Gettysburg College Top Questions

It is pretty accurate--there is not much diversity on campus.

There are always exceptions to stereotypes. If you look around, you will find people don't all fit this description. However, most of the people you meet are upper-middle/upper class people from the Area. They pay for college mostly with their parent's money, and it shows in that they don't work as hard as those that are paying for college themselves.

1. It's true. We students have an name which pertains to alcohol for each day of the week, and you'll no doubt hear parties next door. But most of the students at Gettysburg College also know when to party and how hard. Gettysburg is a party school, but we still manage to finish our work. 2. While many of the students here are from wealthy families, there are others who do not. As with any college, there will be some rich snobs, but we're not all like that. 3. There are tons of things to do on the weekends besides drink. If you're not into drinking, there are clubs, movie theaters, the Gettysburg Outlets to shop, and volunteering opportunities. In addition, there are many outdoor activities in which you could get involved. The Gettysburg battlefields are one step off the campus, and students can be seen playing sports, taking walks, and enjoying the outdoors. 5. It depends on the department. The chemistry and biology departments are well-known to have professor accessibility around the clock; you will often find many chemistry and biology professors in their offices from 8am to 10pm. However, the math department is notorious for having "office hours" once a day, which means that you only have an hour or two to see the professor. So it really depends on the department. 5. Your UPPER classes will be tiny. However, in most cases, the introductory classes (psychology 101, chemistry 107, biology 111, English 101, etc.) will hold 40 to 50 students in one classroom. 6. While 2,100 students may not sound like a lot compared to larger universities, that's still a lot of people. You'll recognize some people, but you definitely won't know or recognize everyone.

For the most part, but diversity is increasing. There is a place for everyone.

yes we are a history town - and most of the students are on the preppier side and we do work hard and play harder

Yes. The majority of the campus has the prep/WASP background. There is very little diversity on our campus.

For a fair majority, yes. The school is expensive, so a lot of kids have money. A lot of girls wear overpriced brand names just because they can. But these girls tend to be Delta Gammas or Gamma Phi Betas. They all dress alike.

Somewhat, but the same can be said for any small liberal arts school. There's enough diversity to get by.

for some people

For the most part.

I suppose there are a lot of people like that at school, but that is definitely not the case for me. I go to school on scholarship and government aid. I also know plenty of other people that that's not the case for. But yeah, I can see where that stereotype comes from.

There are those who fit the stereotypes but there are many who do not and are much more than that.

Not enitrely. If one person is like the stereotype it gets spread to everyone because the campus is so small. We actually have a lot of international and students from different backgrounds. And not everyone is a Civil War expert!

Personally, I don't think so. Yes, there are a lot of rich, high-class intelligent white people here. However, not everyone is like that. I think our campus is extremely diverse with gradients of class, races, ethnicities, and ranges of intelligence. I know I'm not extremely smart, I'm not rich, and I'm definitely not hardcore Christian, so I definitely don't fit the stereotype most people have. And a lot of other people don't. So I definitely think it's safe to say that that those stereotypes aren't completely accurate. Which is good because there may be people out there who don't want to go to a college with snotty, rich people. The unfortunate thing is that because of the nature of people (sometimes), they see that stereotype and run away from it because they might think "Hey, I'm not a rich hardcore Christian white kid who's really smart, so I won't fit in". They don't give this college a chance to find out that Gettysburg isn't full of snotty, white, supersmart and super religious people, like I did.

yes alot of girls are snobby and most of the kids fit that persona but not everyone. You cant place everyone into one category at any college.

-a portion fit it

yes.

Yes

For the most part.

for about 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body, yes.

These stereotypes aren't accurate- over 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Gettysburg's students receive financial aid, and the average financial aid package is about $26,000. While some students pay full freight to come to Gettysburg, most do not. I have friends who can't afford tuition but are here on full rides.

The stereotype applies to about 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body.

I believe that we do not accept enough students from low income backgrounds. Three quarters of our campus does not even apply for student aid, and only half of the quarter who DO apply for aid receive it. I do not feel like I fit in sometimes because I am of a lower social class than the majority of the students who attend Gettysburg College.

The stereotypes are accurate to an extent. Yes, there are a lot of students who are wealthy and the campus does look like it could be featured in a J. Crew catalogue, but not everyone fits that description. Gettysburg is very generous in terms of financial aid in making sure that anyone who is qualified can afford to come here and we have very active diversity groups, like the Black Student Union, SALSA (an organization for Hispanic students), the Women's Center and the Intercultural Resource Center.

To a certain degree, yes. However, every college has wealtly students, they ones at Gettysburg dont dodminate the scene.

Some instances.

