University of Mary Washington Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Maria-Fe

I'm not at Mary Washington. I'm at Germanna Community College. The classmates at Germanna are helpful, willing to help if the event arises, and the faculty are very friendly.

Jazmin

My classmates at University of Mary Washington are helpful and understanding if I ever need assistance.

Rachael

UMW has a ton of different types of students. There is about a 60/40 split politically, with a more liberal lean. LGBT pride is pretty evident on campus, as "PRISM," the LGBT group is very outspoken. Most of the students are from VA, since it is a public school, but I also met plenty of out-of-staters. Students are really active in the community, and many volunteer on and off campus.

Kelly

We have a very diverse set of students. A majority of our students are LGBT, and we have a great group called PRISM to help educate the campus about LGBT individuals and where LGBT people can come together and discuss problems, plan events, or share experiences. We do also have a large group of Christian based religions on campus. Students that are religious still have the chance to attend church with transportation usually being provided or in walking distance. A church near campus is always hosting dinner and inviting students to attend mass. Most students dress comfortably on campus such as in sweat pants. Some students do still wear jeans, and other will be seen in dress clothes after coming from work or practicum. All different students do interact on campus. Students are able to have friends like the, such as same religion or sexuality, and also friends that may not come from the same background. All of the students get along fairly well. Most students are from Northern Virginia. There are some out-of-state students and out-of-the-country students as well. With many people coming from around the DC area, the student body is mostly middle class white Americans. Students are politically aware, and I have to say we are more on the liberal side.

Melanie

Very excited to learn and intelligent.

Katie

My classmates care about their education and strive to make a difference on campus and in society.

Miranda

My classmates seem more into getting through college than actually experiencing it.

Angela

My classmates are young but nice.

Jenna

Smart, reliable, and usually pretty friendly.

Jay

Friendly but unambitious

Jessica

Very friendly, very giving.

Liz

At UMW the classmates come from all differnt back grounds.

Elaine

My classmastes are dilligent workers who are looking for a solid job in the world; they are also happy, outgoing, laid back, and enjoy having a good time with friends.

Meagan

They are prefectly and wonderfully disfunctional in the completely fantastic sence of the word.

Carly

Although my classmates are kind and interesting, I feel that they often do not challenge themselves academically--I am often the only one who asks questions in my classes.

Amanda

They're all so fun and sweet. Everyone feels comfortable enough to make jokes in class, without being disrespectful.

Daniel

My classmates were generally very engaging and we got along very well both in class and during group work.

Sirena

My classmates are attentive, eager to learn, willing to share knowledge, accessible, and great study buddies.

Kimberly

My classmates were like my best friends, focused and upbeat.

Brittany

They are helpful and kind. They are open to new friendships. Great study groups.

Laura

My classmates are very friendly and accepting.

Stacy

My classmates are very friendly and eager to help.

Sonia

My classmates are intelligent, friendly, and caring.

Jacob

A mryiad of personalities.

Megan

There are two types of people on campus... the preps and the nerds. The majority consists of nerds/artsy people. The funny thing about Mary Washington is the normal nerds and outcasts in high schools who didn't have any friends can find a plethora of people like them, so they have the most friends on campus. The preps and sports players stick together like glue. 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UMW students are from Northern Virginia (it seems like, at least). When I go home, I see people from my dorm in Chipotle or at the movies... that can be good, or bad. Most people are from humble backgrounds because UMW is actually the most affordable in state school. Many people are on financial aid and loans, and attend the school for financial reasons. Minorities would feel out of place, they call our school "Mostly White College..MWC" Students are politically aware, mostly liberal although the town itself is highly conservative.. I've seen groups of people dressed in Confederate attire.

Blake

The student body is without a doubt very racially homogenous. The LGBT community is fairly large (about 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) and very active and accepted on campus. Most students come from middle and upper-middle class backgrounds. Students do interact between groups, but it is also common for them to form small, close groups of friends and stick to them. During the warmer months a lot of girls on campus will wear sundresses; polo shirts, skirts, t-shirts and jeans are all popular. In the winter hoodies are the norm. The political groups on campus are very active, but they do not dominate the student body in any way. Class council is also very active, and sets up a lot of fun events, bbqs, concerts, and speakers. We also have a great group on campus called GIANT, which brings in a lot of comedians and performers. This year we got Lupe Fiasco, which was really an amazing concert.

