Ask Questions about Wooster Here

Hello parents and applicants! During the college search process, you might want a resource that can answer questions you may not feel comfortable asking/not have anyone to answer/uncertainties. I remember the one thing I wish I had was a current student that could answer all my questions without judgement, hence this forum! I hope you all ask questions from anything pertaining to classes, social life and/or anything in between. I am a current student from the East Coast and am here for you.

If you do not feel comfortable asking on the forum, please feel free to private message me.

Ask away!

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.

I’m mourning the loss of Templeton’s and Gathering Grounds (Seattle’s when I was a student). Where do u guys get your caffeine fix/baked goods sugar high now?

  1. Is there much of a Christian and/or evangelical presence at CoW?

  2. What’s the STEM scene like?

@ChaosParent23 It all depends on the student’s preference of atmosphere typically! Wooster offers a handful of options such as Old Main, a small, cozy cafe under the iconic Kauke Hall, or (my favorite) the new Knowlton Cafe, the gem of the new science building, Ruth Williams. All coffee is the same regardless of where you go, but the pastries and sandwiches offered differ from each location and are all made from local businesses! If you’re not a student, you can purchase items with cash or credit.

@Muad_dib 1. From the people that I have met, I have met a few Christians that were dedicated towards their religion, but usually students keep to themselves. Not that it is looked down upon, but there are so many more aspects students talk about when talking about themselves that it rarely comes up (unless it is significant to them). There are religious clubs that students can join if they choose to do so such as the Hillel group, Younglife (Bible study group), Wooster Christian Fellowship among others. I’ll also note (since I had no idea) that all students are required to complete a “religious studies” class to have an understanding of the different beliefs of others so students have a broader perspective.

  1. The STEM scene is so exciting that I honestly feel a little left out sometimes (political Science major here)! I know MANY people in the STEM field and they are always doing something. From going to STEM Zone (a study group specifically for STEM students to help each other) and STEM mentoring (getting/giving help to other STEM majors) to random fun events in the new science building (which almost always include free food), STEM kids have a very unique and bonded community that many of them cherish. (If you have the opportunity to visit, it is 100% worth it. Especially if you are interested in the STEM field because the science building and the new technology included I've been told is one of the reasons that most STEM students chose Woo.)

How is the administration toward the students? What is the jock factor on campus? Best surprise and worst surprise you have found at Wooster?

The new life science building (Williams Hall) is definitely the darling of campus. Wooster’s youtube channel has several videos you can watch dedicated to Williams. Check it out, you will be amazed that a small school in Ohio has such an amazing facility. My son is a prospective Eng/Philo kid & was a little jealous of Williams!! And don’t forget Timken… stunning science library just 2 buildings down from Williams.

@fwtxmom Admin definitely listens to the student body and definitely focuses on making us as happy as we can be. Obviously, there are some with bad experiences with administration (as nobody is perfect), but from my time here and from what I’ve heard about before, there is a mutual respect from administration towards students.

There are some jocks at Woo, but since it’s a Division III school, jocks also spend a lot of time in the library. Most of the jocks are generally not your stereotypical jock as jocks are in a high school setting, but jocks still do spend a lot of time together (though they still branch out). So in lesser words, there are jocks, but most aren’t as “jocky”.

Best surprise(s): Greek life here isn’t at all what it is at other schools (I was completely anti-sorority before coming here but the Greek crowd is small, lowkey, and respectful which is perfect for me and many others) and I have loved every single one of my professors. Coming from hundreds of miles away, they serve as people I need and they are so happy to be a resource for me (as well as all their students)! Also, the financial aid package was amazing (made it cheaper than state school) and the diversity on campus continues to impress me (especially for “being in the middle of nowhere”. Which, speaking of, if you take advantage of the Wooster shuttle and look at the events listed by Student Activities, there are many affordable (if not free) options to get away from campus multiple times a week. Being a city girl, I still surprised with how I still haven’t felt like in the middle of corn fields. (More insignificant but the hash browns at the dining hall also make me very happy).

