Wheaton College-Norton Top Questions

Wheaton's home of Norton, MA is far from the social-center of the universe. Wheaton's geography combined with its lack of student parking can make off-campus fun require some work and planning. Public transportation allows easy access to nearby shopping centers and malls, as well as the cities of Boston and Providence, where there is never a shortage of activity. Despite its location, Wheaton does a wonderful job of providing on-campus activities for its students ranging from dances, to theater productions, to guest speakers. The Loft is Wheaton's on-campus pub, where students can enjoy a variety of fried foods and drinks, and often listen to live music or stand up comics. There is also the Lyon's Den, and on-campus coffee shop boasting a warm, cozy atmosphere and low-key environment. There are no fraternities or sororities at Wheaton, but there are numerous off-campus "sports houses" that are basically the same thing. There is always a level of partying (and drinking) at Wheaton, but there is no pressure to drink if you don't want to. Additionally, BACCHUS, Wheaton's student-run entertainment group offers multiple sober activities, ranging from theater trips to Boston, to free, big-screen, pre-release movies. Wheaton also has several popular (and entertaining) student groups revolved around music, songs, and dance.

I am involved in Wheaton Christian Fellowship. I get support there and it's nice to do something on a school night besides homework. It's hard to find something to do on the weekends on campus. We usually eat out and then hang out in our dorm rooms. I know there are people who drink, but not everyone does, or not everyone does it excessively.

There is not much to do at night, mainly do the sadness of Norton, but if you want to party, there's generally one that you can find. Most people date off campus. Wheaton was a all-girl's school about 19 years ago, and like most colleges has more girls than guys. The nice thing about Wheaton is that there is drinking-fun and non-drinking-fun to be had. If you don't want to drink you don't have to, and you won't miss out on anything other than drinking. You can see where my loyalty lies. There aren't any greek organizations on our campus. Mostly Saturday night plans focus on going to either Boston or Providence. There is a club on campus, Bacchus, which, despite its name, promotes non-drinking events. They always sponser a free movie on some Friday and Saturday nights. Its a grat way to see movies that are current, but not yet out on DVD, and for free!

Not a big party school. Boston and Providence are both close and accesible. The town is typical small town USA. Wrentham outlets is nearby which is a great place to shop. Dances are usually a hot spot on the weekends.

If I'm awake on Tuesday at 2am I am either in the library or my dorm doing work.

I think people are generally friendly on this campus, but again it's on a person to person ratio. During the early part and the last part of the year I keep my door open to get air and to say hi to people on my floor. During the winter months I close my door to keep the heat in because I hate being cold. I think the events offered at Wheaton are popular to a certain degree. People like going to the student concerts and the student comedians. Other than that, I guess it just depends on the event in question. I met my closest friends because we lived within three doors of eachother my freshmen year and I was roommates with one of them. I pretty much spend most of my free time with them, doing homework together, eating, watching movies, playing games, shopping, or just talking. It is a time where I really don't want to go home on the weekends and during breaks. There are a few traditions that Wheaton has, but the biggest one is Spring Weekend. There are dances, a mini-carnival thing, a band is hired every year, and there is a BBQ. Also, every Thursday night, a different band comes to sing in the little restaurant area called the Loft. These nights are usually pretty fun and there's always free pizza.

Lots of dances, spring weekend is a good time (boat race, lacrosse game, etc.).

What dating scene? We still feel primarily like an all-girls school. The girls seem to be more driven and intelligent than the men that are admitted to Wheaton. Usually you bond with the students on your floor and in your classes. Nearly everything revolves around drinking, and there is not much to do otherwise. If you're not in the drinking scene, your best bet is to do your homework or watch a movie. Off campus is all about Providence/Boston.

There are dozens and dozens of groups to get involved with on campus. And if there isn't a group that interests you, it's very easy to start your own! Dances, a capella performances and free movies are the weekly norm. Small gatherings of friends in a dorm room is somewhat more common than the large party scene, though those are available at campus and off-campus houses. It's easy to get to both Providence and Boston, and while it isn't a regular occurrence, every weekend type of thing, students will go spend a night in either city occasionally with a group of friends. Wheaton also hosts several Boston/Providence Connections which are popular. You will pay $5 or $10 to get a ride into the city, get dinner and see a movie/theatre event. The events differ but it's always a GREAT deal!