Michelle

The student body at Mary Wash is not particularly diverse. However, there are few stereotypes on campus, and minority students generally fit right in. There are exceptions, of course.

Mallory

So many different kinds of people at UMW. Like I mentioned before, diversity is increasing (racially speaking.) That's about the only thing that I wanted to see happen in terms of diversity. Religiously, socio-economically, etc.-- it's pretty diverse. There are tons of differently people with tons of different views, but they're all extremely accepting. I never felt as though I was going to be judged or persecuted due to my beliefs. I think that's an important aspect of a college. In terms of political activity, I'd say it's pretty politically active. It's not in your face, though. And there are definitely substantial amounts of people that support both sides. I wouldn't characterize it left, right, or center-- I'd say it's fairly equal. And even if it does lean, it never showed. For example in my political science classes the professors never disclosed their political beliefs. That's not true across all the disciplines, but it definitely was true within my department.

Sarah

There is a variety of people at UMW, and for me (I'm from a small town) there are a lot more LGBT groups than I expected. Everyone interacts with everyone. I don't think any student would feel out of place here, because there are so many different types of people. At lunch there are a variety of students at every table. From my experience, there are a lot of people who are from middle class families, more so than any other socio-economic group. There are two very active political groups on campus, and everyone is very politically aware. There are always a variety of political speakers every year, and each speech is well-attended.

Melissa

Very small diversity on campus. Some international students, some diversity. But primarily white middle class. Very casual attire to class.A lot of students are from Virginia, some from New Jersey. Four tables of students in dining hall: one table are the loud Rowing jocks, the other are the theatre kids who ALWAYS travel in packs, the other are odd RPG kids who wear black in the summer, and die their hair pink, along with adding random piercings, while making up the entire membership of the Renaissance Club. The fourth table are the people who can be nerdy, but also party whenever possible.

Connie

People come from a lot of different backgrounds, I think Mary Wash is comprised of a friendly and open-minded student body.

Beth

The community of students is very open and accepting. PRISM had a large prescence on campus, which is fantastic. All the students seem to come from the same economic background however, middle to upper middle class. Perhaps the school doesn't have enough financial resources to give those from working class families full scholarships to attend, which is really a shame. It's so aggravating to see even a lack of diversity among socio-economic classes.

Paige

It is pretty diverse, no one would really feel out of place. As a whole, the student body is friendly and trustworthy.

Taylor

I am very active in InterVarsity which is an on-campus Christian organization. We strive to let the campus know they are loved and to be an outlet for sharing the common ground of our faith. I have had many LGBT friends and value all of my friendships with them; I strongly feel that Mary Wash is a friendly environment no matter who you are or where you place your identity.

Stephan

There is not a great deal of racial diversity in the student body, but even that is improving. The amount of interaction between groups is refreshing and the spectrum of political and religious beliefs is a large one. The general student body is very aware of current events because the campus is located halfway between Richmond VA and Washington DC. Also there are three different newspapers provided daily for the students. Oh yeah and the ration of females to males still hovers at or above 2-1.

Kyle

Not too bad.

Laura

The student body would not be classified as very diversed-racially, religiously, or socio-economically. And as an out-of-stater, i found there to be very few students from outside the state of VA. I understand that it is a state school but many of my friends at other universities in the state found that they were not alone as an out-of-stater all the time-as I felt. The student body is mostly white, middle to upper class women who are either Christian or non-practicing. There is a strong gay community at the school, and I feel that there is a comfortable amount of gays for such a small school.

Allison

Very liberal campus. Lots of gay people... and people who could / will be gay by the time they graduate. Not that many preps / snobs. Everyone is pretty down the earth and laid back. There are hardly any black people. It's mostly white females. If you're a straight guy, you'll get a ton of action.

Katy

One of the things that struck me about college and classes was the dress code. There is none really. You obviously can't walk around naked, but unlike high school, things are surprisingly chill when it comes to what to wear. A student can wear pajamas to class every day if they'd like. Jeans and sweat pants actually become a staple of what to wear to class (sweats are especially good for those vicious 8 am classes). It's a very casual atmosphere, with no pressure to wear something like khakis and a sweater vest everyday.

