<p>bebedrell - if you don't mind, could you ask a specific question? otherwise just read everything I have said on the thread. As for an overnight visit, you can call the admissions office and they will be glad to set that up, I don't know the rules for that otherwise I would just offer to host you (if my roomie agreed), I have plenty of floor space for a sleeping bag to be set up. Call the admissions office, they can arrange everything for you, from a place to stay overnight to classes you can sit in on.</p>
<p>You know you've adjusted to W&L when:</p>
<ul>
<li>You have memorized the Greek alphabet</li>
<li>You know where every frat house is</li>
<li>You know how early you have to leave a party to catch traveller</li>
<li>Your clothes have been horribly messed up by University Cleaners, if you use them (a guy on my floor got an extra small pink thong with his clothes)
-You know the stereotypes for half the frats on campus
-You've given up making your bed
-You know every single name for the C-school
-You've gotten sprinkler-dodging down to an art
-You know exactly how much time it takes for you to go from bed to class
-You've been to the health center (diseases spread quickly, and there's always alcohol overdose)
-You've started walking around in flip-flops, khaki shorts and polos
-You know how to get to Old House, Fallout, 7 Tucker, Fiji and a ton of other party places
-Your plan for the weekend is to hit as many frat parties as possible
-You can navigate Graham-Lees with your eyes closed (actually, I take that back, unless you live there you will probably never learn to navigate GL at all)
-You use Lee Chapel to tell the time
-You know exactly when the marketplace starts and stops serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and sunday brunch
-You've spent a night out of your room
-You know the fastest way to the post office is through a hole in the fence and the Chi Psi parking lot
AND:
-You're from the Northeast yet it feels perfectly natural to say "y'all ready to have some fun this weekend?"</li>
</ul>
<p>^ Just a few observations ;)</p>
<p>Oh, and of course:
-You know NEVER to walk through the middle of the exit of the GL tunnel</p>
<p>real good info, really appreciate it. and for the record, i was talking to ms. siegel and mr. mui, they're kinda harsh but whatever. i believe they're referring to the fact that my interests, background, etc are too different-and i can't say that i don't agree with them atleast partially. but nevertheless, fitting in is the least of my concerns right now.</p>
<p>btw, CONGRATS on getting the scholarship. as for the GWHS itself, what exactly happens after the essay application? what kind of interviews are required? is it like the college admissions interview or something more detailed?</p>
<p>as for the greek system, it seems to me that most ppl are part of it. does that mean you're in a way 'forced' to join b/c otherwise, i cant imagine how you'd fair socially...</p>
<p>hmm o..updates from school...ms. suri had a girl! and so did ms choy! ok, chat soon.</p>
<p>Aww . . . that's so great, I love both Ms. Suri and Ms. Choy, I hope they're doing well</p>
<p>About 75% of W&L students are in the Greek system so yes it's a large part of the social scene but it is very much possible for you to survive without it. Almost all non-Greeks participate in one of the following organizations:
MSA for multicultural students
SAIL for international students
SAO
Outing Club</p>
<p>All of those have websites you could check out. Like frats and srats, these organizations have living quarters, play intramural sports, host events and even have nominees for homecoming queen. Being in one of these organizations means you don't miss anything by not going Greek. Personally, I am in SAO this year, love SAO activities and play on the SAO intramural teams against fraternities. I have decided that I will rush come January but have not yet decided if I will go Greek or just stay in SAO.</p>
<p>In terms of GWHS, if you are a finalist, they fly you down to campus where you stay in a dorm with a freshman host, sit in on classes, and go through three interviews. The first is with a panel of three students, the second with a panel of three professors and the third, with two fellow interviewees, with an admissions officer.</p>
<p>I posted this on another thread but decided it might help people to read it here, it is to answer the concerns that a) W&L is too conservative and b) the Greek scene dominates social life:</p>
