Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Academics at WashU are the first priority of everyone and they are top notch. When it comes to college here, class is always first to everything else. Most students study a considerable amount outside of class, including spending much time at the hottest place to be seen on campus, the library. There are five colleges at WashU, and lots of students spend time bickering about which school is harder, but they are all pretty difficult. The pre-med program here is exceptionally hard, with intro chemistry and intro biology considered “weeding” courses: designed to be extremely hard to “weed” certain people out of the program. I remember the mean score on a few chemistry tests being in the 50 percent range. Other programs at WashU that are considered to be remarkably hard are the architecture and biomedical engineering programs. Average class size is small, although there are lecture halls that seat close to 250 people. Most students have a close relationship with a few professors, but overall you do not have to interact if you choose not to. Most students are very competitive, and all engage in intellectual conversations outside of class. There is a core curriculum based around a cluster system that is a little confusing. But the university will work with you to accomplish everything you need to graduate. Overall, the academics are great, with great professors and discussions in most classes.

Wash U is unique in that professors, deans, administrators and staff are for the most part accessible and friendly. Often the relationships formed last beyond the semester of class, and sometimes after the time at Wash U. It is not unheard of for students to go out to dinner or over to a professor's house for dinner. I think the most competitive students by far are pre-meds, but even so, students are pretty laid back here in comparison to schools I have visited or that my friends go to.