Josh

WVU has a very solid "party school" reputation. It is very typical to find kids at the school whose focus is more on partying than getting an education. You will also find a "redneck" stereotype because of the state of West Virginia in general. However, in reality the school is comprised of over 50% of out of state undergraduate students.

Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer. WVU has tremendous school spirit with an addictive pride for the school and the sports programs. Morgantown, WV is a pure college town with the students making up the majority of the population. The nightlife is located seconds from campus and the night scene consists of bars, clubs, fraternity and house parties. The Mountainlair is a terrific student union with multiple sources of food and entertainment ranging from a movie theater to a bowling alley. One downfall of the campus is the amount of hills. It is often said that wherever you walk it is uphills both ways. WVU has a student population that fits the campus just right. The experience that I will always remember is the schock I experienced when first arriving on campus. The overall atmosphere on the campus is overwhelming as the party scene, sporting events, and the overall college experience are unlike anywhere else.

Having the party school reputation that it does, WVU is often seen as a school where the students party more than they study. However, WVU is a terrific academic institution with top of the line professors. In your first few years of study it is likely that you will be in larger classrooms ranging from 50-150 students. As you go deeper into your studies the class slim down and you develop more of a personal relationship with professors. WVU is the flagship University of the state of West Virginia. The requirements to be admitted as an undergraduate student are very low but the drop out rate is very high as a lot of students do not focus on their studies nearly as much as they should. WVU has one of the best libraries in the country and you will almost always find it crowded. WVU certainly prepares its students for life after college as professional classes are a requirement for most majors. These classes help to make sure each student is prepared for finding a job following their graduation. My favorite classes were always the larger ones as it is a great way to meet other students. It is not likely to hear intellectual conversations outside of class as it is more likely that students will be talking about their upcoming plans for that night or the weekend.

WVU certainly has a diverse student population. About 50% of undergraduate students are from the state of West Virginia whie the rest are mainly out of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, along with other surrounding states. There is an increasing international student population but the school is mainly made up of white males and females.

What students wear is another diverse aspect of the university. The greek life population does not dress like your typical fraternity stereotype. There are certainly a lot of "guido" type students as well and a lot of these students are members of greek life. However, this only takes up a small portion of the student population. If you were to see four students sitting at a table at a dining hall there is no telling what they could be wearing. There is tremendous school spirit so it is not uncommon to see students wearing WVU gear on any given day.

The financial backgrounds of students is also very diverse. The out of state students are much more likely to come from a more secure financial background as it is much more expensive to attend the school compared to in-state students. West Virginia is also a very poverty rich state so in-state students may come from a less-financially secure background.

Greek life at West Virginia University is on the rise and becoming much more popular within the student population. I was the vice president of one of the more prestigous fraternities on campus and greek life is a great way for students to become more socially involved. However, there is a large house party and bar scene where you do not need to be a member of greek life in order to have fun. With greek life on the rise, the university has future plans to make a more exclusive greek village. There is currently a fraternity row where multiple fraternity houses are located. The new greek village will be a renovation of this and allow for greek life to become more popular but more exclusive as well. In my opinion greek life will be more than doubled within the next coupe of years as there are plans to bring other fraternities/soroities onto campus in the near future.

Most of my closest friends were met either through the dorms my freshman year or through greek life. Dorms are a great way to meet friends as there are literally 1,000+ students per dorm.

Athletic events are some of the bigger events of the year. Football games at WVU are a huge social event where you will find some of the more premeir tailgating in the country. WVU becomes the largest city in the state of West Virginia on gamedays as the stadium holds nearly 65,000 and it sold out almost every game. This is a great excuse for students to party and drink all day long.

If you are awake on at 2 am on a Tuesday you are likely stumbling back from BOT (Black Out Tuesday) at Bent Willies or from Mug Night at Chik 'N Bones. These are both 21+ bars that are very popular on nearly every Tuesday night as they have some of the best drink specials in town in order to attract students on a Tuesday night.

One event that happens every year is Fall Fest. This is a free concert on the first Monday night of classes that is open to WVU students. The concert involves multiple popular artist with a superstar headliner year after year. This is easily one of the most anticipated events of the year and is yet again another excuse to party and it is a great way to kick off the school year.

If you are not drinking on a Saturday night then WVU likely is not the place you want to be. While there are some things to do, it is not likely that you will be able to do these things in peace as the campus and downtown are swarming with intoxicated students on a Saturday night.

Party, party, party, let's all get wasted. The party scene at WVU is tremendous and it lives up to its reputation. Most students live for the weekend.

ESPN's College Gameday when WVU hosted #2 LSU in football in 2011. The buzz and atmosphere around campus and at the footba game was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life.

Greek Life is certainly on the rise. If you want the ultimate college experience at WVU, it is a must to join Greek Life because you can get involved unlike the way you can in any other student organization. It also opens the door for you to meet hundreds of more people.

The library. WVU's library is one of the best in the country and is definitely they best way to get work done, especially if you have a party animal for a roommate.

The campus is located along the Monogahala River and is very hilly. However, it is very beautiful, especially in the Fall and Spring.