<p>I'm going to start with the conservative accusation. Yes, W&L is one of few colleges where the student body is majority conservative however I am a liberal and I have no problem with it. It just means that you get a lot more e-mails from college republicans and pro-life groups than from democrats and pro-choice groups - there is no harassment, no stigma, nothing. Even though politics is one of the biggest majors here and practically everyone knew about the Miers nomination as soon as it was announced, no one argues about it. Political views here are personal and not discussed - unlike at other more liberal schools where they're out in the open and conservatives feel left out. Also the last three speakers I've went to here on campus were all liberal.</p>
<p>As for the Greek scene, yes it is huge on campus. I will admit that it had me worried for quite a while. However, it is not like it is in the movies and not at all what you could imagine it to be. All parties are open to everyone and all the Greeks are very welcoming. For example, I just spent the night at a frat house watching football and eating leftover spaghetti (I got hungry). Although about 70% of the guys do go Greek, it is in no way necessary to a good social life. Because there are about 14 different frats, the frat guys don't all hang out only with each other - it would severely limit the number of friends they have. There are also plenty of organizations indys can join that organize events. For example, I am not in a frat (not yet at least, have not yet decided if I want to be) but am a member of the Student Activities Organization. SAO fields an intramural teams (soccer is in season right now) that plays against the frat teams as well as other independent teams, organizes a very popular games and movie night fridays, has sports on saturdays as well as trips to Goshen and other places and is sponsoring a trip to Williamsburg over reading days. If you're into outdoor sports, there is the Outing Club; for internationals, there is SAIL; for multicultural students, MSA; etc. Almost all of these organizations also have housing which serves as an alternative to living in a frat house sophomore year (except for SAO, whose members live in suite-style upperclass housing in Gaines Hall or apartment-style housing in Woods Creek). After sophomore year, frat or no frat, most people live in off-campus houses.</p>
<p>So while the Greek scene is big at W&L and a lot of people are involved in it, the student organizations are alternatives that lead to just as much enjoyment and the same feeling of inclusiveness. And once again - you don't have to be Greek to enjoy the Greek parties - they are all open. None of the freshmen are Greeks in the fall term, yet they're welcome everywhere.</p>
<p>So while the Greek scene is everpresent at W&L, it really is not that big a concern. It seems that a lot of W&L students who come in suspicious of the Greek system and worried about its presence on campus learn to love it and become Greeks. But even those that don't are still quite happy and still find that they have just as much to do.</p>
<p>dima can you talk about the dorming situation there. i remember visiting one particular hall and it wasn't too appealing. it was prob just bc i was there during summer and nothing's really the same during that time, heh</p>
<p>The dorming situtation is the weirdest thing ever. You have Graham Lees, which is a roll of the die, you either get a gigantic room or a tiny one. The doubles in GL are huge, the singles for the most part are small but some are really long or even L-shaped.</p>
<p>BDG isn't too bad. I'm in a double in Gilliam and we bunked our beds so our room looks really spacious. Having everything on the outside of the room, we have a ton of carpeted floor space in the middle, which means you can throw a party or have someone sleep over if they bring a sleeping bag. If we unbunked our beds thoguh, I have no clue where we would put the top one, there's just no more room on the outside. Also, we have a sink. All BDG rooms have sinks I think. Really nice, you can wash dishes, wash your hands and brush your teeth without going to the bathroom. Also if you're feeling sick or have had a little too much to drink, you have a place to vomit. (It happens)</p>
<p>Finally, a few lucky freshmen end up in Gaines - which is technically upper class housing. Gaines is a big [-shaped hall with a courtyard in the middle, a nice gatehouse with couches and its own gym downstairs. Gaines also has climate control. Gaines is suite-style housing. It is broken up into suites of four people. The suites have one bathroom (with two sinks and a shower), a big living room with comfortable seats and two pretty big rooms. The only problem I have with Gaines is that the hallways are bare white brick, it's lucky there are frequent exits because walking down the halls scares the hell out of me, especially at night, it feels like you're walking through a mental hospital or jail. Also, Gaines is one of the only buildings on campus with an elevator.</p>