There is much to do at Wheaton because the campus is so active. The parties are great and do not exclude any type of student. Students usually leave their doors open in their dorm because everyone in a dorm, especially those on the same floor, are very close. The theater is great, and we often have interesting guest speakers. All of my closest friends live in my dorm and we met because of how close the dorm is as a whole. If im awake on a Tuesday night, im probably at the library studying. Spring weekend every year is usually great, and the entertainment is always good. Most parties take place from thursday night into the weekend, and there are no major fraternities on campus other than Phi Beta Kappa (academic honors society). On any given night, there are always a number of campus sponsored events that students can involve themselves with without feeling required to drink.

There are many different student groups on campus (read the web page for the full list). I'm involved in the Ultimate Frisbee Club Team, the Outdoors Club, the Math Club, and the Physics club. Also, I was a barrista at the Lyon's Den, which is a student-run coffee and am now the business manager. Wheaton is an overall safe and trusting community. Most of my floor mates and I never locked our doors and often leave our dorm building without closing our door. I was lucky and lived on an awesome floor. Though many of my friends from other parts of campus had similar stories of enjoyment in regards to their floor mates and overall floor dynamic. Wheaton has an interesting partying scene. The administration has really cracked down on drinking at Wheaton, which makes partying involving alcohol a bit of a challenge. Also, there is no Greek Life to provide the wild (and often disgusting) parties that many Universities and Colleges are notorious for. Though, this being said, Wheaton does have a party scene if you take the effort to look and/or create it. For underclassmen, there is often room parties in the dorms. Many people find these pretty lame, but I personally enjoy a intimate group of 8-10 people talking and playing games rather than cramming 50-150 people into a house built for 13 people. Though if you like to feel like a sardine, Wheaton has theme houses which host 1-2 keggers a semester. All in all, Wheaton does have a good party scene--it's just not Animal House.

You need a car. There isn't much to do on campus during the weekend. Dances are pretty lame and parties in dorms are usually broken up. Because of this, many upperclassmen are starting to move off campus--taking the parties with them. This has caused quite a problem with drunk driving that the school does not know how to tackle.

Even though many choose to party off campus there is still always an event going on, on campus. The Art House puts on gallery shows in its living room, a concert may be going on either in the student run coffee house or the late night venue called the Loft. There are also visiting artists, professors, lectures, and musicians that come.

Wheaton has a wonderful theater department which sets up great performances every semester! Amazingly talented students make up these plays and dance performances. Baseball is probably the most popular sport, but vollyball and basketball are also very popular. Dorms are very different depending on where you are. Some dorms will be more quiet, for instance the all female dorm(Kilham). I lived in this dorm and loved it though. Quiet does not mean that you don't make great friendships and have a good time. Every Friday and Saturday night, there is a movie shown in Hindle Auditorium for students who do not want to drink. If you do want to drink you can find a party or drive/take the train to Providence. Every spring we have Spring Weekend. There are activities every day and bands, food, "boat" races across the pond etc. Lots of fun.

We have so many clubs and things to join on campus. No matter which activity you like to do, chances are there is a club that does the same thing. If you find that there isn't a club you would want to join, Wheaton is always open to forming new clubs. Doors are most likely open in the dorm and people are constantly in and out of their room. I found that I met my friends based on where I lived and the activities that I took place in. Most of my friend play sports and we all live in the same area. My two favorite campus traditions is the first night the freshmen move in and spring weekend. The first night the freshmen are on campus we have an event in the chaple and then you light a candle around the pond. All the upper classmen on campus go and make lots of noise for the freshmen. It is always alot of fun. Spring weekend is really great just because everyone goes outside and part takes in the activities that are offered. There are parties on campus and I would estimate that 65{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students drink. There are always events on the weekends that do not including drinking such as a movie or a dance. We dont have any greek life on campus- no frats or sororities. If campus ever gets boring you can go off campus into boston or providence. There is always something to do in the city.

Sporting events like soccer or basketball or lacrosse are big. Alot of dances are held on Friday nights. There are plently of activities on campus in theater or dance. Dorm halls usualy bond together and are friendly. A lot of people go to the library till all hours of the night. Partying can be done on any day of the week.

Public Safety (PS) is the bane of any student's existence on campus. There is no greek life so the "party scene" is reliant on the campus houses, but PS always seems hellbent on breaking those parties and in dorm room parties at the first whisper of fun (or rather alcohol). And because of this more and more rigorous crack down on on-campus parties (ie underage drinking) people are getting houses off-campus that require a car to get there. Which of course is a great way to avoid the PS problem, but trying to find someone to be DD on a Saturday night is near impossible.

