Spring Visit

Just booked a tour late March for my junior son. We will be in Charlottesville the day before. We are from out of state. He thinks W & L and Lexington are too small for him but he has never been there. I wanted to pick your brains about anything we should not miss! Personally I think he is a great fit for W and L (very smart and very social) but he is not convinced. . .

DS and I spent two days there in March and got a good feel for the town and school. It’s a very impressive university in a charming town. It is small, however. DS noticed the lack of a Chick Fil A. I would recommend staying at one of the hotels in town, definitely not a place to see and leave. Very smart and very social is good there, lots of happy students. It’s not very diverse, but not for want of trying on the part of the school. Graduate outcomes are really good, especially in the financial sector.

We are driving in from Charlottesville and then driving out for a flight that day. My son recently toured Davidson and he thought it was a tiny school in a tiny town - which it is. Just want to be sure and hit the hot spots as I know the kids who go there love it! Just may not be my kid ::slight_smile:

@marrast he in interested in business so that is a plus.

It’s a great school for the right kid, not a good sign if he didn’t like Davidson.

It’s pretty isolated compared to Davidson which has Charlotte nearby. Davidson also has division 1 sports. The town of Lexington seems larger than Davidson, but is smaller. Your son will know quickly whether or not it is a good fit for him.

Good luck!

Agree. Just wanted to swing through while we were close by. He is probably not a small LAC kid but I figure if he doesn’t like W & L we can cross those off our list :slight_smile:

I’m an alum and my D22 is a sophomore. W&L isn’t for everyone, but while it is in a rural setting, there is a lot going on all the time.

“DS noticed the lack of a Chick Fil A. “

Lol there is a Chik-Fil-A truck as they gauge if Lexington can support a restaurant. They do fundraisers with Chik-Fil-A. Students can still eat more chicken.

Seriously, my daughter has a social whirlwind of activities, especially as they gear up for Mock Convention next month. I advise sitting in on classes. I know you will be impressed. Feel free to message me if you want specific questions answered.

We are going in March as well. We will be driving in from Winston Salem that morning. I think it’s close to a three hour drive. Planning on getting there in time for D to go to a late morning class, eat lunch, and then 2:00 tour. Haven’t figured out the class thing yet but we need to get on that. @katespeare Is the town walkable from campus? Do kids ever go there? Any restaurant suggestions for dinner? We will only be there from late morning through dinner and then we are driving at night to Richmond.

Hm. Looks like class visits only allowed for current seniors according to their website. I’m going to have D ask anyway. We are flying in for this visit and won’t be coming back a second time.

Is the town walkable from campus? Do kids ever go there? Any restaurant suggestions for dinner? We will only be there from late morning through dinner and then we are driving at night to Richmond.

@homerdog Yes, the town is very walkable and has restaurants in several price points. If you are feeling spendy, The Red Hen or Haywood’s is a special place. If you want a casual place, The Palms. If you want in between, The Southern Inn. I’ve only had lunch at TAPS, but it was lovely. I also enjoy Bistro on Main, but I might favor the other places more.

My D22 is a tour guide. So if you see a tall brunette music major sophomore, it might be her!

Red Hen & Haywood’s were our favorite dinner spots by far (D graduated in 2015). I was in Lexington last week crashing her mini-reunion with some of her roommates and enjoyed brunch at Southern Inn. Blue Sky Café and Pure Eats are two good lunch spots if you aren’t eating on campus.

@yauponredux I was at Southern Inn celebrating D’s birthday with her roomies and friends that same time! The fried Brussels sprouts were tatsty.

@katespeare What fun! Our table went with the baked Brie, but I would happily have ordered the blue cheese chips and the fried green tomato with pimento cheese apps as well. Southern Inn’s menu was way more interesting than I remembered it being a few years ago - and it was packed with the brunch crowd!

I’ve missed Lex and the W&L campus and was happy to be back, albeit just for a couple hours.

My daughter found all of the boutique shops in town charming, but I don’t think that they will have the same effect on a male. Is your son interested in history? Nature? You might want to check out U. Richmond while you are in Virginia. It has a bigger student body of 3000 and has the close proximity to a city.

I have to say if your son is social and interested in business, W&L might be made for him (or vice versa). The social scene is pretty great – and it doesn’t seem super stressful like at a larger school. The kids just mix all over. And, the business programs are outstanding and there is a ton of support for business majors. My daughter is NOT a business type person, and she is kind of jealous of how much attention the business kids get. Also, the town is small, but I think that is why the kids make such strong connections with their friends.

W&L is definitely perfect for someone who is very smart and very social. The Business program is outstanding and many students intern at Investment Banks. The business students do very well. One big advantage of the business school vs the ones in Charlottesville an Winston Salem is that if you are accepted into WL you can declare a business major. I believe UVA and Wake require another application when you are a sophomore for the business school and a lot of kids get rejected.

I’m trying to think of a hook to draw your son. Three things drew my daughter to attend WL - attending a few classes and seeing how much she loved the small, discussion based class vs the lecture halls at bigger schools, the friendliness of everyone and meeting with a couple of professors.

So perhaps you could have lunch on campus in the dining hall and linger and watch the student interactions. See if Admissions will arrange a meeting with a business professor. If not, maybe just go to the Williams School, which houses business and see if you can find a professor in their office to talk to. I suspect they would be happy to do so. Perhaps hang out on the bridge which connects the academic buildings to the athletic fields and third year housing. It’s a good place to people watch as there are a lot of people walking there. Plus it’s a pretty setting. If he is into outdoor activities, like hiking or kayaking, ask about the Outing Club.

Any student who has any interested in politics should check out the Mock Convention website. I attended the event a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by it.

WL is adjacent to the town, so students go into town constantly. No chain stores, but lots of nice coffee shops and sandwich shops. I love Southern Inn, but it will be all parents with students. You will find more students dining with each other at Taps and The Palms.

My daughter’s experience at W&L has been fantastic and I hope your son changes his mind about small schools.