Gettysburg College Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Kelly

Gburg students are mainly white, upper-class, preppy kids. If you're a girl, names like Lilly Pulitzer, Jack Rogers, Uggs, CK Bradley, Vineyard Vines, Ella Moss, Burberry, Longchamp, and Ralph Lauren are a part of everyday conversation. A typical guy wears a Polo or long sleeve button down, usually in pink, yellow, light green, light blue, or lavender, with khaki shorts, a Vineyard Vines belt and Sperry boat shoes. Guys are also often seen in navy blue blazers, anything madras or seersucker, and croakies (if you don't know what any of these are, you'll definitely know when you get there). Guys really are all about "the more over-the-top preppy, the better." Popping your collar is a must. And of course, everyone needs a ton of orange and blue gear. Often times students (especially those affiliated with frats or sororities) are seen as pompous or stuck up, although most are not like that. However, the majority of gburg students do have a heightened sense of gburg pride, almost to the point of boasting that they are better than other schools (and even people). But that's all part of the Gettysburg experience. While the majority of students are like the ones explained above, other types of individuals find their niches and seem to enjoy Gettysburg and all it has to offer. There's a lot of opportunities for groups or organizations, and I didn't meet one person who absolutely hated the school, regardless of social group.

Alex

As already discussed the majority of students are upper middle class white northeast kids. However there are growing diverse groups, which while they exist, for the most part like to stay together. I had always thought the expression "birds of a feather flock together" was just that, until I came to Gettysburg. While definately there are friendships that are going on inbetween different groups, and with the division that majors provide to these social groups, many friendships and bonds form across groups, in the end the expression mentioned above holds true. My second roommate from Hawaii (and a bunch of other western states since his parents moved a lot) really felt uncomfortable at Gettysburg. However unless you are a social loner, who is pessimistic, and comes with a predetermined mind to dislike Gettysburg, you probably won't feel like him.

Megan

Gettysburg is a very social campus. Everyone knows everyone and someone who would not fit in here would be someone who really isn't interested in partying and getting to know new people all the time. In the spring time, female students wear sundresses and flip flops to class and male students wear pastel polos and plaid shorts. However, it is also popular for boys to run around campus in mesh shorts and jerseys while girls do the same. In the winter, female students wear north face fleeces or burberry jackets and usually some form of uggs or rain boots while male students are almost always wearing north face fleeces as well. Many different kinds of students interact all the time, for example, a group of girls dress to the nines everyday will sit at lunch with another group of girls that is wearing casual attire. The most prevalent financial background at Gettysburg College is wealthy students whos parents not only fund their entire tuition but also their livelihood while enrolled. However, the students don't talk about their financial status in a way that is degrading to others who do not have the same financial upbringing, mostly because a high percentage of the students have a great deal of wealth.

Allison

Even though Gettysburg is small and comes across as a preppy school, I feel like it is possible for everyone to find a group they can become involved with and friends to relate to. There are a lot of clubs and groups on campus for all sorts of different interests, and many of them create a huge bonding experience. There are groups such as the Black Student Union and Allies (LGBT) that represent minority groups and organize many events on campus, there are interest- and activity-based student-run groups such as Dance Ensemble, a capella groups and various theme housing, and there are also many college-run groups such as the various choirs and clubs for different majors. Fraternities and sororities are also pretty big on campus, from groups like the co-ed service fraternity APO to more standard fraternities and sororities... all of these groups have strong internal social bonding and structure but also provide activities and events to the general campus population. As for typical backgrounds of students, many are from New England, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but there are also international students and many students from states much further away (I am from CO and know several other people who are, for instance). Gettysburg is expensive so many of the students come from upper class backgrounds, but there is also a healthy financial aid program so there are also many students on full or partial scholarship, or loans, or work study, or grants, etc.

Sarah

The school is working on becoming more diverse. However, racially, the students aren't as integrated. The Black Student Union, BOMB Squad and Gospel Choir are not friendly towards the white community. While individually blacks and whites are friends and peers, the black community is rather possessive of their own. There is an Asian Student Alliance and a Muslim Student Alliance as well as a Hillel and a Newman Association. Catholics are a large presence, as well as the Christian disciplemakers. Gettysburg students come from all over the country, as well as the globe, but are largely from PA. Students are neither politically active nor politically obstuse: they are aware of pertinent issues, have an opinion on most things but are largely content.

