<p>On a typical weekend what else are students doing who aren't hitting the greek scene. Is it mostly individuals doing their own thing or is there stuff going on for the 200 or so people to engage in as a group or multiple small groups?</p>
<p>This Friday there is an etics lecture, a Yom-Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Rememberance) service, three movies (at 7PM, 10PM and midnight), plus a games and movie night hosted by SAO (done every friday), as well as a dance concert</p>
<p>This Saturday there are two films, a dance concert (it's two days long) and a big video game tourney sponsored by SAO (and I plan to spend it playing tennis)</p>
<p>How's that for an answer to your question? Oh, and those of us who are Greek don't spend every weekend at frat parties - we happen to like variety and all kinds of events and do all kinds of things (the Buffalo Creek Music Festival is coming up, it's supposed to be a big deal)</p>
<p>Dima,</p>
<p>I've been accepted to W&L, and am deciding between here and Bucknell University. I am still curious about social life on campus, and mainly the party scene. I had an overnight visit last week (during Derby Days so I'm unsure how indicative my experience was of the typical Monday night), and I'm wondering just how often students attend big frat parties. I've heard that drinking is a somewhat common activity most nights of the week. Do most students "party" during the week?</p>
<p>Also, this is somewhat off-topic, but I'm a bit concerned by the Honor Code. Since there are many more people accused of violating the code and brought to trial than are actually found guilty, my parents and I have wondered how these students are being reported unfairly. Is there a lot of competition academically, and do you think the Honor Code might encourage students to look for possible cheating even if it really isn't there?</p>
<p>Not just derby days but spring term is very different because there's a lot less studying (only two classes . . .) and a lot more partying.</p>
<p>Most people who do a one-night overnight only experience the frat scene in terms of social life nad don't see the poker nights / movie and game nights / video game tourneys, etc that are put on independent groups. Partying every week gets dull and just kills your GPA - there is plenty else to do.</p>
<p>In terms of competition and the Honor System - most hearings are actually brought about by faculty action not student action. We are a very friendly campus and while it is not easy to get all A's here - you don't notice the competition because the atmosphere really discourages it. Everyone knows how serious an Honor Violation is so students don't abuse their right and duty to accuse someone who is cheating. In terms of faculty, anyone who hasn't been homeschooled knows faculty make mistakes and sometimes accuse innocent people of cheating (I've had it happen to me). That is why we have advocates for those accused (from the law school) and we have Executive Committee hearings, to make sure no one is punished unfairly. This fall term there were 8 accusations total I believe. There were 6 not-guilty verdicts and one guilty verdict. One student withdrew from the school in the face of a hearing.</p>
<p>So no - there is no competitive spirit that drives people to accuse each other of cheating, an accusation of an Honor Violation is taken very seriously.</p>
<p>Ive had two kids graduate from W&L in the last two years, and of course I've known quite a few other W&L students. All of them have highly valued the atmosphere of mutual trust and respect that they've enjoyed with their professors. And of course the W&L faculty <em>in general</em> gets rave reviews from students. </p>
<p>My husband is a professor at a different university, and we've been struck by how much more pleasant the atmosphere is at W&L: more trust, collegiality, and freedom. Our two kids have loved having the freedom to schedule their own exams at W&L, and they found the honor code to be even more conducive to a pleasant academic experience than they had anticipated. In contrast to my husband's university, the honor code generally seems to function smoothly at W&L. </p>
<p>Dima, I was very sorry to hear about the mistaken accusations--especially your personal experience. Wouldnt you still say that there's a general atmosphere of trust and collegiality between faculty and student body? I would hate for a prospective student to hesitate because of a mistaken impression that the faculty at W&L are just waiting to pounce on students. Nothing could be further from the truth, in our familys experience. The faculty have been extremely supportive of the students weve known, very interested in their success, and incredibly accessible. We could scarcely have wished for a better experience with faculty! Their instinctive attitude seems to be: treat the students as colleagues, as adults worthy of trust. </p>
<p>Mattmm, most of the students that our family has known rarely attended frat parties, and never during the week. Havent conducted a poll and cant speak for the majority .but there are certainly students whove been very happy at W&L without participating in the party scene. </p>
<p>One seldom-mentioned advantage at W&L: since most of the partying takes place off-campus or in the fraternity houses, the dorms themselves are less troubled by party-related noise and unpleasantness than at colleges where partying normally takes place IN the dorms. Our kids were struck by that difference when they did overnights at other campuses: there, they sometimes had trouble sleeping because of late partying in their hosts hall or in a nearby dorm. They didnt experience that problem during their years in W&L dorms. </p>
<p>Also, on the subject of academic competition: students at W&L tend to be high achievers who expect a lot of themselves, and professors encourage high standards of excellence, but theres certainly no atmosphere of intense competition. Occasional friendly rivalry, yes, but only a healthy type, IMHO. (And my kids would have HATED a cut-throat competitive atmosphere!) And for upperclassmen, teamwork and collaboration (including undergraduate research) seem more the rule than the exception.</p>
<p>I was talking to a W&L alum who works at admissions yesterday and we were discussing the lack of competition. She mentioned how someone who had applied for a job at admissions put their class rank at W&L and it shocked her because no one gets it. In fact I think most people (including me before yesterday) don't even nkow that you can get your class rank. Talking about grades here is looked-down upon, it ruins the atmosphere.</p>
<p>I think my point about false accusations may have been understood. I think that 7 accusations in a 12-week term is actually quite small considering that we have close to 2000 students each taking four classes and doing however many papers and tests. The fact that six of the cases ended in not-guilty verdicts only proves to me the effectiveness of the EC trials- that students here really have a chance to defend themselves, I nkow at other schools fighting with professors over accusations of cheating is almost futile.</p>
