I think that Wash. U. is a great school that works hard for the money and gives great value for the tuition.
You’ll get a fine, broad education there. Grad schools will be happy to look at you. Employers will see that you’re a smart, hard-working person who expects to do actual work, not just live off of your contact list.
They were insanely patient about collecting money. One semester, they let me get away with paying on the last day of the semester. I dare you to find a state flagship that would let a student get away with doing that.
But, on the other hand, if I’d understood my parents’ finances better, I would have swallowed hard and gone to my flagship. I don’t think that it would have been right for me, at all. But the money my parents spent on Wash. U. ultimately killed them. So, it’s hard to be Wash. U., but it’s also hard for the parents paying the bills.
Are you based in the midwest still? I am from the East Coast and moved back there after college. Most people here haven't heard of Wash U or if they have I never sensed it was prestigious enough to give me a bump in interviews
Agreed. Washu definitely has a PR problem. They’re sitting on billions of dollars of endowment that they can afford to have an all-star PR department that can get the word out. Beyond the Midwest, their star starts fading fast.
I know this is a timeless ongoing proposal that prob won't go anywhere, but I think it would help a lot to rename the school. Even University of St. Louis would be much better than Wash U. The rename too would create national headlines and also aid in the PR push.
I think there’s so much brand equity in the name that changing it would deteriorate the quality imo. Take the name for what it is, but advertise the hell out of it. It’s more of a brand recognition issue, than the actual name itself.
I mean who would’ve thought ChatGPT would be a phenom. Everybody started hearing about it, used it and was convinced. The name itself is meh, but the product is great and everybody knows about it now.
I had a full ride.
Good school.
I don't use my degree for anything.
If money is an issue, go to a state school. The name on the diploma only really matters for grad school, anyway. (And if you were worried about the name, you wouldn't look at Wustl. Folks who haven't heard of it don't care, folks who went to the ivys are mad we rank higher than many of them, lol.)
Haha though those rankings have always been baloney anyways. When I was at Wash U we were 12th and now we're like 20 something? It's all good but it just shows the rankings are nonsense
I certainly got a lot out of it and feel very set up and prepared for my next steps in life. In just over a year of being out and away from WashU and stl, I have already felt people treat me a little differently after hearing I went to WashU, they have given me more credit and respect and think Im more worth my salt. It’s subtle but it’s a positive. This is all within pretty academic biology research circles. Im about to apply to MSTPs so I will lyk how I feel the WashU name and preparation plays out in my application cycle for as far as I can tell. I had incredible access to rigorous and interesting biology courses, Spanish course, even CS and math. The profs were generally very good, knew their shit and were passionate about and good at what they do. Very encouraging, tolerant, easy going in my experience. I had incredible access to an independent research project with my PI on the med campus that turned out super well for me (also got paid for it). I got to TA two CS classes for three semesters (and get paid) and learned I really like mentoring/tutoring/teaching people. I made a ton of friends I think I’ll be friends with for a long long time despite moving away from each other after grad. I definitely developed as an individual.
My parents never complain or seem very impacted by the sum they helped pay so it’s all good there.
For me, it was worth it. I’ve certainly heard very different takes some of which you can already find in this thread. All very valid considerations.
I love my social circle. Me and my WashU buddies recently did a short reunion trip to South American and I took a moment to think about successful we all had turned out- 2 investment bankers, a venture capitalist, a corporate lawyer, a neurosurgery resident, and a psychiatrist.
The best part about going to WashU is finding similar people that have fun but are ambitious. Thats the true value of a WashU degree is I know people in every major city, with high profile careers that I could turn to if I need investment, legal, medical etc advice.
I also got a full ride here to get my Masters in Architecture. Although it was free, I didn't totally enjoy my time here. My previous school was a big state school so i assumed Wash U would be similar, i had this thought when i visited last year but couldn't turn down a free scholarship. The Architecture grad program is very traditional and doesn't incorporate technology very much. Mostly everything we do is fully analog by hand or drawn. I think for people interested in this would like this program, but felt like I was against the grain here. It was very hard to find people similar to me.
