WUSTL Forum

[mattviphky]

Went to WUSTL today, got the grand tour and sat in on a class, property I think? I'm not sure it all sounded Chinese. But what really impressed me was how social everyone was. Everybody was cool with me and they all seemed really easy to talk to. Very bright crowd, it seems when you hang out with a high brow crowd it brings out the best in you intellectually, it was interesting to listen to this play out during the class, I really want to go to this school, I've never been to an elite school so the atmosphere was much more conducive for learning but I could see how it would be somewhat intimidating to ask questions. The prof seemed like a cool guy, best part at one point was when someone asked about a case that involved an incompetent lawyer, one of the students asked how the lawyer could make an incompetent decision and the prof laughed it off by saying "he wasn't one of my students...or he went to Wake Forest." Idk why I found this funny, but i found myself laughing along with everyone else. The building itself is gorgeous, the admissions person leading me around mentioned something about it being reminiscent of Harry Potter. The campus was cool too. I really want to go to school here, and how cordial everyone seemed made the place seem much less cutthroat than I thought it would be, probably cuz they don't rank people outside like the top 5%. They also felt bad for the 1Ls at UIUC, a sympathy that impressed me. Quiet campus too, which could be a good thing.

[thelawschoolproject]

I'm glad to hear this. I'd love to attend WUSTL. I'm from Missouri and this school is definitely my top choice because I'd love to practice law back home.

Were there any concerns that you had after visiting at all? Anything to be leery of?

[mattviphky]

well not really, but i was only there for a few hours. The students who were from major metros like nyc said that they didn't like stl, but they all commented on how inexpensive housing was. Also don't go expecting a Big 10 campus, it is more of a research university and the student body is quite focused. This can be a good thing from an academic standpoint, but the campus seems very quiet...almost a little too quiet. Again, this is the preference of some but not for all. Personally, I like the studious atmosphere, but solace can take its toll. But the good thing about wustl is that you're not confined to a campus in the middle of nowhere, you have the city all around you.

[mattviphky]

Btw, Socratic method was not that bad. The way people make it sound I thought it would be much more intimidating, but it's just cold calling like in high school. Although I guess the intimidating part would be sounding stupid in front on 100 peers, but after a few mOnths wouldn't u feel much more comfortable around classmates?

[thelawschoolproject]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the Socratic approach. I'm in a grad program now where it reigns heavily. So long as you're prepared there's no reason to freak out.

Thanks for the information on your visit. I definitely need to head to St. Louis to visit the campus. I hope my experience is as positive as yours was.