Meet our Mentors | Marie’s journey to Wash U

We interviewed one of our many incredible Mentors, Marie, who graduated from Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U) in 2021. Read on to see how Marie navigated college applications and four years at Wash U!

Marie, thanks for sitting down with us. Let’s start with the basics. Can you share where you went to college, when you graduated, and what you studied?

I went to Wash U and graduated in 2021. I studied Communications Design as a BFA and got a Minor in Psychology.

And can you tell the readers at home what a BFA is?

A BFA is a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. So at Wash U, the BFA program I went through was in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art. That’s the art school at Wash U.

An example of a difference is that as a freshman, the standard or general curriculum you take as a freshman is all in the arts. So I didn’t need to take math or chemistry or anything like that as a freshman. Instead, I had a set of standard freshman courses I needed to take for the BFA program like drawing, 2D and 3D design, and art history.

So did you apply directly to Wash U’s BFA program? Or did you apply to Wash U generally?

So I did apply with the specific intention of being at Sam Fox. The main difference is that I needed to submit a portfolio along with my application, which was in addition to the rest of the standard Wash U application.

What’s interesting at Wash U is that you apply with an intention of being in the arts school, or you can apply more generally or with the intention of being in other programs. But there is a bit of flexibility once you’re on campus. For example, you could be outside of the arts school and take some art classes. Or you can start in the arts school but decide you want to take classes outside of the arts school.

It’s true that if you are a senior in high school applying and you’re thinking “I want to get a BFA,” it’s going to be difficult to do that if you don’t start in the arts school at Wash U. There are lots of classes you would’ve taken as a freshman. But there is optionality for sure.

OK, we will come back to that point in a bit. So want to jump back to some of our more standard questions. I want to flash back to junior and senior year of high school and your application process. Did you apply anywhere early, whether that’s Early Action (EA), Restrictive Early Action (REA), Early Decision (ED), or something else?

I applied Early Decision to Wash U. I had walked around Wash U with my dad and sister at one point. I thought the campus was beautiful.

The summer before my Senior year of High School, I did a pre-college, 2-week experience at the Chicago Art Institute. I did that to find out whether I wanted to go specifically to an arts school and if I wanted to be so specifically in a city environment. I realized my answer was no to both. I wanted a campus, and I wanted a bit more of the traditional college experience surrounded by students studying all sorts of things and with a variety of extracurriculars. Wash U could offer that.

And then over the course of the whole application process, early and regular, where else did you wind up applying?

So I got into Wash U ED. But before getting in, I’d already applied to the University of Wisconsin Madison, Loyola Chicago, and St. Louis University. I’m from Wisconsin, so University of Wisconsin was my in-state flagship university.

But I wound up getting into Wash U Early Decision, and that’s a binding commitment. I was going to apply to a few other schools like Boston College and Notre Dame if I didn’t get into Wash U.

Did you apply to any specific university scholarship programs?

Wash U meets full need for everyone who attends, so that’s something I kept in mind.

But aside from that, I don’t think I knew about any of the flagship scholarship programs at other schools I applied to.

So you ultimately got into Wash U. How did you decide on Wash U vs. other schools?

Early Decision is a binding commitment. So when I got in, I knew that’s where I was going!

What was the best thing about Wash U?

Wash U is a unique school where there is an excellent arts school but also a broader campus with diversity of people, majors, and interests. There are some arts schools where if you go there, you are going to study art. There aren’t classes in chemistry, computer science, business, psychology, etc. They are art schools! Wash U is both. It has an art school, a school of arts and sciences, a school of engineering, a businesses school. So as someone getting a BFA, you can study across disciplines. That’s something I was really looking for.

And how about your least favorite things about Wash U?

A lot of people who go to Wash U are quite well off in terms of family financial background. Wash U does bring in students from a variety of financial backgrounds. But there are definitely interesting interpersonal dynamics that can be uncomfortable.

I know this is not unique to Wash U. It’s just something to keep in mind as you’re thinking about where you’re going to college.

This one is much less serious, but I will add that the dining halls are quite far form the art school. There is one near the art school, but it closes early in the day. So if you’re in the art school around dinner, it’s a hike to get food. The art school used to have a cafe, but it got replaced by vending machines. Again, not that serious. But definitely impactful for daily life!

What have you heard since graduating that you’ve realized are unique things about Wash U?

I really loved my dorm life, especially freshman in sophomore year. The dorms are actually very nice. And on top of that, the dorms are built in community.

On every floor of the dorms, there’s something called a “WUSA.” They’re upperclassmen who are specifically around to help freshmen and sophomores find community and get their footing on campus. That was super helpful.

Moving on to more general college reflections, what do you think you’ve learned about college since you graduated?

My main response is I miss living in the same place as all of my friends. All of my friends are scattered throughout the country. Definitely enjoy that. I wouldn’t sacrifice what you want just to live in the same place as your friends post-grad, but it’s definitely something to consider!

I’d also say take advantage of the place you’re in for college. The specific one I think about is, if you’re in St. Louis, enjoy Forest Park! It’s easy to stay in your campus bubble, study, and not explore. But exploring St. Louis was super enriching to my college experience.

Any regrets about your college application process, decision-making process, or how you approached college? What’s that one thing you always tell high schoolers about college?

I would’ve liked to be able to continue my language education. That’s one difficulty with arts school, at least at Wash U. Most of the classes are studios, so they’ll be six hours long. That makes it difficult to take language classes that are more standard times and often four days per week.

I wish I’d been able to keep going with French. I was doing so much in college, so I definitely feel I did enough. But it is nice to be able to take advantage of the available language classes. In college, you can kind of do everything and anything. That’s much harder to do post-grad. I’m working full-time, so adding on extracurriculars isn’t as natural or easy as it was in college!

Finally, what made you decide to be a Cohort Mentor?

I like that Cohort is working to make the college admissions process more transparent. I think I had a unique and enriching college experience. I want to pass that on and help others have a similar experience.

Thank you, Marie. It’s been great learning about your journey at Wash U. Thanks for your time