For you or your student, the realization that high school graduation is quickly approaching can feel overwhelming. What’s next? What is my plan? Are common questions that all Juniors and Seniors have asked as they begin to explore life outside of high school. Even though there are all sorts of different options you can look into, we believe that students in Topeka often overlook the option closest to them…Washburn University. Washburn is a hidden gem of College Universities and is often overlooked by students in Topeka. There are lots of reasons you should consider Washburn University. Writing them all out would be an impossible task, but we are going to try to anyway. Read through and decide for yourself, but don’t count Washburn out from your options because it is really something you should look into. 

1. Tuition

Tuition is a big factor you consider when looking at your options after high school. Student loans are a pain and not an ideal way to start out your career after college graduation. At $292 a credit hour (2019), Washburn’s tuition is very competitive with all of the other schools in Kansas. When looking at other Universities like Kansas and Kansas State, you can get up to $335 a credit hour. Over the course of 4 years that could be an expense of over $5,000 morethan if you’d stayed local and gone to Washburn. There will be several factors that go into your final tuition expenses but overall it is hard to beat Washburn’s. 

2. Scholarships

Scholarships go hand in hand with tuition prices and are a huge factor when considering a school. Washburn University offers incredible scholarship opportunities for students and are something you should look into when searching for schools. Washburn makes it very easy to find the available scholarships on their website, but you need to still ask questions. Whether that means sending emails or setting up a meeting, asking questions is crucial to maximizing the amount of scholarships you can apply for. Don’t settle for just the ones you’ve found, because there are more out there you could apply for if you only ask. Washburn faculty wants you to apply for scholarships and would be more than happy to guide you to them. If you do your research and ask questions, you might even find yourself in a situation where you’re the only person who has applied for a scholarship. Talk about easy money. Definitely a reason you should consider Washburn. 

3. Campus

I’m going to let this video speak for itself… WOW! 

https://youtu.be/zTrCWItOP80 

4. Dorms

If you choose to stay in the dorms you will not be disappointed. Washburn offers a variety of different dorms on campus but the main two are the Living Learning Center and Lincoln Hall.Whichever one you choose, they both have their perks so you can’t go wrong. If you are thinking about Washburn, I would highly advise you to schedule a campus tour so you can see the dorms for yourself! These high class dorms are definitely a reason you should consider Washburn.

5. Food

While you’re living on campus you’re required to have a meal plan of some sort. There are a couple of different plans offered and are dependent on which dorm you stay in. Whether you have a plan for Lincoln Dining or The Union (Living Learning Center) you can know you’ll be eating good for the whole year! There is a huge assortment of different food at both dining halls, but in addition to the dining halls, there are some great local places to grab a bite to eat as well! Pizza, Tacos, Coffee Shops, and more. The food alone is a reason you should consider Washburn when you’re looking at your future options. 

Every student’s situation is different but there’s a high probability you’ll be wanting a job during your 4 years at a University and Washburn has made it super convenient for you. Washburn University offers lots of jobs to students in almost every department on campus, as well as community service jobs off-campus. Working at your University is a great way to stay connected, meet new friends, and make money. It will also be nice on your gas bill! 

7. Academic Programs

Whether or not a University has your desired major can be make or break when deciding where you want to spend the next four years of your life. You should consider Washburn University because they have approximately  200 areas of studies and growing! Within those, over 25 of them are accredited programs! From Business to Law, Washburn’s got it! Check out the full list of programs Washburn offers on their website. 

8. Small Classroom Sizes

You won’t fully appreciate a small classroom until you’ve been in a class with over 300 students. If you don’t understand a concept or simply have a question in a class, there’s a small chance you’ll ever get it answered at other Universities. Having a relationship with your professors is a huge part of academic success and is a huge reason you should consider Washburn. The student-faculty ratio at Washburn University is 14:1, and the school has 47.7 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. You won’t get that at many Universities. Definitely something to take into consideration when looking at colleges.

9. Close To Home

This reason might be something that normally pushes Topeka students away from Washburn, but we think there are compelling reasons that this is a positive thing. When deciding on their future school, students often think they “want to get away” or “start fresh” and that results in them going to a university far from Topeka. What they don’t realize is that at Washburn it is possible to have the best of both worlds. Washburn’s campus feels like it’s own small community so it’s easy to have that “new” feeling while still being close to home. There are so many things students take for granted while living at home. For example: FREE Laundry, home cooked meals, a place to hang on the weekend, a quiet place to nap. The list is endless. Staying close to home can also be very smart financially. It could end up being one of the smartest things you do while you’re in college. There are lots of reasons that make staying close to home a positive thing and is another reason you should consider Washburn. 

10. Acceptance Rate

They have nearly a 100% Acceptance Rate giving you another reason you should consider Washburn. If you think you want to be an Ichabod then we would encourage you to apply this Fall! Don’t miss out on what Washburn has to offer. If you have any questions reach out to their admissions team, they’d love to take you through the entire process! #GoBods