Skidmore College Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Ryan

While the liberal mindset is common and can get annoying when everyone has one way of thinking, i have found that there are people from all walks of life and from all belief systems, and not always what you would think when first meeting people. You have to be ready to defend you're own beliefs intelligently though, some people can get pretty defensive and it's good to know your stuff.

Reg

We are interested in SO many things at Skidmore. LITERALLY everyone has specific interests that they are excited about. However, students at Skidmore are fairly apathetic, so you need a good organizer to get thing started.

Dan

Skidmore has a restless diversity-based conversation on campus that doesn't seem to stop. Being latino, I was surprised with how much bickering and shallowness took place amongst these discussions. That being said, it hardly affected my life and therefore amounted to little in my college experience.

Ben

Students have a wide variety of interests and this creates great intellectual discussion on campus. Students are generally very open to all types of people and would love for a more diverse student body. The reality of the situation is that it is hard for a private school in upstate New York to full of diversity, look at our peers who lag behind us. Students are from all across the country and globe, and the student body is more diverse every year. Students are not very politically aware but generally lean more left then right.

Brendan

While the majority of any liberal arts institution enrolls students primarily from the Northeast United States, there are a significant percentage (total hypothesis, ~20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) widespread domestically and abroad. Students at Skidmore wear everything from sweats to suits, depending on one's mood (and of course for class presentations). There is no 'standard' dress or 'standard' person at Skidmore. Like I said, we're all creative, fun, and different.

Karen

My classmates have their own inscurites, and I thought I was the only one.

Sarah

Some of my classmates are rich and spoiled, others are humble and middle class, some are intensely intelligent, others are creative, some are "jocks," some are "art freaks," some are introverted, some are extroverted: there is no one type of person at Skidmore and that is what I love about it.

Margaret

Every student that I have met at school has been motivated; beyond the desire to excel academically, most students are driven by a desire to learn, to progress, to embetter themselves and their surroundings.

Andrew

Skidmore's student body is generally comprised of white, middle to upper class kids from the Northeast and West. Apparently Skidmore is doing a better job at creating more racial diversity- and I'm starting to see it more and more on campus. Most of the students are intellectual and pursue some sort of art (music, studio art, english, etc.). Skidmore isn't entirely comprised of artists, however- possibly even half of the students here aren't involved in an art.

Mary

My classmates are intelligent, creative and (often) artistic people,

Ani

"hey man wanna get high or watch an indie movie or paint a picture man?"

Yasmin

open-minded, eager to learn, unique...quirky and funny students.

James

Mostly firendly and helpful, although there are a few "know-it-alls"

Krystina

My classmates are preppy, motivated, upper middle class.

Laura

My classmates, are very academically driven, and unique individuals.

Michael

My classmates are ambitious, hard working, smart, attentive and always looking for a creative solution.

jane

not diverse. very clique. highschoolesque. most are from the northeast, white, uppermiddle class. either they're obsessed with something, or apathetic about everything. very liberal.

Megan

Four tables... Jocks, arts, hippies, international students. Sad, but true. It can be very obvious which students come from money.

Kate

Because Skidmore is so small, it seems that everyone knows everyone else on campus. If you are not from a small high school this may take some getting used to. It is a very strange feeling to know that people already know a lot about you and you of them if you have never even spoken to the person. It also seems that the student body is very clicky--in the dining hall, everyone sits in seemingly segregated areas. One side is for the jocks, and they divide into their sports teams; then their are the theater kids, the art kids, and the orchestra kids and it is up to everyone else to carve out their own niche.

Alex

A jock would feel out of place at Skidmore. Students wear casual clothes to class, jeans etc. The dining hall is somewhat separated. Sports teams, like the baseball, basketball, and soccer teams of sit together for meals on one side, while the theatre/ artsy students sit on the other side. Most students are from upstate NY or Mass. Most students come from higher income households.

Michael

Skidmore's student body is not very diversified. It is mostly white people, but everyone is very relaxed and nice to one another. Religion is not an issue on campus, as most people are not religious. However, if you are religious, people don't care too much and there are services that you can go to to keep up with your religious beliefs. The financial backgrounds that are most prevalent are middle-upper class to upper class white people. Students are generally more liberal than not at Skidmore.

laura

I think most Skidmore students are wealthier which makes it hard to find someone different. Social and economic background is something I would change about the school. It would be nice to meet people from different walks of life.

Chris

Skidmore does not have a diverse campus. Most students are upper middle class and white. There is a small minority of racial students on campus and diversity is felt through activities and performances. Yet, Skidmore cannot offer as much scholarship money as competing schools, since it lacks a large endowment. Being a creative, hippie school, you'd think that Skidmore would have a very large LGBT community, but that's not the case. The community is sizable and their presence is felt, but it is not overbearing. Students are very politically aware. We predominantly care about environmental issues and human rights. Instead of talking about how much money they'll earn one day, student talk about whether or not money leads to happiness and if it is morally right or wrong to accumulate great wealth. Students are very active and the Outdoors club has a big following.

