<p>My S was accepted to Southwestern with a nice merit award.
We have not yet visited the school and would appreciate current students' impressions AND/OR visit reports.</p>
<p>We hear the campus is beautiful, and proximity to Austin is a plus.
Wondering what the students are like, culture, attitudes.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>As a Southwestern alum I noticed it seemed a bit dead on this site for my alma mater, so I wanted to weigh in and let you know what a wonderful experience I had there. I would definitely encourage a visit to see if your son likes the campus, facilities, and faculty. I recall visiting with my mom on a weekend day arranged by Admissions, and one of the things that sold me on the visit was a faculty info session I attended. A few years later I had matriculated, (happily) changed my intended major (and career aspirations), studied abroad, made amazing friendships, found my niche in various campus organizations, and was working on my honors thesis with some amazing facultyamong them the aforementioned faculty member whose presence initially swayed me to attend.</p>
<p>Southwestern does have its mix of good and bad. I mean to say, you can and will find stereotypical students of all kinds. There will be some fratty (and some non-fratty) guys whose main priorities are partying and drinking. There will also be some women (sorority and not) who primarily enjoy drinking games and similar shenanigans, but generally these activities dont wholly define said studentsnor do I mean to say most fraternity or sorority members are primarily invested in drinking. (For what it’s worth as a non-Greek, Greek life at Southwestern wasn’t a necessary or overbearing part of my experience there, nor were the fraternities and sororities necessarily the caricatures one might imagine.) Also, I dont mean to draw a line between partying/non-partying or fun/overly studious. I was by no means a bookworm or less social student than average. Like many of my friends at SU, I just tried to divide my time between studies, extracurricular opportunities, extreme coffee consumption, and fun times (parties included) in Georgetown and Austin.</p>
<p>Anyway, as is often the case, not everyoneeven at the most prestigious colleges or universitieswill be motivated to make the most of their experience, so some partying and tomfoolery is to be expected. Wherever your son ends up there will likely be some frat guys, sorority girls, slackers, partiers, alternas, nerds, hippies, jocks, musicians, theater kids, etc. (Not to say that any of those labels are necessarily exclusive ) But for every one of these labels you could place on some students at Southwestern, you will also find intelligent, inquisitive, engaging students who are eager to make the most of their timeacademically, socially, culturally.</p>
<p>Southwestern IS in Texas (which is loaded with all sorts of undeserved and deserved stereotypes)but it is also near Austin, which I do believe fosters a far more interesting and diverse cultural climate than what people might hurriedly, comically classify as Texan. However, since the majority of Southwestern students are from Texas, you wont find the same type of liberal arts vibe one might expect on either coast. (It is probably fair to say that students at Southwestern may at least start out with more conservative backgroundsfor a liberal arts college, at leastthan in found at schools with a more nationally representative student body. </p>
<p>That being said, there will also be a pretty healthy mix of conservative and liberal (and politically apathetic) students. Being a liberal arts college its safe to say the majority of faculty will be open-minded and/or more liberal in personal persuasion. I think it is important to note that I did meet and make friends with varied political ideologies during my time there, and I feel that generally the facultyregardless of their personal beliefswere evenhanded toward the expression of tolerant, intelligent thoughts and ideas, and they truly sought to educate and invite discussion and debate whenever possible.</p>
<p>This is getting extremely long, so I will move toward a conclusion the mainstays of my experience at SU were 1) close, amazing relationships with passionate, intelligent faculty and 2) a close-knit group of wonderful friends, many of whom I still keep in contact with today. An important thing I would credit the college with is allowing me the opportunities to truly grow into my own person. I became a more socially aware, open-minded, well-traveled individual by the end of my four years at SU. The confidence I gained as a student and an adult was immeasurable. (I graduated within the past 5-10 years, FYI, so the majority of the faculty I am praising is still in place.)</p>
<p>The liberal arts education, the studentfaculty interaction (especially in upper-level seminars), and the opportunities for study abroad, internships, and leadership that I found at Southwestern truly shaped who I am today and opened doors to graduate work and my career. I am not necessarily they “typical” Southwestern student, but if you keep in context what Ive tried to outline above, I think you might be hard pressed to define what a “typical” SU student (or graduate) is (or could become).</p>
<p>Southwestern really can be what a student makes of it. I am sure there are plenty of people who attend Southwestern and coast through four years with not much more intention than getting a degree to get some job, but I have also experienced so much because of the opportunities it afforded me.</p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch McFly. I’m at that point where I need to decide where I want to go, and Southwestern is one of the schools that I’m deciding between.</p>
<p>No worries! If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them as best I can. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Thanks McFly for jumping in here.
