We have a first-year there, so here are some thoughts. I have sort of matched pros and cons in a way I think might be useful.
Pro:
Many excellent schools and departments and a very flexible curriculum that encourages exploration. Many kids end up with multiple majors and/or minors.
Con:
WashU doesn’t necessarily have a brand name as a “top few for X” school for many values of X. Maybe for pre-med, but I actually don’t think that is really that important for pre-med. My two cents is all sort of next step gatekeepers are well aware WashU is a good school in general, but if you are looking for “the best” in some one area, WashU might not be it.
Pro:
Really lovely main campus, excellent housing particularly for first couple years, and many upper class students living in very nearby apartments in nice neighorhoods.
Con:
I think for some students it can end up having a sort of bubble feel where you are very much wrapped up in WashU for social life and events and so on. Which leads me to . . .
Pro:
St Louis is an interesting historic city, and there are some great amenities right near WashU, including historic ethnic neighborhoods with great restaurants, and Forest Park, which is seriously one of the best large urban parks in the world. There are also a couple Metro stops basically right next to campus which make it easy to get around further.
Con:
I think a lot of kids coming in can be some combination of intimidated or uninterested by St Louis, and so stick to the WashU bubble and do not make much use of St Louis.
Pro:
The kids are smart and active and at least the older kids we have met seem mostly to have bought into the idea of a balanced life and not needing to do things just to score prestige points and such.
Con:
I don’t think all the kids start that way. Some, but WashU also attracts its fair share of kids who were looking for a “prestigious” college that will help them get into a “top med school” or “top financial firm”, or similar, and some of those kids may need some time to really settle into a more healthy and productive mindset. Which again leads me to . . .
Pro:
There is a lot of funding for all sorts of different student activities and clubs, and so there are lots of opportunities to do something fun and/or meaningful with older students who can help serve as mentors and such.
Con:
So many choices can be a bit overwhelming, and some of those kids I was referencing might be in the mindset of trying to identify the “best” activities. I think most first-years end up not thinking that way, but it is something to know.
Overall our S24 has had a great year, not least thanks to finding a couple club sports and also because he likes St Louis and is comfortable with that sort of city. But hopefully all that gives you at least some idea of how it can work in practice as a student.