Western Michigan University Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Kathryn

Classmates vary, I tended to like most of them; however group projects for general credits were the worst.

Hannah

All of the classmates I have had so far at WMU are supportive and push eachother to succeed.

Paige

My classmates are helpful and usually respectful

Kaila

Western Michigan University's 25,000+ students are very diverse, meaning my classmates are from a variety of different backgrounds.

Beverly

My class mates are funny, entertaining and very knowledgable.

Nicole

The students here are diverse and accept diversity. I can't think of any "type" or person that wouldn't be able to find their niche here, although sometimes these "niches" do cement themselves a little to well and can become hard to penetrate. Because the populous and the programs are so broad here different kinds of people are constantly being made to interact with each other, it's just the nature of the place. Know this: if you come from a place with a homogenized population, be ready for a bit of shock and relearning some old behaviors. I'd guess about a third of the student population comes from the immediate surrounding area od Kalamazoo, another third from the rest of Michigan and some of the surrounding states, and the final third as exchange students from other countries.

Nick

n/a

Courtney

College is the experience of a life time and one of the major reasons for that is the diversity that all students get to experience. There are students of all different races, sexual orientation, SES, cultures, and countries. Everyone is thrown together based on the classes they take and their major, not by anything other than that. In high school students worry about popularity and clicks, what tables they sit at in the cafeteria, and what they wear everyday. In college it’s about being you, if you want to wear yoga pants everyday to class go ahead, if you want to sit by yourself one day for dinner at the cafeteria nobody is going to make fun of you. Being yourself and knowing where you are going is more important. New students to college especially at Western Michigan don’t have to worry about being different. College is a new experience that allows you to find out who you are and what you want to be. It was a sigh of relief when I went off to college where I can express myself without being judged; I could wear what I wanted and be who I wanted to be. SES isn’t important, how much money you are going to make in your job isn’t the top priority of every student. The number one thing to remember about the college experience is that you will make friends, you will interact with students of all shapes and sizes and you will never feel out of place once you get used to being apart of a brand new community of students. College is about learning new things about the world. College is the first step to help you learn about the differences of the real world between the diverse classes that students can choose from, to the different types of students and professors from all over the world. Western Michigan isn’t the type of college environment for people who don’t want to learn and have new experiences with people that are different from them. It’s not the type of school for students who aren’t ready for a bigger college and being farther away from home. Students who have a hard time with people from different back grounds than theirs will have problems. For those students who do wish to embrace college and everything that it has to offer will really enjoy Western Michigan and all it has to offer.

Margaret

I have definitely encountered every one of those groups on campus. They all spread awareness and reach as many students as possible making them intriguing to learn about and easy to join. They aren't too aggressive where they annoy everyone but they do have a purpose. Really extremely smart students might feel out of place because they may not be challenged the way they should be but otherwise Western and the Kalamazoo area in general has tons of different types of people so everyone's welcome. Most students wear casual clothes to class. I typically wear jeans and a shirt or something comfortable. Some students come to class in sweats or their pajamas and some come with tights and a dress, it really doesn't matter. Different types of students do interact which I found surprising. Most people have a solid group of close friends but all of the people in the group have other friends and everyone is friendly to one another in most cases. The jocks hang out with the stoners, the musicians hang out with the jocks. The fraternities are typically more exclusive but intermingle with each other. They welcome in as many girls they can fit but deny entry to guys most of the time. One table will be the kids from one floor that think they're the best, one table is the theatre kids, one table is the people that have been friends since grade school and one table with kids that keep to themselves all spaced out. Most of the students are from Michigan or Chicago area. Most people attending Western have lived comfortably their whole lives but the majority of students have taken out loans to pay for their education. The students that are politically aware are typically more liberal but there's a good balance between politically aware students and students that aren't aware at all. Students often are just determined to graduate with a degree and hopefully get a job so they can pay off their loans. Honestly, students are just happy to get a job after graduation.

Alyssa

There are so many different people at Western. I don't feel like anyone would feel out of place here at WMU. There are so many registered student organizations here at WMU that literally anyone is able to find their niche. Although, I have to say that if you don't personally make the effort to enjoy yourself or get involved, it may be difficult to enjoy WMU, let alone college anywhere. WMU offers opportunities and clubs for literally any type of person if you are willing to get involved. There are all types of religious groups on campus, clubs for all majors, a fantastic LGBT group, and even even recreational clubs. There is even a club on campus called "the squirrel club" to honor the many squirrels on campus.

Alyssa

There are so many different people at Western. I don't feel like anyone would feel out of place here at WMU. There are so many registered student organizations here at WMU that literally anyone is able to find their niche. Although, I have to say that if you don't personally make the effort to enjoy yourself or get involved, it may be difficult to enjoy WMU, let alone college anywhere. WMU offers opportunities and clubs for literally any type of person if you are willing to get involved. There are all types of religious groups on campus, clubs for all majors, a fantastic LGBT group, and even even recreational clubs. There is even a club on campus called "the squirrel club" to honor the many squirrels on campus.

Remy

There are many students from all backgrounds and all over the world.