<p>After freshman year, there is nothing to complain about in terms of housing. Sophomores also have to stay on campus and they have the option of staying in Gaines, Woods Creek Apartments (REALLY nice, quite big apartments complete with big living room and kitchen), fraternity or sorority housing (which have their own cooks who I have heard are better than the meal plan cooks and also have soda machines) or one of the theme houses (international house, spanish house, outing club house, the minority house (forgot the name)). Juniors and seniors can also choose any of the above (although I don't think they can stay in Gaines) or they can live off campus.</p>
<p>Dima, can you tell me a little bit about athletics at W & L? My junior S is looking at D3 schools in the south to play football. He has only visited Rhodes at this point, but we are pretty early in the narrowing down process. I have heard that nobody goes to the games, is that true? About the merit scholarships, what is the general criteria for the GW, and are there others that are partial? He is currently tied for valedictorian at an extremely competitive school and will be taking PSAT next week and SATs soon (hopefully will do well, crossing fingers), has lots of EC's (mostly athletic). He looks good on paper admissions-wise, and looks good on film athletics-wise. It would sure make decisions easier if we didn't have to pay full freight. Thanks for any information you can give.</p>
<p>First off, like all D3 schools (I believe), W&L does recruit athletes but does not offer athletic scholarships, any aid W&L hands out is based on financial need and merit in the case of the GWHS - not on athletic ability. Essentially the finalists of the GWHS are the very top group of applicants, so it is not easy. W&L gets about 4,000 applicants a year. I don't know how many of those apply for GWHS but no more than 150 are chosen as finalists. I think we had about 120 last year but I coudl be mistaken. Finalists for GWHS have to have high grades, be at the top of their class, have high SAT scores (probably above the 25-75% of applicant range, so I would say 1430+ on the old SAT) and have a very good scholarship essay (which is seperate from the admissions essay). Finalists go to campus in March for the final competition, where there are interviews with student and faculty panels as well as adcoms. With the exception of the Heinz scholarship (which I know nothing about and I believe you will be notified about if you are eligible for it), all scholarships are decided during this competition and finalists may be given full ride, full tuition, partial or no scholarships. There are regional and specific scholarships for specific types of students (for example the Weinstein for Jewish students) but I believe those all fall under the category of the GWHS and by applying for the GWHS, you are applying for all scholarships you are eligible (except the Heinz - the Weinstein also requires a letter sent with the GWHS application stating a students interest to apply for it).</p>
<p>Athletics at W&L:
W&L students love playing sports - most studentsare involved in some kind of sport: varsity, club or IM - but aren't too big on watching them. The first half of football games usually attract a good crowd considering the small size of W&L, all dressed up as per a tradition that I just don't get being from New York - guys wear shirt and tie and girls wear sundresses to football games. It's going to be interesting to see what happens this Saturday when we face Catholic - there's rain in the forecast. Unfortunately though, about half the crowd leaves during halftime to get ready for post-game parties. Only a small fraction of the school really cares about the games and come out to support the team (which is doing quite well this year at 3-1. 1-0 ODAC coming into this weekend's matchup with Catholic after crushing a usually tough Randolph Macon team 44-7 on the road last week).</p>
<p>One area W&L is not lacking in is opportunities to play sports. W&L fields varsity teams in 14 sports, 17 club teams and a gret intramural program which has undergone an overhaul this year. The intramural program is one of my favorite things on campus. There are 24 events in the intramural season, 6 sports leagues each for men and women and 16 tournaments/special events which range from swimming to pool to Texas Hold'em to EA Sports NCAA Football. Teams or individual people can enter events seperately or sign up for an IM Cup team, which accumulates points throughout the year depending on how they do in the leagues and tournaments. The team with the most points gets the IM Cup until another team wins it. This year (the first year of the IM Cup), most IM Cup teams are fraternities and sororities (almost every frat and srat has a team) but there is one student organization represented: SAO - the student activities organization (my team!) as well as four independent teams: a faculty/law school team, an upperclassman team and two freshman teams. I can say that the IM program has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year so far. Currently, we are in the midst of the soccer league playoffs and my team, though finishing the regular season 1-3, has won our first two playoff games and we're playing in the semi-finals against Chi Psi on Sunday.</p>
