<p>I'm really starting to like W&L, and am just wondering what its reputation is like, particularly in regards to political science and political internships. Anybody know anything?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Superb. Very very well connected in DC. Its a fabulous school. However, its very quirky in admissions with a LOT of legacy admissions and sometimes inexplicable results. Its still somewhat more favorable to males, though women have been admitted there for over 20 years...and women seem to have higher standards of admission....unless of course you are legacy or are uber rich and dont apply for financial aid. </p>
<p>If its what you want and you get in, by all means go. Its a heavy sorority and fraternity scene....more than 80 percent pledge. A heavy drinking scene also. Its somewhat remote. But a gorgeous campus in the Shenandoah Mountains and Valley. </p>
<p>Its a KEY FEEDER school into BIG TIME Capitol Hill jobs. Good luck.</p>
<p>I am sure the Republican establishment will pick you right up.</p>
<p>Wrong! A lot of the faculty at W & L are liberal. A fair number of students are moderate to liberal. Yes a high percentage identify with the republican party but not all. Students from W & L have gone to work on Capitol Hill for many Senators and Congressmen/women of BOTH parties. Some have become politicians and some have become Supreme Court Justices.</p>
<p>It is regarded as a conservative school. But its not exclusively conservative. Some of its most famous and respected faculty are very liberal. I can think of one in the History Department in particular.</p>
<p>I have a nonlegacy, nonconnected daughter at W&L. We are definitely not wealthy. :( She is a registered Republican and has been very involved in politics since high school. She did pledge a women's GLO. She is NOT a drinker. PM me if you have specific concerns or questions.</p>
<p>I didnt mean to suggest that ALL females at W & L are legacy, wealthy or drinkers. But they do exist there. Its a great school, but its admissions is quirky. A member of the Board of Trustees told me that.</p>
<p>It was supposed to be the Confederacy's Military Academy when they seceded from the Union. It's Robert E. Lee's school.</p>
<p>JK Terrapin:</p>
<p>I am a W&L alum and parent and have never heard that. Perhaps you are thinking of Virginia Military Academy, also in Lexington. Robert E. Lee became the President of W&L after the Civil War, and had no connection with the school prior to the War. Lee, who had been the superintendent of West Point, proved to be a great educator with much foresight. Among other things, he started at W&L the nation's first school of journalism, joined a former independent law school with the school, and instituted the honor system which remains one of the defining characteristics of the school today.</p>
<p>While W&L students may tend to be Republican-leaning politically, they tend not to be activists either on the left or on the right. I don't think you will find a great deal of political debate there, as most students are more interested in the school's very active social life. It is a great feeder for jobs in Washington and on Capitol Hill, as well as finance jobs in NYC.</p>
<p>More than anything else, it is a very unique school in a historic town located in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.</p>
<p>They started a generously-funded merit scholarship program last year with many full rides.</p>
<p>Great for W & L. Its a fine school. But the fact remains that its Admissions Office is quirky. W & L alumns have told me that, a member of the Board told me that and students who have been deferred or rejected have told me that. Its their prerogative mind you. No one has an entitlement to admission there. I just wish there was more rhyme or reason to what they do. They have admitted people with money whom I didnt find particularly interesting and they have turned away some STELLAR students and individuals. Their loss. I know someone there now who likes it, but is STILL burned by the fact that one of his better "friends" who had better scores did NOT get in. He has money and his friend did not. Go figure.</p>
<p>I tell people, "if you apply and you get in, by all means go there!" I just think they need better people working in Admissions or replacing the Admissions Director, or finding out the "source" for some of their decisions.</p>
<p>I can't speak for the admissions process but I noticed that Washington and Lee really looked at the whole applicant package not just test scores. My daughter's interview at W&L was nearly 2 hours long, far beyond the length of any other college/university interview. The staffer asked my daughter many in-depth questions regarding her ECs and school performance, much moreso than other schools.</p>
<p>I am delighted you had a wonderful experience and she got in and is attending. Interviews are not required at many schools for a variety of reasons. I think most schools would attest to "looking at the whole applicant package and not just the raw scores." Nor am I saying EVERYONE who was admitted was quirky or had a hook or got lucky or whatever. Its just that the admissions process there is noted as being quirky (hard to explain), and moreso than many other schools in comparison. Perhaps the small size of W & L has a lot to do with it. Again, college admissions anywhere...public or private schools, are not an entitlement and barring any overt illegal discrimination (not suggesting anything like that happened at W & L), they can do as they please: admit, defer or reject. Its their school and their money. Nor are they alone in being a bit quirky. Strange stories abound at many schools...especially small private colleges. Just like having a 2300 SAT, perfect EC's and recommendations is NOT a guarantee you will get into Harvard, Yale or Princeton. </p>
<p>I have been very clear to my kids and others I speak with, "never judge a school by its admissions office." </p>
<p>I know some more details here, but I just want to move along with this....it serves no purpose to dig up old bones and I wouldnt cast aspersions upon the school as a whole. Its a fine school. I simply wanted to express to the OP that admissions are quirky and to be aware of that fact....he/she may or may not get in irrespective of scores or other qualifications.</p>
<p>Thanks. Hopefully I get in.</p>
<p>Very fine college. Known in years past as a southern aristocrat's school, but that concept has surely changed with the admission of women in 1985. Strong academics. Strong employment connections in D.C., Virginia and throughout the south. Significant "Dixie" traditions which many students appreciate and enjoy.</p>
<p>1putt59, as for politics, what about the avid tradition of the mock presidential convention?</p>
<p>"1putt59, as for politics, what about the avid tradition of the mock presidential convention?"</p>
<p>The Mock Convention is held every four years, and is a "mock" convention of the party out of power. National speakers are invited for this two-day event, which includes a parade down Main Street, the selection of a nominee, and lots of parties. The convention has correctly predicted the nominee all but a few times, with the students divided into state delegations who do not vote for the candidate they they support but instead conduct research and vote as they beleive that state would vote. This year the convention was held in early January, and Hillary Clinton was the nominee. There were great speakers at and leading up to the convention including Gen. Wesley Clark, Jesse Jackson, and Charlie Wilson. </p>
<p>In 1972 Jimmy Carter, then an obscure Governor of Georgia, arrived at W&L to deliver that year’s keynote address. Carter was accompanied by his ever-present press secretary Jody Powell. However, Powell missed his boss’ speech altogether. He gave in, as the story goes, to a temptation offered by several W&L students and alumni, and joined them to play pinball and drink beer at Central Lunch on Main Street, instead of attending Carter’s speech.</p>
<p>In 1988, when Bill Clinton was running he finished the night at a party at Zollman's Pavilion (a metal "shack" on about 10 acres alongside a river, about 8 miles out in the country, where parties are frequently held), playing his saxaphone.</p>
<p>While the Mock Convention is a great learning experience, as the students research the various states, listen to speakers, etc., it is not an occasion for political activism. The emphasis is on fun as each delegation builds a float for the parade, has a party, casts its ballot, etc.</p>