(Prepare for a monologue)
I have been looking up information recently for Washington and Lee University and am interested in the school due to the apparent abundance of scholarships available. I am a very school oriented person and the academics at this school sound up to the level I am looking for in a college experience. I have several general questions about this school and was dearly hoping anyone who knows anything about this matter could help me out. I want to pursue a career in immunology but understand this school is very business major oriented. Are there many options that cater to science students and opportunities for them to intern, study abroad, or do research? Now that I have the academic question out of the way I would like to discuss the matter of all the confederate flags popping up on Pinterest when I was trying to look up cute pictures of the campus. I also found a picture of the tomb of Robert E Lee (donned with confederate battle flags and a statue). Then it dawned upon me who the Lee in Washington & Lee was in the name of this well funded, private, mostly white, southern university. What the heck. I’ve read some people saying that this school is not necessarily racist but that seems pretty racist to me. Im hoping to get some clarification on how much this school affiliattes itself with parties associated with crimes against humanity, genocide, and treason against the United States. Although this school seems to offer great academic opportunity, the fact that it flys these flags and calls itself by this name deeply troubles me. I hope someone can please clarify this to me, I am having a very hard time understanding the climate of this institution. I would love to be wrong here.
I don’t go there, but as a fellow prospective student I know a bit. First off, Robert E Lee was the longtime president of the school, and was well regarded during his time there. Yes, geography put him in seceding Virginia, and he was a reluctant participant in the war, but that doesn’t undermine his possitive impact on the school. The people there are not rascist, and Lexington is actually becoming more and more liberal as a whole. The school is strong in the sciences, although as you will find with most LACs they can’t really compete with top research universities in that regard. They do have many study abroad opportunities for all majors. Also Pinterest is not the best way to research colleges. Hope I cleared things up a bit, but take my opinion with a grain of salt because I don’t go there.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply RunnerPerson I really appreciate you taking the time to write that. I’m definitely going to continue researching this school. I’m happy to hear the school and town don’t have a racist reputation because it looks really good academics wise.
Washington & Lee has a campus that generally leans conservative, has a student body that is more affluent, and is significantly less diverse than other colleges. Also nearly all the students that attend are involved in Greek Life. The scholarship opportunities and such sound great – but you should generally be aware of the culture and the student body when going in. I would do some research on some college review sites to just make sure that the campus culture and the vibe is right for you.
W&L has a good track record of medical school acceptances. There are definitely pre-med students and research opportunities as early as freshman year. Unlike most LACs, W&L has a business school, so there will be a number of business majors, probably around 30%.
If you are able to, I strongly recommend that you visit to see how you feel about the environment. Lexington is liberal, but the surrounding county is conservative and you will see Confederate flags in the countryside. As already stated, Robert E Lee was the President of the University and is buried there. I have not seen confederate flags on campus during my visits. The college does not affiliate itself with the Confederacy. Based on my observations, and my daughter’s (a current student), W&Ls ultra conservative reputation is greatly exaggerated or may be part of a past that has changed. Different points of view are welcome.
The Johnson Scholarship is the only merit scholarship opportunity and is highly competitive. But if you can get it, it is a full ride and a marvelous opportunity. They also meet full financial need, so while there are definitely affluent students, a sizable number of students are not affluent.
W&L is a very small college in a small town and vastly different from the large, urban University of MD, which I saw in another post you wrote. It is doubtful that you would like both colleges. You need to visit to see if you like a small college in a small town or find it claustrophobic. While it is true that W&L is very Greek, their Greek scene is very different. It is not intense like the SEC and students participate at different levels of involvement.
Good Luck!
I’m an alum (of the fourth coed class) married to an alum. Our daughter will matriculate this fall as a Johnson Scholar.
Many changes have taken place since my husband and I attended. There is less emphasis on Lee himself, the Confederate battle flags have been removed from Lee Chapel, and I do not see the student body as conservative as it was in the late 80s/early 90s when we were there. I think these are positive changes. The university recognizes that it needs more diversity.
The academics were, and are, outstanding. Greek life was, and is, quite prevalent, although I see it as “Greek ‘Lite’” with varying levels of intensity. The close relationships between students and faculty persist, and were one of the main attractions for my child. For pre-meds, it has a high acceptance rate into medical school. My husband’s old faculty research advisor was one of the folks who contributed when the MCAT was redone.
I made terrific best friends there, and am still in touch with professors from my major. One of them is in his late 80s and still remembers my work at school.
My husband and I were not, and still are not, wealthy. We pursued academics in part because of the excellent foundation we received there, and because we have a passion for our studies. W&L is a special place, and it is not for everyone. But if you want an intimate, postcard setting for your studies, faculty who are invested in your future, a place where upholding honor and trust matters, then you should visit and see if you would be happy at Washington and Lee and in Lexington, VA.
Incoming freshman chiming in here. W&L is definitely more conservative leaning than other highly ranked LACs, but not as conservative as it is made out to be. There’s a concerted effort by the administration to increase diversity. I suggest you read the article about the new Executive Committee president that’s currently on the front page of the school website. I think you might like some of her goals for the school 
W&L isn’t for everyone because of the remoteness and size of the school as well as the levels of Greek participation, although that percentage is slowly decreasing; I agree with the poster who said you need to visit. On the biology front, I would suggest you look at the course catalog to see if what you want is there. A lot of the incoming freshmen are bio majors so I think there’s a lot of support for life sciences, although I don’t know anything specifically about immunology since I’m not a bio major. If you end up attending W&L I would encourage you to apply for the Advanced Research Cohort program for over the summer prior to freshman year. They had a lot of biology labs available and I think you get paid to go if you’re accepted.
Thank you so much for your very informative replies. The fact that people seem to care enough to write all of this is amazing to me and I regret using some inflammatory or accusitory language in my original post. I’m currently not sure this is the place for me but the fact that so many people have taken the time to reply so thoughtfully indicates the merit of the school.
If you really like the idea of studying immunology, you may want to also consider the small handful of schools that actually have it as a major: Penn State, UCBerk, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Univ. of Miami, and UC Irvine. That being said, just about any science degree will include electives or supporting coursework associated with immunology. You can always go to grad school to study immunology if you have a wonderful undergrad GPA and foundational knowledge in the area. Go where you think you can really be successful! If you thrive in a smaller environment, nix the bigger institutions in favor of an LAC with research opportunities like W&L.