Originally posted by owen_osh
A little off topic, but I just wanted to share some thoughts about WashU.
When I was applying to colleges, I was agressively recruited by WashU, recieving numerous viewbooks, pamphlets, etc. I was impressed but didn't really consider the school because, although it was ranked well, I'd never heard of it. A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to visit. He took a tour of the law school and I took a tour of the med school. I also got to look around the main campus. I was shocked by how different the main campus is from the impression I got from the admissions office propaganda. The school is very small and most of the buildings look brand new. I got the idea that maybe twenty or thirty years ago, WashU was just a small college but then they decided to start agressively recruiting and building a national reputation. Does anyone know the facts about WashU's history and rise to promenance?
This left me wondering how much of the WashU name is just hype. The Barnes-Jewish hospital complex truly is massive and I'm sure they do a lot of great research, but does the undergrad college deserve its reputation?