Wesleyan University Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

Amanda

We're a really laid back school with a lot of REALLY smart people. We have some jocks, some stoners, plenty of geeks (hi!), and everything in between. A common stereotype would be that wesstudents are very politically left, politically correct, and very openminded. Maybe hipster?

Jason

Stoners and hipsters. And the stereotype couldn't be more accurate for a large portion of the campus. That's not to say you won't find any regular people here, there are plenty of those. Frat kids are in the few and are the laughing stock of the school

Marco

Wesleyan students are passionate about anything they undertake, whether it's inside the classroom or one of the many extra-curricular activities they involve themselves in. That said, there is no stiff air of competition between Wesleyan students because there is a supportive, modest but also stimulating academic environment in which any student can achieve in whatever they set themselves to do. Generally speaking, Wesleyan students are independent thinkers, they are politically active, highly opinionated and always seem to be in the know of current events. Everyday, you have the opportunity of entering a really stimulating conversation about any topic and come out changed, or questioning what you previously thought. That is only one cog of the Wesleyan experience.

Ben

The stereotype of students at Wesleyan is that they are liberal, free-spirited, and willing to try virtually anything. I think for the most part, this is accurate. One of the great things about Wesleyan is that there is no prototypical student. Students are relatively independent, diverse in terms of their cultural background, interests, political beliefs, etc. and have compelling opinions on a wide range of matters.

Rachel

I would say that there are a few major stereotypes and though they all hold some truth, there is no real majority at Wesleyan, we truly have a group of unique and diverse students... 1. we are often stereotyped as strictly liberal and left leaning politically and socially - this ideology is said to be mirrored in our students and administration, however, though a lot of the student body is liberal minded, there are varied types of liberal ideology and there is definitely a conservative population that has a voice - in terms of classes, most professors maintain a variable amount of objectivity, always clarifying their own opinion with fact, but also providing varied opinions so as to enable us to create our own educated answers to critical questions 2. people like the say that WesKids "Work hard and Play harder" - there is definitely a great social scene here, but there are always activities and events on campus that are not party related in the drugs and alcohol sense - though there is obviously drinking and the use of certain drugs, granted this is a college campus, there is also a myriad of social scenes that one can associate with, thus though many of us do prefer to "Work and Play harder" there are tons of options available even with such a small school 3. we are notorious for being a bunch of hipsters - as a weskid from NYC, the so claimed hipster-meca, I take offense to such stereotyping. There are undoubtedly hipsters at Wesleyan, but arguably the word hipster is so difficult to define that the term in itself implies diversity - that aside, the student body is diverse, in class, race, gender and ideology - though we may have a large hipster population, whatever that means, we by no means fit the mould of a hipster school 4. they call us Intellectuals - this hits the nail on the head, weskids are not just smart but we are truly intellectuals. we are taught knowledge based on breadth and depth of materials and subjects - Wesleyan classes require a level of intellectual thought that goes beyond classic brains - we question the systems around us and learn to have a critical eye on society that does in fact make us intellectuals - at times we may seem pretentious to the outsider, but the student body often reflects those that want to learn from one another and expand their knowledge by expanding both their intellect, their experience and their awareness of others experiences and ideologies.

Alexandra

A lot of people are under the impression that Wesleyan is a school for liberal druggies and hipsters that happen to be smart.

Rebecca

The general Wesleyan stereotype is pretty similar to that of all left-leaning liberal arts colleges: hipsters, hipsters, and more hipsters. This is, to an extent, accurate. Skinny jeans, bands you've never heard of, weed, and political activism are popular on campus. (Irony has a strong presence as well.) However, to pigeonhole Wesleyan with this one reputation doesn't do nearly enough credit to the diversity and energy of the student body. Wesleyan students come from a wide variety of backgrounds: geographically, politically, economically, and in terms of their 'social group.' Despite our reputation we have several fraternities that fill the role they do on any campus, minus the extreme hazings and exclusivity: anyone is allowed in to any frat party. With frats, of course, come the bros and the jocks, but don't be surprised if you find one double-majoring in neuroscience and chemistry. Everyone here is scary-smart, and probably has some hidden talent you'd never guess. (One kid on my hall flies airplanes; another speaks 4 languages and spent a summer hiking in the Yukon.) One last point to stress about stereotypes here: no one takes them seriously. There are no cliques or socially-constructed categories, and no one sticks an anonymous label on you. Individuality is always valued above all else.

Chris

Very liberal, passionate student body. The stereotype is accurate.

Sarah

There's a stereotype of Wesleyan students as a bunch of artsy social geeks, as well as far-left activists, hippies, hipsters, etc. It's definitely part true, but there are also plenty of athletes, some Greeks, hyper-achievers, apoliticals, hardcore partiers, and straight-edge kids. Everyone probably says this, but you really get all types.