Compared to your Stanfords or Dukes, Wash U is a relative newcomer to that privileged bunch that turns away the bulk of its applicants. ESPN broadcasters don’t name-drop our basketball players and no one goes to St. Louis for its weather; a lot people don’t even know that Washington University in St. Louis is, in fact, in St. Louis. But there is definitely a sense around here that Wash U is a school on the rise and its cool to be part of that. The school is flush with money; the administration has spent millions on constructing new buildings and recruiting world-renowned faculty. We now have dorms that have more in common with the lodging at Disneyland than a traditional college dorm. You can order crepes at our dining halls or take advantage of abundant funding for student groups and projects.
I doubt I am the only one, however, who wonders whether these perks really justify a $50,000 a year price tag. Sometimes it seems as though the administration lavishes more money and attention on its buildings than its students. Wash U, like much of its competition, charges for everything: to use the Internet, to print at the library, to use outdated exercise facilities. The nicest dorms cost over $1,000 a month in rent and you can expect to pay $6 or $7 for the convenience of buying a box of cereal on campus. In its defense, the administration has begun to address some of these issues by bundling some fees into room and board. Increasingly, however, the people in charge seem slow to respond to the issues students have with current policies. This spring, for instance, the Chancellor refused an offer from Barack Obama to speak on campus for free on the weekend before Super Tuesday on the grounds that doing so would be a costly distraction and require the school to host any presidential candidate who wished to speak here. A lot of students thought this was a pretty flimsy excuse, especially in light of the fact that the College Republicans brought Mike Huccabee on campus last spring and paid Alberto Gonzales $35,000 for a half-hour speech this winter.
For the most part, however, students are really happy to be at Wash U. The size of the school is perfect; intimate enough to see people you know everywhere you go, large enough to constantly meet new people. And despite all of the facility improvements and stellar academics, it’s the people that make Wash U a stellar place. True assholes are a rare breed on campus. Almost everyone is approachable and friendly in a Midwestern sort of way. School spirit is difficult when you play DIII sports and you share part of your name with a dozen other schools, but people bond easily enough through their freshmen floor, mutual friends, extracurriculars, and Greek life.