Vance

The student body is overall very homogeneous, which depending on your opinion could be a plus or a minus. Gettysburg students are white, and upper or upper-middle class. It is also a relatively conservative student body, which makes some feel at home and others out of place. While there are some students who do not fit this mold, they tend to self-segregate so there is little interaction between the two groups. Most students hail from suburbs outside of major cities on the East Coast (D.C., Baltimore, Philly, New York, Boston) with a few exceptions.

Emily

Gettysburg has a group on campus that isery involved with social justice (CPS). The main issue examied on our campus is race, however, there is a LGBT group (Allies) as well as a few other justice groups. There many religious groups on campus... everything from Catholic to Buddhist to Pagan. I know the DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship is excellent, strong, and active. It is a non- denominational group that focuses on pursuing Christ. They meet for various activities 2-3 times a week. This group has been the highlight of my college experience. The student who would feel most out of place here is probably someone from a large, liberal city from the West Coast. Everyone can find their niche, though. There are always those of us who wear sweatpants to class, but most people (mostly girls) really go all out to dress up and look nice, especially in warm weather. Anything goes, though. People may not really be into "different" but everyone is respectful and generally accepting. Most students are from NY, Jersey, PA, but there are the oddballs here and there from Texas, Cali, Oregon, China, etc.

Amy

The majority of students are not very politically aware or active but those who are REALLY are, and it's quite a niche.

Nikki

ok, so yes lilly pulitzer dresses are common place and i didn't know about the controversy about popping versus unpopping a collar before i went to gettysburg, but it feels like a lot is changing. the stereo-types are pretty true, but there are all types of people on campus if you take the time, look hard enough, and join the right groups. there really is a lot at your disposal here and i wish i had taken advantage of that my freshman year. we are lacking in the racial diversity area... very predominately white; however, i know that a lot is being done to change that AND there are a ton of groups springing up all over the place to talk about race issues and tensions and to bring it to the forefront. the school is supposedly semi-right leaning, however, it feels like a pretty even mix to me. and with the exception of the poli-sci majors (like me) people seem pretty apathetic. maybe its because there is so much going on, so many things to care about and join that they feel over whelmed. either way, trust, you'll find someone who falls into line with your ideas: religious, political, etc. Also, i think gettysburg is moderately accepting of all sexual orientations. there is def a GBLT group on campus and its just not talked about as a big deal.

Andrew

Gettysburg College is not diverse. There are a few minority kids, but not many. The girls wear sun-dresses and the guys wear the boat shoes, kahki pants, and collared shirts. I wear ratty t-shirts and jeans to be different and the midwest isn't preppy. Some of the rich, preppy kids can be snobby, but overall the student body is pretty close. Everyone pretty much knows everyone by the end of first year. The majority of the students come from New Jersey.

Alex

The students are mostly from upper-middle to upper class backgrounds, which can make a student from a lower socio-economic background feel a little left out at times. (I've experienced this a little.)

Kara

Students at Gettysburg are preppy, but they wear anything from sweatpants to dresses to class.

Lauren

Gettysburg, until recently, was not a very diverse campus. However, more students of color and international students have enrolled in recent years. Different ethnic, racial, and social groups have formed their own organizations, like Allies (for LGBT) and BSU (Black Student Movement). That said, there isn't a lot of racial mixing on the campus.

Ashley

The campus has a large international student population, and is fairly diverse for its size. There is a large number of clubs on campus, ranging from planning, languages, hobbys, arts, support groups, etc. Students are hard workers, but still know how to have fun. The greek community, while a fairly high percentage, does not dominate the social scene. Sororoities do not have houses on campus, due to a Pennsylvania law. Fraternities do exist. The food on campus is excellent, winning awards from the Princeton review. Many students are involved with the center for c[ublic service, allowing the college to create relationships with the town. Overall, there is a tight and close knit campus community.