I’m wondering how “Texan” the college feels.
We are from WA state, very west coast, somewhat liberal, but not far left.</p>
<p>Does the school feel like a Texas bubble?
Austin, the city, is nice, cosmopolitan - much like Seattle.</p>
<p>How often do students go to Austin for social things, and how easy is it?
Is a car an absolutely must?</p>
<p>Do you have any way to compare Southwestern to Austin College?</p>
<p>Alright McFly I have a question, a couple as a matter of fact.</p>
<p>1) Does the University always present limitless opportunities, or does it feel like the students can only do so much while at the University?</p>
<p>2) How diverse is the student body? I don’t mean racially, but in terms of looks, attitudes, ideas, etc.</p>
<p>Hi All,
I, too, am an SU Alum and I have to concur with McFly’s points. I had a wonderful educational experience at Southwestern. It is small, a general population of around 1200 students, which can make it very similar in size to many Texas high schools. Even given this small number of students, you are always able to find your niche of friends. Moreover, the size of SU runs over to the classroom where I can say with all sincerity that I never had a class with over 30 students. This fosters a better one on one relationship not only with the other students in your class (many of whom you may not have met or hung out with otherwise) but with the faculty as well. I consider many of my former professors as mentors and friends through my grad school experience at UT-Austin and even to this day. I’m not sure larger schools have the ability to offer such one-on-one teaching. I can recall a time I missed two classes in a row. I recieved a call in my dorm room from my professor asking if I was okay. Again, something you would not expect at a larger university.
To answer some of your questions:
<p>Thanks to the two SU alum for spending time on this site.</p>
<p>My S is interested in creating an independent major, combining his interests in creative writing, film/media, music, and history. This is one reason he likes SU (besides proximity to Austin, and being in the southwest in general).</p>
<p>What are your experiences with anyone who’s been able to successfully create their own major?<br>
What are the music students and music department like? (he is not a formal musician, just an appreciator of all genres)?</p>
<p>Pretty busy today, but I wanted to reply… if I overlook anything, please ask for more specifics, and hopefully one of the alums on here can answer!</p>
<p>After waffling between a few majors/minors/double major options, I created my own interdisciplinary major (with a focus on film, English, communication, politics, and U.S. history). I loved working with the different departments and writing an honors thesis with faculty advisers from various academic backgrounds. I was also able to use a portion of my thesis as my writing sample for my graduate school applications. (I applied to grad programs a few years after SU graduation.)</p>
<p>Southwestern professors definitely encourage students to pursue their passionsand if that means that a fitting major isnt in place, they can help you craft a major and course plan that fit your academic interests. It is important (and easy) to get to know professors there and find an adviser who can help guide you toward courses that may open new avenues of thought and study. The student just has to communicate and take advantage of small classes and the office hours/availability of professors.</p>
<p>I felt like SU faculty and staff were very good about making students aware of internship, study abroad, career, research, and grant opportunities. I dont feel like I ever really went extremely out of my way to gain helpful advice and tips from any of the support offices or faculty, but in reflection as I write this it does seem like opportunities abounded. (Now Ive talked myself into an alum contribution, it seems!)</p>
<p>Though in retrospect I may not have made enough use of the (rather obvious) access to Austin film, music, and art scenes and festivals, I did write for the SU student-run newspaper (covering events at SU and in the Austin area), and I had various internships (at SU and in London), which made use of my passions for film, editing/publications, and education. I also applied for and received SUs King Creativity Grant to travel for a few days to conduct more extensive research for my honors thesis. I do feel like the opportunities for fun, resume-building, rewarding experiences were near limitless for me. Something I am very happy to note is that since graduation my employment has made use of my passions in a variety of sectors (e.g., film festivals, non-profits, higher education, publications, etc.).</p>
