Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Very rigorous depending on the programs. Pre-Med and Biomedical engineers are notably under pressure and the programs each have high drop out rates. The business school has the reputation of being easy, despite B-school students claiming otherwise.

There are a lot of great professors here and a lot of them care about their students. I have this one professor this semester that tells everyone to call him whenever they have questions even if it is at one in the morning. I have yet to take him up on that offer, but I know students that have. There also is this one professor that had us over to her house for brunch before exams! Students study a lot here because it is very competitive. There are a lot of graduation requirements. Many people are focused on their careers and what Wash U can do for their futures instead of about learning for the sake of knowledge.

Wash. U. professors expect a lot from their students, and Wash. U. students expect a lot form their professors. Typically, students work hard for their grades, while professors are generally well-respected in their respective fields as well as on campus. The relationships that we have with our professors at Wash. U. vary with class size. As an English Major, I tend to be enrolled in 15-person classes, so I develop close relationships both with my professors and my classmates. However, in the few lecture classes that I've taken, I've barely gotten to know my professors. They always have office hours, though, where students are allowed to drop by and talk to them about anything. So if a student were so inclined, it would be relatively easy to develop a relationship with a professor of a lecture class. The English Department is one of the smaller departments at Wash. U., but I have been so impressed by each and every one of my English professors. They are consistently intelligent, prepared, and thought-provoking, and they genuinely want you to succeed in their classes. I, like my classmates, work hard for my grades, which typically means a considerable amount of study-time, but I rarely feel overwhelmed by the work load. The most unique class that I've taken while at Wash. U. was Food Journalism. It was offered in the University's night school, which is available to individuals outside of the Wash. U. community as well as to Wash. U. students. It was taught by the restaurant critic for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which allowed us all to have a first-hand experience of the life of a food journalist. Every class was fascinating and engaging, and I was always left wanting more.

The academics and relationships with professors at Washington University strongly depends on your department of interest. Classes in departments like Anthropology, English, and Education tend to have smaller, more discussion-based classes as you reach the higher level courses. Science-based classes such as Chemistry, Mathematics, or even Economics tend to remain large, even through the upper levels, and building relationship with professors can be more difficult. However, every professor is required to hold office hours at least once a week, and professors are always willing to help students outside of class. Competition at Washington University is not very high, especially compared to other top universities in the country. Students are constantly working in study groups in the library and helping one another to understand the material. If students have trouble finding others to study with, the center for advanced learning on campus will find a student who has already taken the course and pay him/her to lead a study group. Washington University is also rather flexible with their academic requirements, as they work off of a cluster system. Instead of a mandatory calculus class, students are required to complete two or three classes that fall under a "Natural Science" heading, providing students more options with the courses they can take.

I am currently a sophomore majoring in Economics and Psychology, with a minor in Mathematics. I think the best about a Wash U education is that one can have a quality liberal arts education while enjoying the great opportunities (like research) the university has to offer. Class sizes are generally small and professors are fairly accessible. My favorite class I've ever taken is Introductory to English Literature. I wanted to learn some introductory skills for literary criticism and read more great novels. But I had been really afraid that I might get a very low grade. However, it turned out I made a good decision. The professor is really nice. He balanced well between giving lectures and facilitating discussions. And also, he gave me extensive extra tutoring after class. I have really learned a lot from the class.