Alex

Most Gettysburg students are from the Mid-Atlantic states, but with a good sprinkling from New England and other states as well. Many of the students are very preppy, sorority types and tend to dress up for class, but I don't fit into that category and feel perfectly comfortable there. People accept you no matter how much money you might have or might not have, and I haven't ever heard anyone talk about how much money they will be earning some day, unless they are seniors applying for a job. I wouldn't be able to tell you where most students fit into the political spectra because most students aren't that involved in campaigning or anything.

Kristin

The majority of Gettysburg students are from the Mid-Atlantic States, but there are still many students from the rest of the US as well as international students. Students tend to be more aware than active and the campus tends to tilt slightly to the right on the political spectrum.

Katherine

Many people say that diversity at Gettysburg isn't very high...and it isn't, but there is diversity. I belonged to the LGBT-Straight alliance on campus. However, there isn't very much socio-economic diversity. That being said, I don't feel that anyone would really feel out of place on campus. There are clubs and organizations for people of just about every religious, political, and racial background. Most students wear the basic jeans and a shirt to class...some wear sweats (which is rather frowned upon by most professors), and yet others dress up a little (a very few others).

Suzanne

Overall, Gettysburg College students are very friendly. It's not uncommon to say hi to several people on your way to class, even if you don't know them. Althought the student population is quite homogenous, I don't see those not fitting the "typical Gettysburg College student" being left out or descriminated against. The student body is really into volunteering and fundraising for different groups and events are run by students, Greeks, and the Center for Public Service.

Angela

Gettysburg is not a diverse school. Lets just get that out in the open. Its to the point that when the faculty mentions diversity on campus you can hear laughter from most of the students. Yes there are students from many states and many countries, but the GREAT majority of the students are white, upper/upper-middle class students from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut... with a few from the states bordering those. We have black greek life, and an international club, as well as a new club, E-race thats working to stop hate-crimes on campus. For GLBT, there is Allies. But, for the most part, people stick to what they know. People who are not white and upper-middle class are a minority. If you're not white and upper-middle class, you'll find some great people and make some great friends. You'll just have to look a little harder. Oh, one more thing, if you're looking for a college where you can roll out of bed and go to class, this isn't it. People take very good care of themselves and go everywhere looking perfect- unless its Sunday.

Parker

Gettysburg is made up of clicks that all work together at some point. The fraternities and sororities sit with each other and rarely include outsiders. As a male in a fraternity, I would find it difficult to enjoy Gettysburg College without being involved in some sort of organization. Most students are wealthier white kids from the Northeast but there is an increasing effort to recruit international students. Many students are politically aware and not afraid to voice their opinions. The newspaper consistently features weekly opinion articles by a liberal lesbian who argues for, but does not actually understand, diversity.

Christianna

gettysburg is pretty diverse - alot of international students - but the majority is upper class white preppy kids - i guess people who really try to go against the grain would feel pretty out of place - most students are from the north east

Jenna

The morning classes are mostly when students wear sweats. After the morning, students dress up in very preppy clothes. Artsy or non-preppy students would find Gettysburg very hard to assimilate into.

Allison

Students at Gettysburg are smart people. They like to be intellectually challenged, and this is what makes small classes so wonderful. You are bound to have a real discussion in class every day. Overall, most students are upper-class white people. There are very few minorities of any kind: race, sexual orientation, etc. Most are conservative in their political views. A majority of them are involved in greek life, but there is still plenty to do if you aren't in a frat or sorority. Everyone is part of a club, organization, sport etc. There are so many different ways to get involved on campus, and that is what really ties it all together.

Kelly

Predominantly white and christian. Mainly come from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Very preppy attire is worn. Most students come from very affluent backgrounds.

Amanda

My complaint is that the school is not diverse enough culturally. It advertises itself as such, but the majority of the students are causasian, and even the minorities on school only seem to hang out with others of the same minority. That bothers me a lot coming from a very diverse high school where I had friends of all races. While I don't think anyone would outright be put down, I do feel there are some tensions and that a lot of people on campus would perhaps snub others who are not "adequate" in terms of status, sexuality, race, etc. I feel that the campus is very cliquey, and I dislike that about it. It took me a long time to meet friends that I felt I fit in with well. Most Gettysburg students are from New Jersey, NEw York, and New England, but we get others from states farther south or even the west coast. I'd say most people ARE from rich, white backgrounds, but there are people who aren't (like me). Students are politically aware/active if it interests them. I'd say a lot of students on campus a liberal, but there are a fair number of conservatives too. I've never heard anyone talking about how much they'll earn one day.

