Hendrix College Top Questions

I would describe the majority of Hendrix students as the type of kids who were generally ostracized in some fashion in high school, mainly of the "liberal fish out of water in a conservative southern environment" variety. Or perhaps they weren't necessarily ostracized, but still, the majority of students fit the mold of "liberal who grew up in the conservative south." This isn't to say that there aren't conservatives or north easterners or west coasters on campus (there is quite a sizable population of jocks and their female counterparts in fact), but the "stereotypical" Hendrix student is a liberal hipster type from the southern US who's always striving to be as unique as possible (it's up to you to decide if that's good or bad).

It is difficult to define a Hendrix student, so it's difficult to say that there is a stereotype about us. There is a huge diversity in the interests and activities represented in such a small student body, and so the stereotype that you might hear from one person would be completely different from what you would hear from another. In general, I would say that we are very open-minded and engaged in the world around us. Probably one of the more common things said about us is that we lean to the left politically, but there is also a very vocal group of conservatives on campus, and people of all beliefs are respected. No matter the "niche" you might fit into, you will still feel like a part of the community as a whole.

Typical Hendrix student: there is none. Seriously. Think of every college stereotype and I can think of a face to match. To better explain… I had three roommates my freshman year, and two girls who practically lived in my room. Memphis, New Orleans, upstate New York, California-turned-Arkansas, St. Louis and Philadelphia were represented geographically. Dance, band, tennis, arts-and-crafter-extraordinaire, Ultimate Frisbee and swimming were our ‘main’ extra-curriculars. Stereotypes: brainy future politician, stoner bisexual, intensely competitive blonde athlete, goofy band geek, hot-lesbian-next-door, über-busy Mom-type. We all got along and still have dinner together every Saturday night. Now expand that out campus-wide and you’ll better understand why there’s not a “typical” Hendrix student. The most commonly shared characteristic of the student body is that some freakishly large percentage of the campus voted for Obama; democratic bastion in Arkansas, I guess (even so, my roommate is a die-hard Republican… go figure). What I hear from kids at the AR state schools who come to our rockin' parties, we're the "smart rich kids who party hard" (rich because it's a private school). Stereotype accuracy: low. Let's break this down. "Smart rich kids who party hard." Smart? Yeah. You don't come to Hendrix unless you want to learn. We work hard. Rich? Not so much. 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of current students get some kind of financial aid. Kids? Well, yeah, we're still kids. But we're in college. As for the partying, I'll say this: we work hard enough that we need time off. In that time off some people hang out with friends, others work out, others enjoy the insane outdoor activities that Arkansas has to offer (this IS the natural state... hiking, canoeing, spelunking, we've got it all), and others party. This is a college campus after all. That being said, partying and drinking is an individual decision; you won't be pressured. Hendrix is big on making your own decisions and taking responsibility for them... that attitude is found in our student body as well.