Academics are HARD. I'm not going to sugar coat it, you have to work really hard at WashU. To be fair, some students work harder than others, depending on your major. Pre-med students work the hardest, as well as engineering students. Business school kids have a bad reputation for not working very hard, and their school is commonly referred to as "B-School Preschool." I've never taken a class there (I'm in the Arts and Sciences school), so I wouldn't know. I'm majoring in Psychology, which I still think is very hard. It's important to study something you're truly interested in, so that the work is less of a pain, and more enjoyable and enlightening. Students study a lot, but probably spend at least half the allotted study time procrastinating. Students will complain a lot over how much work they have, and will probably waste hours doing so. I HATE that WashU students do this. I don't see the point in complaining...just do your work and get it over with! Classes are pretty big in general as a freshman and sophomore, but start to get smaller the last two years. Most of my classes last semester, as a junior, had about 20 kids in them. I still took one large lecture class though. I love smaller classes, because teachers really learn your name, and I think it's much more engaging and thus easier to learn. Some kids, though, prefer lectures. It's definitely possible to still learn in a lecture class though, don't let me discourage you. Professors are generally very good, although there are some that are shockingly awful. But I think that will happen at any school. Some teachers have surprised me by being so great, and others the opposite. Most of my Psychology teachers are awesome, which is probably because WashU is known for having a great Psych department - thus attracting many famous Psych researchers and professors. It's so cool to be taught by a teacher whose work I've studied! Many students in the Psych school also work as Research Assistants, for credit or pay, under a famous Psychologist. I've done this for two semesters, and I think it's a great opportunity that all Psych majors should try to do. I'd be happy to talk further about this, if you're interested! I think WashU's academic requirements are pretty lenient. There's a cluster system which I really like, but most students surprisingly hate. The cluster system gives you four or five general areas (math, science etc) that need to be completed before graduation, with two-four required classes in each area. Instead of being forced to take standard english and math classes, we're allowed the flexibility of picking something like a dance class for language arts, or studying Greek mythology for natural history. I love how open the options are, which allows you to break out of the routine of your major requirements and explore other interests, which may even become a minor or another major. I think other students dislike it because they don't like how random some of the classes can be that they're forced to take, since many students don't see the point. They want to focus solely on their major. I disagree. I think WashU really well prepares you for after college, while also focusing on the here-and-now.

WashU is separated into 5 different schools (Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Business, Art, and Architecture). This allows all students to have a microcosm within the school where they are all surrounded by people that have similar interests. With a student to faculty ratio of 8:1, students are committed to knowing every student by face, name, and story. Interactive conversations in classes are common, and often extend outside of the classroom. WashU also allows you to easily double major. As a Finance and Spanish double major, I know that it is feasible to not only double major, but also pursue two majors in two different schools within the university.

The stereotypical WashU student is perceived (both by outsiders and by WashU students alike) as living in a sort of bubble. The campus is beautiful and certain residential areas feel like small, contrived ski villages in that you never really need to go anywhere because life on the Forty (the very modern residential area for freshmen and sophomores) has everything. Now, is that true? Yes and No. People do go out, students have lives that revolve around things off campus. Additionally, there is a lot to do outside of the campus which abuts Forest Park which, as someone from Pennsylvania I honesty had never heard of, is astounding in the sheer magnitude of things to do there. It's actually larger than Central Park in NY and is jam-packed with all manner of fun stuff. Additionally we are very close to "The Loop" - a funky shopping, eating, and hanging out sort of place two blocks north. Finally, there are two metro stops and many bus routes on campus that make it convenient to go to stadiums, theaters, and just into St. Louis in general. In one sense people do go out. A lot, too. However there is always the return to "the bubble" and the day-to-day experience of being on campus, going to classes, etc... is conducive to getting trapped in what can only be described as, well, the WashU bubble. The lines which delineate the boundaries of campus are abundantly clear and if for no other reason than it honestly does feel like you're walking into a different world once you step inside. This is neither good nor bad however it nevertheless is undeniably true.

The stereotypical WashU student is perceived (both by outsiders and by WashU students alike) as living in a sort of bubble. The campus is beautiful and certain residential areas feel like small, contrived ski villages in that you never really need to go anywhere because life on the Forty (the very modern residential area for freshmen and sophomores) has everything. Now, is that true? Yes and No. People do go out, students have lives that revolve around things off campus. Additionally, there is a lot to do outside of the campus which abuts Forest Park which, as someone from Pennsylvania I honesty had never heard of, is astounding in the sheer magnitude of things to do there. It's actually larger than Central Park in NY and is jam-packed with all manner of fun stuff. Additionally we are very close to "The Loop" - a funky shopping, eating, and hanging out sort of place two blocks north. Finally, there are two metro stops and many bus routes on campus that make it convenient to go to stadiums, theaters, and just into St. Louis in general. In one sense people do go out. A lot, too. However there is always the return to "the bubble" and the day-to-day experience of being on campus, going to classes, etc... is conducive to getting trapped in what can only be described as, well, the WashU bubble. The lines which delineate the boundaries of campus are abundantly clear and if for no other reason than it honestly does feel like you're walking into a different world once you step inside. This is neither good nor bad however it nevertheless is undeniably true.