Alex

The student body at Gettysburg is not very diversified. Minorities probably feel a little out of place at Gettysburg but I do not feel minorities should feel threatened or attacked at Gettysburg. Despite not being a very diversified campus, I believe the student body as a whole is very accepting of people.

Andy

All the different groups on campus blend together. Sure, people of similar races, religions, etc will tend to group together, but everyone respects each other. Most students are politically aware and active and there is the whole gamut of views.

Quinn

One thing that was hard to get used to when I first came here was the clothing style. At my highschool, I wore ripped and frayed jeans, tshirts with band logos and other designs on them, and my hippy sandals. My sense of clothing was laid back, and mostly whatever looked good that was clean. In coming to Gettysburg, the majority of people I saw wore polos, skirts, sundresses, collared longsleeved shirts, office attire, dress pants, nice sweaters. It was definitely a shock to me and I felt out of place for awhile. But then I realized that I sort of needed to grow up into a more mature style of clothing. So now I sometimes wear nicer shirts, skirts, and sometimes a collared shirt here and there. But between the few days I decide to look nice, I still wear my personal style of clothing because that's who I am.

tim

sweet i guess

Robin

-vast majority wealthy and white -ull see students with pink pants and tourguiouze pollos on at 2am in the library -its very preppy -alot of students fom long island, new jersey, and pa

Sean

Greek life is big on campus, which is largely divisive to the community.

Emilie

There is little to no diversity on campus. If you are not good looking, come from money, dress preppy or fashionable, you will most likely feel left out. Friends have described Gettysburg as a "rich preppy white school" with kids coming from PA, CT, NJ and NY primarily. I think the biggest problem with the people here is that most people are very immature. As much as I have grown and matured through my experiences with people here, people that went to my high school feel that this was just an extension of high school and that people here haven't matured much since then because Gettysburg is such a bubble.

Brynn

Overall, our campus is predominantly white and middle-upper class. We do have students from other countries, cultures, and races, but whites make up the majority of the student body. I live in sweats, but a lot of girls wear lily pulitzer dresses to class, boys wear jeans or khakis and polos.

Claire

Most people here are upper middle to upper class. very few poor people, very little diversity. most students have every designer brand you can think of.

Michelle

As on any college campus, there is a fairly large contigent of t-shirt and sweatshirt wearing students. However, the other 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} at Gettysburg is downright preppy and J.Crew and Polo make every-day appearances. When the weather is warm, Gettysburg is turned into a colorful Abercrombie and Fitch commercial. Gettysburg's student body is mostly white, upper-middle class students who have rich, apathetic parents. However, race is very well accepted here and the African American minority, though they stick together, are accepted. Similarly, the BSU and the NAACP on campus usually garner alot of student body support. Most students who attend Gettysburg College are from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, and New York. If you are from another state, like I am, be prepared to feel like the odd man out, especially during discussions of "south Jersey" versus "north Jersey". Most students are politically conservative though the vast majority are politically unaware and apathetic. A politically liberal student will never feel out of place because of the general apathy for anything.

Megan

I like the question "What do students wear to class?" My friend recently came to visit and he jokingly said "Doesn't anyone ever wear sweat pants to class?" In my previous college, everyone would roll out of bed and go to class. Students here are more concerned about wearing designer clothes and dressing up. I would feel out of place in sweat pants. Most Gettysburg students are from fairly close by and from fairly wealthy families.

Caitlyn

I've met so many different people in the past three years, which has been a great learning experience. Even though the majority of the population is from the East Coast, there are students here from all over the U.S. and the world. I work with students from as far away as Nepal and Japan. Gettysburg students are very politically involved and there is a mix of liberals, conservatives and independents, which is what makes my political science classes so interesting.

Charlie

Gettysburg College has a diverse campus, and there are several groups/clubs on campus that promote this diversity. They interact with each other. Gettysburg is a politically active campus. The students are aware that there are several things going on in the world and they promote that awareness all over campus.

