Washington University in St Louis

I'll start by saying I can't imagine not having gone to WashU. I learned so much not just in my classes, but from all of my friends and classmates, and everyone else I've met in St. Louis as a result of going to school here. WashU is highly rigorous in general, and in the architecture program, that means you will probably spend at least one night working in the studio. The studio culture is a little zealous and you will feel pressure to be in the studio all of the time. Outside of the studio, there are lots of really great and interesting electives to take, extracurriculars to get involved in, and a really great city to explore and get to know. It's pricey, but if you can afford it, WashU is absolutely the way to go!

I kind of alluded to this in my last response, but the school is expensive so there are a lot of students who are wealthy and if you're low to mid-income, it may be intimidating to be surrounded by classmates who ski every year for spring break and travel to three different countries every summer. Also, particularly when it comes to the art and architecture departments, there isn't funding to subsidize the cost of supplies, so students are fully on the hook for buying paints, modeling materials, paper/canvases, etc. for the completion of their projects which means that your grade can potentially be impacted by your ability to pay for quality materials (or enough materials).

I like that the school allows a lot of flexibility when choosing majors/schools. A lot of other schools lock you into whatever you apply with, but WashU gave me the freedom to explore lots of options before finally deciding on Psychology.

Honestly, there isn't much I've disliked about WashU. There are some professors who I think graded too harshly or some meals I disliked, but those are problems you'd find anywhere. Some people don't like the actual location of St. Louis, but I think it's a beautiful place.

At Washu, I love that students are able to tailor their academic paths to their individual interests. We even have programs in which students can create their own majors. Overall, the professors are extremely attentive and really value making their classes inclusive, interesting, and educational. Beyond academics, Washu has a beautiful campus with exceptional libraries and plenty of indoor and outdoor recreational areas. Social life at Washu varies depending on your individual interests, but the school is constantly having free events for students to enjoy, including a huge concert (WILD) that happens every semester.

While Washu is a great school overall, it is extremely difficult and the workload is heavy for almost every student.

A very rigorous school if you are interested in the pre-med route, but fulfilling with excellent, supportive staff and wonderful classmates. Collaboration is emphasized here, a stark difference from the competitive nature of other top schools.

A culture shock for low-income and first-generation students, as a high concentration of wealthy students, attend. It's also very easy to fall into the "WashU Bubble" and not get involved with the outer St. Louisan community

WashU has one of the most open environments compared to other competitive high-ranking universities. Many if not all of the students here are open to collaboration and new connections. WashU is also improving on their financial aid policy and are becoming more and more need-blind, especially with programs like Deneb.

WashU definitely has a huge portion of rich students from the top 10%, so it can feel like you are out of place sometimes. Not all buildings are accessible either, some don't have elevators and go up to 4 floors. Printing services are also quite flaky at times.