Washington University in St Louis

Date: Feb 25 2013
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I graduated from Wash U in 2012 in Film and Media Studies. I loved the film program solely because of two professors who profoundly influenced me as a filmmaker. These professors no longer work at the university due to administrative politics within the department. So I can't say I would vouch for the program.

Wash U has a way of stifling creativity. It is not a good atmosphere for "outside the box" types or anyone looking to pursue a career as an artist. All of my friends in the art school had terrible experiences except for those in the graphic design program. The pre-professional programs are undoubtably outstanding and offer amazing opportunities for those wishing to pursue a career in business, law, or medicine.

Although it seems like commenting on the entire study body is inevitably an overgeneralization, I'll try and relate my perspective based on my personal experiences. I am a fairly extroverted person who makes friends easily. I came away from Wash U with a couple very close friends and a few people I will certainly keep in touch with. However, I think the biggest problem with Wash U is the lack of emotional depth present in the students as a whole. Students are not particularly good as expressing themselves and have trouble developing actual meaningful relationships. A lot of this has to do with people overall being uncomfortable with there own identities. People in greek life (espcially fraternities since sororities have no housing) cling to that as what defines them, the art school students cling to a sense of superiority and have

advanced beyond a need for socialization

, others cling to KWUR (the wash U radio station) and envelop all the hipster they can muster. Not many people are comfortable with being an individual, and this translates to a lack of empathy. Obviously this is just my own perspective. There are certainly some great people at Wash U, and everyone if nothing else is very nice.

The social sphere is dominated by greek life. Meaning that beyond freshman year, it is extremely hard to meet new people if you are not in a fraternity or sorority. There are also very few parties that are not affiliated with a fraternity. I did my best my last year there to facilitate parties outside the greek sphere, but it ends up boiling down to about 1 party every three weeks thrown by either the co-op or people affiliated with the wash u radio station.

One other issue Wash U tries to keep on the down low is safety. The campus itself is absurdly safe. You should feel comfortable walking all around campus at all hours of the night. HOWEVER, the skinner-deballievere neighborhood which has about 50% of students living off campus is extremely dangerous. Nearly all my friends were mugged, one sexually assaulted, only a block from where I lived. This being less than a quarter mile from campus. Wash U students are targeted because of the high crime rates in surrounding neighborhoods. This seems like an exaggeration but if you look up the neighborhoods surrounding Wash U's crime information (Delmar Loop area) my point extends beyond personal experience.

I know I have made some harsh points but Wash U can be a good fit for some people, and just wasn't right for me. It is a university constantly trying to give its students the best. The dorms and food are excellent, and aside from one or two professors, the academics and classroom experience is wonderful.