The academics at WashU are top notch. Haters will say that we're a wannabe Ivy school, but honestly, most kids who I met here want to be here instead of the much snobbier universities like Hahh-varrd. The class sizes can be as big or as small as you want them, except for the huge intro classes like Psych and Bio. But if you really love seminars, it's definitely easy to get into a bunch of classes that are around fifteen students. My favorite class is called "Birth of Venus," which is a team-taught class that synthesizes art history and literature. We read three historical fiction novels by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dunant, who actually flew into WashU and lectured us for four classes. You're just not going to have an opportunity to do that at so many other schools. Because the academics are amazing here, students are constantly studying. Tons of students come in pre-med (which changes once they realize how hard it is), so there are definitely a lot of study sessions here. If you want to create relationships with the professors, it's generally really easy. Professors are open, nice, and receptive. The academic requirements here are pretty lose, and it's nice to not have a "core" curriculum. We have to take classes from four categories, but it's not hard to find something in each section to fit your interests. It really depends on the department, but I don't think WashU is too centered towards getting a job any more than other top-notch colleges. Students here want to succeed, and are ready to put in the effort for it, so naturally there's going to be an air of pre-professionalism.

Students are given so much academic freedom here. Wash U really stresses exploring different classes or even something you MIGHT be interested in. It's true, you WILL have time to fill in your requirements to graduate. Professors truly want you to do well in their class, even a class of 300. While all classes are tough for any subject, even theater, the learning and growing process is so much more rewarding.

Academic life is challenging, but intellectually stimulating. I really enjoy going to class (except maybe if it's an early class...) Professors know my name, and try to get to know you even in larger classes. As long as you make an effort to participate and be engaged you will have fantastic relationships with professors.

Some classes are big lecture classes, other classes I've taken have 5 students. Professors are available for their students. People do study, even if at 4 am. Some students constantly study, others barely do. You can find a whole range, but generally, people are very aware of their academics and they are valued. WashU students certainly have intellectual conversations outside class, but we are no snobs- we value lots of other things outside academics like sports, acappella groups, volunteering, greek like, etc. Students are competitive but there is not tension surrounding everything academic. One of the nice things about it is that no one makes fun of you for taking school seriously, but people aren't biting at each other's necks to be first in the class. I am an economics major and thus far, have enjoyed it. I have found some of the intro classes a little dull (but still challenging!), but a recent upperlevel class I took where we discussed great economists and their writings really opened my eyes up to the field and the issues economists deal with today. WashU does not have really intense academic requirements and if natural science isn't really your thing, there are ways to kind of get around it. I think it certainly promotes learning for the sake of learning and part of the requirements are pushing you towards getting a liberal arts education.

The intimacy of a class largely depends on its department. For pre-meds, especially in the first few years, classes will be large. Professors hold office hours multiple times a week. With some extra effort, students can form relationships with instructors of these large classes. As an English major, I experience several small classes each semester. My first semester, I had a class with six people in it, and I was a freshman. These teachers are brilliant, to be honest. WashU does a great job employing professors who enjoy their teaching obligations and care about students. I have yet to see a professor who wasn't more than happy to meet with me outside of class, even if it meant setting up an appointment outside of regular office hours. Wash U doesn't have a core curriculum. It has distribution requirements. In four broad areas we have to completely clusters, groups of two or three classes that are somehow related to each other. I'm skeptical of the whole system because it seems like an overcomplicated way to ensure students have some exposure to different academic disciplines.

i'm pre-med so most of my classes are about 400 people or so so in those classes i know my teachers but they don't know me. i have one small class that's about 40 people and my teacher knows everyone who says anything in class by name. all of the science classes are on a curve, sometimes it helps (like in orgo) but sometimes it means that you can know basically everything in a class and still get c's on tests

Warning- premed classes are very intense. Everyone is really motivated and competitive with themself. Competition between students does not really exist here and students are likely to help and study with each other for classes.

Class participation is common in smaller classes. Participation typically counts toward your grade in English and foreign language courses. But in big introductory courses it does not count. You can skip every class if you want and just take the exams, but that's probably a very bad idea because if you miss the lectures, you miss a lot. One of my favorite classes was Fiction Writing 1. We got to write stories and read stories written by famous authors as well as by our classmates. If you like creative writing or want to give it a try, I'd definitely recommend this class. It's a lot of work, though. My teacher graded based on effort and if you did your work rather than on whether or not he liked your stories. Introduction to Psychology is also a great class. It provides an overview of psychology and is taught by good professors. It's a huge lecture class, though, so there is no interaction with the professors unless you make an effort to go to their office hours. Some students have intellectual conversations outside of class all the time. Others never do. It depends on who you're friends with. I usually don't spend time with professors outside of class unless I make an effort to go to their office hours to ask an important question about a paper or something. However, my French professor had her students over to her house one time. She made us a French dinner and talked with us in French. It was great!

