How to strengthen your Wash U St. Louis application

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Best application round for you

ED rate (27.8%) is materially higher than RD (9.8%). If Wash U St. Louis is your top choice and you can commit financially, this is the highest-leverage round.

What Wash U St. Louis weights most

Wash U favors applicants who combine top academic preparation with clear, sustained intellectual curiosity and a demonstrated fit for discipline-specific opportunities, especially in pre-med and business. They weight advanced coursework, research or clinical experience for STEM/med applicants, and measurable leadership or startup/finance experience for Olin-bound students. Compared with peers they are especially rigorous about quantitative readiness and portfolio evidence for chosen majors, yet somewhat generous to applicants who show deep, concrete engagement with Wash U's research institutes, Medical Campus, or Olin programs.

Supplemental essay strategy

For the "why Wash U" essay cite specific labs, faculty, Olin concentrations, or Medical Campus initiatives you would use, and map at least one concrete project, course, or professor to your immediate goals. If applying to Olin or pre-med, include a short example of past work (research, internship, clinic) and describe exactly how Wash U's curriculum or research resources will advance that next step.

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Where to focus next

If you only have time for one thing this month, do this:

1. Read 2 admitted-student essays from Wash U St. Louis (search official admissions site or Reddit r/washu). Notice the level of specificity — that's the bar.
2. Write the ‘why this school’ supplement first, before anything else. If you can't fill 250 words with school-specific reasons, pick a different school.
3. Find one current student to ask about their experience — admissions offices often connect prospective applicants with current students. The follow-up email becomes specific essay material.