Washington and Lee University Top Questions

W&L's student body is primarily composed of fraternities and sororities. I have friends who are unaffiliated, but the majority of the student body is involved in Greek life. The most casual attires girls wear includes Nike running shorts and a t-shirt, if they choose to work out promptly following class. Other than that, polos, button-downs, dresses, etc are commonplace. Lily Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines and Tori Burch could stay in business solely off the female population at W&L. Guys are out of an ad from either Nautica, J.Crew or Polo as well. While upon coming to W&L, I thought virtually everyone would be conservative, there are a healthy number of liberal-minded students. The ideal date or boyfriend is the i-banker. Nobody cares about football or basketball. I have a handful of guy friends in varsity sports, but I can count the number of sports functions I've attended this year on one hand. And when we go to home football games, girls wear sundresses, and guys wear suits.

I love the W&L students. People here are absolutely beautiful. For the most part, they dress well, know how to party and are intelligent and friendly. Students here seem to be in good shape for the most part. People either go to our awesome gym or participate in a sport. You are just as likely to see the students here in their running shorts, tee and sneakers as you are to see them in vineyard vines, forever 21, polo, designer jeans or lilly dresses.

W&L has had issues with the integration of new ideas and types of different students, and its a slow process, but one that is a goal of the student body almost universally. the school gives full scholarships to about a hundred outstanding students every year, and is gradually becoming a more diverse population. traditions are key at w&l though, and they carry over into dress, which is usually abnormally formal (sun dresses and suits, bowties, etc). a student who never dresses up for anything, and persistently wears sweats would probably feel a bit out of place, but at the same time a lot of people dress like that to class too.

Students here tend to not be very active politically and things like demonstrations or protests are unheard of. Students who cannot balance work and partying need not apply here as it is expected of a student to do both. Students are often very busy with work for classes and then finish it so that every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night you can often expect to see straight A students out at parties. Students here dress much better than would be expected at another college. You don't see students wearing sweats unless they are going to the gym and there are a tremendous number of formal functions here (I have been to 3 black tie events this year). While W&L is predominantly Christian religion is not an oft discussed subject outside of academically so often one does not know what religion others are without asking, although there are ample opprotunities to attend religious services of your faith as there is a hindu temple, a buddhist meditation center, several mosques and synagogues, and almost every church imaginable within an hours drive. Most students are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. While there is some discrimination against minorities by certain segments of the student body overall most people are generally very accepting. Most W&L students are from the east coast and upper south but there is a broad diversity of students from across the country.

Work Hard, Play Even Harder.

Although diversity is in the student body and endorsed on campus, an average visitor might gain an impression of homogenity among the students. Financial backgrounds tend to be upper middle class and above, but I've never witnessed or experienced any kind of bigotry. I believe that despite the similarities, tolerance isn't just a watchword. On other campuses, those touted as liberal and all tolerant, I've observed a disdain for those who label themselves conservative. At W&L, I believe that all are tolerant and tolerated. Any remarks about political affiliations (especially conseravatives towards the liberal) are often made, and taken, in jest. The small student body allows for closeness and acceptance based on personality, not political views, sexual orientation, religious leanings or socio-economic standing.

W&L is a pretty homogeneous environment, but we are becoming more diverse. Almost everyone is in a fraternity or sorority, and most students have other extra curricular activities as well. Students are generally politically aware, smart, and good on their feet. Most students are social, good conversationalists, and not awkward. People wear all sorts of things to class. I would not feel out of place in a casual dress or sweatpants. Generally, students come from affluent families and are serious about their futures. I would say most lean right politically, but there are plenty who lean left too. The student body is not as uptight as its reputation would suggest. Students enjoy dressing up, going out, and taking themselves, their studies, and their reputations seriously, but they also love to have a good time and hang out.

divided community.

students wear a wide range of clothing to class...you will see anything from pjs to lily. with mock convention and an active college republicans and college democrats-students are politically active. the campus leans to the right.

