<p>So i heard there is some self-segregation at Wes. What percentage of the student body is self-segregated? And overall do you think the students at Wes are racially segregated and cliquey? Or are they integrated and people from different ethnic backgrounds interact well with each other? What about international students? Do they have a hard time integrating into campus life and interacting with American students?</p>
<p>This is a very hard thing to measure at Wes for several reasons. The biggest is that Wesleyan does not force everyone to live together for four years the way they do at other LACs (see, Middlebury’s commons system, Williams’ entry system, etc., etc.) Wesleyan students are able to choose whomever they want to live with pretty much starting sophomore year and those choices often include houses complete with kitchens, cheek-by-jowl with other student houses on the same block. This is where a lot of Wesleyan’s social activity stems from.</p>
<p>Moreover, there really isn’t the same dining hall experience often used as a marker for self-segregation; makeshift groups form at the drop of a hat; lots of students simply eat on the run. Basically, Wes students are treated as adults.</p>
<p>the amount of self-segregation is fairly low, but it does exist. some of the program houses, while great for getting involved in a specific community, can foster this if the residents of the house don’t branch out to other types of people. however, this constitutes a very small percentage of the student body. </p>
<p>also, there is a difference between having “similar” friends and interacting well with others. even among those who choose to self-segregate, they are still friendly to other types of people and “interact well,” as you phrased it.</p>
<p>international students, in particular, have no problem at all meshing with the American students. I have many, many international friends, and I know they have quite a mix of friends themselves. self-segregation is only an issue if you choose to self-segregate. if you branch out, you’ll find that the majority of the student body is willing to as well.</p>
<p>kool kool thanks for answering!</p>
<p>@smartalic34, so do most students hang out with “similar” friends, or do most of them have friends from many different ethnic backgrounds. Let just say an Asian hangs out with a white guy, or an asian with an african american, or white with latinos. Do you see these often on campus, or is it rare?</p>
<p>quite often. like I said earlier, you will see some self-segregation, but in my experience that has been the exception rather than the rule.</p>
<p>thanks for your answer!</p>
<p>Segregation might not be obvious, but people tend to segregate themselves. A lot of international students stick together, and a lot of people of color stick together. For example, if you walk into Usdan you will probably see a bunch of African kids at one table.</p>