Considering its ranking and reviews, it’s kinda odd this school is rarely considered among high-performing Asians. Does it have something to do its extraordinary Greek life and undercurrent racism associated with it?
No. Next question.
W&L is not diverse in any respect, not just Asians. The school tries, but it has not been successful. And so what? Every school does not have to be some magical blend of diversity of skin, ethnicity and thought. Wouldn’t true diversity have a place for a school like W&L and whatever LAC is the exact opposite?
Here’s a top google result for looking up your concerns. This appears to be people’s thoughts on the stereotypes of the school. As such, they are probably blown out of proportion and you should question accuracy, but it will likely answer your question of why diversity is lacking.
No, every school doesn’t. However, it may make it less appealing to those not decently represented on campus. It’s a fair question by the OP.
It looks like the link is being censored - look up “What is the stereotype of students at your school Washington and Lee” and it’s the first link. Start on page 1.
We attended an info session with a black W&L adcom, and he responded that it was hard to get minorities to attend a school like W&L when so few other minorities attend. I totally believe that.
At our high school, many of the high performing Asian students prefer the public UC’s because of the preponderance of Asians who attend.
That very much reminds me of this - diversity is actually very hard to achieve when everyone wants it, let alone when people don’t:
http://ncase.me/polygons/
W&L has a reputation for being a preppy/conservative school, which perhaps does not appeal to groups outside upper-middle to upper-income Southern circles.
The OP seems pretty closed-minded (“Greek life = racism”).
To the OP’s defense, most greek life, absent sororities and fraternities targeting people of color, hasn’t been and still isn’t very diverse.
I’ve known a handful of kids that have attended W&L. All have been very preppy & politically conservative.
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No, OP is correct. Mainstream Greek life definitely brings with it a set of values, and racism is one of them. The Greeks are generally the ones who are close-minded.
I stayed at W&L for governor’s school and I can say that it has a very Southern traditional feel. The Greek houses are prominently displayed, as is the church where Robert E. Lee was buried… I can see why students who don’t fit into the Washington and Lee “mold” might feel uncomfortable, despite the quality of education.
I suggest looking at the school store if you want a feel for its preppiness–it was like 50% Vineyard Vines lol
Even houses that do target people of color are often non diverse (e.g. almost all black or almost all Asian). I.e. at many schools, fraternities and (especially) sororities tend to be quite segregated.
Whether or not this is true for W&L chapters specifically is a different question.
Scratching my head…Am I wrong or does WUSTL not show the breakdown for students as the following:
54% White
31% Asian
15% Black/Hispanic
How is 31% not diverse especially since the point of emphasis was on Asians?
Stanford shows:
42% White
23% Asian
14% Black/Hispanic
Well WUSTL and W&L are not the same school so…
@moscott This is Washington and Lee, not WUSTL
White: 83%
Black: 2%
Asian: 3%
Hispanic: 4%
Mixed: 2%
Others: 6%
@moscott the discussion here is about Washington & Lee not WUSTL.
W&L’s most recent common data set shows 82% White, and 3% each Black and Hispanic. Definitely NOT a diverse place.
Wow…total brain lock…and wow that is a huge discrepancy ^^^
Actually, I mistyped. 2% Black, 3% each Asian and Hispanic.
Asians are 54% of the student population at UC Irvine while only 11% of the population in CA.
Some Asians think it’s “too Asian”.
There are many schools to choose from.