Fratty

It can be very homogenized, though many students come here for that reason. The school is trying to diversify, but its efforts have largely failed because the diverse groups tend to hang out with each other. There are a few gay men, who are treated with respect, though many more exist without coming out until after graduation. There are really no lesbians around. Gothic students/punk students are seen very rarely. There are more than average extremely wealthy students, but just as many students who come from humble backgrounds. Expect to spend a lot on cocktail dresses and designer clothes for women, and sports coats and ties for men. Buy a tuxedo your freshman year; it will save you money in the long run. Though students are very smart, they largely don't do protests. There are several socially aware organization on campus, but large scale movements don't happen here.

W&L is a somewhat homogeneous place, but that is not to say that we don't have any diversity at all. Over the past few years W&L has slowly become more and more diverse. Some people say that it takes a certian type of person to like W&L, "you either love it, or you hate it."

Students seem to be passively closed to differences in race, country, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background. Most students wear flip flops, khakis, sun dresses, north face, work out spandex, and polos to class. Most people dress up (sun dresses) for football games. Predominately conservative. Students from almost every state and several different countries... there seem to be a fair bit of Texans here

The student that would strive at WnL would be competitive in the classroom, accepting of a large social scene, and have a decent amount of money to spend on extracurricular activities. It is true that the school has few minorities. If a minority student chooses to come here, he or she will have to understand that they probably will find a place to fit in, but there are students and parents who are ignorant about other people.

I have to admit, Washington & Lee does not have a tremendously diverse group of students. There is a large portion of wealthy southerners, and very few students from minority groups. The student body can also be somewhat divided by the Greek system, although I would say that the system as a whole is beneficial to the social experience at W&L.

Coming from Southern California, I experienced culture shock at W&L. There is definitely a white, Southern feel to the campus, and it tends to get very, very cliquish. Students tend to be conservative, though that seems to be changing... or perhaps it's just the journalism department. People dress up for class -- you won't find pajamas or sweats, unless there's some sort of designer label involved.

The students in general are also quite competent. There are very few slackers here, or even non-exceptional students. I am many times amazed to discover the depth of my friends' specialties and research projects. Besides

I would not suggest this school to my gay or lesbian friends, although it would be really nice to have more diversity, because the people I know here who are openly gay are sometimes treated quite poorly. Students are very politically active and are really quite evenly dispursed between right and left and extreme, in my opinion.

W&L is primarily heterosexual, WASP, Upper Echelon individuals. The administration is trying to recruit diversity. However, the student body despises diversity for the most part. If you don't have a lot of money, get a job and pretend like you do (this will help you fit it). Also, most people are politically conservative. There are a lot of racists and homophobes. Don't go here if you are not white, rich, and straight. You're life will be so much easier at state school. Also, if you are not from the Northeast, the South, or the Atlantic Coast (or California) go somewhere else. We hate diversity. Where you come from affects what Greek house you join.

The stereotype says that all W&L students are rich, white and southern. That's not true. There are a few students who are rich, white and northern ...

W&L has a student body that is very involved in extracurriculars especially the Greek System. We have what we call the "speaking tradition" on campus which is very comforting because everyone you pass on the campus is to speak to one another with a simple hello or acknowledgment.

Anyone who does not join a fraternity or sorority will be shunned from the social scene. Everyone at W&L is from the South. No one from different social circles interacts. You pretty much stick to your sorority/fraternity. Everyone is wealthy. Students are overwhelmingly conservative.

I hate to say it, but a low socio-econmic, racially diverse liberal would probably have a tough time here.

I am friends with different people from various parts of campus life, and have not found racial or ideological differences to be a problem. Most students do tend to gravitate toward people who are like themselves, and while I don't think this is necessarily a problem, the exchange among different groups could be improved upon. There are a lot of students here from the South, but I don't believe that this school deserves its die-hard Southern, "bring back the Confederacy" stereotype, since at the end of the day, people from the South are just like everybody else. Most people come from wealthier, upper-middle-class backgrounds. I don't, and I think I have been able to fit in just fine. People are very accepting of others, and nobody looks down on me or others who don't have a lot of money. I think most students in general can fit in here just fine, but some might have a struggle, like students who are diametrically opposed to the Greek system, or students who some might call "nerdy," because while people here are very smart, they are popular, polished, and social intellectuals, not the type who like to read about nuclear physics on Friday nights. It seems like 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students here are obsessed with politics, and are very passionate about their political stances, some fiercely conservative, and others (probably a majority) more liberal. I wish it wasn't assumed that people here are concerned with politics, because not everyone feels that way.

