So...Tell Me About Washington & Lee University

<p>Contact admissions and find some alumni/students from your area to talk to. Students come from all over the country…a very large number of Ds friends are from Pennsylvania, NJ and others points north of Virginia (but also California, Washington, Michigan), but the flavor is definitely southern. Being conservative was a plus for us. Even though the politics are conservative there is a huge poverty minor and a large number of students involved in social justice issues. Just read the student profiles on the website. It is very Greek so that is a consideration although several of Ds close male friends are either not in a frat or joined later because didn’t want to take time away from studying. Definitely post on college forum for more info from students. If he applies and gets to be in Johnson competition that will show him a great deal about the school and it’s a great scholarship program.</p>

<p>Kids are different. If your son has read all the literature and is still interested, it sounds worth an application unless money is very short.</p>

<p>My son wouldn’t even apply to Haverford because he thought they made too big a deal about the honor code and asked him to write an essay about it.</p>

<p>His friend, who applied to Haverford ED and was accepted was very similar to my son, but he was impressed by the honor code. He loved it at Haverford.</p>

<p>My son’s campus does have an honor code, but it is not frequently mentioned.</p>

<p>He also didn’t like the very “in your face” PCness of Swat, which I think is a perfect school. </p>

<p>He was definitely not a candidate for W & L.</p>

<p>One frequent CC poster’s son was left leaning, Northern liberal and he earned a scholarship to W & L and loved his time there.</p>

<p>I don’t think any blanket statement holds, but your son is obviously intrigued. That’s a good sign.</p>

<p>BTW: My s’s school is too rural and in too small a town for many folks, but he loved his time there.</p>

<p>I agree with Hunt (who probably has the the best perspective on central VA colleges), blueiguana and warblersrule. It’s an excellent school for many, less excellent for some. If accepted … which is no slam dunk BTW … a visit is highly recommended. Just be sure the school is in session when you visit!</p>

<p>“BTW: My s’s school is too rural and in too small a town for many folks, but he loved his time there.”</p>

<p>DD toured a “bubble school” in one such (northern) town. When asked what students do on weekends the guide responded “Well some like to tour the Federal Prison. It’s open to visitors every other Saturday.” DD gave me her “Wow, that’s the #1?” look.</p>

<p>I echo the suggestion from others about visiting if accepted and do an overnighter if possible. S had a couple of friends he swam with attend WL and one that was going to and decided against it after he visited overnight as an athlete. </p>

<p>Like you have heard before, great academic rep, which was what all of those kids were drawn to. What turned the one kid off (and what one of the other kids spoke to later as being something she had a hard time with in her first couple of years- she almost transferred) was the intensity of the drinking culture. </p>

<p>Beer wasn’t the drink of choice, hard liquor was and it was drinking to the extremes that seemed pretty normal. College drinking/partying is everywhere as we all know, but at a small school coupled with a big frat scene, it is harder to stay away from if you aren’t into it. As others have shared, it’s a great school, but check it out to see if it is for him.</p>

<p>Our oldest graduated from W&L a couple of years ago. We were a career Army family and thus were in communities with large minority populations throughout the kids’ lives. We lived in many parts of the country and were exposed to the lifestyles of many different cultures. </p>

<p>So despite her diverse upbringing, Washington and Lee was a perfect fit for my daughter. If anything her political views became more moderate at W&L. Even as a non-drinker her experience with her sorority membership, invitations to fraternity formals, etc was just as fun as if she had imbibed. </p>

<p>D intended to major in politics and go the law school route. Although she was always helping those less fortunate through volunteerism, specifically due to her community outreach experiences at W&L, D became interested in helping others as her career. She is a teacher at an inner-city all-boys school while obtaining her M.Ed. in curriculum design and elementary ed.</p>

<p>Like any school, W&L is a great fit for some, not for others. For my daughter, it was fabulous.</p>

<p>A friend who has taught at WL for 11 years says no confed flags and no overtly racist behavior. Conservative but respectful kids.</p>

<p>Please google “Best Southern Colleges” in 2012 and you will see that W&L ranks number 1—ahead of number 2 Duke. Then google Alumni Factor—you will see that W&L ranks as the number 1 college or university in the nation ahead of number 2 Yale. Last, google Washington Post, Washington and Lee, and honor code. You will read in that article about the author’s experience with the honor code, and how employers are inclined to trust W&L gradudates more than other schools. These are compelling studies and articles. Some of the horrible things discussed in these posts are clearly a reflection of ignorance about W&L, and the character of the men and women who attend.</p>

<p>I’m scratching my head, trying to find the “horrible things” discussed on this thread–the only one I can see is whether there are Confederate flags on display. There’s no question that there were in the past–if there aren’t now, that’s progress. Aside from that, I think this thread has given a pretty accurate picture of W&L.</p>

<p>I agree with Hunt. And if there remain more than a few Confederate flags in dorm (or in off-campus housing) windows, well that’s true of places like Ole Miss too. I wouldn’t let it bother me. Heck, I’ve heard “liberal” students complain about Charlottesville and environs.</p>

<p>MyLB</p>

<p>My daughter is a current student at W&L and has seen no evidence of racism in her two years there. About 65% of the student body is from out of state with a great number of students from northern and Midwestern states. If your accusation of racism is accurate, then W&L must have recruited racist students from all across the US. I feel that you are stereotyping here. Granted, the school is not for everyone, but it surely is not a racist university. </p>

<p>As for the size of Lexington, it hardly matters to my daughter. She has little time to go into town as she is very, very busy with her academic studies, athletics and other on and off campus extracurriculars. She, along with many other W&L students spend tons of time in Leyburn Library. The school is definitely not for the academic faint-of-heart. Excellent academics is the heart and soul of this school, and the relatively small town of Lexington is a non-factor in her (and many others) decision to attend W&L.</p>

<p>goLAC - These are both year old threads! If you’d like to discuss a topic about W&L please start a new thread.</p>

<p>I realize that they are older posts, but when people using CC search for W&L, they will still see these posts and replies. Mine was simply a response so that others will have a better idea of W&L.</p>

<p>Moderator’s note: Please start new threads rather than resurrecting old ones.</p>