WashU is an odd place in some ways…it is friendly, but many students are really intense wrt academics. I’m not saying it’s cutthroat, just that they work really hard…the library is crowded late at night on weekends, for example. Then many of the same people are there early the next morning (DH loves checking stuff like this). D19 knows a number of people there who say the social scene is not good, which gets at friendliness in a different way.
I also think students are generally friendly at NU, and it has a better social scene than WUSTL. But I recognize some students who aren’t in Greek Life might see things differently.
I would put Georgetown near the bottom of any list for warmth and friendliness…although I will say when D19 and I visited the Midwest Club was cooking smores out on the quad and they were really nice, friendly and welcoming to D19 who ended up hanging with them for awhile.
That’s the same vibe we got at Georgetown. Almost everyone we saw was walking alone or sitting playing on their phone. We didn’t see groups of kids talking and enjoying each other’s company. S didn’t like the vibe at all, but it was also a school he was never really considering. We just decided to tour since we were in the area.
Ok good that our assessment may be accurate for Georgetown. We had a similar vibe for Gtown a few yrs ago.
By Aug, we need a very short list (well, two short lists) for visits, as any trips will almost certainly mean a few school days missed. There is a four-day weekend in late Oct, but no days off in Sept other than Labor Day. I suppose better late than never, but late Oct is awfully close to the ED deadline (which maybe matters only me lol; gray hair).
Wash U friendly? No. We know quite a few grads who wish they had gone somewhere else. They were vehement about it. Said kids there compare grades and are entitled. Said there’s not a lot of fun to be had either. At one point early on we thought it would be perfect for s19 but, after talking to these kids (some from our high school, some are family), it came off the list fast. A neighbor’s daughter calls home to tell her mom that she regularly cries to the relieve the stress. I know I shouldn’t bash a school like this but we trust all of these kids and their reviews are not tempered at all. Some stayed four years. Some transferred after two.
My H and I went to NU and have lots of friends who send their kids there. We both had a great experience back in the 80s. Fun sports (even though teams weren’t good!), bright classmates, both of us were Greek. I liked that there were lots of pointy talented people there - journalist kids, theater kids, music kids along side the liberal arts kids and engineering kids. That part is still the same. But we have heard it’s way more stressful now, that it’s hard to be involved because even the volunteer groups are by interview only and everyone is trying to pas their resumes. So, if you didn’t do x activity in high school, it’s very hard to do it at NU. S19 loves the campus and its location but didn’t feel like he could figure himself out there since he’s so undecided on major and career. I know it’s still true that advising is not good. I checked into that a LOT when S19 was looking and current students say that they like that they are expected to figure things out themselves, that the school trusts them. Hm ok. It’s a school I think needs a visit and a few encounters with students in order to see if it’s a fit. This all being said, if we had kids way into journalism, I’d have them apply there in a heartbeat.
Davidson has never really seemed like a fun college campus to me when we have been there (we live nearby). Lots of kids in the student union and they seem to be having fun there but not so much outside, throwing the frisbee/football/etc.
Elon seems a bit clickish but definitely more groups walking around together and enjoying themselves.
App State seems like a friendly/fun college with lots of kids in groups out and about. Also, their student center seems like a central location that is quite busy with lots going on.
Thanks @homerdog, I had hoped you would post your thoughts on NU. WashU seems pretty great on paper, but I’ve had a hard time getting a read on the student body. I saw a nice info session by CS profs, straightforward and midwestern in feeling. Wondering whether, like other colleges, there are pockets of nerdier (for lack of a better term) students who separate themselves from rich-and-entitled groups. I’m also starting to wonder whether most top 20-30 colleges have somewhat stressful environments.
I keep reading that Rice has happy students, but admission seems quite impossible per Naviance, more impossible than NU.
