Will I fit in at Sewanee?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Sewanee: The University of the South
1

<p>Hey there!</p>

<p>I recently visited the Sewanee campus after doing some research and pondering about it for a while. I ended up falling in love with the aesthetics and the academics definitely seem to be challenging enough. However, there are certain things I'm worried about, and I was wondering if anyone here could answer them for me. I recently moved to the South from Nebraska in Summer 2008. I've heard that the campus is in a rural Southern community, and there is not much to do but drink. I'm definitely not an alcohol or drugs person. So, one of the things I'm really worried about is fitting in. Is drinking such a big part of campus life that I won't be able to have fun? I know that someone else posted the same question, but I also have something else to add. The university is very expensive, and I know that they have a limited number of very generous merit scholarships. But are these scholarships extremely hard to get?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>This question and the other recent questions on this site are really asking a similar question: what is the social life at Sewanee like? As a parent I’m sure I don’t have perfect information, but my thoughts are as follows—first, Sewanee is a challenging school academically, even for students from good schools and with good test scores. Not surprisingly then you will spend most of your time preparing for or attending class and labs. Nothing terribly unusual but the outside of class reading and writing responsibilities are significant. Second, Sewanee the college and the community are almost indistinguishable. Unlike other schools were faculty and administrators melt away into the surrounding communities, you will live, study, work and play with and around faculty and administrators as well as other students. Many find this one of the more appealing aspects of Sewanee. Third, Sewanee is a very social place. The folks there like to entertain and be entertained. And the active social scene extends beyond the students to the parents as I can attest from a recent parent’s weekend. Fourth, although the university sponsors events throughout the year, the social scene is primarily driven by the students and their organizations which include but aren’t limited to greek organizations. There just isn’t an option to retreat to an off campus bar scene. Your social life will center around the places that students congregate on campus. Fifth, there are many social outlets that have nothing to do with drinking. These include athletics (a high percentage of students are involved in athletics), organizations that focus on the environment or outdoor programs as well as the usual compliment of college organizations and the special programs that are run through the chaplain’s office at All Saints Chapel for those who want a service or religious experence outside the classroom. So, all in all, I think Sewanee would be a tough place to attend college if you can’t tolerate students who drink. The close community may also mean that you would have a harder time avoiding those who drink. But if your question is more a long the lines of is there a social life for students outside of drinking then my answer is definitely yes.</p>

3

<p>Thank you so much! I really appreciate everything you said :-), I’m still planning on applying regardless of the drinking scene. I guess I just needed that final push.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

4

<p>hello,
i have been reaserching alot about sewanee and i would like to vist the college. the campus is beautiful i have a major question about it though? is it a good academic school and is there alot of partiing or anything?</p>

5

<p>It’s probably not a good school for you. I have talked to several current students and alum, and all have said the drinking and partying is HUGE. It does have good academics. But if you don’t like partying and drinking, you probably want fit in. No problem with keeping your options open then! Good luck.</p>

<p>And about the merit scholarships- what are your scores?</p>

6

<p>To bella094, the school is absolutely GORGEOUS. Everything is pristine, clean, and of course the architecture will put you in awe. Also, I went in the fall, so it was so pretty with all the changing colors, it really is a beautiful mountain it is on. So, I would strongly suggest visiting. It is in GOOD academic standing, definitely. According to the U.S. News and World Report, it is ranked as the 36th best liberal arts college in the country, which is definitely something to brag about. However, the alcohol problem doesn’t have to affect you, your experience is what you make it after all.</p>

<p>Hope that helps! :-D</p>

7

<p>peace.love.happy, I have to disagree with you. I am a current student at Sewanee, and although drinking is definitely the preferred weekend pastime for most students here, there is a group of us that prefer to stay sober. Someone who chooses to either abstain from drinking altogether or to drink responsibly would still fit in here. At first it seemed like there wasn’t much else to do on Friday and Saturday nights, but I quickly learned otherwise. There are always other sub-free people to hang out with, you just have to find them. =]</p>

8

<p>My D is waiting to hear from Sewanee (Jan.28). She is definitely not a drinker and would not lilke to be around a bunch of weekend drunks. What type of weekend activities are available for students like her and TheDomainIs Home?</p>

9

<p>amazonmom:</p>

<p>I wasn’t a drinker (still am not one), and neither was my younger brother, and both of us were wonderfully happy at Sewanee. First of all, your daughter can go to parties and not drink and still have fun – we did it all the time. Second, you would be amazed at how much there is to do at Sewanee:
* volunteering with any number of programs;
* singing in the choir, which sings every Sunday morning, plus Evensong once a month, occasional concerts, and Lessons and Carols (which is always a big deal);
* all kinds of outdoors-y stuff through the Sewanee Outing Program, which organizes hiking, caving, floating, whitewater rafting, camping, etc. – day-trips and overnights;
* concerts: not just bands – there’s also a concert series that brings in classical performers, plus the Sewanee orchestra, and music majors who have to give a concert performance to graduate;
* musicals and plays: the theater program has one of the most advanced tech set-ups in the country, far ahead of what’s available at most Broadway theaters, thanks to Tennessee William’s generosity;
* art shows by outside artists, professors, and students (like music majors, studio art majors have to put together a show to graduate);
* lectures by visiting speakers and professors;
* events organized by the various language houses (e.g., Spanish, French, Russian);
* athletics, either through the school’s sports teams or intramural – lots of kids are involved with intramural sports; and more.</p>

