Willamette University Top Questions

The Bistro is probably the most popular organization on campus. The fact that it is student-run seems to draw in everyone. It's an environment conducive for studying, meeting with friends or professors or simply taking a break. It's claim to fame is its excellent coffee, food and relaxed environment. Students partake in all different types of activities on campus. In one week I might attend a lecture on sustainability, a visiting poet's reading in the library and a dance thrown by one of the fraternities or sororities. The many different organizations guarantee the campus life is always exciting and provides opportunities for everyone.

300+ student organizations and clubs with more being added every year is great. The social life is perfect, there is a scene for everyone and there is not pressure to drink at parties. So you can go and have fun without any pressure.

Willamette is a college campus so there are lot of different social activities to appeal to different interests. There are theater plays, musical performances, guest lectures, dances, pretty much there is always something going on.

Willamette offers over 100 clubs and organizations, so there's something for everyone to get involved in. Outdoor activities and intramural sports are very popular. The Greek community of 3 sororities and 4 fraternities make up about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population. This group is somewhat exclusive from the rest of the social network at Willamette. The Events board offers free movie screenings, substance free dances, comedians, musicians, and many other entertainment options for those who wish to take part in activities that do not involve drugs or alcohol. A student who wishes to can find parties to attend, and at least some group of students will take part in recreational activities involving alcohol any night of the week. Many students will go downtown or to Portland to get off campus without partying.

If I am awake at 2 am on a tuesday I am probably taking a snack break from studying with my best friend and house mate. We met freshmen year when we lived in the same hall and have been best friends ever since. Even though classes are demanding, it's easy to have an active social life although a lot of social activities do include drinking. It's really easy, however to hang out with everyone else, even if they are drinking, and not be drinking. There isn't a lot of pressure to fit in the way there was in high school. The Salem downtown area is really close to campus, as is the Willamette River. I often hang out downtown, go out to dinner with friends and ride my bike or run by the river during the weekends.

The dating scene. Oh boy. Let's just say Willamette sucks when it comes to dating. Since it is such a small campus it is hard to find guys that you are attracted to, especially since the classes every year seem to get filled with more and more females. Then again there's the whole thing where the "good" men on campus, of course, have girlfriends. Whatever.

I live off campus now but when I lived in the residence halls it was great - lots of informal interaction with the people around me and always someone up for a serious discussion or a run or pizza. Willamette isn't a party school and alcohol, although available, is generally not the focus of the social scene. I have fun skiing with my friends, doing a beach clean-up and then having a barbeque, going to Portland for some city life, and then come right back to Willamette which feels like home.

The social life on campus is active even though Willamette isn't in the middle of a big city or huge college town. Most people leave their dorm rooms open during the day when they're in their room. Honestly, some of the best times you have in college are hanging out with your friends shooting the breeze. Any partying usually happens off campus at houses nearby campus. Alcohol isn't prevalent on campus and easy enough to stay away from. It's also fairly easy to find if you go looking for it. Any on campus dances are usually run by the Greek system in the fraternity houses, which are very popular. Such events are dry and are staffed by RA's and private security. Speaking of the Greek system, about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus is Greek affiliated. The Greek system at Willamette is the place you go if you're driven to succeed. It has made huge strides in the past decade to become more than just the party scene.