<p>I cant really speak to the music department, as I wasnt very involved with musical pursuits at SU, but I had friends who were music majors and some who casually active in orchestra, choir, bands, and theater. They all seemed very satisfied with their experiences. Definitely try to get in touch with a faculty member there, though. Also, there was a Summer Arts in London program that focused on exploring arts and culture through coursework and trips. Students in the program had the option of staying longer for an internship. I know music, art/art history, communication, and theater majors have found interesting internships through this program. (To clarify, there are other study abroad opportunities aside from London, but I took advantage of the London programs due to my interests )</p>
<p>Anyway, thats my spiel for majors and those disciplines </p>
<p>Regarding access to Austin and cars I went into Austin and took advantage of activities and events there on a near weekly basis, Id estimate. Some students go in to Austin more frequently, some less. I felt like the opportunity to get out of Georgetown and off campus was always open to mejust sometimes I didnt need or want to leave campus.</p>
<p>I did not have a car until the second semester of my junior year, and I was able to get around (to other towns/cities, the grocery stores, restaurants, coffeehouses, movies, malls, etc.) quite easily through the kindness of newfound friends with cars. I honestly dont recall a time where I felt trapped in Georgetown or like I could get to a place I wanted to be. Since it is a residential campus, there is also a fair amount going on around campus, so there was always something to do when studying got repetitive. So cars can be useful, but there wasnt a lack of people with them, so I didnt feel disadvantaged without one.</p>
<p>Like I mentioned, I think you will find all types of characters and people at Southwestern. With regard to social diversity, I really did encounter a mix of peoplepolitically, financially, socially, etc. Like I mentioned before in my post addressing types at Southwestern, you will find them all: preppy, hipster, granola, hippie, emo, bland, awkward, etc.with the majority of people clad in T-shirts, jeans/shorts, and flip-flops. Pretty much what youd find anywhere, Id say. There definitely was a population of students best described as comfortable/upper/middle class and in college to hang and coast through until they found a job, but I do think this is going to be found most collegesand there also were plenty of interesting, active students taking advantage of the opportunities offered. I felt like I had good access to a varied personalities, styles, and opinions through my academic and social interactions.</p>
<p>I never felt like I was in a Texas bubble there. A typical liberal arts/small residential community bubble? Perhaps. In my previous post I just wanted to be fair and draw attention to the fact that a large portion of the student body does hail from Texas. For the most part I felt like this just led to a laid back, friendly feeljust with a bit of a Southwest and Austin twist. Also, there are many areas of Texasand even beyondthat students come from, and they do bring different perspectives and personal experiences to the table. In the pursuit of fostering a diverse and interesting community, I hope Southwestern continues to attract students beyond Texas as its name becomes better known nationally.</p>
<p>Being close to Austin is great. It really is not like any other Texas cityand living just outside of it provides access to Austins cultural opportunities without the potential of feeling a bit lost in a huge university setting. (With regard to your inquiry about Austin College, I have close friends who attended and had a great time there, but I feel pretty confident in saying that being in a small town outside of Dallas pales in comparison to being within close proximity to Austinparticularly if you have academic and social interests in film, music, media ) </p>
<p>Please let me or MTRep103 know if you have any other concerns. (I have reasons other than Southwestern to be checking in on CC, so I will try to stop by and reply if I can!)</p>