Nick

Western has a very diverse campus. People from all different races, religious and socio-economic backgrounds can be seen walking to and from class everyday, but everyone seems to mix and work well with each other. It's hard for me to imagine the type of student who would feel uncomfortable here as I've met so many different types of people. There are more Registered Student Organizations than you can count, which makes it easy for anyone who's homesick or looking to get involved find their niche and be with like-minded people. In a typical class you'll see a wide range of students, some professionals in suits or work attire, to students who just rolled out of bed 5 minutes before class, still in sweats. The people that you meet in the dorms your first year will probably be different than the friends you hung out with in high school, which is a good thing, and they'll most likely remain your friends for the entire four (for some of us five) years.

Amanda

Western is extremely friendly to students with different backgrounds, beliefs, and looks. We have many different groups on campus that are devoted to specific races, religions and beliefs, along with LGBT students. Our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender registered student organization, OutSpoken, is one of the largest groups on campus and regularly take part in events, create their own and spread their name around campus. They hold one of the biggest events of the year, being a drag fashion show and also allow "allies" to express their enthusiasm for the group. Students with disabilities are also treated as equals on campus with the help of specific groups, and organizations. It is hard for me to imagine a student feeling out of place on Western's campus, someone is always there to invite, help, accept, and show some enthusiasm for a student.

Anndreisha

The students at WMU are very Diverse and when i say diverse i don't just mean ethnicity. Our students are diverse in background, age, race, interests, sexual orientation and any other way you can think about diversity. Everyone that I have met here no matter what their background is has been very helpful and kind to me and anyone else who needs assistance. Its not like in high school where there are all these separated groups of people, everyone comes together when their is a common goal.

Michael

range from douchbags to sorrority sluts there is large medium crowd that will make fun of either side just like you will and its wonderful!

Shannon

Friendly and willing to help eachother

Kelsey

The majority of the students at Western Michigan University need to spend a little less time ingesting alcohol and a little more time absorbing knowledge.

samii

My classmates are fun to hang around and study with. We do a lot of things together like going to the gym and play tennis and basketball.

Paige

My classmates are friendly, diverse, and have the same positive outlook on college life that I do.

Rachel

My classmates vary greatly in areas such as background, age, and ethnicity.

Devin

Students at Western Michigan University are very eager to learn and to help others.

Lindsay

My classmates are diverse, intelligent, and hardworking.

Kinsey

My classmates are typical college students. Most of my classes are with upperclassmen, while I am only a freshmen.

Hilary

My classmates are varied; some are fun, while others sit in the back and talk which annoys me.

Ashleigh

There are people of all different ethnic background and a variety of different interests. You can find a varitey of different people on campus.

Kirsten

People in all of my classes are generally friendly and very willing to help.

Alaina

Everyone I have met at Western has been very nice and outgoing. There are many different kinds of people attending, so you feel completely comfortable being yourself. Also, everyone is very understanding and supportive of others personal choices.

Sharon

My classmates go to class and unless you know them from outside of class they won't socialize with you. I believe this is good because it shows respect towards the teacher. When paired with a classmate for group projects or experiments they are very helpful and usually do an equal share of work towards the project.

Heather

My classmates are all quite similar in the way that I assume we all put about the same amount of effort into our schoolwork but those that over achieve can also be an inspiration for myself to try harder in class.

Jackie

Mostly between the ages of 18 and 25. There are a few older who have come back to school. Diverse among races. About half are gay or bisexual while the remaining half are straight.

Emily

Students attending Western Michigan University were real, motivated, and friendly.

Krystle

The majority of my classmates share similar characteristics that i do; shy but trying not to show it, nervous but also beyond excited; and finally confused on how to cope with the transition.

Germaine

Very diverse and excentric.

Erica

Most of my classmates seemed immature at first, but I realized that I had to take the time to get to know and understand each individual in order to find out that they are pretty cool people and that they were just putting on a tough exterior for when I first met them.

Peter

Fun, helpful, friendly

Kristen

My classmates are dedicated and friendly, though they tend to party hard.

Tate

I haven't seen a lot of protests or huge events at Western. The campus body doesnt usually see each other other than at Hockey or Football games. It seems like their are always students doing charity events by the flagpoles. Western is relatively peaceful. Students usually get involved with a group of friends and stick with them throughout their college life. Everyone is friendly, and everyone has an unspoken respect for other students. During my spring break in Florida we saw a couple people from WMU. They stopped and chatted with us, and even offered to have us hang out with them later.

Jennifer

we are hard working, and always willing to help each other out.

Brian

My classmates are very diverse.

Elise

My classmates are usually very friendly, and like to get together for study groups when it comes to projects and tests so we can learn from eachother, because when the material is hard, you many learn better when we discuss it together.

Lauryn

My classmates are very helpful. THey seem to be very outgoing and willing tohelp with anything anyone would need for class. They are always asking questions and getting others involved and keeping their minds active. I really enjoy going to class with the people in my classes.

Latoya

Some of the students can be very friendly.

James

My classmates vary from uber focused to uber slackers and while most are slackers and this can discourage you, there are enough smarties to help you along.

James

My classmates are awesome.

Kathryn

Happy to be there.

Christine

They are generally easy going and enjoyable to have in class. They often like to continue discussions after class along with discussing other classes that we also have in common.

Ashlee

My classmates are very friendly, willing to help, and good listeners.

Morgana

Hard working and very invested in what they are studying.

Kari

Females typically overly dramatic, sorority type. Males usually drunk fraternity jerks.