o too many problems, advising system, perfect size, not snobbish, midwest, kind of close to home (not too close), self-contained within the city, in the good part of St. Louis, and I have to leave for my flight to go interview or I would go on.

If you want to hear the other point of view, the "other board" seems to have some unfounded negative opinions. Then again, if they can't get past the idea if you don't go to HYPSMC, you are going to a horrible school, then they don't deserve WashU.

By Saad (Saad) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 08:38 pm: Edit

i go here, the city sucks, poor city , #1 in crime, cars get broken into all the time, whether you live in the apt. off campus or the dorms on-campus, students always getting mugged, again on or off-campus, the winter is always long, snows too much, too cold, dark, cloudy, summer too hot, the roads suck, potholes and speed bumps everywhere, the science classes will kill you, take them elsewhere, CC or other easy universities...

By Roxsteady (Roxsteady) on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 04:38 pm: Edit

students getting mugged? cars broken into? i hadn't heard this. i'm not from the midwest - tell more about the seasons. what about the people at the school - the social life? snobby, open, friendly, not, activities?

By Becks777 (Becks777) on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 05:10 pm: Edit

Dont know what the hell is SAAD smoking about. WASHU is the complete opposite of what he says.

By Roxsteady (Roxsteady) on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 09:15 pm: Edit

oh really? becks - are you a student there, or from the area? would love to hear more of what you have to say...

By Pres (Pres) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 11:27 am: Edit

As far as the weather goes - summers are hot. Winters are mild, maybe 6 inches of snow is a major snowstorm. Fall and spring are long and oh so pleasant. Plan on enjoying the out-of-doors for much of the school year.
We moved here from Boston and Wisconsin and rarely have had the need for gloves or hats.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 01:02 pm: Edit

Most students actually like St. Louis. It is very hot and humid in the summer and winter is mild. Although if you are from San Diego it might not seem so mild. It's all relative. I grew up in St. Louis and return every summer. It is one of the mildest cities in the midwest. And what Pres says about fall and spring is true. They have a beautiful spring.

There were a few muggings this winter on campus but I don't think the safety of the campus is any different than many campuses. It's located in an upscale suburb with lush trees and well maintained streets for the midwest.(my guess is that Saad is driving frequently on the street that is under construction for a rail line) It borders on the city of St.Louis.You can probably access the stories on their online edition of Student Life. In general the kids are very friendly, social and their are MANY activities to choose from. Science classes are difficult. Especially chem.

By Over30 (Over30) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 01:48 pm: Edit

St. Louis is like a lot of the middle of the country- 4 full seasons. It's great because you get it all. I'm a firm believer that it should be hot enough to swim for at least 3 months of the year (even in a lake), it should snow at least several times and require coats and gloves, and then 6-8 months of warm, beautiful weather. Maybe I'm spoiled because this is where I've lived for most of my life, but I'll take 4 seasons over any other climate.

By Roxsteady (Roxsteady) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 01:55 pm: Edit

thanks everybody for the details. yeah, i'm sure no campus is completely safe, but glad to hear wash u. is relatively safe. it's great to hear the kids are friendly and that there are tons of activities. and yeah, i would imagine classes there would be pretty tough. i can't count on getting in, of course, but the more i hear, the more i like. but it feels scary to allow myself to get my hopes up at all.

By Saad (Saad) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 07:16 pm: Edit

i dont know what im talking about? i go here, and no im not just talking about the railroad construction, i have been to other places, the washu owned apts. are slums, the next street over are mansions. i got relocated to another apt. because my other apt. had a sewage water leak and mushroom/fungus growing from the cracks on the floors, it sends tingles around my body just thinking about it, so nasty and disgusting and dangerous, also had mold around the entire bathroom. im talking about city life, not even the school yet. just recently, there was a drug bust down my street and last semester a student was kicked out for dealing drugs in the dorms. mild winters? we obviously have different definitions of "mild." when it's winter and not snowing, it is dark and extremely cold. there aren't just potholes and speed bumpbs in the middle of the streets, some are ditches and the bumps are even bigger and steeper than the speed bumpbs on campus for slow driving. this one kids car got stolen, and was recovered and he got a garage, but was stolen again. the insurance company dropped him because he was too much of a risk. getting your car stolen twice...i actually kept my car home this semester for saftey reasons. it could easily be stolen or broken into. a few weeks ago, i was on the computer sitting in the apt. and heard 3 or 4 gunshots outside my apt. this school just started to make it a requirement for students to take certain useless classes as part of the cluster reqs. math majors have to take this class that is so useless and not even worth teaching, but still make it a requirement. you knwo how some schools say it is important to go to class and the book is a supplement? well, in my case, you have to teach yourself and going to class is worthless even though some of classes require attendance.