Jess

The student body is incredibly diverse. No student would feel out of place there - there's a group for everyone. The student population on campus is constantly changing since sooo many people go abroad. Students are primarily left-wing, but John Ashcroft came to campus and it was the most widely attended and discussed event in the college's history.

Krista

Most Skidmore students are white, upper-middle to upper class, politically liberal, from the northeast, and...female. The student body is largely homogeneous, which often hinders their ability to see the other side. As a student from very conservative, rural PA, I sometimes feel in the positition to represent the "other side" of arguments. We are also not the most racially diverse campus. It does not help that members of other races associate almost exclusively with each other.

Rebecca

everyone is really attractive and trendy and cool. there are a lot of store-bought hippies, and a lot of real ones. very few jocks. its frusterating sometimes that the student body is so polarized, most people have the exact same feelings on social issues and that leads to a lot of lazyness within social change.

Ben

Jocks, Indies, and independents. If you play a sport you hang out with the jocks... Definition- Northeastern prepsters who wear salmon colored shirts, khaki pants, boater shoes, and a polo baseball cap. If you reside in the art / music department you will hang out the Indies.... Definition- New Yorker who wears skin tight black jeans, ray-ban sunclasses, Niki Dunks, and a plad shirt. The acting kids are somewhat like this but they are the most selective of the people they chill with..aka... if you dont act, you will never hang out with the theater crew. As for me, I have had a much different experience... not your usual Skidmore experience. I am a businnes major / Spanish minor with an interest in acting. I act in the shows at school but I find myself hanging out with almost every type of student. Thats the beauty of Skidmore... there are a lot of students with different interests.

Melinda

diverse. a little bit of everything and a place for everyone

Michelle

Skidmore is not very diverse. Although there is a push toward diversity and various clubs and programs promoting multiple cultures, you will find that most kids are white. Furthermore, many come from upper middle class suburbs or New York City. That is not to say that there is segregation among the student body. All students interact; however, the campus is predominently upper middle class whites. Most students are either really artsy, really fashionable in a hippe kind of way, or don't care too much about what they are wearing. You won't see too many preps or jocks around campus and if you do, they stick together. If I had to give an example of four sterotypical groups sitting in the dining hall I would say: #1 Theater Kids. Usually have big egos and everyone knows them because the theater department is popular and usually the same kids get the big parts. #2 "Jocks." There are not too many, because sports are not very popular at Skidmore, but everyone knows who these "jocks" are and in opposition to most other places... the jocks at Skidmore are not really the "cool" kids. #3 The Well-Dressed Girls. Skidmore is has a 60-40 female to male ratio so you will see a lot of girls hanging out together. One stereotype are the girls who put fashion before anything else and are wearing their best at any moment, including while eating a meal. #4 Anyone. There are a lot of just normal people who can't be categorized .. which is great. They definitely make up the last fourth of the Skidmore stereotype.

Hannah

Skidmore students are generally pretty well off, but there are financial aid kids like me. Skidmore is a very liberal school. There are lots of Jews at Skidmore and it is pretty white. No one seems to care about your sexual preference and there are lots of LG. Students don't wear sweats to class and there are lots of artsy looking kids.

Phil

Varies. A vast majority come from some form or wealth. If not they're here on scholarship by way of upping diversity numbers or residents of the state of ny. (that sounds terrible but hey that is reality) You have your hipsters, art students, dancers-excessive and wonderful creative people, the jocks (tend to run in their own separate circle), and the rest of the population which is hard to define.

Tate

Skidmore has been working hard to integrate different races into its community. It has a majority of caucasian students but the percentage of minorities is rising rapidly each year. Skidmore is a well balanced community and every student is accepting and open. We have a great mix of various races, international students, genders and sexualities. Students range from affluent to less so and there are lots of financial aid and work-study opportunities available.

Mel

The student body is mainly composed of white students. Very little diversity, in all aspects, racial, religious, cultural, LGBT and socio-economic. Most students who are not of the higher socio-economic class (which I personally am not part of) would feel out of place at Skidmore. Designer clothes are an every day fad for students at Skidmore.

Michael

Students are friendly you can find a group, organization, or club for pretty much any interst you could possibly have. The liberal Arts atomosphere is great in terms of meeting people with different interests.

Emma

Most Skidmore students are from the Northeast area - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, etc. - although we do have students from almost everywhere, including a lot of foreign students. Skidmore is a really accepting college; you're free to be who you are and most likely there will be other "you"s out there. At the same time, there aren't a lot of cliques at the college; I have friends from pretty much every activity I participate in and we all sort of mix from different friend groups. The only aspect of the student body that sometimes frustrates me is that it can be really hard to get the students involved in programs or activities that the smaller clubs on campus hold. The students, politically, are mostly liberal, but it's even hard to get them involved in political activities on campus.

