<p>I am trying to decide whether to attend Sewanee or not (I have to decide in the next couple of days), and I was wondering if anybody could tell me what the student body is really like, does it lean more liberal or conservative, preppy or not, everyone outdoorsy? I really love the school but I am trying to distuinguish it from the other schools I am trying to decide about, as well, like W&L and Wake Forest. Hopefully someone will read this, thanks.</p>
<p>The student body is on the whole quite conservative (though the professors are pretty liberal). Preppiness dominates. Outdoorsy people are a very prominent (and for my money very interesting) subculture, but are still a subculture. They tend to be more politically liberal. The stereotype is of heavy-drinking classics/poly-sci majors opposing pothead geology majors. There's some truth to that, but there are plenty of more moderate types, too. My guess is that W&L is much like Sewanee; WF, from what I've heard, is more actively intellectual and maybe a shade more liberal.
Probably Sewanee's primary characteristic is being in a beautiful part of the world. Not all the students take advantage of the location, by a long shot, but those who do seem to be the ones who benefit most from the experience.</p>
<p>Thanks. Hopefully now I can decide for sure where I am going.</p>
<p>My daughter made an overnight visit to Sewanee last October, a few weeks before the general election. She did not talk politics with anybody, but she reported a fair balance between Bush and Kerry signs in the dorms. </p>
<p>Sewanee and W&L are compared all the time, but from my (admittedly brief) visits, I would say that Sewanee is preferable on several counts. (Fiddlefrog, I cannot imagine a less intellectual campus than W&L.)</p>
<p>I haven't visited Wake, so I can't comment on it. </p>
<p>I was impressed with the beauty of Sewanee's surroundings, but even more with the friendliness of everyone my daughter and I met. Every Sewanee alum I have met is also a fine and friendly person. If you are interested in a small school, I don't think that you can do better.</p>
<p>We have paid my daughter's deposit, and she will be there in the fall.</p>
<p>Good luck, LJay.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input, it sounds like everyone is really nice.</p>
<p>The faculty is very friendly and accessible. They come to sports events to cheer on their students. Students are invited to faculty homes. Some faculty members make it a habit to dine on one particular night each week with the students. It is a very small world and, as such, is very much a community. You are likely to be greeted by name by the vice chancellor. The student body has a reputation for being very preppy and conservative, and that may be the most visible culture. However, you will find that it is a school of individuals. There are students who are outdoorsy. (They have a "lending library" of outdoor equipment and an in-house program to teach skills, etc., so that all students can experience the 10,000 acre campus.)
There are foreign students. There are liberals. There are vegans (... and a vegan food line in the dining hall). There are athletes. Name a group, it's likely to be represented. Because the student body is small, each of these groups is likely to be small. When I visit, I see a fully realized community not unlike the small town in which I grew up: Leaders and followers. Fashion conscious and fashion rebels. Partiers and party members.</p>
<p>Would you really want to go to a school where everyone was alike?</p>
<p>Nope, that is why I was curious.</p>
<p>Ljay,</p>
<p>Did you decide where you will be next fall?? I am a Sewanee grad, applied ED, loved it then and love it now. Best wishes to you!</p>
<p>What kind of preppiness is it? </p>
<p>My daughter is very northern, New England preppy, ie, classic, all American, L.L. Bean, Lands End, Patagonia, Lilly Pulitzer on special occasions. Whereas when we toured some southern schools, it was a lot of girls in pastels, bright colors, high heels, and spray tans. Is the preppiness at Sewanee northern preppy or southern?</p>
<p>Wow - there are divisions of prep? Wonder if there are divisions of hipsters as well. Here is one big no no for anyone coming from the North - never ever wear socks with sandals in the south.</p>
<p>As a Northerner, the no socks and sandals rule applys here as well. It should probably be a law.</p>
<p>Okay… will my So Cal S fit in? He is the NO sandals type of guy. He is pretty laid back but loves an intellectual environment. Absolutely LOVES anything to do with the outdoors…so I’m sure he will fit right in with 10,000 acre campus. He is also intrigued by the EMT program and how they all live together. He is a first responder and definitely wants to work as an EMT in college and then eventually go to med school. I’m just not sure how he will take to the apparent prepiness of the school. He is also not keen on drinking. He doesn’t care of other people do, but just would rather hang out and do other stuff. We will be visiting next year. If anyone goes to school there now, I would love your opinions.</p>
<p>@5boys, I’m attending Sewanee next year and am considering the EMT program-I sent you an PM forwarding the information the current director sent me :)</p>
<p>We’re verry preppy. In the warmer months you’ll find tons of pastels and Lily floating around campus, accompanied with boat shoes. Boys frequently wear bow ties to class, and a jacket is almost always required. You’ll be hard pressed to find a boy anywhere without a collar. Bean boots are a must for everyone in the winter, as well as Patagonia or Mountain Hardwear, but not so much Northface, we find it too maintstream. Don’t forget Hunter boots and lots of Tory Burch!! The girls have a little more room to be trendy, but for the most part everyone is very preppy.</p>