Yes I know my prof name, my favorite class is when the prof can make us entertain without falling asleep. Least favorite is boring lecture. study a lot. class participate a lot, if there is so much information to study. yes wash U have intellectual con. outside of class. and students are competitive. blah blah

Academics at Wash U are absolutely amazing. Professors genuinely care about their students. They are always there to help and answer student questions. Most classes are small once you get past your freshman year. Smaller classes really let you interact with your teachers and other classmates. I have loved every single class I have taken in the anthropology department. The teachers in this department are amazing and keep classes entertaining. Of course there are always a couple of classes that are boring, but thats why you should always ask upperclassmen about what classes are good and bad to take. The college of arts and sciences is relly geared toward learning for the sake of learning. It really gets you prepared for graduate school. If you're looking for a job right out of college you're better off in the buisness school or engineering school.

The people here are very nice; most the teachers do care very much about their classes and teaching well. In the big classes like chemistry, it's not very personal, but you can always go to help sessions, office hours, or talk to the professor after class. I like my smaller classes a lot more though, because you really get to know your professor and the other students. For example, my writing professor has individual conferences with us every couple of weeks. That may not sound that important, but I always leave more encouraged and ready to go write my intimidating essay.

When I came here, I knew that WashU was really good in fields like anthropology, biology, philosophy, psychology, business, political science, chemistry, English, etc., but I was not too sure about physics. Thankfully, I have been very satisfied with my experience in the physics department. The physics course I'm in right now is easily the best educational experience I've had of any type; the professor is funny and engaging, he explains things very clearly, and he emphasizes understanding. Additionally, he's always accessible after class and has very lenient office hours. It's been a great experience. I've done both physics and economics here, and I can say that both programs are excellent. I've had great professors in both departments and the courses have been very challenging. I have four academic advisors who give good advice about what classes to take. Research opportunities abound here; if you are interested, you have a very good chance of being able to do cutting edge research with professors here. Additionally, the students here are typically very cooperative; I haven't sensed any hint of competition among students within my departments. I understand that pre-med students may compete just to survive the curriculum, though. Nevertheless, students here are always willing to help others with homework assignments and study for exams.

One of the big plusses of this school is the scholarship policies. First of all, there is merit based aid available which was a big factor for me. If you apply to the university, make sure to apply for the scholarships! There are a lot of scholarships available, and so apply and do a really good job on the application. For me, it certainly paid off; I've got a full scholarship here with a stipend each year. Then, the policy for outside scholarships is great too... if you're a National Merit finalist, the school gives you money depending on what type of National Merit scholarship you get; I got a $2500 one-time scholarship from NMSQT, but Wash. U is continuing that for my sophomore, junior and senior years. Additional outside sholarships are also yours to keep; financial aid doesn't just sink your scholarship money towards your need based aid at all! That's huge. In fact, this semester the university wrote a check to me because I had more money scholarship money coming in than the semester 's tuition, room and board were costing. Of course, I have been very lucky and I worked very hard. I don't want to give the impression that everyone here has full scholarships or anything. All I mean to say is that need and merit based aid is very very reasonable at Washington University relative to other universities and that you should apply for scholarships! The people here are very nice; most the teachers do care very much about their classes and teaching well. In the big classes like chemistry, it's not very personal, but you can always go to help sessions, office hours, or talk to the professor after class. I like my smaller classes a lot more though, because you really get to know your professor and the other students. For example, my writing professor has individual conferences with us every couple of weeks. That may not sound that important, but I always leave more encouraged and ready to go write my intimidating essay.

I've done both physics and economics here, and I can say that both programs here are excellent. I've had great professors in both departments and the courses have been very challenging. I have four academic advisors who give good advice about what classes to take. Research opportunities abound here; if you are interested, you have a very good chance of being able to do cutting edge research with professors here. Additionally, the students here are typically very cooperative; I haven't sensed any hint of competition among students within my departments. I understand that pre-med students may compete just to survive the curriculum, though. Nevertheless, students here are always willing to help others with homework assignments and study for exams.