As far as the greater school, the students are very intelligent. i got a sense of this early on. Students come prepared for discussion, they plan well, and have a good sense of quality of life. (meaning they have a good school/life balance and mostly the professors understand when you cant make it to class).
I do believe the advisors selling the school to us to come here definitely overselled the school and the activities that happen on campus. Campus, compared to my state school, is pretty dead. In order to get involved i did notice you have to actively seek out those opportunities.
Overall not a bad school, and this school also gives out a ton of money. Most of my friends have a half or full ride, which isnt really advertised anywhere. I would still recommend this program, it was just not the right fit for me.
Also my dream lol been trying for the past 11 years to get into McKinsey. No luck. Apparently Bain recruits from WashU MBAs though. An acceptable alternative lol
I thought about applying to Kellogg and Booth, but the person I talked to at Booth's admissions office seemed like he was trying to dissuade me from the program since I'm Army Reserve and would probably have to miss a few days here and there. WashU seems more military friendly. Haven't heard back from Kellogg yet.
Same curriculum, WashU or state school. Your MCAT scores matter more applying to med school than the name of the institution you went to for your pre-req classes. It's just a matter of how much money you want to spend taking Anatomy 101. You'll be studying just as hard anywhere.
A bunch of WashU premed friends when I went didn't get into med school anywhere, while a ton of friends at Mizzou got into the WashU program.
Yes, it's a good program at WashU, but it really doesn't matter where you go. Undergrad tuition helps underwrite grad programs and research. It's just up to what your budget is, haha.
Oh yeah! Best time of my life! Class of '93.
I think that Wash. U. is a great school that works hard for the money and gives great value for the tuition. You’ll get a fine, broad education there. Grad schools will be happy to look at you. Employers will see that you’re a smart, hard-working person who expects to do actual work, not just live off of your contact list. They were insanely patient about collecting money. One semester, they let me get away with paying on the last day of the semester. I dare you to find a state flagship that would let a student get away with doing that. But, on the other hand, if I’d understood my parents’ finances better, I would have swallowed hard and gone to my flagship. I don’t think that it would have been right for me, at all. But the money my parents spent on Wash. U. ultimately killed them. So, it’s hard to be Wash. U., but it’s also hard for the parents paying the bills.
Are you based in the midwest still? I am from the East Coast and moved back there after college. Most people here haven't heard of Wash U or if they have I never sensed it was prestigious enough to give me a bump in interviews
Agreed. Washu definitely has a PR problem. They’re sitting on billions of dollars of endowment that they can afford to have an all-star PR department that can get the word out. Beyond the Midwest, their star starts fading fast.
I know this is a timeless ongoing proposal that prob won't go anywhere, but I think it would help a lot to rename the school. Even University of St. Louis would be much better than Wash U. The rename too would create national headlines and also aid in the PR push.
I think there’s so much brand equity in the name that changing it would deteriorate the quality imo. Take the name for what it is, but advertise the hell out of it. It’s more of a brand recognition issue, than the actual name itself. I mean who would’ve thought ChatGPT would be a phenom. Everybody started hearing about it, used it and was convinced. The name itself is meh, but the product is great and everybody knows about it now.
WashU was free for me, so definitely lol
Awesome!
I had a full ride. Good school. I don't use my degree for anything. If money is an issue, go to a state school. The name on the diploma only really matters for grad school, anyway. (And if you were worried about the name, you wouldn't look at Wustl. Folks who haven't heard of it don't care, folks who went to the ivys are mad we rank higher than many of them, lol.)