By Saad (Saad) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 07:18 pm: Edit

...oh and my cousin was here for the NCAA tounrey that was held here in st. louis at the stadium, and his car's passeneger window gets smashed and get his CD player stolen...you would think that a big event like this would have more security, but apparently not. the city cops here are cowards and just happy they get paid for doing absolutely nothing.

By Saad (Saad) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 07:20 pm: Edit

becks777 you say like you know...according to your profile, you are 17 and don't even go to washu, so how would you possibly know anything that goes on around here?...heck, you aren't even considering this school according to your profile...

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 07:54 pm: Edit

Saad seems very disgruntled...one of those extreme viewpoints I guess. I've never heard anything like what he's been saying, but I guess you have to give it some consideration.

However, remember that he is DEFINITELY in the minority. Most of the students at Wash U feel very safe and enjoy the campus/city.

By Dallasstar (Dallasstar) on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 09:06 pm: Edit

I have stayed in St. Louis for long periods of time, and many of my family members live there. They LOVE the city, and so do I. Out of all of the cities I've visited in my life (I've visted places all over the world), St. Louis's weather is the best I have experienced. When I breathe the air in St. Louis, I feel refreshed. It's wonderful. Also, my relatives live close to Wash-U, and they have not experienced any form of "mugging" or cars being stolen. I have a feeling that Saad has been getting himself in some deep trouble and is now blaming it on Wash-U and St. Louis. I know that St. Louis has a "bad" area, and I personally never went near that area because I have been content with the "good area." Saad, do you visit the "bad area" often?

By Saad (Saad) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 12:02 am: Edit

st. louis is like #1 or #2 in the usa in crime. i live in the washu owned apts., i dont go to the bad area because i already live in the bad area. like i said, i didn't bring my car this semester for safety reasons but if i need it ill have no choice but to bring it. im getting in deep trouble so im blaming washu for it? riiiiight....im just speaking from what i have seen and read and heard, that's all...this city is horrible in everything, it looks like a dump with all the ghetto and worn down buildings...

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 11:25 am: Edit

If the city is so horrible, why don't you just leave Wash U. It seems like your intense hatred of the school should be reason enough for your departure.

Besides, I wouldn't want you to get shot on the way to class.

By Saad (Saad) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 12:26 pm: Edit

well inshallah i will be done in may 05 since i was a transfer so only 2 yrs here inshallah. obvisouly im here for the school and just have to live with it. the crime is high, but girls are the ones who get mugged the most, i.e., getting robbed at gun/knife point, some guys but mostly females are the targets. when did say i have hatred towards the school? i am just talking about the city, which is indirectly related to this thread since it is called "why do you like washu?" only reason im here is because the distance from home and its reputation. but there are certain things i dont like about their policies, but its pretty much the same for most other schools, regarding the course requirements that are completely useless.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 08:41 pm: Edit

Saad, how can you be complaining about the winters when you're from Illinois. I know from experience that the winters are absolutely no different in Illinois, unless you're from the southern tip of Illinois and even then it won't be that much different.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 08:45 pm: Edit

Saad what street is your apartment on. I have never seen an area anything like what you're talking about near Wash U.

By Saad (Saad) on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 09:55 pm: Edit

i know, illinois is same, but i still dislike snow. just because i'm used to it doesn't mean i like it. close to university city.

By Washu07 (Washu07) on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 08:07 pm: Edit

saad, what apt building? i'm a little worried now, i'm living in a parkview one next year.

