Elon University Top Questions

Elon is very diverse. Only 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} is in state which is nice considering the fact that its in the south. Some people may say that everyone is from a wealthy background but that isn't always true. It's probably split from private and public high schools. Financial backgrounds aren't necessarily prevalent, many students get jobs on campus.

In my experiences differences in race/religion/sexual orientation/economic status don't cause barriers between students. For example, I'm a white, Baptist and some of my best friends are African American and Jewish. Different types of students interact without hesitation. Most students here are from the New England area. However, Elon has students from all 50 states and around 30 countries. We are a melting pot!

Elon is a pretty tolerant place, but we are mostly of one type - preppy. An emo, punk, or grunge kid would probably feel very out of place. If you typically go against the grain, dance to the beat of your own drummer, etc., that's great. But there aren't very many people like you at Elon. Different types of students do interact, but that's mostly in class. We tend to stick with our own types. At a lot of colleges, it's typically for students to wear sweatshirts to class all the time, but that's not Elon. We mostly wear jeans, but we look a little nicer than that. In the spring and summer, girls are known for wearing sundresses a lot. Students mostly come from affluent backgrounds, but that's not everyone. There are plenty of people who have jobs because Mommy and Daddy don't pay for everything. Girls in certain sororities are especially known for their inability to understand that not everyone has everything they wanted handed to them.

Students here are not that diverse, which is fine. I really don't have a problem with it at all. Most students are white and come from the upper-middle class. While the largest draw state is NC (about 25-30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are NC residents), most of the rest of the student population is from the north and the midwest (PA, MD, MA, VA, OH, etc.). But students here are also open to the LGBT community-- I've seen students many times around campus wearing shirts that say "Gay? Okay by me." One thing that I was nervous about before coming to Elon was the male/female ratio. I remember reading in one guidebook that there aren't many guys here, and of the guys that are here, half of them are gay. That is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} NOT TRUE. Honestly, if I hadn't been told the male/female ratio, I wouldn't have guessed that its almost 40/60, and there are FAR more straight guys than gay, at least in my experience. I guess the student that might feel out of place here is someone who is very alternative-- gothic, very punk, very emo-- just because you don't see many students like that here. Students are also pretty involved in politics. There is a College Democrats club and a College Republicans club, as well as numerous clubs that have emerged in support of particular candidates for the 2008 Presidential Election.

Plenty of religious opportunities on campus - many clubs and social groups. Racially, there are limited opportunities.

Elon, is definately predominantly white upper class kids althought the university is working hard to make us a bit more diverse every year. I am white and the 3 other girls in my suite are African-American and 2 of them have become some of my best friends here. This has never been a problem for us personally, but there have been a couple of social situaitons where it has caused tension. This is not to say that kids of different social statuses or cultures don't get along here because most people honestly do, you just have to be prepared to handle a couple of small bumps in the road.

Elon could definitly be more diverse- but that is happening more and more with time. Most students at Elon do have money but you might be surprised how many students here are putting themselves through school.

The school is predominantly white, which most students seem to be quite content with. There is not much interaction amongst the races. African Americans are either gay, an athlete, or participate in a historically black fraternity. If they do not fall into one of these categories they generally have white social tendencies, thus generally friending white students. Students who have strong cultural convictions would not fit into Elon. Because many students are from the North East there is not much of a southern pride against blacks. The vast majority of students are from above average income families and many are very wealthy. At the same time students who come from less privileged backgrounds are not shunned.

Greek Life is extremely active on campus, holding fundraisers frequently both individually by each Fraternity or Sorority, and in participation with the college. Most Elon students are from the North, surprisingly.

The typical Elon female student is a preppy sorority girl who is usually stuck-up and vapid. Her favorite TV show is The Hills and she drives around campus in her Lexus blasting hip-hop. Sorority rush is the most important time of her life. She spends over an hour getting ready just to go to class or to get coffee. She spends her weekends and weeknights getting wasted and hooking up with frat boys who probably don't know her name. The typical Elon guy is a frat boy whose mom shops for him at Abercrombie and Hollister. He smokes a lot of weed and drinks a lot. He's usually too cool for school, or anything else. There are also the honors program kids, who vary widely. But if you're not in a sorority or frat, or in an honors program, you're pretty much screwed when it comes to making friends. Most students are from NC, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, or Ohio. They run the gamut from middle-class to upper middle-class, but everyone acts like they're richer than they are and brag about their socioeconomic status. There are black students on campus, but students of different races rarely interact. Elon students aren't the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. Most of them are of average intelligence, and many aren't too informed about anything outside of the "bubble." There is some air of left-mindedness on campus, but there are plenty of Southern good old boys who are very conservative. Many students are business and communications majors who are hoping to make lots of money some day. Many of the girls here openly admit they just came to Elon to find a rich husband. If you don't have a car, it will suck. There are things around Elon to do, but only within driving distance. If you don't want to join the Greek system, be prepared to make friends who don't either. If you don't drink or smoke weed, don't even think about coming to Elon. You'll be one of 6{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}.

