Washington University in St. Louis is a leading research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Affectionately referred to as WashU, this medium-sized school has nearly 8000 undergraduate students and 17,000 students overall. Known for their programs in the humanities with a focus on research, engineering, education, business, and one of the few undergraduate architecture degrees in the United States, WashU offers a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and access to a faculty that includes four Pulitzer Prize winners, three Poet Laureates of the United States, and 10 National Medal of Science recipients. The campus is truly global, with students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. And, while the acceptance rate is a mere 12% overall, applying Early Decision offers much higher chances. The regular decision acceptance rate is 9%, but the Early Decision acceptance rate is 26%.
Students are often drawn to WashU because they want to do research. There are more than 3000 research projects underway at any given time! It also offers an enviable student living environment, with a massive undergraduate housing network which is basically a small town just for students with places to live, eat, workout, gather with friends, and shop.
WashU is test-optional, meaning you don’t have to submit ACT or SAT scores, but they do say that they like to see them if you’re up for it. The admissions team at WashU believes that standardized test scores are generally reflective of whether students can handle the academic rigor of the university. If you decide to submit scores, they accept test results from any year you’ve been in high school up to October for Early Decision I and December for the standard application deadline.
If WashU is your dream school, send us an email. We help students craft compelling applications from start to finish.
Washington University in St. Louis only has one supplement, and it’s a classic. It’s also not very long, which is a double-edged sword. To paraphrase Mark Twain, “if I’d had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter,” holds true. A shorter length supplement often takes even more time to craft than a long supplement because you need to be so strategic in how you use the space you have. Below, we break down how to approach the WashU supplement, so it is everything you need it to be despite the small package.
Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why? (200 words)
Before you start writing, you need to do some research. This is a classic “why us?” essay, and they are looking for answers that are specific, targeted, and personal. To accomplish this, you need to research what those specifics are first. Search the website to find the major and, ideally, program or focus within a major, you’d like to pursue, as well as two courses within the major that you would like to take. You should also identify a professor in the department that houses your major that you’d like to study under — and a reason why you want to study with them. Finally, you need to find one or two extracurriculars or clubs that you’re interested in joining. One should be related to your major, and one should be related to something you’ve done in or outside of school previously. For example, if you led the entrepreneurship club at your school you may express interest in joining a similar organization at WashU.
Once you have all this information together, it’s time to start writing. First, pull together a really short introduction of 1-3 sentences that is a story focused on what you want to study by showing, not telling. If you want to study underwater basket weaving (not a thing, btw), you may tell a story about the moment this esoteric practice moved from a hobby to a vocation. The key word here is “moment.” This has to be super short, so minimizing the scope of the story — or how much you’re trying to fit into it — is crucial.
Then, link the story to the research you’ve already done, sharing with the reader how you’re going to build upon your previous experiences and existing interests at WashU. This part will take up most of the supplement, and that’s ok. They want to know why WashU, and this is the most direct answer to that question.
Finally, you need to close with where you see WashU taking you in the future — and be specific! What do you want to do with the degree? Even if you aren’t sure, speak with confidence. They know students often change their trajectories, and that’s fine, but they want to accept students who are confident, passionate, and forward-looking.
If applying to Washington University in St. Louis is stressing you out, send us an email. We are pros at this.