<p>I hope this has answered all your questions about scholarships and athletics at W&L. If not, I'll be glad to talk about anything I haven't sufficiently adressed</p>
<p>Dima, so by applying for the GWHS, it puts you in the running for all scholarships? I know that 40 (give or take a few) are offered the full ride tuition, do the 150 or so kids who are invited to be finalists usually get offered some level of merit aid? It would be interesting to know how many of the 150 actually matriculate. If all of them did, that would be close to 1/4 of the incoming freshman class. We know that D3 schools don't give athletic schol.'s, that is why we are hoping for merit scholarships to good academic schools where he could continue to play. If he could get a partial scholarship, we could afford for him to attend either W&L or another comparably priced college. </p>
<p>As I stated, he is currently tied for valedictorian, and should be able to maintain that, as his averages in his classes range in the 98-100 range and he is extremely driven. He will take the PSAT next week and hopefully do well, followed by the SAT and ACT. I know a number of kids from his hs that attend W&L, so admins there are aware of the competitveness of his school and the rigor of the curriculum. All that is left at this point is to cross our fingers about the upcoming standardized tests. </p>
<p>An issue for him may be the size of Lexington and W&L. He is from a large city (as I surmise you are), and it may be a bit of a culture shock to be in such a small town. His high school is larger than the university, yikes! It sounds like you are having a good time and have adjusted well. It is great that a northeastern "yankee" has found a home in VA. Do you ever miss the variety of restaurants, clubs, etc that you had enjoyed before? How close is the nearest city? Do many people road trip? </p>
<p>Good luck to you on Sunday! I hope that ya'll win!</p>
<p>I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions, your information is invaluable.</p>
<p>Yes, by applying for GWHS it puts you in the running for all scholarships but the Heinz. Not all 150 get offered merit aid, there was at least one person on this board last spring that got nothing at all. Only about 25 of the 150 finalists actually enrolled. Again, this was the very top of the applicant pool so they are all at either really good schools or going to college for free.</p>
<p>Your son's stats sounds really good right now, with a good standardized test showing and good essay, he should be in the running for the GWHS. Also, I hope he has some EC's other than football.</p>
<p>In terms of size, my graduating class in high school had almost 800 students, the class of '09 here at W&L has about 465 if I remember right. I like this better, smaller class sizes, more teacher interaction, better friendships, better IM games simply because you get to know everyone pretty quickly.</p>
<p>I do miss bagels, I would kill for a real bagel right now. Unfortunately, most people here don't even know what a real bagel is and thing the things served in the D-Hall can be called bagels. I also miss Russian food, although apparently there is a Russian store in Staunton about 30 miles north but alas, I am carless. It can also get quite annoying that there is no dollar store or place like Wal Mart within walking distance where you can buy bulk cheap so if you want to buy a bunch of yogurt or soda, you have to buy them individually in the marketplace and that will cost a fortune. That issue should be resolved for me at the end of November when my dad comes down because we are going to drive over to Wal Mart and buy a bike. Wal Mart is definitely doable if you have a bike here and I have been told there is even a bike path leading up there.</p>
<p>I have not missed the club scene much at all, except that for the most part, people here, unlike people in NYC, can't dance. Fraternities get DJ's and bands for their parties all the time so you can have as much of a social life here as you can in a big city thanks to the Greek system. For that reason, there is almost no reason to go to a big city and the only time people really leave for the weekends is when they're visiting family or friends or going to a concert in Roanoke (an hour away), Charlottesville (same), Richmond (two hours) or DC (three hours).</p>