As a business student, 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my classes were required to be outside of the business school, 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} inside, and 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} were up to me to choose. This made it easy to fulfill my requirements. For Science I took DinoBio (Biology of Dinosaurs) - not a blow off class, but not physics. My double major had no overlapping Accounting/Finance courses, but with the core requirements I only took 4 extra Finance and 5 extra Accounting classes, plus one Accounting for fun. I've already finished my business requirements, so now I have 11 credits from outside the b-school to take. I only brought 6 AP course credits with me (Calculus 1 and US History). Unless you get 5's, don't expect much. You need 120 credits to graduate, so either get those AP credits in high school, come to classes in the summers, or take 15 credits each semester. I love my professors and fellow students. We are competitive, but the curve isn't killer like some people at other colleges might say. Most classes set the average to B/B+, while the hard classes set it to B+/A-. This semester I took the hardest classes ever and got A- in all of them. Pet peeve, though - the B-school is called "Pre-school" by the non-B-schoolers. We just think they are jealous. We don't have labs, and we have no long, painful classes. It takes a certain person to think business, and if you do it all makes sense. Finally, and more broadly, it also helps to befriend a professor or two, especially if they sponsor a student group, because they bend the rules for students they like. No one plays favorites, but they will understand if you need an extra day on an assignment if they know you work hard and care about the class.

Students here are really smart, and its not just in the classroom. People here talk about classes, academics, and current events all the time. At parties, its funny to hear people taking about their most recent chemistry test or some funny lecture they had. Its nice to have smart friends, whenever I'm hesitant or struggling with a subject, I can find any one of my friends who can help tutor me or help me completely understand the subject.

Human Evolution is the best class at WashU, but Prof. Richard Smith taught it for the last time this year. Anthropology is a great department and it's a pretty easy major. Pre-med classes are the most competitive.

The size of classes at WashU varies greatly, so that can effect your personal relationship with your professors. ALL professors hold office hours where a more personal environment is accessible if so desired. Most of the hardcore science classes (chem, bio) are very competitive (grades are on a curve based on how the entire 300 or so person class does) but most other classes are not very competitive. I study mostly the social sciences, where classes are usually discussion-based and a safe environment to share personal ideas.

Most intro classes are a pain. They are generally poorly taught because of the environment, and rarely will the teacher know your name. Granted, that is the case at just about every university. The smaller classes are much better taught, and teachers almost always know your name. The students here are incredibly competitive, but with themselves and not others, setting us apart from some other top schools.

Do proffessors know your name?: I have small classes, so yes. Favorite class: Drawing. My teacher is AMAZING! Least favorite: It would go to Writing I, except that I LOVED my professor. How often do students study?: ALOT. Are students competitive?: In certain schools. Not in the art school. Most unique class I've taken?: I haven't. My major/department: The art school rocks. Lovely teachers, non competitive/fun loving students. It's fabulous. But REALLY time consuming! Spend time with professors outside of class?: not really. no. office hours sometimes. Wash U's academic requirements: I'm fine with them. But it's crap that the engineering students can test out of writing 1 and art students can't. Wash U geared toward getting a job or learning? I'm only a freshman. I don't have any sense of this yet.

Professors know my name. The classes are wonderful, except for math classes. My favorite class was Survey of Latin American Culture (so engaging, wonderful professor, great readings). Students study a lot, and class participation is pretty common. Some Wash U students have intellectual conversations outside of class, while others don't. Students are somewhat competitive in the Pre-Med classes, but not so in other disiplines. I love my department and professors, and the academic requirements aren't too difficult. Wash U's education can be either practical or impractical, depending on major.

Most professors do know my name. My favorite class was taught by a graduate student - Formula Challenge Vehicle Design. Two least favorites - Engineering Mathematics, and Machine Design (could have been a fantastic class). Students study daily it seems. Class participation is average. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class. Competition is very high. Most unique class was Personal Finance. My major is mechanical engineering and it's fascinating. The ME department is so so. No time spent with professors outside of class. Academic requirements are stringent, but should get more difficult so my degree is worth more after I'm done. Education towards learning for the sake of going to graduate school, not getting a job.