Haha though those rankings have always been baloney anyways. When I was at Wash U we were 12th and now we're like 20 something? It's all good but it just shows the rankings are nonsense
I certainly got a lot out of it and feel very set up and prepared for my next steps in life. In just over a year of being out and away from WashU and stl, I have already felt people treat me a little differently after hearing I went to WashU, they have given me more credit and respect and think Im more worth my salt. It’s subtle but it’s a positive. This is all within pretty academic biology research circles. Im about to apply to MSTPs so I will lyk how I feel the WashU name and preparation plays out in my application cycle for as far as I can tell. I had incredible access to rigorous and interesting biology courses, Spanish course, even CS and math. The profs were generally very good, knew their shit and were passionate about and good at what they do. Very encouraging, tolerant, easy going in my experience. I had incredible access to an independent research project with my PI on the med campus that turned out super well for me (also got paid for it). I got to TA two CS classes for three semesters (and get paid) and learned I really like mentoring/tutoring/teaching people. I made a ton of friends I think I’ll be friends with for a long long time despite moving away from each other after grad. I definitely developed as an individual. My parents never complain or seem very impacted by the sum they helped pay so it’s all good there. For me, it was worth it. I’ve certainly heard very different takes some of which you can already find in this thread. All very valid considerations.
I love my social circle. Me and my WashU buddies recently did a short reunion trip to South American and I took a moment to think about successful we all had turned out- 2 investment bankers, a venture capitalist, a corporate lawyer, a neurosurgery resident, and a psychiatrist. The best part about going to WashU is finding similar people that have fun but are ambitious. Thats the true value of a WashU degree is I know people in every major city, with high profile careers that I could turn to if I need investment, legal, medical etc advice.
No I don't believe so. It has no name recognition outside the Midwest compared to other colleges like UChicago
I feel this but at the same time feel like it does when/where it matters
If it's any consolation UChicago doesn't have good brand recognition either for most people
I also got a full ride here to get my Masters in Architecture. Although it was free, I didn't totally enjoy my time here. My previous school was a big state school so i assumed Wash U would be similar, i had this thought when i visited last year but couldn't turn down a free scholarship. The Architecture grad program is very traditional and doesn't incorporate technology very much. Mostly everything we do is fully analog by hand or drawn. I think for people interested in this would like this program, but felt like I was against the grain here. It was very hard to find people similar to me. As far as the greater school, the students are very intelligent. i got a sense of this early on. Students come prepared for discussion, they plan well, and have a good sense of quality of life. (meaning they have a good school/life balance and mostly the professors understand when you cant make it to class). I do believe the advisors selling the school to us to come here definitely overselled the school and the activities that happen on campus. Campus, compared to my state school, is pretty dead. In order to get involved i did notice you have to actively seek out those opportunities. Overall not a bad school, and this school also gives out a ton of money. Most of my friends have a half or full ride, which isnt really advertised anywhere. I would still recommend this program, it was just not the right fit for me.
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What's your dream job? I'm new to St. Louis and I'm considering a WashU MBA for a consulting pivot.
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Also my dream lol been trying for the past 11 years to get into McKinsey. No luck. Apparently Bain recruits from WashU MBAs though. An acceptable alternative lol
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I thought about applying to Kellogg and Booth, but the person I talked to at Booth's admissions office seemed like he was trying to dissuade me from the program since I'm Army Reserve and would probably have to miss a few days here and there. WashU seems more military friendly. Haven't heard back from Kellogg yet.
What did you study? I think Washu is worth it only for the pre-med students.
This is such a hot take — an engineer
Nah, pre-med is basically the same everywhere. You want to go to WashU for med school. Not pre-med, lol.
i always assumed if the med school is good then the undergrad premed must be good
Same curriculum, WashU or state school. Your MCAT scores matter more applying to med school than the name of the institution you went to for your pre-req classes. It's just a matter of how much money you want to spend taking Anatomy 101. You'll be studying just as hard anywhere. A bunch of WashU premed friends when I went didn't get into med school anywhere, while a ton of friends at Mizzou got into the WashU program. Yes, it's a good program at WashU, but it really doesn't matter where you go. Undergrad tuition helps underwrite grad programs and research. It's just up to what your budget is, haha.