Certain parts of these stereotypes are true, such as many students here are part of the upper class of society. Nonetheless, all students have to work hard to get good grades and would not remain in this institution without working hard academically. There are many parties that go on at Gettysburg, but not all students chose to partake. There are other aspects of the Gettysburg social life other than fraternity parties.

to a degree, but you will find a mix at every school

to some degree, that stereotypes didn't just make themselves up. but i think that is a minority of students. i know at least, from a athletic perspective, there is a large majority of students who work really hard for everything they have, and a proud of all they accomplish.

For the most part, it is a mostly white school and mostly upper class. However, while some students are spoiled, there are plenty of students from wealthy backgrounds who do not flaunt their money or act if they are better then other students

I don't think so anymore. Definitley not as a whole campus. There are of course some people who fit into the stereotype, but most people I know have a finiancial aid package and are very down to earth.

In some cases yes, but you really need to look closer because there are so many different students with different backgrounds and styles!

I would honestly think it depends on your group of friends/who you choose to associate with. Such stereotypes can be proven true many other schools (even of different sizes) not just Gettysburg.

This is true for the majority, but there is a group for everyone here.

Accurate to a certain point, but definetly a wide range of peoples from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Diversity among professors, students, and staff has definetly increased within the past few years. People are very friendly and easy top approach and carry on detailed, intelligent conversation with. In regards to the 'party school' classification, yes Gettysburg has 11 fraternitines with their own houses and 6 sororities (sororities do not have houses), but whether or not you want to get involved in Greek life is entirely your decision. Despite the stigma associated with Greek life, it is a large part of the college community and all organizations are actively involved in philanthropy and sponsoring a variety of all-campus events throughout the year. Also, if you choose to remain independent you will definetly not feel left out of Greek or non-Greek events.

Unfortunately there are a lot of students who the stereotypes do apply to. It is true that many students at the college come from wealthy families and their lifestyle is very different from the townspeople in Gettysburg. However, taking time to know most of the students shows that we are a very caring student body. Many of my friends and fellow classmates are somehow involved with giving back to the community through community service. Us college students are very involved with the community in one way or another. Greek life donates time and money to the community. The student athlete advisory committee (SAAC) participates in food and clothing drives in the community as well. From afar these stereotypes seem to be true, but taking the time to know the students proves that they are not always correct.

to some extent, yes.

The stereotypes are accurate to an extent. There certainly are some people on this campus like that, but the vast majority are not. Most people here are very nice, down to earth and work hard academically.

80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} accurate

They came about somehow, didn't they?

To some degree this stereotype is accurate, but people fail to see the diverse population that Gettysburg does have. Gettysburg's population is comprised of students from at least 33 different states and 19 countries. For a small, liberal-arts college, I would say that it is becoming more and more diverse each year. It is one of the college's goals and initiatives.

It is true for about 50-60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus. Gettysburg is not a flagship school for campus diversity, but there are a fair number of kids from different backgrounds, and the college is working really hard to diversify.

As with all stereotypes, they are in some cases true, although there exists along the spectrum of students a wide variety of people, some who fit into stereotypical categories, and some who do not. There are the wealthier students who are not riding entirely on scholarships and student loans; likewise there are students who depend completely on financial aid to attend Gettysburg. There are students who spend entire days in the library, just as there are students who pull all-nighters before every exam. There are lots of extraordinary people on this campus, but not all of us are into white-water rafting or working on finding a cure for AIDS, as the website might lead you to believe. Essentially, no matter what stereotype you think you might belong in, you will find your niche here. And if you white-water raft, you might even find your way onto our website. If you don't think you're "special," don't be intimidated. Normal people go to school here, too.

Pretty much. The school is largely conservative, and it can get difficult to tell all the blonde ugg-wearing northface wearing girls apart. I wonder how they have any sense of style outside of what they've been told to wear. They also party a lot and their parents throw money at them. However, while that is the majority of the student population, there is a healthy population of dorks, hippies, and other cliche cliques to join. If you come here and think that you're surrounded by idiots, don't fear, just look around and you'll find some good people to chill with.

In the extreme, no. In the general sense, yes. Having come from a very diverse high school I instantly noticed how homogenous the student body is: mostly white, fairly preppy, nice cars. However, we must remember that not everyone is like this. We could do to have more diverse backgrounds at the school, but we aren't a lost cause in any sense. I must also remember that I am part of this commonality; I'm white, middle to upper-middle class, I have my own car, I bought three polo shirts last week and I attended a prep school. But I think if we all start to look more at who we really are not what image we project, that - in and of itself - will make a huge difference in the community. As far as being a friendly and open community I definitely think that sterotype is true; the majority of people I've met - students and teachers - are lovely people.

yeah these are 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} accurate. We like to get fratty cause thats all there is to do at school.

There are always going to many different types of people. I do agree we have the J.Crew type here, but it is by no means the majority or the only people who attend the school. There's a place for everyone.

while you do find many cases where these stereotypes are true, it does not reflect the campus as a whole

Even though many students consider gburg "J-Crew U," there are other types of people and everyone can find a place to fit in.

Yes but there are also a lot of people that dont fit these stereotypes