Worst Surprise: The weather !!! I lived in arguably one of the worst dorms freshman year (Wagner), so living without A/C was bearable with fans but the heat lasted longer than I thought! Luckily, the college has been putting more money to renovate and include at least A/C to all residence halls, so to me it feels like they listen and care.

That being said, I hope it’s noted that the weather was my worst surprise, and that’s not even that bad. This school has so many amazing qualities that it’s really all I could think of.

@ChaosParent23 if you haven’t been back to Wooster for a while, you may be surprised at how much the city itself has changed. It’s become, dare I say, fairly hip downtown. Quality restaurants, shops, bakeries, coffee, etc… Even a boutique hotel. In particular, the downtown coffee and baked goods scene has come a long way. My wife and I spent a weekend in town recently and were very impressed with the changes. Many more interesting options than when I was there, that’s for sure!

@pishicaca Isn’t it amazing?! We’ve been back the last 2 B&G Weekends w/ our prospective student after a nearly 20 yr absence. Of course Coccia is still there, I don’t think Dino’s will ever go out of business, and Lowry smells exactly the same. But the rest was quite a surprise. The campus is as lovely as ever, but more so. And the town is exponentially better! Have to admit I miss The Shack though.

You got me at " the jocks spend a lot of time in the library"!

@Dustyfeathers As I write this, I am sitting across from a table of an athlete study group. At Wooster, student athletes have to study with their team for a certain number of hours a week they must study in a room the team checks out certain days of the week. It’s also a great time to bond with teammates while assuring that athletes are also focusing on academics!

^ Our son wasn’t ultimately recruited, however that’s exactly what the coach told us as well. They will also help athletes build a schedule so that they know exactly how much time they have & where they have to be when. APEX is also awesome for that as well & is available to any student.

We recently visited the COW and my daughter loved it. I found the campus very quiet compared to my college experience. Can you please share some information on the social activities available at Wooster? Are there plays, concerts, coffee houses, dances etc. on campus? Thanks

Quiet is relative. There’s certainly less than an Ohio State-type campus, but you would expect that. One thing that’s hard to find if you don’t already know about it, is Common Grounds. It’s a student run coffee shop in a theme house just down the street from Admissions. They have things like open mic nights, karaoke and such.

Check out Wooster’s social media feeds. I follow several twitters & instas as they are very active about showing what’s going on around campus. There constantly seems to be some sort of play, recital, art show, lecture, concert, party etc etc. One BIG event every year is Black and Gold Weekend. This is a 3 day event in the fall that combines Parents Weekend & Homecoming into one. Here’s a link to this year’s https://www.wooster.edu/students/dean/black-gold/

There’s also a link under Current Students on the main Wooster.edu page that shows you some of the scheduled campus events such as Moot Court, Dept Round Tables, and film screenings.

@Snowman66

Quiet: It really depends what time and day your tour was. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are when most students have their classes, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, students tend to sleep in and hunker down in one of the libraries (so nice, you would understand why we don’t leave them often). On the weekends, it’s seldom that you will spot a student that willingly wants to be awake before 11 A.M. (we’re college students after all).

Activities: I can say in all honesty, I have never been bored at all while on campus, as there is SO MUCH to do. To give you the best explanation I can, I will tell you some of my favorite events I’ve been to recently.

Last week, the Spanish Department held a viewing of “Coco” in Spanish and provided authentic empanadas and Mexican hot chocolate. This week is International Education Week which starts off with an annual “Culture Show”, a public event that students participate in to show their classmates, professors, (President Bolton), and community members a glimpse of what represents them (the crowd favorites were the African Student Association and “Vina Gang”, a dance group of some of the Vietnamese students on campus). During the weekend I made (and ate) mochi through “Let’s Taco 'Bout It”, a student-led food-lovers group, and then proceeded to watch the Women’s Soccer team win a championship (GO SCOTS!). Last night I attended the Election Viewing Party in the student center (Lowry) and tonight I will attend a hypnotist that the school has brought to our campus (free of charge) and next week I have a professional development session regarding my presence on social media and another on how (as a woman) I can learn to negotiate for a higher wage (with free lunch included!).

