Wabash College Top Questions

Wabash has a community like none other because of the size. Here at Wabash my friends are not one group of people, but people from different backgrounds and with different takes on everything from classroom topics to politics to style.

One of the few remaining men's only colleges in the United States, the school's all-male status is a source of pride among its student body and alumni as well as it's most distinctive features. This fact of Wabash bleeds over into all of it's other characteristics and forms the basis for many of its charms. Fraternity membership is a very active component of the school's social scene with 10 national fraternities with membership typically north of 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. The student body is mostly composed of guys from Indiana, although international students and students from across the country are becoming more and more of a staple of incoming classes. The student body is mostly conservative, a mirror image of the mostly liberal faculty. As a result, a overall healthy clash of ideologies ensues throughout a typical academic year. Despite often heated exchanges and the normal dose of narcissism among some faculty members, each year ends without incident. Wabash's uniqueness lies in its ability to have serious debates on campus without some of the typical insanity that ensues at some colleges. This is in part, no doubt, because the majority faculty members open themselves up to the student body and allow personal relationships to form between students and professors. Such relationships are conducive to personal as well as academic growth and continue to be the most often cited positive of the college.

The best thing about Wabash is the sense of community created by the campus. Students, faculty, staff, and alums all share a common thread that enhances a feeling of belonging for people who want to be a part, despite a wide array of differences among Wabash's constituents. Men intermingle regardless of fraternal allegiance, or lack thereof, race, belief, or hometown. That being said, I would change the growing student preference for groups that seem to encourage forming and sticking to one group as opposed to belonging to multiple social organizations. I absolutely love the size of the College. Not only did I know the majority of my classmates over the course of four years, when I tell people that I went to Wabash, they automatically appreciate the singularity of my college experience compared to someone who went to BigAss University. Additionally, the small size allows for several strong friendships to grow between individuals who normally wouldn't hang out. With only 850 students, you tend to see the same people everyday and bond with them, as oppposed to having your pick of thousands of students to select those who most likely agree with your personal beliefs. One experience I will always remember points to two things unusual about Wabash: the fraternity system and the huge pride Wallies have in their school. Freshmen are allowed to pledge their first semester, which means they are able to participate in Homecoming with their pledge brothers. One of my fondest memories will always be working on our float for a solid week and then cheering on the sidelines during the Homecoming game. Building a three story statue of the school's mascot isn't something that I'm likely to forget.

As some of our literature states, we are a Liberal Arts College for men, and when I view this in retrospect of the 'Big Picture' I think that we are a very unique school among colleges because the 'all-male' aspect of higher education is slowly disappearing. We are who we are because we have always been all-male and we will continue to be all-male.

Wabash is great because the faculty and staff care about the students. There is no profit motive here, it is all about creating a positive learning environment for the students and helping them learn to learn on their own and molding them to be good, responsible men in the real world.

If you want to be challenged spritually, academically, physically, emotionally, and personally, then Wabash is the place for you. The professors have high expectations for their students and they hold everone who steps into their classrooms to extremely high standards. As a current teacher for Teach For America, I know the value of establishing and maintaining high standards for students and Wabash does just that. Students are held personally accountable for all of their actions and inactions (I have had professors call me on my cellphone to discuss a wide number of things). Because Wabash is such a small community of just under a thousand (students, faculty, and staff), there is a large sense of community, of belonging to a greater Wabash family. Some students become jaded as the years go by because they seem to lose sight of what makes Wabash a fun place: the students and their interactions. There is some kind of disconnect between the faculty and the students. This largely comes from the high turn over rate we have had in the past several years. The younger faculty tends not to intermix with the students, which is unfortunate. Most commonly this results in miscommunication and therefore misunderstandings. These disconnects are also the result of some older faculty who, becasue of a single bad experience with a student many years ago, have become cynical of their current students and their motivations.

Wabash does not educate students for a job. Wabash educates students so that they will be prepared for the real world. Students are granted with freedom and responsibility through the Gentlemen's Rule. The freedom combined with the rigorous coursework provides a student with a well-rounded education that continues outside of the classroom. Students are able to grow and mature on their own as they learn from their own mistakes and shortcomings.

The best thing about Wabash is the closeness and comaraderie developed between the students. When I tell people I go to Wabash, one of the immediate responses is always, "Isn't that that all-male college?". The next question that comes from their lips is generally, "Why?". The town of Crawfordsville, where Wabash College is located is not the greatest of college towns. It is generally known for its drug-related reputation and its lack of things to do. At Wabash College there is a wealth of school pride and just about every student shows it. I think the most frequent student complaint is that the school is too hard and there are no girls around.

Wabash is a society that makes men out of boys. Having only males in the classroom lets the students express themselves without fear of feeling stupid in front of the girls. The language becomes more frank and open. Life outside the classroom is more boisterous and more tuned to male entertainment and male ways of doing things. The majority of the student body lives in 1 of 10 fraternities and freshmen spend their 1st semester as pledges undergoing a sort of continuous trial by fire to help them mature and foster a devotion to Wabash that will last forever. The softness of modern culture has shrunk the pool of men who can thrive at Wabash, but Wabash and her sons richly reward those who can.

Wabash College is a unique place. I do not use the word "unique" lightly. We are one of a handful of all-male institutions left. I would not change it for anything in the world. Recently, we had a professor leave Wabash College for our rival to the south. We shall not mention their name. He left because, in his mind, Wabash discriminates against women. This professor had taught at Wabash for a couple of decades and he is now just realizing this! We do "discriminate" against women by not accepting them into our College; however, that being said, it is NOT because we patronize over women or because we do not value women in society. Our College is special and we feel that the all-male atmosphere stimulates a higher educational experience. That might be true and it might not. Tradition is a big word at Wabash College. Chapel sing, Monon Bell, and Pan-Hel week are just a few of the experiences that are incorporated into your four years here at the College. These are traditions and just as our fore-fathers knelt in the snow to pray for the success of their new found College, we uphold those esteemed values today.

Private, Liberal Arts school in a small town in the Midwest. It sounds bad, but I wouldn't put this place anywhere else, and I sure as hell wouldn't change the atmosphere around here.