The most popular groups on campus are probably Trybe, the multi-cultural dance group and all the acapella groups. Many students try out for these groups because they create a close group of friends and a fun experience. In most dorms students do leave their doors open and are pretty social. If you want to get work done, go to the library, I find it very hard to get work done in my room. Athletic events are pretty popular too. I didn't realize how sports orientated the school was until I came here. A lot of people play sports and the sports teams are pretty good. The school has a lot of great traditions, such as dimple diving, and jumping in the pond in order to graduate, but there are also many more. There are no frats or soroties but instead there are themed houses that host parties on and off campus. People party at Wheaton a lot because there's not much else to do around the area. There is a group on campus called BACCUS that promotes responsible drinking or no drinking and they usually put on events such as dances, movies, provide fun activities, etc. to students. A lot of students show up to these activities drunk anyways. Off campus is very easy to access if you don't mind spending time and money to get there. Boston is only 45 min away by train and Providence is only 30 min away. Both cities are great resources and have a lot to do.

The a Capella groups are very popular, the GC's and the Whims are the most popular and most talented! The dimple divers (improv troupe) is entertaining but lacking talent and discipline. There is nothing to do one campus because of the strict alcohol policy but the off campus houses have a lot of parties you just have to have a safe way of getting there and an in with someone who goes there regularly.

im a member of the lacrosse team, and i LOVE the athletic department at wheaton. sports events are pretty popular, especially for the soccer teams as they do very well. in my dorm i dont think we locked our door once.. except when we were playing pranks on friends. i met my closest friends actually by being randomly placed as roommates! i met my best friends by running into them during orientation and out on the weekends. if youre awake on a tuesday youre either in the library, hanging in a dorm, or out drinking. but if you dont wanna drink, the campus offers other things to do, theres the lyons den and loft who both have live artists every weekend.. and theres a free movie by BACCHUS (that hasnt been released yet..). Wheatons also very close to providence, a half hour drive or a quick train ride.. and Boston is about a 40 minute drive. we're also about 30minutes from Cape Cod.. so finding things to do off campus isnt difficult.

Wheaton is only a small liberal arts college, so there are not so many activities as may be offered at schools five times or more in size. However Wheaton students are enthused to take up several positions to maintain many active groups. Few people seem of just one interest. Aside from organized groups, there are of course more informal groups. People leave their doors open to meet new people, as someone always seems to be roaming the halls to meet new people. I have done it with friends several times. I met a good number of friends just with an open door the first few days. I have also met many of my friends at the dinning hall, ultimate frisbee practice, club meetings, classes, and just roaming the halls. If you wish to party, there is always something happening, if you look hard enough, and if you wish for something a little less rowdy, there are just as many options. What with live band performances, free movie screenings, late night coffee, clubs, groups, dances, as well as several other occasions it is rather easily to keep an active social life.

There are hundreds of clubs on campus with many different activies. During Spring Weekend, everyone goes to Peacock Pond to watch the imfamous "Head of the Peacock", which is a series of boatraces that students design/build their own watercrafts for. Partying is fairly common, but often quiet, there are some houses off campus where people go to attend more wild parties, typically the "Wheaton party scene" is 5-9 people sitting in a room drinking and playing video games/watching movies.

There are hundreds of student run clubs and organizations, that the majority of the Wheaton student body is involved with. Students are generally very passionate about these clubs and organizations, and put much of their time and energy into ensuring that they are successful. Students do usually leave their doors open, it is one of the best way to meet people! Wheaton is not usually what one would call a wild party school, but there is

The honor code allows many people to be able to leave their doors open and cell phones on the table to save their spot in the dining hall with trust that others will not steal things. It has seemed to work so far. Generally campus is very safe and trustworthy, which is nice.

Doors in dorms are open, many athletics (baseball, basketball, soccer) are all well attended. we have the best and most interesting traditions including a hoop role before graduation, to seniors ONLY on the library steps, and through the front door of the Chapel. We have no Greek life, but there's usually something going on. Dating wise, Wheaton is 60-40 women, but many of my friends have met their SO at school.

lots of environmental groups on campus, many clubs like dance/sports/race/sexuality groups. most people live on campus, but off campus housing is growing due to strict public safety. alcohol policy is becoming too strict and causing more off campus housing/partying which makes for more drunk driving. no frats/sororities, which is fine. spring weekend is a huge party weekend every year where bands come to wheaton and in general public safety/professors turn their heads the other way to drinking and smoking for once. athletic events are very popular to go to, about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}of the school participates in athletics and the teams are very strong so they receive a lot of support from the rest of the student body.