Yes --- --- Mostly nightly Oh yes Yes Partially --- Small, personal, friendly Not very much Just fine Depends on what you study

Tight.

all my professors know my name except for in my one large lecture class. besides that one, but next largest class is 17 students. i really like classes that are discussion based and thought provoking. the professors assign readings and guide the discussion to open up the students minds about new things or (more often) to think about things in new ways.i've learned so much in my 1 1/2 semesters here i feel like i've already learned more than in my 4 years of high school. students sometime participate sometimes don't. it really depends on the chemistry in the classroom and that depends on the personality and approach of the teacher and the relationship he or she has with the students. some of my classes everyone talks in others we're quiet. it just depends. i haven't decided on a major yet but i really want to take more African American studies courses. previously in my schooling i learned a little about their culture but now i'm more exposed to it and it seems interesting. WashU students always have discussions outside of class. i could go in the cafe and hear snippets of intellectual convos all the time. i think the requirements are useful because they force you to try things out that you might not have and discover something you like. in one sense but i do know someone who couldn't graduate on time because of one class and they were so similar but because they were part of two different schools he was stuck here. i think he eventually worked something out with his dean but still, thats bad. i think the education here in arts and sciences in more for learning to learn. in other areas its very obvious that its career oriented, but with the humanities and social sciences its not so cut and dry. that's for all colleges though, not just washu.

Most of my professors know my name. Class participation is common, especially in small language classes. WashU students have many intellectual conversations outside of class; sometimes I feel that everything is overly intellectual. Students are very competitive. The most unique class that I have taken is Physics 198 because it is a large lecture but is still based on class participation. I don't see professors outside of class usually. The academic requirements are not as rigorous as I had expected.

I think the most unique class I've taken at Wash U was called "Brave New Crops," and it was pretty much a semester-long case study about genetically modified organisms, the current debates around them, and the broader implications of using or not using them. The professor is a lot to handle in that he's pretty self-involved and constantly refers to his own work on the issue, but he also really knows what he's talking about and seems to have a pretty balanced perspective. He also invites you over to his house to have dinner and discuss the issues with guest lecturers that come in. These guest lecturers range from farmers to corporate managers to scientists, and they all have different things to say. While the class wasn't easy, I think about it a lot and have used it as a reference for other classes I've been in.

Professors don't know my name. There are some who do, but most of those aren't even professors, they're grad students or lecturers. I like the requirements at WashU because there is a lot of leeway in fulfilling requirements. The only issue I have with requirements is Writing I. When I took it, I felt like I was back in high school and I HATED high school. I also don't think that I learned anything from the set curriculum of the class. I got an A in the class, but I don't think I really took anything away from the class other than the "A" on the transcript. I think so far one of my favorite classes is Primate Biology with Prof. Rasmussen. I am having an amazing time learning about primates in the class. Prof Rasmussen often will share personal stories of his and primates, and he shows lots of videos taken of primates in the wild. One of the class assignments is to actually go to the zoo and study the primates there, which is tons of fun because you can see first hand the things that you are learning about.

It really depends on the class but my business professor and my theater professor both knew my name. Some of the bigger intro classes it's not that easy for professors to know your name but if your class is about 30 40 students there's a good chance that they will know your name. Students are competitive as you're taking some of the best and the brightest from around the country and the world. While students will have intellectual conversations outside of class, we also talk about some of the most random stuff ever. There's a spectrum of how often students study. Art and architecture students work the hardest out of everyone and it seems like those people in the business school work the least. Some people stay in the library all the time and study. Others go out and party almost every night of the week. The business school's requirements aren't that bad but the cluster system for Arts and Sciences is tough to manage. Some of what I learn is geared for a job while others is just for learning. My most unique classes would either be my theater production class where we designed actual shows or my story of murder class where we had guest speakers such as forensics scientists and police detective talk about their jobs and then we would write articles about them. My most favorite class so far has been theater production as the group of people was simply amazing. Though we would be working on a show late into the night, it was still a lot of fun. Class participation is common in smaller classes but not so in large several hundred student ones. My least favorite classes have been my math courses as they are boring and the teachers aren't that good.

-Professors.. there is certainly an ecclectic range of professors on campus, some more interested in getting to know you than others.. I'd say for the most part professors have known my name (except maybe in huge intro classes) and I've genuinely enjoyed a probably 80-90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my professors -Class.. my favorite class was definitely Dinosaurs: Facts and Fictions.. I mean how often do you get to take class notes where the professor draws pictures of brontosauruses or T-rexes on the chalkboard? -Studying/Competition.. I think the amount of work equates to the high rank of WashU academics. you certainly have to do a lot of work and time management is key. Mostly pre-med is where the competition and largest amount of work come in to play. But campus has a lot of resources for students who are having troubles keeping up -Requirements.. the cluster system is phenomenal, it is easy to understand (other schools have for example 6 credit hours in section IX, part 5, letter a.. complicated!)

