Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Who should apply for this program?
A: Students interested in tackling societal, intellectual, technological and scientific challenges through collaborative problem solving. This program is ideal for students who want to become insightful, interdisciplinary scholars during their time at Washington University.
Q: Who should not apply for this program?
A: Transfer students to Washington University are not eligible to apply to our program. In addition, students who are seriously considering pursuing degrees in Biomedical Engineering (BME), Chemical Engineering (ChemE), and Environmental Engineering (EECE) may not be able to participate in the first years of the program due to specific track-based requirements.
Q: Can I be in the Beyond Boundaries Program as well as one of the First Year Ampersand Programs in Arts & Sciences?
A: To promote access to all university programs and offerings to the maximum number of students, Beyond Boundaries Program students are not allowed to be in Ampersand Programs but are welcome to sign up for an Arts & Sciences First-Year Seminar or First-Year Opportunity Program.
Q: What if I apply to Beyond Boundaries Program and do not get in?
A: Applicants who are not selected to be in the Beyond Boundaries Program have their admissions materials forwarded to the undergraduate school they selected during the application process. Being declined by the Beyond Boundaries Program is not a liability at all to an applicant’s overall WashU application. There is no risk in applying to the Beyond Boundaries Program.
Q: Once accepted into the Beyond Boundaries Program, can I change schools?
A: Yes, program students (along with the general student population) can look to change schools after their first fall semester on campus. After being accepted into the Beyond Boundaries Program, a student enters into a school (primary program of study) as well as the Beyond Boundaries Program (secondary program of study). Beyond Boundaries staff support students as they navigate their academic path, which may include moving across schools. There are certain guidelines each school has with regard to incoming students, so students are strongly encouraged to start having conversations very early on with their advisors if they are considering moving to a completely different school.
Q: Is this an “interdisciplinary” program?
A: Yes. Students entering this program will be offered opportunities to explore topics from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The first year seminar explores what it means to be an interdisciplinary scholar and each Beyond Boundaries course will teach students how to view major societal challenges from multiple frameworks through teamwork and collaboration.
Q: Is this a “Scholars” program?
A: The Beyond Boundaries Program is not considered a “scholars” program. There is no tuition remission associated with the Beyond Boundaries Program. Students interested in this program should apply for financial aid through Student Financial Services. Program students may be in a Scholars Program offered through the Office of Scholar Programs and the Beyond Boundaries Program at the same time.
Q: If I am in the Beyond Boundaries Program, can I take graduate level courses?
A: No, but a number of the Beyond Boundaries course offerings are taught by faculty from our 3 graduate/professional level schools (Brown School, School of Medicine, and School of Law) offering a first-year student a unique opportunity to connect with graduate faculty.
Q: Do the required first-year Beyond Boundaries courses count towards my distribution requirements?
A: Yes, all of the Beyond Boundaries course offerings have “course tags” associated with them. The course tags for each school indicates a distribution requirement that the course meets. For additional information, please reach out to program staff.
Q: Do program students live in specific housing on campus?
A: First year Beyond Boundaries students are administratively assigned to live in the same dorm. At the current time, this dorm consists only of modern double rooms. Incoming first year program students can indicate they are in the program as a comment on the housing application. For our first year program students who plan to room with non-Beyond Boundaries students, they will need to complete the roommate step of the housing application.
The WashU Disability Resources office is responsible for determining if accommodations can be approved. Any housing accommodation request MUST be made through their office as soon as possible in order to be included in the priority deadline consideration. Requests can still be submitted and reviewed after the priority deadline, but there could be a chance of a waitlist in order to find an assignment that meets the housing accommodation need.
Any housing related questions around financial aid should be addressed with the WashU Financial Aid office. Feel free to reach out to Beyond Boundaries Program staff for any additional questions.
After the first year, program students will select their own housing based on the guidelines provided by Residential Life.
Q: What if I don’t like it? (the program)
A: In special circumstances, if a program student wishes to leave the program, they should reach out program staff to discuss their needs and take the necessary steps that come out of that conversation.
Q: What are my options after the first year in the program?
A: A student will be taking the majority of their classes within their academic school and major during their sophomore year and will also be involved in the second year of Beyond Boundaries through a variety of extracurricular engagement opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, peer mentoring and community building events, Beyond Boundaries hosted workshops, and a number of on and off campus opportunities.
Q: Can I pursue other academic areas I’m interested in after applying for the Beyond Boundaries Program?
A: Yes. Students are not committed to studying what they write about in their application. The program recognizes that students’ interests often change after they matriculate into the Beyond Boundaries Program and into Washington University.
Q: Will it take me longer to graduate?
A: Being in the program should not affect a student’s anticipated graduation date. There may be some exceptions if a student decides to pursue one of the 3 majors mentioned above that have a more rigid course schedule.
Q: What is the difference between this and having two majors?
A: While students with two majors may be interested in two separate areas of study, the Beyond Boundaries Program aims to bring students’ disparate interests into conversation with each other in order to approach the big social and intellectual problems of tomorrow. Many students in the Beyond Boundaries Program will have two majors, but it is certainly not a requirement of the program.