Willamette University Top Questions

Rich entitled kids. It is partially true, but not for everyone.

The stereotype? Well as a freshman, I can say that there is different sort of vibe here than at other bigger schools. There are jocks, nerds, frat brothers, sorority sisters, stoners, gamers, party-ers, international students, music majors--really anything you can think of, it exists at Willamette. So if there was a stereotype, I guess it would be the overall acceptingness of everyone on campus. There has to be some truth in this since Willamette is a nudist colony (provided you let Campus Security know before you let everything hang out). I think the bottom line is that there is a strong sense of community at Willamette, and from the beginning of Opening Days, EVERYONE puts a major emphasis on this. We all laugh together, cry together, celebrate together, work together, live together. I'm sure every college says something similar to this, but at Willamette this definitely holds true.

People think that Willamette is full of hippies. We have a large portion of students who are very politically and environmentally active on campus. Sustainability is large student and campus focus, drawing many of these students to Willamette. There are also people who fit just about every stereotype you can think of.

I would say that there aren't a lot of stereotypes at Willamette. All of the students have one thing in common their education. People aren't here for a sports scholarship, they're hear to get an education first and foremost which creates an amazing community of students and faculty. A large portion of Willamette students do go Greek, but it's not the typical greek life pictured in movies and other large campuses. It is much more of a second community within the larger Willamette community that students are drawn to for another home and group of people with common morals and interests. Just like every other school, there will be students who are into all sorts of things and are given the common stereotypes such as partiers, stoners, geeks, jocks etc. What makes Willamette's community of students special is that while students may be part of a stereotypical group, they are also part of the larger educational community.

Anyone walking around campus can see that Willamette whole-heartedly embraces the liberal arts vibe, especially in regard to self-expression. The hippie/hipster stereotype of Willamette students is true for many but definitely not for all students at Willamette. Willamette is made up of a fluid student body that brings something unique with each incoming class. While the hippie/hipster stereotype may hold negative connotations for most people, for Willamette it just goes to show how unique our students really are compared to other schools.

There are all sorts of students here at WU. There are your jocks and your gamers; there are full-out book nerds and there are hippies. Regardless of the stereotype though, I feel like we are all able to come together in our classes and WU community to help each other engage in our learning.

I guess the stereotype would be a hard-working yet laid-back pacific northwest student with an appreciation and enthusiasm for learning. While this stereotype is present and prevalent on campus, Willamette students participate in so many varied activities and express such diverse thoughts and opinions that the summation is a well-rounded but difficult-to-define student body.

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At Willamette it seems that everyone is involved in multiple clubs, sports, or activities. This is great, because it means that we have a ton of things to do that apply to a wide variety of interests, but it also creates stressed out students. I think that this also creates a community of people that genuinely care about the school because they have contributed to the environment in many ways. Also, there is a definite liberal lean to the student body. It seems that republicans are either incredibly vocal about their ideas or feel uncomfortable sharing. That being said, I think that most people are open-minded and interested to have discussions with people that have different views. Though there are a couple negative stereotypes, overall the student body is incredibly warm and willing to help. I have found such a great support system here full of amazing students.

At Willamette, there are common stereotypes such as the jocks, geeks, and hipsters, but there is a kind of stereotype that is pretty unique, which is commonly known as "hippies." The typical image of a hippy is one who enjoys listening to indie folk music in our student run coffee shop, The Bistro, and remains comfortable walking around campus barefoot with their longboards and rolled up jeans. The presented stereotypes are fairly accurate as well.