Stephanie

Open-minded, liberal, talented, artistic, loves music and dancing, mellow, involved, environmentally aware. Not diverse in terms of race and ethnicity.

Alexandra

used to be all hippies, now they are all hipsters.

Casey

The SKidmore student body has a wide range of interests. There are multiple events happening every weekend of dances, lectures, movies, performances, and other. Also since SKidmore is a smaller college, lots of collaboration happens amongst the students.

Alicia

There are large groups of middle class to upper class students, as well as politically left students. However, there really is a wide range of students and not fitting into those categories is not a problem. If there were only four tables in the dining hall they would probably be divided into the lacrosse bros, the recycling club, the actors/actresses, and the international students. However, I don't fit into any of these groups and I couldn't be happier here!

Vick

The dining hall is divided in two- one half jocks and the other half so called artsy students. It is hard to find the underground scene but it is definitely worth the search.

Torry

students make a big issue of bais crimes here but in my experience their have been very few and are not gone beyond name-calling. its never gotten violent or to the piont of harrassment. if your views are conservative or strongly republican you will be in the minority. we do have though guest speakers like john ashcroft and mansfield. students mostly where flip flops to class and fashion isn't too important for most. if your looking to get layed its pretty easy hear, but if you want to get drunk its not so simple. a large percentage of students are on financial aid.

Abbie

Some students dress up for class, and some wear sweatpants--it varies from class to class, and what point in the semester it is. I think a student who is really into sports, and who is a really big jock would not really fit in--but everyone at skidmore is pretty accepting. The dining hall is really interesting. There are like 2 sides, one for the sporty people and one for the artsy people. The artsy people sit on the side with the vegetarian station and the salad bar, while the jocks sit on the side where there is pasta and powerade in the drink machine. Many people at this school are pretty wealthy, with really nice clothes. I would consider skidmore to be a predominately liberal campus.

Emmy

We are not a very diverse campus, but we try to be. A student who is unsure of themselves would feel very out of place.

Sara

There is a group for everyone on this campus and I don't think any of the groups are in contest or dislike another. There isn't as much diversity, racial or economic, as one might hope. Things like dress are pretty chill, there is no need to "dress for class" you just show up and learn. People are who they are here and most of the time don't really care what anybody else thinks.

Blake

There are too many problems to mention. There is a lot of subtle racism and homophobia. More liberal than conservative yet not as liberal as one would hope. People just look at you if you are a person of color. People are rude here.

Paul

Only approximately forty percent of students receive financial aid, meaning the majority of students are from a wealthy financial background. A high percentage of students political identify as Democrats, producing a very liberal learning and living environment. A lot of students are into indie music and are always advocating for more shows along those lines.

ari

the hillel at skidmore sucks. i only go for shabbat dinners because they have yummy kosher food and i keep kosher. the majority of kids are white. it seems like races are really separated. all the black kids hang out with each other and all the asians hang out with each other. there isnt a whole lot of overlap. id say most kids familys are relatively financially well off or stable. but id also say that most kids i talk to are on financial aid. mostly democrats (but honestly, what college isnt?!)

Ryan

Skidmore is very casual. The LGBT community is a bit quiet here--someone looking for a closer-knit community might consider a different college. Skidmore is not at all religious. Skidmore consists of mostly upper-class whites, but is trying to diversify its student community, a move that overall has seen a very positive response.

Dawson

Most of the students are from the northeast, however there is a good number from the west coast. Most students are politically aware and are very liberal. The campus is predominantly white and upper-middle class. Some students get dressed nice for class (dresses and flats in spring and fall, uggs, jeans, and a nice sweater in the winter) while some students go to class in sweats. Both are acceptable and you wouldn't stand out one way or another.

Alex

School is gaga over LGBT issues. I'm not against gay rights or tolerance, but the school reeks of so much politically correct bullshit that I sometimes want to punch someone in the face. One of the posters in the bathroom for the suite in which I live in the dorm in which I live actually recommended using gender neutral pronouns when referring to people. I can't remember exactly what the pronouns were; "zir and zee" I believe they were. Seriously, how many fucking people don't have a clear "gender identity" 1 in 10,000? People who are among the 1 in 10,000 should just except that they don't have a clear role in society and that their lives are going to suck. The school talks a good game about diversity, but the vast majority of kids are upper-middle class and white. Most of the blacks kids hang out with other black kids. Most of the international kids hang out with other international kids. This school's full of the typical liberal bullshit. Students are mostly liberal, although business is a popular major -- maybe the most popular; business majors tend to be more conservative, they tend to be jocks and they tend to be unintellectual retards.