@LikeThis congrats on getting in. I am sure you are an amazing applicant and Wash univ admitted you for lots of great reasons but I do think geographic diversity from Alaska definitely helps. I also am sure a school like wash univ does record names when reps visit schools. Why wouldn’t they??? so between being geographically diverse from Alaska, I am sure you had great stats and interesting extracur, in addition to showing demonstrated interest by going to your school visit and meeting a regional rep is why you got in.
Wash univ does care about demonstrated interest in addition to needing to be a qualified applicant They know everyone can’t drive/fly to visit but showing demonstrated interest can be done in so many ways including going to the school information session at your school which I am sure they recorded names. Why wouldn’t they do this?
Yes I am sure some amazing candidates get in every year with absolutely no demonstrated interest but not typical and is not helpful to suggest this to those reading the thread in the future.
It is just a “score school” now like NU…we visited, showed interest, toured, etc etc…32 ACT…full pay…great high school in the Northeast…not good enough. rejected outright…kids from my school who got in had super high scores…Wash U wants to keep moving up in the rankings.
Not sure I agree. Depending on the phrasing, it might come off a bit ungracious, but I think it is helpful to know. If applicants are admitted with zero/low demonstrated interest, but don’t tell anyone, then readers will have a biased view of how much it matters.
Financial aid rewards have been posted online. They are very generous.
@yotommy I didn’t say it was impossible to get in without demonstrated interest but it is not typical. I think it is helpful for readers of this thread in the future to know that wash univ. cares about demonstrated interest. They know everyone can’t fly or drive to the school to show demonstrated interest , but if you love Wash Univ and think you want to go why not try to give yourself an advantage in the application process and show demonstrated interest. For some its doing the supplemental essays, for some its visiting if possible, for some its doing hotel info sessions in your area, for some like @LikeThis its going to information sessions if they come to your school (and yes of course they would record those names), etc. Yes its interesting to see posters say they didn’t show dem interest and got in, but for the majority that got In you need to show dem. interest as well as to be qualified with stats,gpa, extracur…
Yeah, a bit shocked at the FA amount. Their reputation stands.
Question, the amount changes every year right? If my financial situation doesn’t change (it won’t get any better), can I expect similar amounts after the first year?
They said in the letter that the admit rate for RD was under 6% this year!
@goingnutsmom Yeah! I was surprised too, but I have a sibling going to college too, one working parent, and with a family of six. But even after taking all that into consideration, WashU is still definitely generous!
@Acusio I applied to ILR, which sends out early acceptances (as well as SHA). I think CALS sends out some likely letters, but the rest of decisions come out the 31st.
@TheWaffleMan149 No, the 1650 (assuming thats where you got the 6%) is the number they need to fill the class, not how many got in. They admit 5000+ to ensure that enough people enroll. The actual admit rate is 17%, and ED was like 47%? (That seems a bit high, but I read that somewhere)
Checked my FA statement and saying I’m disappointed would be an understatement, especially after hearing about how much they strive to make their school affordable (which it looks like it won’t be for me at this point). 
@momof2eagles I didn’t mean that I’m an Alaskan bassoon player- I’m actually an East Asian from an over-represented state who doesn’t play any instruments.
What I meant was that sometimes the admissions office is looking to fill some very specific roles, and they can’t take every qualified applicant.
I just posted my experience because I think sometimes people place too much of an emphasis on demonstrated interest. I used to think it mattered a whole lot, but I’ve seen quite a few accepted students on this thread who didn’t demonstrate interest while others did and weren’t accepted.
Just some data, your mileage may vary.
@likethis same in how i didn’t really display interest. I went to an informational meeting at school but that was it. I was going to fill out a scholarship essay, but then I completely forgot lol. Super glad I got in though!
A current student at WashU who came to visit my school on behalf of Admissions told me that WashU also gives some small merit aid awards, even to applicants who didn’t apply for financial aid. Is this true? And if so, where do I check if I got merit?
@FireBallsDJ Hey! I got in as a bio major too. Similarly, I barely showed any interest aside from applying. Well, I actually applied ED but was deferred then got in RD, so I guess that counts as interest?
@Skyler1998 I highly doubt that it’s just a “score school”. If what you’re saying is true, then I honestly should not have gotten in. My 2040 SAT score, which is below average at WashU, made this school seem like a massive reach. However, they must have liked the rest of my application, because I got in with 50k in financial aid.
@Skyler1998 not true i had a perfect score for SAT but sadly is still wait listed by WUSTL. it definitely looks beyond just scores!
@reeeeeach Congrats on your admission. Applying ED IS THE epitome of demonstrated interest! Even if you don’t get in the ED round, I am sure in the RD round they still take into acct. your dem interest in applying ED.
Of course not every student that shows demonstrated interest gets in and of course there are students who get in without demonstrated interest. Besides demonstrated interest and stats there are other things that can tip the admission scale like “hooks”. (URM, athlete, legacies, etc.)
Really not sure why posters think that going to their school visits where reps take time and fly out and spend time at HS across the country ( and of course write down the names of students who come) is not showing a lot of demonstrated interest. Wash Univ understands that not every student can fly out and visit their school so going and meeting your rep when they come to your school is one important way of showing demonstrated interest.
For students looking at the thread next yr, of course students get in with no or little demonstrated interest but I think that is the minority. Washington Univ cares a lot about demonstrated interest. If you care about getting into Wash univ and think you have the qualifications to get in, why wouldn’t you want to show demonstrated interest and there are so many ways to do this besides flying out to the school including communication with your regional rep, meeting your rep if they come to your HS, completing at least one scholarship essay, going to a hotel info session in your area, interviewing with an alumni in your area,etc.
received no financial aid…i didn’t even know that it was possible to receive nothing
@dirtysprite2 did you use NPC/EPC to see ahead of time what your expected FA package would be? Ours was pretty consistent with the numbers we calculated on NPC.