There is lots of student participation in clubs and activities. Students are very passionate about the activities they do. Stress culture does exist, though not much more, I would argue, than any other similar caliber school. The class environment is collaborative.
One of the things that attracted me to WashU is that students are multifaceted. 65% of students more than one major or a major and at least one minor. Often students major in more than one area. In general, the students are incredibly passionate about both their academic interests and their extracurricular involvements.
Student life revolves around around the campus. WashU hosts many on-campus events but the city of St. Louis is accessible if need be.
One drawback to WashU is the lack of socioeconomic diversity. The school has lots of very wealthy students and very few low-income students.