As many people know by now, I will be attending Washington University in St.Louis this fall, so writing this article is no surprise to anyone; I am, after all, as many of my friends like to say, the “WashU ambassador/promoter” around here. As a first-generation Mexican-American about to transition into college, I think it’s important for me to mention and acknowledge that I had no idea where I was going to end up in the future. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I never knew how I was going to do that, much less how I was going to decide where to go. After doing extensive research, I came up with a list of fit factors, with the biggest one being community. Sometimes my friends and I would talk about the different colleges we were researching and the different resources they offered, and I started to realize that every school mentioned always overlapped with WashU. From there, I did extensive research on the school and kinda just fell in love with everything it offered me. Here is what I found…
WashU is a Top 20 School
WashU is consistently ranked as a top 20 school by multiple college ranking sites, making it one of the top colleges in the nation. As cool as that is, to me this means that the school is consistently trying its best to improve and make sure their students have a good college experience. I mean, they have to be ranked high for a reason, whether it be because of the amazing research being conducted, the cool programs they offer, or because of their amazing dorms (more on that later). For those who have the prestige of a school higher up on their list, I’m pretty sure there is a reason WashU consistently keeps ranking in the top 20.
WashU is consistently ranked as a top 20 school by multiple college ranking sites, making it one of the top colleges in the nation. As cool as that is, to me this means that the school is consistently trying its best to improve and make sure their students have a good college experience. I mean, they have to be ranked high for a reason, whether it be because of the amazing research being conducted, the cool programs they offer, or because of their amazing dorms (more on that later). For those who have the prestige of a school higher up on their list, I’m pretty sure there is a reason WashU consistently keeps ranking in the top 20.
Yummy Food and a Beautiful Campus
If that’s not enough to convince you, WashU has a beautiful campus and delicious food. I had the chance to visit WashU before officially applying to college, and the campus is absolutely gorgeous. There is a lot of greenery, and I really liked the layout of the school. I remember passing by the underpass on my way to South 40, which is like a mini town within the school, and seeing a bunch of beautiful art being displayed on the walls. Plus, they have cute dogs always walking around like Quincy (go check him out on Instagram)! Their campus dining is also ranked amongst the best food nationally. If I remember correctly, I saw someone order a whole steak when I was there during my visit. They also just opened an ice cream shop on campus open till midnight, perfect for a late-night study snack.
If that’s not enough to convince you, WashU has a beautiful campus and delicious food. I had the chance to visit WashU before officially applying to college, and the campus is absolutely gorgeous. There is a lot of greenery, and I really liked the layout of the school. I remember passing by the underpass on my way to South 40, which is like a mini town within the school, and seeing a bunch of beautiful art being displayed on the walls. Plus, they have cute dogs always walking around like Quincy (go check him out on Instagram)! Their campus dining is also ranked amongst the best food nationally. If I remember correctly, I saw someone order a whole steak when I was there during my visit. They also just opened an ice cream shop on campus open till midnight, perfect for a late-night study snack.
Diversity and Student Engagement
Now this was really the biggest thing that convinced me to apply to WashU. When I was doing my research, I saw that there was a lot of diversity around campus in terms of different cultures and backgrounds being represented. It may not be as diverse as other schools, but I think they make up for that with the number of events thrown in order to embrace everyone's unique backgrounds. They celebrate by embracing Diwali, the festival of the lights, throwing Carnival (thrown by the ALAS), and the Chinese New Year, to name a few things. These events are cool and all, but what makes it even cooler is that these are events run by students for other students. I personally just think this is amazing!
Now this was really the biggest thing that convinced me to apply to WashU. When I was doing my research, I saw that there was a lot of diversity around campus in terms of different cultures and backgrounds being represented. It may not be as diverse as other schools, but I think they make up for that with the number of events thrown in order to embrace everyone's unique backgrounds. They celebrate by embracing Diwali, the festival of the lights, throwing Carnival (thrown by the ALAS), and the Chinese New Year, to name a few things. These events are cool and all, but what makes it even cooler is that these are events run by students for other students. I personally just think this is amazing!
Ranked Best Dorms in the Nation
If that wasn’t enough for some people, WashU has the best dorms in the Nation. If I am going to live somewhere all 4 years, I know that I definitely want to be sleeping on a comfortable Tempurpedic mattress every night.
If that wasn’t enough for some people, WashU has the best dorms in the Nation. If I am going to live somewhere all 4 years, I know that I definitely want to be sleeping on a comfortable Tempurpedic mattress every night.
Ultimately, I applied here for Early Decision 1 and got accepted with a full-ride scholarship! I ended up choosing to apply this way for a couple of reasons: 1) It’s not too far away from home (5-hours on the Amtrak) to where I can’t come back to visit my family, but it’s also not too close to home to the point where it might get overwhelming. 2) This school has the environment I was looking for. As a first-generation college Mexican-American, I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to fit in anywhere, but after doing research, I found that WashU embraces everyone's unique background and cultures, which was something I loved! 3) Call me crazy, but I think going here was kinda my destiny… When I came back from my trip to D.C. over the summer and landed in Chicago, funny enough, the plane was going to St.Louis. Then I got invited to attend WashU Preview, which just made me think I was always meant to go there.
Seniors who aren't going to WashU… you missed out. Everyone else, you should definitely consider WashU for college.
But in all seriousness, as much as I love this school, I know that this school isn’t the best fit for everyone. When considering which colleges you should attend or which ones you should apply to, please consider your fit factors! Make sure you pick the best college for yourself (consider the big picture)!
Seniors who aren't going to WashU… you missed out. Everyone else, you should definitely consider WashU for college.
But in all seriousness, as much as I love this school, I know that this school isn’t the best fit for everyone. When considering which colleges you should attend or which ones you should apply to, please consider your fit factors! Make sure you pick the best college for yourself (consider the big picture)!
