Saint Louis University

Yes, it is true that the majority of the students are wealthy suburbanites - many of whom attended private Catholic high schools. As a publicly educated student, I can assure you that this creates a bit of a different atmosphere, but nothing too difficult to adapt to. Coming from the North, I found that many students here are preppy and the campus almost has a country club atmosphere, which seems typical of private universities the further south you go. On the whole, however, SLU seems to attract extremely nice and friendly students. For me, the population-size of SLU is about perfect. While walking around the campus, you may or may not see people you know, depending on the day. The smaller campus size, with a comparatively large population gives "rush hour" on campus an exciting urban feel. The city of St Louis is amazing for a student. The cost of living here is extremely manageable and I would recommend getting an off-campus apartment. The only downside is the lack of a sufficient public transportation infrastructure, and, strangely for an urban campus, it seems almost necessary to have a car here.

Academically, SLU is above average, but definitely not top-tier. The programs here can range from extremely easy to very challenging depending on the department. The school is known for its strengths in health sciences. Many of the programs are highly respected. The pre-medical track is basically a flunk-out track, however. Science at SLU is very systematized and sheer genius will get you nowhere. I would not recommend pre-medical studies at SLU unless you are someone who knows how to "work the system."

Besides hard science/pre-med, I would recommend almost all of the University's other programs. Social science and business courses that I have experienced have been phenomenal - both in their relative ease as well as depth of learning. Generally, class sizes are small, which is a huge plus for those seeking job connections and graduate school recommendations. One of my professors recently got me a great paid internship and another is helping me every step of the way through my graduate school applications. In fact, one of my courses next semester has only 3 students!

All in all, I recommend this school. I have had second thoughts regarding the cost of the school, though. Usually, the school is outstanding at meeting students' financial needs - mostly through private scholarship money, but I do sometimes think of what I could have done with the $200,000+ I spent on a degree that I will receive shortly. (Note that this includes housing and living costs).