The typical Elon female student is a preppy sorority girl who is usually stuck-up and vapid. Her favorite TV show is The Hills and she drives around campus in her Lexus blasting hip-hop. Sorority rush is the most important time of her life. She spends over an hour getting ready just to go to class or to get coffee. She spends her weekends and weeknights getting wasted and hooking up with frat boys who probably don't know her name. The typical Elon guy is a frat boy whose mom shops for him at Abercrombie and Hollister. He smokes a lot of weed and drinks a lot. He's usually too cool for school, or anything else. There are also the honors program kids, who vary widely. But if you're not in a sorority or frat, or in an honors program, you're pretty much screwed when it comes to making friends. Most students are from NC, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, or Ohio. They run the gamut from middle-class to upper middle-class, but everyone acts like they're richer than they are and brag about their socioeconomic status. There are black students on campus, but students of different races rarely interact. Elon students aren't the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. Most of them are of average intelligence, and many aren't too informed about anything outside of the "bubble." There is some air of left-mindedness on campus, but there are plenty of Southern good old boys who are very conservative. Many students are business and communications majors who are hoping to make lots of money some day. Many of the girls here openly admit they just came to Elon to find a rich husband. If you don't have a car, it will suck. There are things around Elon to do, but only within driving distance. If you don't want to join the Greek system, be prepared to make friends who don't either. If you don't drink or smoke weed, don't even think about coming to Elon. You'll be one of 6{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}.

Elon students are very open to everyone and everyone's opinions. Most students dress up for class and it is common to see girls in dresses and guys in kakis. When it's cold most people wear jeans, but it is not typical to see people in sweats or pjs. Most students are from NC then MD, but there are so many people from everywhere else and it doesn't seem like they are the majority.

It seems that most people are from the upper middle class. Mostly white, many more girls than guys.

Most of Elon's campus is made up of white christians. There are african americans on campus as well, but almost no asians or spanish people. Most people will put on a front as if they're all upper class, but in reality they're only middle class. Students are fairly politically aware, but are very closed to new ideas. There are a fair share of people from both the right and the left.

I have minimal experiences with severely different social groups on campus; however, I did have a roommate of a different race my freshman year, and I got to know her and her friends very well, as well as what activities and organizations they were involved with. I don't think there is really any kind of student who would feel out of place at Elon; everyone feels out of place when they first get to college but they find their niche. Different types of students are certainly willing and eager to interact, although it usually happens in a classroom setting. Most students have a comfortable financial background.

Elon tries to say it is diverse, but the truth is is really isn't all that diverse. However, geographically, it is definitely diverse. My freshman year my roommate was from Mass and my suitemates were from Texas and Georgia. There are a lot of people from the north like New Jersey and Maryland. Since Elon is a small liberal arts university there are a lot of wealthier students here, but with all the scholarship students there are also those that are not from the same SES. A range of students interact, and although around 35{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population is Greek, Greeks and non-greeks hang out often. Although Elon may not have a lot of diversity, like I said before, they try to let students travel or go into the community and meet diverse groups. There are groups on campus however for different religious and racial groups as well as a LGBT group.

Elon is a very homogenous campus...predominantly white students, not much racial difference. However, everyone is very friendly and its not hard to fit in! Most Elon students are from New England, Maryland, Virginia. There are more females than males. Some students can get caught up in money and material things b/c they are alot of well off kids.

Pretty much everyone is accepted at Elon. I have never experienced or witnessed any sort of prejudices or stereotypes. Most students are typical college students, coming to their 8 AMs in pajamas. The majority of students come from wealthier families, but money is never really important in any sort of social situation.

It appears that everyone is from an upper-middle class, except for the athletes(which is sad) The athletes are also less intellectual than the rest. The majority of people are usually of the same fortunate background.

The stereotype about Elon students is that they all come from extremely wealthy families. Many of them do, but certainly not all of them. A good number of Elon students are there on scholarship or some form of financial aid. Students wear anything from sweatpants and t-shirts to sundresses to class, just depending on what kind of person they are. I wear jeans and a t-shirt to class every day and don't feel at all out of place. Elon students are from all around the country, with many from other countries as well. I have friends from California, North Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and Hong Kong, just to name a few. Most Elon students are very politically aware, with a slight majority right wing, although the left wings seem to be more active on campus.

I wish there were more southerners here. I know few southerners here who who aren't athletes. More so, I wish Elon had the diversity of my high school. It is laughable that the school has a multi-cultural orientation, where they try to look like they welcome all backgrounds. More artificiality from a school that makes it an art form. I've never been anywhere less diverse racially, besides maybe Durham Academy.

I think that all 50 states are represented. There are not very many minority students nor is there a large excange student presence. I will blame that on Elon's relatively small endowment. Given that the school is so small and the alumni so young, there is not a huge opportunity to hit us up for cash. But I hear that they are doing big funding drives and I'm sure that once I leave they will call and ask for donations, so I can see that slowly getting better. But if you need massive financial aid, I would recommend being really smart because there is not a ton of money to go around. For a private university in the south the price as is isn't killer.

Elon has a low male-to-female ratio, which I think is felt drastically by everyone on campus. I also feel as though Elon's student body is predominantly white, which is noticeable on campus. The diversity is growing across the board, however, and I think Elon is doing a much better job of creating a niche for all types of students here. Most students are preppy and many wear expensive, designer clothes to class. Sperry's, North Face, J.Crew, Juicy Couture, Lilly Pulitzer, Vinyard Vines, Vera Bradley, polos, khakis, sunglasses... Sometimes this is intimidating, but you always see people wearing sweatpants, as well. I can't afford all the designer labels, and I don't feel out of place. Most people at Elon are from out of state, especially Maryland, Northern VA, Ohio, and New England. I would say that most of the student body comes from upper-middle class families.

Elon's student body is like that of every other small, southern, liberal arts campus. Most minorities are on athletic teams. However, there are always exceptions, and everybody hangs out and mixes.

Everyone here is extremely friendly, but diversity is lacking (but the university is working really hard to change this). Your average student is white and middle to upper class.