Euroean Intellectual History with Gerald Izenberg. Brilliant man. Unfortunately, too many kids here are pre-professional and not intellectual, though there's ample pockets of intellectually curious kids; you just have to find them...and hope they aren't cliche and anti-traditional fun.

5 out of 6 professors know my name. Favorite class: memory studies: freshman program taught by 2 top top professors who are leading researchers. goes into many different aspects of what memory is, how it is studied, etc. I often go to office hrs and professors are very helpful students are competitive with themselves to do well and learn a lot but are not cutthroat. Washu education is whatever you want it to be. If you want pre-professional they have it, if you want liberal arts: have it, engineering, business and more!

Not a lot of professors know my name because I'm in biomedical engineering, and we have large classes. Last year in BME 301A, Quantitative Physiology, Profs. Barbour and Thoroughman learned about all 88 of our names and were incredibly personable. They have been my favorite BME professors so far. Dr. Barbour even pulled a prank lecture about an extra homework problem to get the entire class to sing to my friend on her 21st birthday. I think one of the general weaknesses of the Wash U BME department is the lack of interest of the faculty in really getting to know the students. On the flipside, professors are very approachable in having students get involved in their research, and there are countless amazing opportunities in that respect. I think all Wash U students want to succeed, but we work together very well, with competition and curved grading scales being only small concerns. Mainly, we help each other learn.

Classes are challenging but engaging. The professors work well with the students and are willing to work out any difficulties. The class sizes aren't huge, but they are extremely small either. It depends on the class. Academics are a priority for almost every student here.

The professors at WashU are one of the school's greatest assets. In fact, every class you take will be taught by a faculty member, with the exception of Freshman English Compisition. These faculty are leaders in their fields and doing amazing research, yet still take the time to meet with students, write letters of recommendation, etc.

For the most part, my professors know my name. My favorite classes have usually been German courses, because I've been fortunate to learn the language quickly, and be able to enjoy the class without seeing it as strenuous work. My least favorite class may have been How Things Work, because the professor was unhelpful and unkind, and the grading seemed a bit arbitrary at times. Students seem to study quite a bit, although procrastination is a favorite pastime. Class participation is somewhat common, depending on the class. I don't hear a lot of "intellectual" conversation outside of class. Students are mostly competitive with themselves. The most unique course I've taken was probably Math and Music, which stretched my brain in ways I didn't know were possible. To me, my major department--Psychology--is somewhat unsatisfying. It seems almost all of the faculty are either interested in memory, old people, or old peoples' memory; I'm much more interested in clinical psychology with younger adults. I do not generally see professors outside of class, but do occasionally meet with them to discuss ideas for related work. Wash U's requires a reasonable number of credits, but their system for the College of Arts and Sciences is needlessly complex and leads to ridiculous situations like obligatorily taking an Intro to East Asian Religions course after having taken courses in Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Gender and Sexuality in East Asian Religions, and a class in Japanese Theater that featured prominently the role of gender and religion in Japanese literature. Much of the education is geared towards learning for its own sake, but most majors require a substantial amount of credits, so job-oriented and learning-for-its-own-sake-oriented classes are more or less in balance. Either way, a Psychology major doesn't go very far in terms of finding a job, unless that job is graduate study.

There is no typical class at Wash U... There are huge lecture classes like Chemistry 111-112, and there are plenty of small classes, too. It really depends on the subject and difficulty of the class. Students tend to spend a fair amount of time studying and doing homework. Most say they do the same or less than they did in highschool. The students I know don't have "intellectual conversations" outside of class. Unless maybe they go do to some type of debate or forum. Students are not competitive at all. Some big classes are graded on a bell curve, but no one sabotages eachother or anything. I'm a chemical engineer. Our department is close-knit -- you'll know everyone in your ChemE classes. The classes are difficult and typically don't have labs as underclassmen. Freshman year for ChemE's is basically just taking the introductory courses in all the basic sciences, & plenty of math. I really dislike WashU's cluster system for the school of Arts & Sciences (I transferred out of ArtSci to Engineering). It requires that students take related classes in order to fulfill distribution requirements. So your options for taking classes is severely limited if you're trying to fit in the minimum amount of classes outside your major. This isn't a problem in the Engineering school, which has very lax rules for distribution requirements... so you can take what you want. WashU offers a freshmen seminars for many majors which allows students to get a survey of what kinds of jobs & fields they can get into with their major.