<p>aplacefortruth makes a good point - because there are fraternities and off-campus parties going on, there is NO partying and especially no drinking or drugs in the dorms. Most schools have that rule but I have not visited a single school (and I've visited many of my friends' colleges) where there was no drinking in dorms except W&L.</p>
<p>Good point, Dima. If you look at it in terms of number of courses and papers/tests, the percentage of problems is very small. And even if you look at it in terms of number of students, fewer than one-half of one percent have any problem.</p>
<p>One of the strong positives my S got from his visits to W&L was how the Honor Code contributes to a far less "cut throat" academic culture than at many of the other schools he considered -- esp. in the sciences, where that underside of selective college life can be a fact of life with real consequences in both day to day terms (nice to be able to trust your lab partner) and the long term (grad/med school).</p>
<p>Esquette, I agree completely. My kids both double-majored, with at least one of the majors being a science, and they greatly appreciated the strong positives that your son observed. The honor code is one of the factors that make W&L a wonderful place to major in the sciences. (Other factors include the faculty and the resources, obviously).</p>
<p>Great to hear that aplacefortruth -- my S may do the same! </p>
<p>From every college we visited, there was a "snapshot moment" that seemed to visually sum up the place long after we left. For W&L, it was an open shoebox full of dollar bills and change, sitting next to two stacks of bluebooks on the bottom shelf of a bookcase in the Bookstore -- unattended and not in view of the cashier -- with a handwritten "25 cents" sign, so students could get bluebooks to take their self-scheduled tests. College life as it should be! </p>
<p>Thanks so very much for sharing your experiences. Along with hearing from Dima (the undisputed czar of W&L's CC board!) and other current students, hearing from alums/parents is incredibly helpful. Keep it coming!</p>
<p>A thought about Honour violations...</p>
<p>You are obligated to report anything that could be a violation - part of the system is that you are committing a violation yourself if you see one and do not report. That, of course, is a good thing - your interests are in bringing people to justice. Therefore, you're going to get reports of violations that could be violations - but were not. Or things that were mere misunderstandings, but should be investigated anyway. Or some miscommunication. That doesn't mean the system isn't working - it's working almost exactly as it should. </p>
<p>Although the consequences are far different (in severity and frequency), think of it like a police officer who pulls you over when you're driving late at night and don't look good. You could be drunk - crime. You could have had a long day - no crime. You got a flat and are driving on the donut - no crime, but looks like there was one there. You could be a little rough around the edges because your boyfriend smacked you around - no crime on your part and you might need some help. The police officer, however, can't determine what is happening until he pulls you over and talks to you.</p>
<p>DreamBig, there definitely are plenty of things to do besides going to frat parties. The problem is, most kids don't go to them. I know for a fact that Dima and I make an effort to attend as many of these things as we can, as I truly believe one can learn as much outside the classroom as he can in class. Not only are these events good learning experiences, but they are fun! Frankly, MOST greeks at W&L study and party. That's it. After realizing how boring this lifestyle is, I joined the new fraternity, Sig Ep, which encourages participation in aspects of college life other than partying all the time. It really is a perfect complement to my personality-- I do drink, but I enjoy too many other things to ever put partying in front of intellectually stimulating and exciting experiences. Here are some things I do when I'm not partying:</p>
<p>-Write and perform standup comedy (over 100 people attended my last performance-- it was great! My friend and I will be performing to the freshman class during Orientation in the Fall, too.)
-See awesome films put on by the Film Society (of which I'm a member) in the newly renamed Stackhouse Theater (formerly Commons Theater). These movies are great; we show lesser-known but critically acclaimed and culturally significant films. We get a lot of townies attending, but we're looking to increase student attendance-- films are at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday, so there's still time to go out afterwards!
-Jam with my band at my guitarist's house (next year, the new Arts and Music building will have amazing rehhearsal rooms that should be open to everyone!)
-Photograph the beautiful campus and surrounding area.
-Play various lawn sports (frisbee, wiffle ball, etc.) with my friends.
There really is plenty to do; you just have to have the initiative.</p>
<p>And as for the non-cuthroat atomsphere, I agree, however, I feel it's actually too far in that direction. Many students are afraid to talk about ANYTHING related to academics or learning, including current events, etc. in fear of being looked at as "uncool." This makes for a very non-intellectual environment, which is just the opposite of what a LAC should be. I'm sure this is true of freshmen at many schools, though-- I am confident it's not confined just to W&L. And it should be noted that the school is working very hard to encourage meaningful discussion outside the classroom-- the students just need to begin doing their part. </p>
<p>Don't be scared about anything negative I just said-- the pros definitely outweigh the cons of W&L. Just don't let social pressure change who you really are!</p>
<p>Hm it won't let me edit my post... well I just wanted to add that I also attend a lot of concerts-- I'm on the Starr Hill marketing team so I get free tickets to every show at the Charlottesville Pavilion and Starr Hill. There are some GREAT bands who play at these venues. W&L's Lenfest Center also brings some cool stuff--we actually had Toots Thielemans (renowned jazz harmonica player, whistler [you've probably heard him on some commercials!], and guitarist), and Kenny Werner, scheduled to play together, but Toots had a heart attack and couldn't make it. This performance was going to be part of Sonoklect, organized by my great History of Jazz teacher Terry Vosbein. Check it out at <a href="http://lenfest.wlu.edu/calendar/sonoklect/%5B/url%5D">http://lenfest.wlu.edu/calendar/sonoklect/</a> .</p>
<p>Thanks for the thoughtful posts everyone.</p>