On April 15, 2026, at 3 p.m., Allison Frieze, the Assistant Director of Admissions from Washington University in St. Louis, visited our school and held an admission information session. The lecture attracted plenty of students in Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School who plan to apply for WashU, as well as their parents. During the event, the admissions officer comprehensively introduced campus features, academic resources, daily life on campus and updated admission policies, offering clear guidance for students’ future application.

At the beginning of the sharing, she introduced overview of Saint Louis. She emphasized that this diverse city has strong sports culture, while the living cost here is lower than other US cities such as Los Angeles and New York. In addition, WashU is situated in a safe neighborhood with only a 15 minutes subway to the city center, and it’s adjacent to the forest park and other facilities, offering students a safe and dynamic living environment.

Later, she focused on undergraduate academic systems and advantages at WashU. Students are allowed to enter university without declaring their majors, yet required to select a college in WashU. The university covers over 100 academic fields and more than 1,900 courses, supporting students’ interdisciplinary exploration. In addition, 79% of courses are held in small classes with fewer than 30 students, which promotes efficient learning and individualized guidance.

In terms of research development, WashU provides extensive research opportunities for undergraduates. Resources are available not only for engineering majors, but also for students studying other fields like art, architecture and business. The university highly supports students to practice their creative ideas on campus. The officer shared a typical example of a student-run laundry service organization to show WashU’s encouragement on innovation.

Moreover, she delivered detailed introductions on campus dorms, safety protection, graduate employment, application materials, course planning and personal statement present. She addressed that the difficulty of high school curriculum and the relevance between selected subjects and intended majors are key evaluation standards in admission. Notably, WashU residential life is ranked top across the United States with outstanding living conditions.

In the Q&A session, students raised questions actively, and the admission officer answered each one in detail. She reemphasized the rich research resources in WashU, confirming that research opportunities are open to all undergraduates, including freshmen. Interdisciplinary research is highly common, and students also have the opportunity to pursue their study around the world.

This information session helps students deeply understand WashU and its admission requirements. With ED, EA and RD application rounds approaching, all students can make targeted plans and move forward clearly for their overseas study goals.