By Saad (Saad) on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 11:20 pm: Edit

ha, well, the one i live in is parkview, i got relocated because the previous one had a sewage water leak, and mushroom/fungus growing from the cracks. if you do have a problem, they will fix it i guess since they will be scared since washu does own these apts. when i first called them, they didn't care nor were they going to do anything, but when i said i'm going to tell washu, they got to work...and A LOT of the muggings were down waterman, there was just recently a drug bust there. they streets are poorly lit and the phony cops don't do anyhting useful.

By Tao (Tao) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 07:00 pm: Edit

just remember there are people who hate (atleast as much as Saad does) their schools at every school. fortunately they are a miniscule minority.

By Saad (Saad) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 08:17 pm: Edit

again, i am talking about the city and living conditions, not the school tao, but you must understand that city life is related to the school itself. for some it makes a difference, and for others it doesn't, or some people know about it but are willing to live through it and be extra safe. in terms of our apt., im sure our apt. was probably the only one in the building or even the complex, so we just got unlucky, but i do know of other apt. complexes around st. louis at other universities possibly that have had a safety/hygene problem, but then again, most old apt.'s do, so you just have to call them and let them repair it. because when it happened to us, they relocated us to another apt. across the street.

By Saad (Saad) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 08:17 pm: Edit

...

By Washu07 (Washu07) on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 10:17 pm: Edit

saad, do you think its safe for a girl to be living alone in an off campus apartment? this is starting to really scare me, especially after that kid got murdered over the weekend at johns hopkins.

By Saad (Saad) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 05:33 am: Edit

well, i personally have been trying to make off-campus housing a lot safer by having more effective security guards and more lighting on the streets by emailing the chief of police here at school, and i don't know if they just started this or not, but since the shuttle buses stop running at around 12:30 and the library closes at 2:00, the people who leave at 2:00 there is no shuttle bus running so they can specifically call a certain bus (call-a-ride) or even ask a washu police officer to drop you off in front of your apt. i'm assuming people get mugged here because their are lots of non-students living near the off-campus apts. (duplexes and houses) and since it is very high in crime (top 5 i'm sure in USA), they assume since washu is a very expensive private school, they take it that we are all rich and have a lot of money in our wallets, or they don't know that and would just mug anyone they think they can get money from. there are a few girls who live with other girls and i am pretty sure that there are girls who live alone who have cars and drive to school rather than walking (2 girls who live in my building park there cars right in front so there walk from the car to the apt. isn't long). you might want to compare the crime rates of washu to maybe other schools the same size possibly by asking the chief of police of this school or maybe going online and getting statistics. there has been an incident where a student was mugged at gun/knife point (one of the two) on-campus right by the dorms, which was probabaly a isolated incident since students are always walking around that area and driving by there. just avoid walking alone at late night, and if it is late, just get a ride from call-a-ride, cops, or drive home in your car or get a ride from your friend. you have to some research of your own and decide yourself, you asked me i told you from the best of my knowledge.

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 06:14 am: Edit

Yes. As always, use common sense. Do not go out in ANY CITY alone past midnight. It just doesn't make sense. Wash U is located in a normal city with normal problems. Practice caution and you will enjoy your college experience tenfold.

By Classof2008 (Classof2008) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 10:01 pm: Edit

No... actually, check this out.

I got this through google, and as a prospective student, I am seriously worried about campus safety. By no means do I intend to defame WashU, but I only want to supply people here with statistical data.

2001 FBI Uniform Crime Reports-Raw Crime Numbers (released 11/02)

Number of Crimes St. Louis, MO
Population 341,708
Violent crimes
murder, rape, robbery & assault 7,936
Property crimes
burglary, larceny & auto theft 42,717
Murder 124
Forcible rape
112
Robbery
3,224
Aggravated assault
4,476
Burglary
8,020
Larceny-theft
26,862
Motor vehicle theft
7,835
Arson
796

Compared to Boston, MA, which, I think, is also a big, normal city, crime rate is definitely high. From what I've heard, Yale campus "had" been notorious for New Haven's safety conditions, but St. Louis doesn't seem to be any safer.

http://www.bestplaces.net/html/crimecompare3.asp?lcity=9477&rcity=9059&view=T

By Tosg (Tosg) on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 10:38 pm: Edit

Sure, St. Louis has problems, but keep in mind that Wash U is in a very nice, upscale, suburban area on the outskirts of St. Louis.

