Often referred to as WashU, or sometimes even as WUSTL (from its initials), is a large, research university with a very competitive admissions process and high marks for academic quality. In the words of its mission statement, it seeks “to provide an exemplary, respectful and responsive environment for living, teaching, learning and working for present and future generations.”In service to this mission, WashU has assembled a collection of some of the brightest students and most innovative projects they can find, creating a unique community for learning that seeks to encourage academic and personal development and be appreciative of diversity. There’s support on campus both for students who know exactly what they’d like to be doing from the beginning, and students who feel the need to explore new paths and change their minds.Does WUSTL sound like it might be right for you? Read on for an overview of what makes the university special, what it takes to be a student at WashU, and how to navigate the application process.Introducing Washington University in St. LouisWUSTL was in 1853, and like many institutions and locations in the United States, it was named after George Washington. In 1976, the phrase “in St.
Writing the College Admissions Essay; Financial Aid 101; Acing Your Interview; College Life Skills; In addition to our seminars we also offer our very popular College Forum. This special event is a panel discussion with members of our Washington University community who share advice on choosing a college, major, and insights about Washington University.
Louis” was added to the official name of the university in order to avoid confusion with other schools with the same namesake, such as the, and.Predictably enough, WashU is located in and around St. Louis, Missouri. The university is comprised of four distinct campuses, of which the Danforth Campus is presently considered the main campus, as well as a biological research station outside of the city. In total, these properties cover around 2,300 acres.In the past, WUSTL’s reputation was built on its status as a leading regional university in the southeastern United States. However, the university grew substantially throughout the later 20th century and into the 21st century, both in terms of its endowment and in terms of its prestige, and it has become a well-regarded research university on the national playing field.Today’s WashU is an institution dedicated to pursuing academic excellence, and it shows; the university is currently 19th in the National Universities category by the ranking system, and is highly ranked by a number of other organizations and publications for everything from. Among its many other claims to fame, the university has been the site of more presidential and vice-presidential debates than any other university in the U.S.Currently, 14,688 students attend WUSTL, of whom 7,504 are undergraduates. The university is divided into seven individual schools, of which five offer undergraduate degree programs.
Prospective undergraduate students can choose from the College of Arts and Sciences; the Olin Business School; the College of Architecture (within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts); the College of Art (also within the Sam Fox School); and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.Among the five schools that accept undergraduates, students at WashU can find programs in more than 90 different fields of study available as. The most popular majors fall within the fields of engineering, social sciences, and studies.
Students are also permitted to design their own majors.Outside the classroom, undergraduates participate in an unusually large number of student groups and activities. There are more than 350 options in total, including eleven fraternities and nine sororities, cultural and religious communities, performing and visual art groups, community service organizations, and groups based on shared academic interests.Intramural sports, whether single-sex or coed, are especially popular on the campus, with a surprising 75% of undergraduates participating in at least one intramural team.
For more serious athletes, WUSTL is home to. Any applicant is sure to find something of interest to occupy their free time, and of course, they’ll also have the city of St. Louis to explore.WashU Admissions InformationAdmission to Washington University in St.
Louis is very competitive. For the class of 2020, the university received a total of 29,197 applications for first-year admission. 4,729 applicants were accepted, making the acceptance rate about 16.2%.
1,780 of these accepted students ended up enrolling at WashU in the fall of 2016. However, since applicants must apply specifically to one of the five undergraduate programs, it’s to determine the actual chance of acceptance for any given applicant.WUSTL doesn’t release acceptance rates broken down by each of its individual undergraduate programs, but you can find data for the number of applicants to each school and the number of accepted students who eventually enrolled in each school in 2015 on the. What that data boils down to is that for all five undergraduate programs, a large number of applicants are competing for a relatively small number of spots in the first-year class.Admissions practices vary slightly among the different schools that make up the undergraduate program, and applicants will be evaluated on how well their high school background has prepared them for the subject they would like to study. For the General section, you’ll answer the following questions:.
Preferred start term: Choose Fall 2017 from the drop-down menu. Preferred admission plan: Choose Early Decision or Regular Decision from the drop-down menu. Do you intend to use one of these school-specific fee waivers?: If you have received a fee waiver because you participated in a certain program, select the appropriate option. You’ll know if this applies to you. If you have not received a waiver in this way, select “I have not received a WashU Fee Waiver.”. Do you intend to pursue need-based financial aid? (Select yes if you will need financial assistance to attend Washington University.
We will share this information with our office of Student Financial Services so they can send you helpful tips about applying for financial assistance and remind you of key deadlines. We meet 100 percent of need for admitted students, so be sure to apply for aid by the deadline.): Choose “Yes” if you’re applying for, or “No” if you’re not. This question refers only to need-based aid, not merit-based scholarships. Remember, WUSTL’s admissions policy is. Do you intend to pursue merit-based scholarships?: Choose “Yes” if you’re applying for from WashU, or “No” if you’re not.
Again, this question refers only to merit-based scholarships, not need-based aid. Do you intend to submit a portfolio? Note: A portfolio is required for applicants to the College of Art and optional for applicants to the College of Architecture (required for Architecture applicants who wish to apply for the Fitzgibbon Scholarship): Choose “Yes” or “No.” If you’re applying to the College of Art, you must submit a portfolio, and if you’re applying to the College of Architecture, it’s recommended that you submit a portfolio.
If you’re applying to WashU in another field besides these two, before answering “Yes” or “No” to this question, check out our CollegeVine blog post on. If you would like to submit a portfolio and you select “Yes,” an additional “Portfolio” option will appear for you on the left side when you view WashU in your My Colleges list.For the Academics section, you’ll answer the following questions:. Academic Division: Select the undergraduate program to which you’re specifically applying. As we mentioned above, it’s possible to change your program later and to take classes outside of your program, but you do have to apply to a specific program, and your prospective program is taken into account when admissions decisions are made. If you need help deciding which major or college you should apply to, you can find out more about WUSTL’s, or you can take a look at the for additional advice on.
Pre-Professional Interest (if any): If you’re interested in one of the paths listed in the drop-down menu, you can choose which one here. If you’re not interested in any of these programs, simply choose “None.”For the Activities section, you’ll respond to the following prompts:.
If you wish to submit your resume, you may upload it here: Answering this question is optional; WashU doesn’t require you to submit a resume. However, it’s generally a good idea to submit a, as that will give you more space and flexibility to detail your activities and accomplishments. For more resume submission advice, check out our CollegeVine blog post on. Bring your application to life. Paste your ZeeMee link here.
Don’t have ZeeMee? Get it now for free at www.zeemee.com: is an app that allows applicants to create a multimedia profile to present to colleges.
Submitting a ZeeMee link is totally optional, but if you use this service, you’re welcome to include your link here.For the Contacts section, you’ll answer the following question:. Have you previously applied to Washington University in St. Louis?: Select “Yes” or “No.” If you select “Yes,” you’ll be prompted to provide the month and year you previously applied to WUSTL.For the Family section, you’ll answer the following questions:. Are any siblings also applying for undergraduate admission to Washington University in St. Louis this year?: Select “Yes” if you have one or more siblings who are applying this year; otherwise, select “No.” If you select “Yes,” you’ll be prompted to provide their names and relationships to you. Have any relatives ever attended Washington University in St.
Louis?: Select “Yes” if you have any relatives who have attended WashU; otherwise, select “No.” If you answer “Yes” for this question, you’ll be prompted to enter additional information about these relatives. Have any relatives ever worked for Washington University in St.