Dylan

I would say I had a very sheltered UMW experience because the atheltic community is so tight nit that's the majority of the people I was surrounded by and we all seem to have very similiar interests and opinions. However, it was in the classroom discussions (upper level classes) where I really became aware about the broad UMW student sentiments.

Connie

Our schools is predominately a white, middle to upper-middle female class. The biggest criticism of our university is the lack of diversity we have, but that does not stop the students from creating various clubs and organizations geared towards cultural diversity. Being a minority myself, I found this an issue at first, but you learn that there is more to a college than which students come from which ethnic background. Our school is constantly striving for diversity. One of our biggest events is our Multi-Cultural Fair, an all-day event where students display a variety of cultures through food, dance, performances, etc. Additionally, we try to bring popular artists to increase diversity as well. A couple years ago, the rap band The Roots came to perform, and this past spring Lupe Fiasco did a tour of Virginia and stopped by our university.

Stephanie

I think that UMW has a great student body but there tends to be certain types of people that are attracted to the school, especially anglo-saxon females from within the state of Virginia. I think that UMW needs to broden its student body and I would really enjoy having more people who are from out of state.

Mia

white white white

Elizabeth

Most of the students are middle-upper class, white, and live in VA. However this does not mean everyone has the same personality and interests.

Harper

ok im bored now, see above for a general overview

Bethany

The student body at UMW is pretty casual and laid back- most people wear jeans to class. There are a few girls who dress up, but they look like they're trying too hard. Most of the students are from Virginia, since it is a state school. Freshman year can be hard because a lot of students go home for the weekends. Now that my friends and I are older, everybody stays at school most of the time.

Chelsea

UMW is a fairly diverse campus. We had a large exchange program with Korean students this year, and several students from Afghanistan. There is not a particularly strong black or hispanic population among students. I feel that the socio-economic status of most students is average. Black and hispanic students might feel out of place if they're used to being surrounded by others of the same ethnicity, but in no way are they made to feel out of place by the student body. Most students wear casual clothing to class, though some wear sweats or pj's. Different types of students do interact. There is no sort of clique or segregation at the school. The four tables in the dining hall would seat different types of students. Most UMW students are from northern Virginia. Students are very politically aware and active, although the campus definitely leans toward being liberal. Most students do not talk about how much they'll earn in the future.

TJ

We aren't terribly racially diverse and that's something we certainly need to work on. There is religious diversity on campus, and our LGBT group is very active. They have many events every year. I know people who need financial aid and people who have their own Ferraris. I think African Americans would feel somewhat out of place, but I hope that changes soon. Students wear anything from sweatpants to dresses to class. Different types of students do interact; I'm friends with people I would probably never have been friends with in high school. Many UMW students are from Virginia, but there are also a ton from New Jersey and New York. Students don't really talk about how much they'll earn one day, but that may be because I interact primarily with freshman and sophomores who usually don't know what they'll be doing yet. There are a lot of politically aware students. My political science classes have been my biggest classes and many people have had a lot of interesting and constructive things to say. Our Young Democrats and College Republican groups are very large. We lean left but there are many conservatives as well.

Ashley

The students are not very diverse. However, the school as a whole does seem very warm and friendly. It's a relaxed atmosphere where students can wear sweatpants if they really want to. Students appear active in politics and hot issues, such as abortion. The school seems to be mostly from Virginia, white people, mostly girls, and probably are most in the middle-upper middle class.

Devin

Our "liberal arts college" focus has grabbed the attention of a special kind of person which makes up our student body. There is no one factor that can label the kind of students which attend the university but they are all passionate about their special interest whether it is in religious groups, cultural differences, community service, political views or sports. There is something for everyone at UMW to be involved in, and if we dont have it you can start it. The majority of the students at UMW are white. The school is not racist but does have low multi-cultural diversity, which is being worked on. What ever race you are does not limit the amount of friends one can have on campus, the classification of courses or clubs you can partake in. We have no religious affiliation or one overlaying political view. All views along the spectrum can be found to be represented at UMW. With the campus being as small as it is you become friends with the majority of students by the end of your 4th year.