|
|
|
|
|
|
by grandalf
6257 days ago
|
|
|
WashU: Lots of rich kids. If your parent(s) make under $400K you'll feel poor there. It's a boutique school. UMich: Huge lectures, cold winters, football fans, etc. The honors program and engineering schools are both great. If you're motivated you'll stand out from the crowd at Michigan, whereas at WashU most of the kids are fairly motivated, they just didn't quite get into Ivy. At Michigan, you'll meet quite a few people who got into Ivy League schools but didn't go for various reasons. Both are great schools, though, so I think you could almost decide this with a coin toss. |
|
|
grandalf: I don't think you give a WashU a fair shake describing it as "if your parent(s) make under $400K you'll feel poor there."
Sure, there is a significant number of students whom do have quite a bit of money and you will surely know it. However, the majority of students are very down-to-earth and there are many students who are not wealthy that feel perfectly at home there, and don't feel excluded or "poor." There are numerous students I know of receiving financial aid, and they blend right in along with everyone else.
It's noticeably a "private" school, but I wouldn't call it a "boutique" school. UMich, of course, is much larger in scale being a public school, whereas WashU is a fraction of the size.
Despite the fact that most students at the school are fairly motivated, it is still very possible to stand out through hard work, or by doing something unique with your skills. The engineering school is fantastic (I am an art student myself, but most of my friends are either engineers or med students), but the sports at the school lacks. The teams aren't terrible, but they aren't very good -- if you must have sports, that's where UMich shines.
The dorm situation, if you haven't seen it, is very nice. The "South 40" is where all the major housing is (especially for Freshman and Sophomores), and they are actually building some brand-new housing for next year (they took out some of the older housing). The community aspect within the South 40 is great, lots of events held by RAs, student groups, etc.
As well, in your Junior and Senior years, you can live in "The Village", some of the school-owned apartments, or off-campus (there are lots of apartments and houses for rent within walking distance to the school). All are great living arrangements, though cost differs widely between them.
Both of the schools, as grandalf concluded, are great and either one makes for a fantastic choice. The major differences are the scale, weather, and "rah-rah"ness of the school.