Lexy

the student body is pretty homogenous; white, upper middle class. many students wear jeans and a sweater, a sun dress, or khaki's and a polo to class. the student body is relatively conservative, considering that academics are taught from more of a lelft angle.

Julie

The majority of students at Gettysburg are Caucasion, middle to upper class and from the East coast. There are not many minorities on campus but they are increasing in number as the years move on. Most students dress nicely to class and you do not see many students walking around campus in sweats as an everyday appearance. I think there is an equal balance between conservative and liberal students at Gettysburg.

Amanda

gettysburg is pretty homogeneous, but also has great diversity within its ogranizations. within my own circle of roommates almost every major is represented, i find myself interacting with many people of different interests and habits.

Kevin

Gettysburg does not make anyone feel out of place. Although it is mostly white and upper class, any minority background or economic background would feel comfortable here.

Jenn

In general Gettysburg is a very tolerant campus. Although it's not as diverse as some schools i feel that this doesn't pose any problems and students generally feel comfortable being themselves. On any given day you will see a full range of outfits being worn to class from sweats and pajamas to dressy clothes. It really doesn't matter what you wear to class though. Sometimes i wake up in the morning and want to dress cute - other times that just seems like far too much effort and i revert to my go-to outfit of jeans, a sweatshirt, and flip-flops. Most students are from the Northern part of the east coast, but in recent years there has also been a large pull from the midwest and california.

Kendall

The majority of Gettysburg students are from areas in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The student body has many different groups, but holding true to the stereotype the most prevalent are upper middle class, white, and preppy. It would not be unusual to walk into a classroom and find a few students decked out in sundresses for girls or khakis and buttondowns for guys.

Katie

A lot of people participate in athletics.

Kristy

There is not much diversity at this school. the majority of students are white, preppy students. Unfortunately, the school has a lot of cliques. There are rifts between different fraternities and sororities. Students not part of Greek life are usually involved in something else such as an athletic team, student senate, public service, or another club on campus. The student body is the one negative thing about this campus. There are a lot of cliques and it can be hard trying to find where you fit in. Luckily, there are many extracurricular activities on campus to involve everyone in someway. The student body is very driven and competitive. Everyone is out for the best job after graduation with the biggest profit. Success after graduation is the biggest goal here and everyone is looking for that edge.

Molly

my experiences with other groups has been limited, but they make an effort to be heard on a very homogeneous campus. i think people who would feel uncomfortable would be those who segregate themselves, gettysburg is a very white campus, but not unaccepting. people wear a variety of things to class depending on their group of friends etc. different types of people definitely interact. four tables? 1) football players, 2) a group of girls 3) kinda dorky kids 4) anyone who wants. most students are from NJ, NY, Conn. and PA. wealthy backgrounds. if they want to be they are, both left, right and center. no people don't.

Nicole

The Gettysburg student body is pretty homogeneous, despite the fact that the school tries to promote diversity. Typically, students here are white and from upper class families. People here dress pretty nicely for class, although it all depends on the day and weather and the person. You can dress pretty much however you like and get away with it. Students are involved in a lot of different things on campus because it is so small and it's not difficult to find a club/team/organization you like. Most kids on campus are pretty conservative, although they'd like to think they are more liberal.

Alex

Students are Gettysburg are, for the most part, white upper middle class. We have a few international students, and a plethora of "diverse" clubs on campus, but when almost every black person on campus is a member of the BSU, and the BSU only have about 30 members, that says something. Don't let the campus brochures fool you -- those diverse pictures represent pretty much every non white student on the campus. The majority of Gettysburg students are from PA, NJ, MD or NY, which means that the first question you'll be asked when you meet someone is "where are you from?" because chances are you know the town, or at least something near it.

Erin

Most Gettysburg students come from the East Coast and attended good high schools and come from higher socio-economic backgrounds. However, that does not mean that this represents the ENTIRE student population. I had many friends from all walks of life and all different kinds of backgrounds. Gettysburg really helps to foster tolerance and acceptance of all kinds of people. This is part of their mission and it is shown in their huge percentage of students who participate in community service and other projects.