@evergreen5 one of S19’s best friends is at Wash U. Was recruited for track. Computer science major. He doesn’t love it and said he’d leave but has really bonded with the team. I think it’s true that the social life is lacking and that’s a problem when class is so stressful and kids are competitive. There seems to be little to bond them. Take that compared to a place like Duke where I think there’s a lot of socializing and it helps to temper the stress of class. NU has more socializing, like I mentioned, but I still think it’s best for kids who know their path and don’t need to experiment a lot to find their way.
And I’m sure I’ve told the story multiple times about the Wash U presentation at a local hotel a few years back. The student presenting was in a suit and a fancy watch. Was a computer science and film double major and was so cocky that everyone here still talks about it. So many kids in that audience said no way they want to go to school with a kid like that. He was over the top full of himself. My husband’s cousin has taught there for years and I told him about it. He said I should write to admissions about that student and I did. Told them they lost a whole bunch of super bright kids that day.
Lots of kids from D19’s HS go there too, including a few close friends. They tend to be nice, smart, friendly kids, and full pays. Some recruited athletes. Many of them do complain about the social life, but that’s about it. They like the classes, many of the other students, the food, etc.
I don’t know of any kids in our circles who have transferred out of there, and there are more than a handful of D19’s HS classmates transferring this year (as there are every year). D19’s GC last year estimated that around 30% of our grads (a top public of 1,000/class) ultimately transfer, which was surprising to me.
Has anyone in this group visited Franklin & Marshall? We visited last fall but there were large student protests occurring at the time and it was hard to get a feel for the vibe otherwise (and how serious a problem exists on campus to warrant the protests).
@evergreen5 We know a few kids at Rice and they love it, they say it is a very collaborative environment and they are having lots of fun. S isn’t applying because we can’t justify the price difference vs UT.
@Mwfan1921 whoa 30 percent transfer? Guidance should look into those trends. I wonder how many are kids going to elite schools that end up hating it. Lots of pressure at these high schools to go to the highest ranked college one can get in and not always a lot of thought given to fit.
I believe that as you get a large percentage of really serious and highly motivated students, it’s tough to compare a friendliness vibe.
Although I agree with the Gtown observations.
My view is that isn’t anywhere that is particularly unfriendly at that age group. Cliquey perhaps.
I would say the competitive nature and focus of most students matriculating at these top schools are part of the culture. But they all find ways to have fun and make great friends.
I can only speak to BC from your list. Sporting events, retreats and clubs are the leading ways to connect. They have a lot of fun. The level of alumni engagement and love of the school by grads seems to point that they created strong friendships along the way.
NU is see as a bit more free spirited and socially aware culture. Rochester as more techie. Gtown as uber driven/competitive. BC is still a bit 2020 version of preppy but not like the 80s version. Wash U is very rigorous and very wealthy as my first thoughts.
I know, I even pushed back when he said that number. I wish they tracked it, but no one does at our school.
D19 knows people leaving Richmond, Cornell, Trinity (CT), College of Charleston, and more. It seems every day she tells me about someone else transferring, or considering it. And that’s just her class, I am sure there are rising jrs transferring too. But obviously that’s still not close to 300 people from one class!
When going thru the college process, she reached out to lots of people at schools on her lists, and/or paid attention to what the grapevine says. The feedback on Cornell is so bad that she took it off her list based on what other kids from her HS were reporting, and now one of her guy friends is leaving (says its a miserable place all around).
@Mwfan1921 we really consider what kids from our school experience when they report back about their colleges. It’s one of the only ways to get the perspective of someone who had the same high school experience and knows where you’re coming from. They can compare the high school’s stress and rigor to the college’s and we generally trust their reviews. Or at least we know the kids well enough to know their biases.
@Mwfan1921, do you have any idea what the student leaving Richmond said about the school? We haven’t visited yet but my D is a bit smitten by the idea of it (though I’m not at all convinced it’s the best fit for her).
Thank you, that helps @Mwfan1921. In our case, I doubt that would be a problem, as our D is somewhat social, but moderately so. She’d be happy with a few close friends.
