Ryan
in a lot of cases... yes. most people are very wealthy; it wouldn't be rare to park in between a mercedes and a BMW on a daily basis. you rarely see boys without polo, lacoste, or brooks brothers shirts on while out at night, and if you do, it's probably because they're sporting a fratty lax jersey. even though people have money, however, it's more diverse than you might expect. i've personally met a lot of wonderful, unique people here at W&L, and while there certainly are the rich white snobs, there are countless down-to-earth people, as well. as far as drugs and alcohol goes, that's all true too. you can go out and drink pretty much any night of the week, and a surprising percentage of the student body has either tried cocaine or does it regularly. it's also very rare to find someone who hasn't at least tried marijuana once in his or her lifetime. because people have a lot of money, there is little hesitation to spend a lot on drugs. the greek scene is also incredibly dominant. almost everyone is greek, and if you're not, your options for fun seem limited. there are also lots of other societies (some secret, some not) for both men and women that further stroke students' elitist egos. W&L students have invented every way to give themselves a title (while likely incorporating some form of "hazing" -- or, i mean, "new member education"). anything to further distinguish themselves as being better than other students continues to be done and flaunted regularly.
Blake
The student body majority is most likely wealthy and white. However, by no means are the majority of the students from the South or are they conservative. Many students participate in Greek system, but certainly not all.
Parker
For the most part, yes, but that doesn't mean that to be happy at W&L you have to fit these norms. Diversification is shifting the dynamic of the school, and every year test scores of the incoming freshmen increase. W&L is, and is getting even more competitive.
Katie
OUtstanding academic rep= accurate. I have incredible bonds with my professors and it is only my first year here. I feel highly stimulated by the classroom discussions. As for the southerness, it has come a long way from what it used to be. I know ALOT of northerners here yet southern culture is a powerful element of the greek life. I feel that a rigid social structure develops around social differences such as if one is from an old money southern family or if one is not southern or came from a wealthy family and private school. Before students entered various greek organizations--and nearly everyone did--the parties felt very inclusive. Every student was welcomed by upperclassmen and there was no apparent divide. Slowly as people assimilate to their frats and srats, parties become more exclusive and people associate only with certain groups. The "top frats" and various srats seem to fancy themselves as superior based on their southern backgrounds...
Robin
there are people who act like that, but there are also people who dont...while the atmosphere is rather preppy, there's a large group of differenly minded students and a place on campus for mostly everyone (even if they're not the majority). despite the fact that w&l is a mostly white campus, its not racist, and though there might be a few jerks in the crowd, the majority of campus is very accepting and open.
Michael
For a portion of the school, yes.
Rory
For the most part, yes.
Tyler
The first stereotype is somewhat true. Of course there is a small percentage of students that do think they are better than everyone else, but for te most part the student body is normal. The partying stereotype is actually quite acurate. We are nationally known party school and definitely do not dissappoint. Around here we go with the saying, "We work hard, but party harder." The main reason we are such a party school is because of our Greek scene. I think about 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is involved in a Greek organization here. Unlike many schools, almost everyone is welcome at the any Fraternity party at Washington & Lee.