Until you are an upperclassman or start taking smaller classes, professors generally do not know your name unless you make a distinct effort. However once you are in those smaller classes it is much easier to get to know your professors and ask for help. Its up to you to make an impact. Students study a lot or very little depending on their major. I've been in a lot of classes with very intense pre-meds in classes that are based purely on a curve, and those classes are much more intense. When you get away of the strict bell curve, you learn to help each other so everyone does well. I'm in the biomedical engineering department and love the department. The head of the department is wonderful and has really built the department from the ground up. There is a lot of very interesting research going on and interesting faculty conducting the research. Most people are very friendly and fun to work with. The only bad part of engineering is when you have to take classes outside your department, often times the professor doesn't care as much about the students or the class, so it is harder to learn.

On any given Freshmen floor, at least a third of the students are pre-meds, a number that quickly drops as students learn that even the brightest students sometimes don’t score above a 50 on their exams. Architecture students have been known to carry their sleeping bags to studio to nab a couple of hours of sleep in between projects and engineering students are at the library when they’re not playing Halo. Those of us in the social sciences, humanities, or business school generally have less work, but there’s no getting around the fact that academics here are very challenging. What’s more remarkable is how sane and fun Wash U students stay despite the rigger of their academic schedule. One of the perks of going to a well-endowed private school is that despite its size, Wash U lavishes personal attention on all of its students. Even in the larger, intro-level lectures, the school provides all sorts of support: plentiful office hours, numerous TA’s, Peer-Led Team Learning Groups (PLTL’s), pre-exam study sessions, help desks for writing, and even residential academic advisors that live in the dorms. The quality of teaching varies, but the school makes teacher evaluations from past terms available to students and its easy to find good professors provided you do your research before enrolling. All students in the school of Arts & Sciences have to take Writing I, a class that gets at best mixed reviews from students. You do things like writing essays analyzing advertisements; the quality of the class depends entirely on the TA. Because I chose to enroll in Text & Tradition, one of several specialized treks available to freshmen culminating in a minor in the humanities, my Writing I class was phenomenal. We did everything from watching and analyzing Mike Huckabee speak on campus to studying Sartre and existentialism. My class was probably the exception; we bonded so well that we felt compelled to get sloppy off Yellow Tail, cheap cheese, and Greek mythology one Friday night before heading off to more conventional parties. Artsci students also must navigate the messy cluster system. The clusters are supposed to provide some breadth of study by requiring students take several related classes in a particular field, but more often than not students find the system needlessly bureaucratic and even a waste of their time. Students in other schools don’t have these problems because their schedule is more or less set in stone. Getting dual degrees across schools, however, is really easy; people often come to Wash U to do ridiculous things like pair a physics degree with an art major. Double majors are absurdly popular, as is taking way too many classes; only at Wash U can you take fifteen credits towards one major and minor and feel a little bit like an underachiever. That said, this is still college and people still manage to have a really good time; even the library is social.

In general, students are intellectual and display passion about their respective academic pursuits. Conversation outside of the classroom often revolves around politics or current events. However, the social environment does not pertain to academics, and there is definitely a healthy divide between work and having fun Social events tend to be typical of university students across the country, while still maintaining the integrity of an intellectual atmosphere. Most importantly, students have the opportunity to engage in intimate class settings, pursue a wide-range of interests, and really get to know their professors. I have found that whether the goal is to find large, lecture-based classes or tiny, discussion-based seminars, it is fairly easy to register for courses in the desired area of interest.

Most of my professors do know me by name, depending on the size of the class. My favorite class has been Spanish because it is so interactive. My least favorite has been accounting because some of the lower level business classes higher foreign teachers that you can not understand. Students study a good amount but not all the time. Class participation is very commonplace. WashU students frequently have intellectual conversations outside of class, but they talk about less serious stuff as well. Students are not competitive at all, in fact I have never met anyone that was not willing to help me or study with me. The most unique class I have taken is Computer Aided Design. In the class we model machine parts and for homework we draw 3-D shapes from two dimensional surfaces. The Engineering department is fantastic. They offer four hours of tutoring per week per class if you need help with an engineering related subject. Also, the staff is very helpful. I visit a professor probably once a week, and they are always willing to meet with you. The requirements at the engineering school are rigorous but not excessive. WashU teaches for learning.