The school is not very racially diverse. The administration is trying to work on that, but there is still a ways to go. People tend to get fairly dressed up for class-- sweatpants and pajamas are frowned upon except during finals week.

Most students dress well and have a core group of friends, usually within their own fraternity or sorority, with which they interact. Most W&L students are from the South or, surprisingly, New Jersey. I am very happy with the W&L student body. I wanted a certain experience when I went to college and W&L is exactly what I wanted.

Most people at W and L, from my experience, are white, conservative, and christian, however they are plenty of organized groups and clubs with people of all races and religious/socio-economic backgrounds. I think that because of Washington and Lee's history with the confederacy that some black students may not feel comfortable here. Someone that is incredibly liberal politically may feel out of place. Also, people that do not live comfortable financially may feel out of place. Boys typically wear khaki shorts and a polo or athletic gear, and girls typically wear skirts and jeans with tops or athletic gear. If there were four tables in the lunch room there would be the outwardly southern boys and girls, one for people from other geographic regions in the US, a table for those from foreign countries and or of a different race other than white, and one of those that were uninterested in greek life. I also think that because of the incredibly conservative nature of this school, homosexuals may feel extremely out of place. Most Washington and Lee students are from very nice suburban areas, on a larger scale, there are a lot of students from Texas, Alabama, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland. The vast majority of students at W and L come from an upper-middle class financial background. Students are politically aware and active, especially because we hold mock convention. The majority of students are republicans. Students do not talk about how much they will most likely earn, but it seems to be understood that because we graduate from Washington and Lee, we have paved the way for a high salary in the future.

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W&L is not for everyone. Almost any day, you can see a student wearing a bow tie or sundress. Every student who comes to W&L had something amazing on their transcript. Whether they excelled in sports, music, quizbowl, speech, debate, or anything else you can name, each student brings that with them. Freshmen really get to share their experiences with each other as they live together and eat together, but even then freshmen also meet tons of upperclassmen through classes and the greek system. Even if a student doesn't go greek, the upperclassmen independants set up a few independant parties so freshmen never feel unconnected.

Most students here are preppy and southern. That being said, other groups are represented on campus and while it may be more difficult, they do find places where they fit in.

Here, most people fit the typical southern "good ole boy" mold. Although a fair amount of students are from the north as well, this is indefinitely a conservative southern school. The students population isn't very diverse, although things are changing.

students don't wear pajamas to class, there are little to no LGBT type people on campus, most people come from the same homogeneous background.

Students get very dressed up for call; everyone looks good mostly all the time. Someone who doesn't dress preppy and wear the right things would probably feel out of place; everyone dresses pretty much the same.

it is lacking a little in diversity but there is a great diversity of ideas. i think that all groups, religious, racial, LGBT, etc. all get along very well on campus. a student who does not want to be social would feel out of place at W&L. i don't mean they have to drink or party all the time, they just have to be willing to hang out with friends and go out to eat and go to events. if you are a hermit who just wants to sit around your dorm all the time and study 24/7 then you will be miserable. in classes everyone interacts. there are different social circles that make up W&L which are set by about sophomore year. you just get set in your circles and most have no desire to branch into others. W&L students are from everywhere...north and south, west coast, east coast. the majority aren't even from virginia where the school is located. most students come from middle class families but there are students from lower and upper classes. unless someone talks about it or flaunts things they have, no one can really tell what class people are from, they just blend together. students are very politically aware in years of presidential elections. not as much during the off years but our annual mock convention brings together the entire campus, amazing speakers, and national coverage. it is considered a conservative campus but even those who consider themselves conservative are close to the middle. students talk about how much they hope to earn but typically just talk about the type of job they want, not the amount they will make.

While Washington and Lee is stereotypically "white/preppy" the administrations office is working on diversifying the student body. Most students wear comfortable clothes to class, jeans and a jcrew t, khaki shorts and a polo or t-shirt. Most students are from the south-east or texas, however, i was surprised by the large number of students from new york and surrounding states. Students are highly aware and active in politics. We just held our "Mock Convention"- a tradition that takes place each election year. We predict (correctly) the presidential nominee for the out of house party.