All of these on top of hanging out with friends, grabbing a coffee with my professor (which I just got out of! We talked about the Midterms), and (of course) tackling all of my readings and papers.

Student activity groups make sure to post events almost everywhere so students can’t miss them. Some of the favorite “fun” groups among campus are “Let’s Taco 'Bout It”, Ultimate Frisbee (EVERYONE has a good time and it’s a very welcoming group), Don’t Throw Shoes, a student-improv group that holds public shows for students and “Wooster Volunteer Network (WVN)” which many students part-take in throughout their time here.

There are also concerts and events organized by the school where performers and brought to the school for students (for free!). There are also more “professional” groups to benefit students’ futures such as, (very, very popular; you will see hundreds of stickers on everyone’s laptops) “createHER”, a school-sponsored group that inspires women to lead through one personal and one professional event every month (great way for women to meet and support other women on campus and off of campus) as well as Moot Court (we’re pretty good at it, too), and many, MANY other groups.

I highly encourage that your daughter and/or yourself look at the list of student organizations through this link: https://www.wooster.edu/students/organizations/a-z/. If your daughter wants a club that isn’t at Wooster, the school will happily help her start one!

Dances/Parties: From what I know, formals typically only occur for those who are a part of/are very close to someone in Greek Life. As I stated before, Greek Life at Wooster is nothing as I perceived it as before coming to college. VERY chill and more of just friends you study with and/or people you sit next to class that throw a good party. That being said, there are still flaws, as there are in almost every institution with (specifically) fraternities, though the school has made sure to take action of any allegations made, including banning a fraternity as a whole because of an incident.

In the terms of “parties”, they happen, but they are not crazy. Frats tend to throw them with another sorority which creates a safer atmosphere for female party-goers and alcohol/drugs are minimal. They are not at all parties that occur in state schools, but just low-key parties for people to dance and unwind after a week of class. The biggest (best) party night on campus was “The 21st Night of September” (Earth, Wind and Fire reference), if that helps you get a better sense of what kind of student body is at Wooster :wink:

Coffee (!!!): As @ChaosParent23 stated, Common Grounds is a great alternative for people who want something to do whenever or if you simply want a sweet treat and a cup of joe. Every week there is a different snack (cookie, pastry, etc.) and every day of the week is a different theme. For example, today is “Wii Wednesday” where students can play games on a Wii device together, and yesterday is “De-Stress Tuesday”, a time to relax with other students. It’s a very nice (and sometimes forgotten) alternative for students that get bored easily.

Downtown are a lot of adorable coffee spots as well as a Starbucks and Panera “uptown”. I tend to stay on campus because I love the feeling of being on campus so I tend to grab a cup of coffee at the new science building or Old Main, in the basement of the iconic Kauke Hall.

Thanks very much! The information is very helpful.

How do you feel about The Town of Wooster? Do you feel safe at the COW?

@Snowman66 I feel rather safe in Wooster, though some of the townspeople can be rude and yell things at students on the main street Beall Avenue. There have been a few incidents of townspeople throwing things at people of color, but the security and police here take matters seriously and tend to punish those who harm students. Students (especially females) walk together most places, but if a student doesn’t feel safe walking alone, the school has a security app where all you need to do is push a button on your phone and it calls the police and/or security and they will bring you wherever you need to go in a vehicle.

How is computer science?

Which companies recruit on campus?

Are there suite style dorms? Are there newer dorms?

I can’t answer the first two, but the last one I can. Yes, actually there are ALOT of suite style dorms. Luce in particula is mostly suites. There are also several new dorms. Bornhuetter was built in '03 and is a FY dorm. Andrews will be closed this May & will be renovated over the course of the following year. Brush Hall is only 2 years old. Stevenson just reopened this year after a complete overhaul. Armington is currently being renovated. And a few others have been renovated in the last 10 years. Gault School House is only a few years old, this is another suite/apartment style. Gault Manor is only 10 yrs old as well.

There really isn’t a bad dorm. Some of the houses are iffy IMO, but there are plenty of dorm rooms if you’d rather not be in a house.