Washington and Lee University Top Questions

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Ugh… I don’t really want to go there unless you give me some incentive to do so. All I’ll say is that … well I need to think some more about this is that solely helping your website isn’t really that enticing. You want me to be honest, right? I’ll just leave this for others to fill out. It would depend on what kind of student you are… Males: Collared shirts, khaki pants or shorts, and flip-flops. Females: Sundresses and pearls. In the winter everyone wears Northface jackets. Sure, why not. At one table there are the athletes sitting in one group. There seems to have a sense of superiority to themselves as they all walk with some sort of subtle swagger. This is probably due to high testosterone levels mixed with a bit of the alpha-male syndrome, and the presence of the opposite sex who occasionally glance their way. At times, this group of people dress the same to promote their athletic group events while proudly sporting the W&L emblem. This group is predominately Caucasian and occasionally specked with a few African American athletes. They are usually segregated between males and females and never mix nor mingle during group feasting sessions. The next table is the international table and/or “independents” table (the term “independents” is the W&L slang for students who have not joined a fraternity or sorority regardless of nationality, race, or ethnicity). They hangout amongst themselves and have a few closely knit friends. They are a mixed bag or have a very specific common bond. It would be hard to describe a specific characteristic of this group as the characteristic vary widely and respectively with each different group. Simply put, it is a collage of people who are without any traditionally/institutionally-established, assertive groups. You can always find them in the dining hall during meal times. The third table is the fraternity table. This is a group of happy-go-lucky individuals, presumably always happy if not then superficially. This group is also predominately full of Caucasian and is also occasionally specked with minorities. This group is distinctive because all the guys dress alike and all the girls dress alike. Because there are several fraternities and different generalized characteristic of each fraternity, it is hard to say anything more than each side of the gender dress alike. The last table is the Resident Assistants and Peer Mentor table. They are always there. This group is always friendly, and always a mixed group of individuals. Some are in fraternities, some are independents, some are Teaching Assistants. However a common bond among all of them is that they are always junior, seniors, or older. Although they might be friendly and welcoming, there is always some kind of inexplicit barrier between them the few people who go to them in search for genuine friendship. Among these four different “tables” there is an occasional spotting of law students that quickly eat and leave. Despite the depiction of the “four tables” at a W&L dining hall, I have to admit I have always seen someone smiling or grinning there. Maybe not at me, maybe not everyone, but someone always seems to be enjoying themselves there whether employee, or student. Down South On the absolute scale I would say upper middle class, but in the end it’s all relative. Are the students politically aware? Maybe. Are they politically active? Yes. Mainly Republican, but I’m not sure why their Republican. I’m not sure they know why their Republican. I remember hearing that most professors at W&L are democrats while the students are predominately republicans. Whether this is true or not, I’m not sure. But I found this very amusing. How much they’ll earn in one day is really dependent on what major they are, how compliant they are and a bunch of other factors… I could write a thesis paper on this…

This is a very non-diverse community. Everyone pretty much stands together. The dining hall tables are not scattered with 2 or three people to a table, but each one fills up as people cram in to sit with whomever. Because of W&L's super friendly campus, non-socialites tend to stick out. People get pretty dressed up for class most of the time, especially in the fall. During winter, some people maintain their beautiful ego but a large group of sweatpant and sweatshirt wearers will appear. Most people are from the east coast or the deep south. Think W&L is the only place where a Yankee and a Rebel may truly coexist. This is a very unique atmosphere and I cannot stress enough that you MUST visit before making your decision because this place is not for everyone.

The Greek system is very strong here and defines most people's social status and circle of friends. It is possible to go independent but not recommended. Those hesitant about the Greek scene shouldn't worry though-There is a house here for everybody.

The student who would feel out of place at W&L is the student who is uncomfortable talking. Because we are such a close campus, we can share our views.... however leftward or rightward they may be. The social scene can be awkward sometimes too. You have to get used to mostly fraternity parties... there are no bars to speak of, and Lexington iss a very small town. Coming from a big city was hard for me, but I eventually got used to the scene and like the closeness of the small town.

Most people at W&L are either from the southeast or the mid-Atlantic...we have a ton of Baltimore kids. There are also a lot of people from Texas. Not many from out west or the mid-west. Most people are aware of current events and politics and would probably call themselves right-wing (even if they don't agree with everything Republican). Socio-economics are never an issue; I have friends that are hugely wealthy and I have friends who depend of their scholarships. It doesn't matter. It just never comes up.

The student body here appears to be rather homogenous (white, preppy, smart but fun) on the surface, but if one cares enough to look they realize that there is a fair amount of diversity on campus. We have the same proportion of international students as many of the Ivy League schools (some of my friends in my year are from places such as Fiji, China, Germany, Kenya, Nepal, and Bulgaria), and there is diversity of ideas and opinions as well. The school gets a reputation as primarily conservative, but that is just because they are the loudest people on campus. The majority of people seem to be moderates, and there are just as many liberals as conservatives, but the conservative students feel obliged to be much more vocal than the rest. Religiously, people seem mostly to be different types of Protestants. The major thing about the student body, though, is that it really is a community. Because of the speaking tradition people will be friendly to everyone they see, and this really enhances the community feel around the University and Lexington.

W&L is a rather homogeneous campus. I don't necessarily think that this is a bad thing. I think many people are drawn to W&L because of its homogeneousness. It is part of what makes W&L unique and to a certain extent successful. For this reason, I don't think anyone who dislikes the stereotype here or is uncomfortable by it should consider W&L. The identity is too strong here for someone that would want to change it.

rich, white, southern, preppy, republican. give off the impression that they'd like to be wealthy and recognized as successful, rather than actually be happy, later in life. homogenous environment where different types of people don't really interact very much. terrible gender relations. girls and boys are segregated in every sense of the word after freshman year (living in fraternity and sorority houses), and are drunk for 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of their interactions with the opposite sex.

Many of the students are similar in that they are white and wealthy. This stereotype is changing now as a result of the new Jefferson scholarship and increasing difficulty of admissions. Many students join fraternities and sororities and thus spend the majority of their time with those particular organizations. Many students are focused on graduating and moving to Wall Street while others aren't concerned much with financial success. Students are politically aware. Students dress casual to class. Most students are from the East Coast of U.S. and South. There are a lot more students from New Jersey, Conn, etc. than people realize.