Washington University in St. Louis Abridged

Per Veritatem Vis means
"Strength through truth."

One of the four universities my cohort and I will be visiting is Washington University in St. Louis, also known as WUSTL or Wash. U. I first heard of this university when my brother was in the midst of that war known as the college application process, and from what I could tell, Wash. U. seemed like a pretty good school. Upon further examination, I discovered that this was not just a "pretty good school," but a highly ranked, prestigious institution.

Washington University was founded in 1853 by Missouri State Senator Wayman Crow and Unitarian minister William Greenleaf Elliot, who were worried about a lack of "institutions of higher learning in the growing Midwest." They named the institute after George Washington, but due to the high number of other schools named after our first president, "in St. Louis" was tacked on the end in 1976. 

The Danforth Campus of WUSTL

Washington University's academics are quite impressive. Its School of Medicine is well-known, and was ranked 6th overall by U.S. News, with several high-ranking programs within its medical program. Its George Warren Brown School of Social Work was ranked 1st in the nation, which is outstanding. Other notable programs include the architecture and design, law, and business programs. Additionally, Washington University is praised for having a wide variety of research opportunities.

A picturesque section of the South 40.

One other thing WUSTL is famous for, other than academics, is its dorms, which were ranked number 1 in the nation by the Princeton Review. Although I was unable to find any videos, pictures, or even descriptions of the dorm rooms themselves, oddly enough,I read about some overall details. The South 40 is the area where most of the residence halls are located, which surround a central recreational lawn known as the Swamp. Also located in the South 40 is: the largest dining hall on campus, Student Health Services, the Residential Life Office, University Police Headquarters, various student-owned businesses, the fitness center, and the baseball, softball, and intramural fields. The residential halls seem to have various amenities, including some assortment of but not limited to: lounges, small kitchens, main commons, laundry rooms, study rooms, music practice rooms, balconies, and computer labs. Bathrooms are semi-private, and are cleaned at least once a week. From the review I read, it seems like the rooms themselves are quite spacious, with ample storage space. And, as an added bonus, most of the dorms have Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Sounds good to me.

Overall, this is an excellent school that is worth looking into. I look forward to visiting and learning even more about the school next week!