<p>Rest assures, the school will work hard to make sure your daughter knows about all of the options available to her. </p>

<p>I would also mention that your daughter should not rule out joining a sorority. Probably most parties are organized by fraternities and sororities, but it’s not like at most schools, where only members are welcome; at Sewanee, pretty much everyone is welcome to come to any party. Even formals aren’t all that ‘restricted,’ so to speak – after a while, all sorts of people start dropping by, dressed in all kinds of non-formal attire. Of course, I say this even though I never joined a sorority, and my brother never joined a fraternity – though our father was president of his fraternity at Sewanee.</p>

<p>Last, but not least, one of the best things about Sewanee is how well students get to know their professors. I’m still friends with some of mine – and even with one or two from whom I never took a class, but got to know in one way or another – and have even stayed in their homes when I was back for a visit or a wedding or what-have-you. </p>

<p>I hope this was helpful.</p>

10

<p>Fishsticks: Thank you for your insight into Sewanee. I am having trouble deciding colleges because of the reputation that Sewanee seems to have on different websites and in college manuals. They seem to point to Sewanee being a major drinking school and if you don’t drink heavy you won’t fit in. I am just trying to find out what the true depiction of Sewanee is. And if that is what they keep talking about, what will that say about me having graduated from that kind of a school with that reputation.</p>

11

<p>I’m actually going to Sewanee next year! I worried about the same things you are worrying about, but I know 6 people who go there, 4 of which are big party-ers and 2 that are not. They all like it and think there is a good mix of people who like to drink a lot and people who don’t. I do not think it will have a reputation of being a party school because it is actually pretty hard to get in now. Also, to answer your question about scholarships–I did not qualify for any need-based financial aid, but I got a pretty good merit scholarship ($15,000 per year), and I have fairly normal scores and grades (2130 SAT, 33 ACT, 3.85 GPA, but pretty good extracurriculars). Anyway, good luck!</p>

12

<p>Congratulations to you, princesslucy. My daughter is nearing the end of her freshman year at Sewanee and has really enjoyed the year, although there were ups and downs along the way. Good luck to you next year and throughout your college career.</p>

13

<p>Sewanee is definitely a party school and it is a party school in a remote location, which complicates matters. But there are students there who don’t party and are OK there. A lot depends on which dorm you’re placed in. Some of the newer ones are much stricter about drinking and partying. Choose your dorm CAREFULLY.</p>

<p>I sat with the head of counseling during one visit to Sewanee (had a student there), and he was VERY blunt about how bad the drinking was and how many kids tried pot. He said it was a big big BIG problem, which is why the chancellor and administration is ALL FOR lowering the drinking age. All colleges have some drinking, but Sewanee, because of its location has very little to offer socially that doesn’t involve drinking.</p>

14

<p>There are some good descriptions of what Sewanee is like from a student and parent perspective above. Our experience with Sewanee is very positive and I would definitely recommend Sewanee to any bright student that wants to live and study in a close knit academic community that happens to be situated in a beautiful setting.</p>

15

<p>I’m an international student very very very very liberal, and I’ve heard that Sewanee is kinda’ conservative and I’m afraid it would not be the perfect vibe for me. Would I fit in? What’s the social life like outside the university? Is there a lot to do in Sewanee?(clubs, etc)
Are the students accepting(LGBT, african americans, intl, etc)?
Thanx!!!</p>

16

<p>You need to look somewhere else. Sewanee is mostly white and straight. The students are fairly affluent and pretty much WASPy and similar to each other. We don’t send our kids to “diverse” schools because we don’t want them to turn out that way. It’s a shame to pay this kind of money to teach a young person values different from your own.</p>

<p>I think you would be miserable there and you would not fit in based on your description of yourself.</p>

<p>For a similar amount of money, you could go somewhere like U of California Berkley, Columbia, Brown or NYU. Those are academically similar but are way more “diverse”. They are more liberal because they are in bigger cities. The University of the South is in a small town in Tennessee, and even though it is quite liberal since it is run by Episcopalians, it is not as liberal or “diverse” as the others I mention.</p>

<p>Good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for. But I don’t think Sewanee is it.</p>

17

<p>As a freshmen at Sewanee, I would be lying if I did not concede that our campus is largely white and straight. The minority presence is, however, quite noticeable; </p>

<p>-The OCCU (Organization for Cross Cultural Understanding) sponsors various events throughout the year and is one of the most popular clubs. </p>

<ul>
<li>Every year, a number of Internationals are accepted and stay at Sewanee for their full four years, unlike many schools. One of my good friends is an Indian from Kenya!</li>
</ul>

<p>-There’s a multicultural House which hosts various events and parties throughout the year. In addition, Sewanee has several themed houses, such as East Asia, Germany, and France. </p>

<p>Ultimately,while Sewanee might seem an overly homogeneous place, I feel that race and orientation matters little; few people here would judge you on these qualities. Most others are more than friendly and willing to accept you for whoever you might be. </p>

<p>I can’t personally attest to how it would feel to be a racial minority or homosexual on campus; I will say that, as an independent student, I am a good deal less “privileged” than many of the students Oinick alluded to. Nobody has made me feel as if I belong here any less. For the most part, everyone is understanding of whatever cards you have been dealt in life. You don’t have to be a WASP to fit in at Sewanee, just be yourself. You will find that, when people do start to judge, who YOU are is much more important than where you came from.</p>