Washington and Lee University Top Questions

The school is the perfect size, you know everyone by name at least and you can have a real relationship with the professors. The best thing about Washington and Lee is the cultivation of leadership. With all the extracurriculars, from the Greek System to IM's, Washington and Lee develops each student's character and allows them to be as involved as they wish. I spend most of my time in Newcomb Hall, the Commons or the Greek houses. I'm from a western state so most people have never heard about Washington and Lee. However, when someone does recognize the name they have only good things to say about our community. The best part of Washington and Lee, and what has shaped my college experience the most is that this school is what you make it. If you only sit on the surface and see W&L as a shallow party school, you'll never know what you're missing. The history of this school is what makes it so special, and by getting involved, students make that history and continuously shape our community.

My love for W&L is incredible, just like most of the student body. People love this school and have so much pride in it. However, it is a hard school socially. The Greek system puts a huge strain on friendships and confidence. There is a definite order of frats and srats from highest to lowest and it gets bad. Some people from higher srats won't talk to people in lower ones, and you always have to go to parties based on where your sorority is welcome. Besides that, people do generally love everyone else. The speaking tradition is great and the professors are amazing. The small size allows you to get to know everyone and I love that.

town needs more attractions. administration needs to remember that this school is based on tradition and maybe they should be a little more lax on the fraternities. after all, they've been here since the beginning. I will always remember the professors that show their love for W&L by getting to know each student and continuing traditions.

I am in love with Washington and Lee. I feel in love with it when I was a freshman in high school and I have loved it since. To me it is the best school in the entire world. It is the perfect size. I love the fact that my teachers know my name and that to them I am not just a number on their roll list. The acadeic environment and education is amazing but we still have fun at the same time, so really it is the best of both worlds.

The best thing about Washington and Lee is that you can meet professors during their office hours most of the time and, if not, you can arrange a meeting with them without any hassle. The school was too small for my personal tastes. I find that bigger and larger communities tend to have higher scales of competition and therefore better quality of people the higher the social stratosphere. How do people react when I tell them I’m from Washington and Lee? Well… it depends on the place. In Korea, when I tell people I’m from Washington and Lee University, they reply, “Ah, Washington University, that’s in D.C. (or Seattle) right?” I just shake my head and agree. In the Bible belt region (US), educated people recognize the name and associate it with a top tier school, likewise in the Northeast regions, but only in big cities. On campus I spend most of my time in classrooms or the gym. The rest of my time was spent at home or in my room. College town… well, Lexington had two bars when I went there I think they have three now. Most of the social scene happens in fraternity parties or extracurricular (non-alcoholic) events held by different organizations on campus. My opinion of the administration is mixed. The administration, as in non academic administrators only (which would exclude most professors), does what is in their best interests as any administration would do. Since everyone smiles a lot there it is hard to distinguish genuinely friendly and honest people and superficially friendly and dishonest people. The biggest recent controversy… well, one aspect that really appealed to me was that Washington and Lee has a student body hearing for any major judicial matter that might occur so most of it is public some others are private. However there are two catches to this. One is that you have to be socially active, by being in a frat or constantly read every weekly massive spam mails they send. Two, is that not every issue makes it to a student body hearing. From my perspective, a lot of “behind the doors” politics occurs that not everyone is allow to know about. There is a lot of school pride. Unusual? I guess it would depend on your perspective on things. I found the popularity of pink cloths amongst the males quite um… unusual. Don’t get me wrong, most girls can wear pink clothes and still be fashionable, and few guys can manage to pull it off every now and then. But I remember staggering home in a drunk one night seeing flocks of guys wearing very similar clothing all in pink. It’s a memory I’ll associate only with W&L parties and gay pride parades. Not that I have anything against either, but I would not go out of my way to join them. One experience I’ll always remember… ah… there were a few times I lost my wallet on campus. Most of the times the wallet was returned will all the money intact. It is a unique positive aspect of W&L, and maybe it’s a thing only found at W&L. What do students complain about… I don’t know. I what do students complain about? School work I guess?

It's not for everyone. Definitely visit. W&L looks amazing on paper but it takes a certain person to feel comfortable here. W&L students have a lot of pride for their school whether it be academics, athletics or the social scene. Don't come here if you're not willing to shout "I LOVE W&L" across the collonade.

There is a lot of personal attention from the professors-you're not just a number. While Lexington isn't the most exciting town, the Greek system provides enough to do that you are rarely bored.

Anyone who goes to Washington and Lee can be proud of it. School pride is an amazingly big deal here. Everyone knows each other, and you will always be helped if you need it-- whoever you may hang out with. It's extremely friendly... we have a tradition of saying "Hello" to everyone, and it makes for a very friendly atmosphere.

I honestly wouldn't change anything about our school. It is the perfect size as far as I'm concerned...it may be a little small just in the way that everyone knows everyone else's business, but it doesn't really bother me. It just comes with the territory. It's in a very tiny town, but it's not really that bad. Roanoke and Charlottesville are only 45 minutes away and Lexington is a great place to live.

W&L is a place that has really allowed me to grow in ways that I wouldn't have expected. The small size of the college allows for you to explore options that you wouldn't think about doing at a larger University, and more importantly succeed in these endeavors. The liberal arts environment not only allows the students to explore different academic fields, but also carries over into life outside of the classroom. I am a member of a Greek organization who participates on multiple varsity sports teams and also plays an instrument in the orchestra on campus, and I don't feel obliged to define myself by any single one of those commitments.