By Saad (Saad) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 01:35 am: Edit

"Sure, St. Louis has problems, but keep in mind that Wash U is in a very nice, upscale, suburban area on the outskirts of St. Louis."

uh, no it's not, it's not in any suburb, it is in the city, not downtown, but it is still in the city. our apt. has crimes occurring often, and literally the next street over, there are very nice mansions across from a park/golf course. you have a lot of older, some cases, run-down housing very near (in my case, it is next street over) the nice area where the mansions are.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 01:42 am: Edit

Well actually Tosq it borders the city of St. Louis but it is in an upscale area. If they list the crime for Clayton or University City that might give you a different idea. I grew up in a suburb of st.Louis and worked downtown during summers between college and NEVER experienced any of those crimes. I've experienced more crime-burglary and an attempted rape (got away) in Minneapolis which is probably one of the safest cities. I think you would be better served if you googled a site on campus safety. someone on the parents forum mentioned it once.

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 02:05 am: Edit

Here you go - just the facts http://ope.ed.gov/security/InstIdCrime.asp?CRITERIA=C

By Lizschup (Lizschup) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 02:13 am: Edit

classof 2008, If you compare several Boston campuses to Wash U on the site mentioned above you'll find several have similar stats to Wash U and one is amazingly high.

By Goofy (Goofy) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 08:57 pm: Edit

Hey all, just a quick note. Crime stats for St. Louis are extremely misleading, since the better areas of the city, which WashU definitely is in, do NOT count in their crime statistics. Those who live in St. Louis know that they pay an extra tax etc. They are in a differnt county than WashU, though WashU is on the boarder. As opposed to most metropolitan areas, the city decided long ago that it did not want to integrate inner suburbs into the city/city-county/local govt. Because of this, Clayton, University City, Richmond Heights, Ladue, Maryland Heights, etc. are all in a DIFFERENT crime zone! WashU apartments are not great, but coming from Chicago where you pay a mint for a doghouse, they're not that bad. SAAD is truly disgruntled, (Saad, please seek help at health services, I'm worried for you) and his opinions definitely represent a minority. No, I would not walk alone after midnight, but I wouldn't do that in any major metropolitan area, including Boston. And really, if your car gets broken into once, GET AN ALARM or park elsewhere. Once, okay bad luck, twice, stupid. I live here and attend the University. Its a nice place that looks pretty. And, there's always the park One bad thing that I would definitely say, St. Louis (the whole metro I mean here) is quite seggregated, despite all efforts to counter this abomination. All in all, I like it here and would choose to come here again. Really, SAAD, seek help. Why you should go here: great professors who like their students, great resources, awesome park, nice community atmosphere, lots of choice for classes, cool parties like WILD or Bauhaus or Thurtene Carnival etc. Nice flowers?

By Spincut (Spincut) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 06:24 am: Edit

i'm trying to transfer to Wash-U, but whatever your crime figures are, you're probably very spoiled in comparison to the neighborhood crime rates of say, USC.

By Becks777 (Becks777) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:26 pm: Edit

""becks777 you say like you know...according to your profile, you are 17 and don't even go to washu, so how would you possibly know anything that goes on around here""

Thats coz i lived in the city of saint louis for a long time before i moved to buffalo grove, IL. And my best friend goes to WASHU.


Anyways here are my 2 cents

The weather- Unless you like the bitter cold weather of chicago or the hot sweaty weather of LA, Saint louis is the place to be. Spring and fall dominates. Winter starts late( compared to chicago again), ends early, and is not that bitter as it is over here.

Location- Ok, so STL is no college town like Columbia, MO or Urbana-champaign. The school is in the middle of a city. Now lets compare it to some other inner city schools i have been to- U of chicago, USC, UPENN ?? WASHU is far better. And as someone at USC told me before " you have more chances of being killed due to the air you breathe in LA than being murdered by the people in LA". Crimes and crime rates should not interfere with your school choice. Even then, WASHU would have been even more better if it was located where SLU is

The campus- One of the nicest i have seen.

The city- Overall i like chicago more than Saint louis, but STL still rocks- especially their sports teams

So if anyone is considering WASHU, i would say go with it. The school rocks- probabaly not as good as the ivies but far better than the crowded publics.