Hi, I am a wealthy, preppy, white male from the midwest. I am considering applying to Sewanee next fall and have a few questions. I identify as bisexual, would thiss affect me social experience at Sewanee? Also, would I be accepted into the greek system based on my sexuality because I am interested in that. Finally, how conservative is Sewanee actually?
There are openly gay men in several of the fraternities so I don’t think being bi-sexual will be a problem. Overall, the Sewanee community is pretty accepting of sexual diversity. Having said that, there are a couple of fraternities where it may be an issue.
Most LACs are extremely liberal so Sewanee is often portrayed as being conservative. While there is a sizeable conservative element at Sewanee, there are plenty of liberals too. It’s fairly balanced, and whatever your political leanings, you will find like minded individuals. The faculty and administration lean more toward the liberal side.
It looks more conservative on paper than it actually is. My D (liberal, also from the Midwest, considers herself a feminist) is very, very happy there and quickly found a great group of friends. The issue for you won’t be acceptance–that will be fine. But it will be the size of your cohort. As wonderful as Sewanee is, it doesn’t have the LBGTQ community that, say, Oberlin has. So visit, perhaps do an overnight, and see what you think. BTW, a campus visit counts for a lot in admissions.