The most popular groups on campus are probably just the sport teams, although there are a few clubs that people belong to. I chose not to join a club, because I am not into that but that did not inhibit my socializing in any way. We always leave our doors open in dorms. Athletic events could certainly be more popular, as well as guest speakers. I don't go to Theater events because I don't personally like theater, so I don't know how those go. I met my closest friends through classes and living with them. There are a great many traditions at Wheaton - too many to explain - but these traditions make the experience more fun (such as a boat race on the pond every spring weekend). People party as much as they can because there is nothing else to do and it is our way to socialize. There are no fraternities or sororities on campus. Off campus, options are - eating, shopping, movies, the usual.

Sports, especially lacrosse, soccer, and basketball, are very popular at school. Many students go to all of the games at home, and some even travel to go to the away games. The games are fun and eventful usually. The SGA organizes dances in Balfour which is the community center probably twice a month which is fun to do on campus and they last for a while. There isn't much partying on campus unless it's a small gathering in a dorm room because public safety usually breaks them up. Most parties occur off campus, but not all people go to them. There are sometimes parties on campus in campus housing but they usually are broken up quite quickly. The campus is very safe and people leave their doors open and it seems that no matter what time or day it is, there is always someone out on campus. There are no frats or sororities so people are more club organized, but people make their own friends and go from there. It is really easy to find people that you can relate to and be friends with, it seems there is someone for everyone. Grade levels aren't really important or acknowledged at Wheaton, everyone just hangs out with eachother.

One of the best parts about Wheaton is our arcane traditions. For example, every student must jump in Peacock Pond before they graduate. Only seniors are allowed to sit on the steps of the library, and if an underclassman is caught there they can be thrown in the Pond. Only seniors can pass through the front doors of the Chapel - otherwise, the bell will fall to the ground and kill them. Each of the six a capella groups holds a midnight performance the day they pick their new members under the arch of Everett Residence Hall, known as "Slype." Our unofficial mascot is a large, black and white duck that swims in the Pond. If a guy and a girl walk around the pond three times without the boy kissing the girl, she has permission to push him on. The first night that new students are on campus, they are each given a candle which are lit as they form a ring around the pond. On the night before graduation, each senior places that same candle in a small wooden boat and floats it on the pond.

The Baseball and Rugby teams are very popular. As for clubs, it's hard to say. The Relay For Life event is always huge. I'm deeply involved with Wheaton Conservatives. We have debates, speakers, and our own publication that are year-round activities. I'm also part of the small but growing Debate Team that was formed only a year ago, as well as Fencing Club which gets together two nights a week in the athletic center for instruction and duels. I'm in a single, and the only time I ever lock my door is if I'll be gone for more than a day. I don't really know how athletic events are, because none of my friends are on the teams, so I don't go, but I have several friends who go to the Baseball and Track events pretty regularly. Wheaton is constantly having guest speakers, seemingly every week, on a variety of topics, and these are very well attended. The "dating scene"? Does dating really exist in college??? We live in a hook-up culture. I mean, come on, this isn't Brigham Young University. There are plenty of official couples, but I wouldn't really want to date someone on this campus, because if we broke up, then we'd see each other a little too often since we're a small campus. I met my closest friends either through classes, or more often, through the clubs that I'm in. My best friend I me through fencing, and my best guy friend I met through a History class. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm either working on a paper, or possibly walking back from The Loft with someone and our take-out chicken fingers. The Head of the Peacock is the annual boat race that happens during Spring Weekend (which is like a Spring Semester version of Homecoming. Crazy stuff happens morning noon and night for 4 days straight the weekend before finals), where Wheaties must construct boats and see who can paddle fastest from one end of Peacock Pond and back. I would easily guess that the entire student body congregates around the pond to watch this unfold over the hour or so that it takes, cheering and screaming like it's the Superbowl. Partying exists, but it doesn't really dominate the social scene, since we're not Greek. We can have student houses, but lots of people "party" by just having a few friends sit around in a dorm room drinking a few beers or shots and listening to someone's iTunes on stereo. The choice is up to you, really. My last couple weekends have actually been spent visiting friends at Boston schools and Wheaton alumni in Boston. I go there sometimes on the weekend, but it's sporadic for me. Plenty of times I might go to a dance in Balfour, or go watch a movie in Hindle auditorium to watch that weekend's movie. Off-campus, I might catch a train to either Boston or Providence. Both cities are equally entertaining and full of things to do. Both are also great college cities.

Kids know how to have a good time, but the college is attempting to crack down on it.