<p>THIS SHOULD GET THE FANS OUT!</p>
<p>Today I had the pleasure of seeing the most exciting football game I've ever seen live as the Generals fell behind 17-3, came back, fell behind again at 24-17 in the fourth and then made an amazing drive in the last two minutes finishing off with a beautiful 2-yard YD pass to sophomore wide receiver Jack Martin with 5.4 seconds left on the clock to beat Catholic 27-24. The Generals are now 4-1 (2-0 ODAC) and off to one of their best starts since they were a football power back before women were admitted to the school. We were cheering like crazy, three of my friends came out in bodypaint, we led the chants, it was so great, the football team was so pumped on that last drive! Whew!</p>
<p>You can read about the game here:
<a href="http://athletics.wlu.edu/football/sum05.htm%5B/url%5D">http://athletics.wlu.edu/football/sum05.htm</a></p>
<p>Dima, thanks for the update! Sounds like a fun day, and a heck of a game. How did your soccer game go? </p>
<p>Re: the bagel issue, maybe you could have your dad ship you some from NY. You would be really popular in the dorm when the smell of toasting bagel wafts down the hall. Good that you will be getting a bike soon, are freshmen not allowed to have cars on campus? That would make it difficult to get around. Is the town small enough that a bike is sufficient?</p>
<p>A bike is sufficient for most purposes yes, and I actually enjoy biking so I'm looking forward to it. As for a car, freshmen are allowed to have cars on campus but it is strongly discouraged both in name and in practice as you have to pay a fee for a parking permit and freshmen parking is not fun as it is far away from anything and everything. Those that have cars rarely use them though as the only time you would need them is to go to parties out in the country (for which frats supply sober drivers), head to Wal Mart (for which a car is sufficient) and to head home or somewhere else during breaks - for which you can usually find a ride to Staunton (Train), Roanoke (Plane/Bus) or even DC. As for me, I'm from NYC so I don't even have a drivers license as I've never needed one and I'm getting by just fine without it.</p>
<p>Oh, and unfortunately our semifinal game did not go so well, we played without any emotion for most of the game and only turned it on at the end, too late to come back from 2-0 down and lost 2-1 to Chi Psi (they have a great goalie too). Flag football season starts this week though so we're ready to go again!</p>
<p>CAR for freshmen - one word of advice - leave it home til sophmore - cuz.....if pledging a frat/sor - it will get used and very abused thru rush. Once in a frat/sor - many have some parking available. Isn't there a bus that goes thru Lexington?? - I can't remember LOL.</p>
<p>Dima - you are just having wayyyy tooo much fun LOL - glad to hear the football team is doing better!!</p>
<p>There used to be a bus in Buena Vista but Greyhound discontinued service due to lack of interest.</p>
<p>It kinda sucks right now . . . it's reading days and everyone's gone and i'm one of few still left and it's quite boring as all i'm doing is reading, working and heading to the mall in roanoke on saturday with my friends.</p>
<p>I could really use a bike right now . . . i would head up to the blue ridge parkway and spend the day there.</p>
<p>Also, I found the Woods Creek Trail today, it's really cool, great place to run, really put me in a good mood!</p>
<p>W&L beat Hamden-Sidney on the road today in another last minute comeback to stay atop ODAC at 3-0 (5-1 overall). Next weak we play a 0-2 ODAC Guilford team. If we can beat them, it's us vs Bridgewater for the ODAC crown I believe. We should also get votes for the Div III top 25 poll for the first time as Hamden Sydney had 7 votes and we've now beaten them. The only ODAC team in the Top 25 is Bridgewater at 18.</p>
<p>What are the main differences between W&L and Davidson?Do independents enjoy life at W&L? Glad to see pro-life activity exists in Lexington!Thanks.</p>
<ol>
<li>No idea (err...location?)</li>
<li>Yes, please read my previous posts as I have discussed this topic at length</li>
<li>I'm not, but if that's your thing, hey, cool!</li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry I can't be more help but it would be unfair to Davidson for me to try to make a comparison when I know very little about it.</p>
<p>Just got back from lazer tag - sponsored by SAO and the campus activities board (or something like that). Going back for more soon!</p>
<p>This weekend - Capture the flag on friday night and paintball saturday! Plus parties!</p>
<p>And I'm reffing flag football for the IM program.</p>
<p>I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!</p>