Wheaton College-Wheaton Top Questions

Freshman aren't allowed to have cars, so you're either stuck on campus your first year or you make friends with upperclassmen. It's not too bad, as a lot of people live in the area and have cars at home, and we're right next to the metra line that leads into Chicago, so for $5 you can get a weekend pass. My favorite activity is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and with $10 student tickets, it's a lot of fun to get a group together and head into the city. There's amazing shopping in the city as well, and with so much public transportation available in Chicago, it's easy to get around or just walk. Winter does limit some activities, especially for people like me not used to cold winters. But almost everyone has their door open in the evenings, and there's bound to be someone getting a group together to watch a DVD or play Halo 3, or just listen to music and chill.

Wheaton does not have Greek life but I don't miss it at all. I'm not sure if I would rush if I went to a school that offered Greek life, but I'm definitely fine without it. Most people meet their friends based on where they live on campus. Each dorm has it's pluses and minuses but there really is no bad place to live. At least on my floor, most girls keep their doors open unless they're studying. The door open thing is great because it invites people to come in and get to know each other. As an RA next year I'm going to encourage that on my floor. Also, community bathrooms in some of the dorms help you get to know everyone on your floor pretty quickly. There are people who go to bed early and people who love to stay up all night so you can find someone to talk to pretty much regardless of the hour. Freshman year, without cars, it's sometimes hard to find something to do but after freshman year alot of people have cars and we go do things almost every night and definitely every weekend. Also, if you don't have a car but want to go into Chicago, the train runs right by the campus and it's really easy to get to the city on the weekends. Wheaton has lots of musical events on campus because of the Conservatory. There is also some theater and lots of athletic events. I was a varsity athlete my freshman year and I can say that the athletic community is great at Wheaton. It's also great not being an athlete because I have more time for other things. The group that I have loved most since being at Wheaton is Honduras Project. This is a group of about 25 students and one faculty member that meets all year and does team building and work projects on the weekends in preparation to spend Spring Break in Honduras living in a remote village and digging trenches to install a gravity-fed water system for the village. I made some incredible friends through Honduras Project. It was such a great group and we really learned to rely on each other and trust each other. It was also very life changing to go and live with the people of Honduras and experience their lives and be able to tangibly help them. I would do it again in a heartbeat and I would recommend it to any future Wheaton students!

football and basketball. i am involved with softball and an active fotball and basketball supporter. yes they do leave their dorms open. athletic events are very popular especially football. i met her through softball and my roomates. i am studying if i am awake at 2 am on a tuesday but usually i am sleeping for my 8 am class on wednesday. go to the movies, open floor and have movie night go out to dinner it totally depends on how much money you want to spend and how you can get there.

Wheaton is probably a lot like you would expect a small Christian school to be in terms of social life. On the weekends, there's really nothing to do. We aren't allowed to smoke or drink, and our open floor policies keep members of the opposite sex from coming into our rooms (except for in apartments and houses), so it can get a little quiet. Most students are either up late doing homework or just hanging out with friends. I stayed in Fischer, which is the loudest dorm on campus, and it was pretty eventful at 3 a.m. in the lobby. But, it's nothing like a state school would be. As for dating, most people at Wheaton want to be dating, but aren't. And if you are, you're usually serious enough to be considering marriage. It's really weird. Feel free to break the mold, though.

Intermurals are really popular, especially volleyball, ultimate, and soccer. Almost all students leave theri doors open while they are in their rooms on their floor: this is a sign that they want others to stop on by and hang out. Not many of my friends are dating. I have been dating for over six months however, and that's been really fun! It is a little difficult for shy girls to find a date becuase often the guys at Wheaton need a little prompting, however, that is not true for all guys. In fact, every newer class that enters into Wheaton seems to have an easier time in the dating scene. However, both the guys and girls are really high quality! Partying, as far as alcohol is concerned, almost never happens. An extremely small percentage of students drink, smoke, do drugs, etc. As a whole, the Wheaton kids know how to have good, quality, (and not to mention hilarious) time that you can actually remember the next morning!

I don't have a social life, but I hear it's fantastic. I never leave campus, but I play a lot of board and video games with my friends. There are frequent student concerts (rock or otherwise) and sometimes professional musicians do concerts as well (Iron and Wine, for example).

The underclassmen dorms (Fischer and Smith-Traber) generally are pretty active, especially Fischer. Doors are often open (although it depends on your individual floor and the specific year). Athletic events are decently attended... We aren't D1, so the school pride isn't through the roof, but we have some solid teams that are really fun to watch. The dating scene is kind of scary. A lot of people here misinterpret an innocent coffee date as a wedding proposal. This leads to a lot of hesitation about dating. It's a shame really, because there are so many fantastic, attractive, very dateable people here.

If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, there are three reasons. 1) I'm studying. 2)I'm having fun with friends, goofing off watching a movie or something. 3) I'm having a deep conversation with my friends, potentially theological. How did I meet my closest friends? On my floor. In my human origins class. Stopping to pet the same dog. Having a random conversation, and then progressing. Playing games in my friend's room and then continuing to be hug buddies. Greek life - non-existent.

Wheaton is a really safe campus. I never locked my door once, and nothing was stolen. Dorm life is fantastic, the people on your floor will become family. There are TONS of activities around campus, but you have to be willing to go and try them out.

Ther are a lot of different groups/clubs on campus. There are writing/art/sports and other clubs. Is is very easy to get involved on campus, and I highly recommend it. Most people keep there doors open, I do, and unless I'm studying or sleeping it is a great way to foster floor unity and friendships. I met my closest friends on my floor freshman year and also on a trip to China I went to in May after my freshman year. The dating scene is unique. Wheaton students complain about it but that is a result of the overall openness of the campus and very much depends on the individual. There are no fraternities/sororities, and the drinking scene is minimal due to the community covenant, which all students must sign, promising that they will not consume alcohol or other drugs while a student. However, there is a fair amount of students who drink, but they do it in private. The College Union always has lots of things going on campus in terms of concerts and events. There is usually a fair amount of things to do on campus on the weekends, as well as anything someone wants to do in Chicago which is a 40 minture train ride away.