Denison University Top Questions

Many people are downers, but many people are beautiful. Just bring your positive vibes, and if you don't like it, change it. That's something that's great about Denison--it is small enough that people know who you are and you know who other people are. If you want to make a change, there's not a whole lot holding you back.

Denison comes from a very privileged background, but has made enormous strides in recent decades to reach out to minorities and those of lower socioeconomic strata through generous financial aid (which explains why I'm there). Students are predominantly, for example, Obama fans.

I guess I don't really know what sort of student would feel out of place at Denison, but maybe kids who are anti-social and unwilling to meet people. There are definitely a number of students like that, but I don't know if they feel out of place. Certainly different races and LGBT groups are present on campus, and thank god they are. If it weren't for the small amount of diversity that Denison has to offer, I would go totally crazy. I just wish there was more diversity. If there were four tables in the dining hall, they would be the 1) sorority girls, 2) the fraternity boys, 3) the swimmers, 4) random people (a mixture of unaffiliated people, minorities, and anyone who doesn't fit in the above categories), JUST LIKE HIGH SCHOOL! I like the fact that Denison students are from all over the country, and all over the world. I was at dinner with a group of 10 Denison students the other night and I was looking around the table and noticing that not two people in our entire group of friends was from the same state. Pretty cool.

Denison's student body is basically all white and upper or upper middle class. There Asians and African Americans as well, but they're not even close in number to the white majority. Religious diversity is a topic I don't know much about. I have a few Jewish friends, but other than that, most of my friends are Christian. Many people at Denison dress preppy, though it's perfectly acceptable to wear sweats to class. People don't talk about how much they'll earn one day. Students are politically aware in general. I would say most students are liberal, but that may just be my friends... there are definitely some conservatives out there...

When you go to class, you'll find everything from pajamas to dress clothes (especially in your 8:30 AM classes). No one really reacts to either one as unusual, that's just how campus is. Since you live on campus all four years, you'll spend a lot of time with all ages of students (17-23 or older, and the occasional young-young student of like 13). You'll make friends of all ages, and no one will be shocked to find a freshman and senior hanging out on a Friday night. And Denison students come from all over the place (USA, Australia, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Korea, Japan, China, Russia, Africa, Pakistan, etc etc etc); you'll get a chance to learn about many other cultures. I loved that aspect of it.

Most students dress up for class NO ONE wears PJs to attend class. Most kids wear brand name clothes to class, including Polo, Vineyard Vines, Burrberry, and True Religion. Swimmers show up at the start of every meal and sit in the same section of the dinning hall.

Throughout this year alone, Denison's student body has become more accepting and welcoming than ever. Although it is still a pre-dominantly upper class white student body, diversity is increasing and there are numerous organizations on campus to make minorities of all kinds feel more at home and comfortable. While some insist that Denison's campus has not changed at all this year and is still as racist as ever, I have seen a significant change for the better and hope to see this change continue as the future students arrive at school. There also seems to be a focus on the lack of originality in people's clothes, especially with the girls on campus. In the winter it is Ugg boots and leggings that seem to be the focus and when it gets warmer it is the Ugg boots and jean skirts that raise issues. The campus has a daily printing that anyone can submit a piece to (it is usually some controversial issue) called the Bullsheet. This printing is great for lunch time reads and sparks both intelligent and pointless discussions all over campus.

Denison has a pretty diverse student body. Almost 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are from out of state. I come from a county school in central kentucky, so compared to that there is a lot racial, religious and socio-economic diversity on campus. I have friends from all different backgrounds and I don't have a problem interacting with different groups of people. Some students on campus don't interact with people from different groups, but if you have the desire to meet new people and experience different cultures and lifestyles the option is available.

If you want huge parties and tons of school spirit, dont go to Denison. Many students are very weakthy but i never felt out of place as someone from the middleclass who went to public school. People say that it's half liberal and half conservative but i feel like it leans more toward liberal. A lot of students are from the midwest but there are people from all over the country.

There was a revolution on campus in November (2007) about tolerance on campus. The student body came together and the administration listened. It brought the campus together.