Denison University Top Questions

most students wear jeans and a t shirt to class. there are people who dress up and only wear designer, but most people are pretty laid back, not many people wear sweatpants, but it is acceptable. everyone has something from either vera bradley, vineyard vines, or other designer. upper middle class backgrounds are most prevalent. students are politically active, especially liberals, there are conservatives on campus but they aren't very vocal. there are alot of students from the midwest, especially ohio, michigan, and chicago area...also alot of people from boston, connecticut, pennsylvania and a few from the west coast.

PRE-TTY diverse: people from all states (Maybe except hawaii, I dont know) People from other countries--I myself am Russian, but live in MA. Most ppl are middle class, white. We don't have too many black people. (I'm white) Gay people openly accepted. Bottomn line--it;s VERY FRIENDLY. Someone hating-mean-rough would feel out of place here. Someone who just wants to be in a citey would be somewhat out of place. Different people do interract. Although, the swimmers, are very close, and it is a rummor, they don't have many friends outside that---Not true. Lots and Lots of tables in the dining hall. Round tables in the middle. Rectangular tables on the sides. Not usuay alot of conversations in between tables. Financial backgrounds--middle class, not too poor, not too rich. Not too many rich. Yes, surprisingy students are politicaly active. Various political views (I myself am personally neutral to politics) Sure, people talk about who they are gonna try to be--mostly routine stuff though---"Oh I'm gonna go to med. school" "Oh, Im gonna try to earn money to go to grad school" "Im gonna get an internship with this company"

Imagine your middle school experience (as in the ridiculous drama)...then add a lot of money, alcohol, cocaine, sex & ignorance, there have been terrible racial and LGBT hate crimes on campus, as a middle class white girl with a conscious I have personally experienced rampant sexism and classism from the student body, At first I thought I was the only one who realized how ridiculous Denison students were, but I quickly learned from my other friends (not so ironically the other students on scholarships) that my despise was/is valid, simply the most immature, uncaring, ignorant people I have ever met,

Lots of parties on campus, most available to whomever, some groups more welcoming than others. Same goes for the Greek system: some fraternities and sororities are very friendly and welcoming and not at all snobby, others are not so much. LOVE to party. It is a conservative school, no way around it. Women are often very feminine in dress and manner (dresses, pearls, pink rooms, fashion-minded, etc.), men are often very masculine. Non-conformists and those who don't walk the traditional road of life either stick closely with like-minded people or transfer. Seemingly apathetic about politics, though the far-left minority can be very vocal. Most noticeable on campus are the stereotypes: women with pearls and sorority bags and men in pink polos and khakis, all more often than not fairly well-off. The African-American/POSSE group is often very friendly. Most people are friendly and helpful with everyone around, but cliques are very prevalent.

Denison doesn't have a hugely diverse student body. There is also not a lot of interaction between the different types of groups. You have to work at really getting to know other people of a different race or ethnicity but I don't think people feel out of place.

Denison has had some issues with intollerance of diversity on campus this year but I am hoping that the situation is getting better. Many people spoke out about the problems this year and I think that the administration is listening to students' concerns. I think it will take more time for the general student body to listen and act to make this campus a more respectful environment towards everyone but I think that everyone is working hard towards the right direction.

This campus has a lot of diversity, but sometimes the majority can be a little overwhelming. I think, that after some incidents we had as a campus community in the Fall of '07 have brought us closer together as an understanding and accepting community. Like the rest of the world though, you will always have a select few people just never get the big picture and will hate and discriminate. Overall, it is a great place and minds will be opened if you let them.

If you are not a WASP, you will feel out of place at Denison. All of the student organizations such as LGBT and the BSU make sure their voices are heard, but no one really cares. The ones that do can do nothing to help their causes. The average attire for class for guys is: a polo, jeans or khakis, sperrys, and a lacoste or polo hat. Girls usually wear: a sun dress if its warm, and during the winter, jeans or spandex, a pastel top, and uggs are mandatory. Every student gets along with the others for the most part, nobody is outright mean to another student though they are not above talking behind backs. There is a good divide at Denison between liberals and conservatives, and people often get into heated discussions about politics.

Expect to dress well. In high school, I felt comfortable wearing sweats (sweatpants and sweatshirts) but here, I never felt comfortable doing that. A couple students wear sweats, but lots of students dress up daily. This means that girls wear summer dresses to class and guys wear madras shorts and loafers and polos. Not everyone, but it's common. There are a lot of students from Ohio, but there are also a lot of international students as well as students from across the U.S. I have friends from China, California, Connecticut, and Texas, for example.

I think I only know a handful of students whose parents aren't doctors or lawyers. Most of them went to private or boarding school and come from wealthy backgrounds. That being said, Denison is like mini California. The majority of the student body is liberal, and that's perfectly fine, but there is an INSANE minority that gives the rest of them a bad name. These are the students who protest absolutely everything, accuse everyone of being racist, and claim to be fighting for freedom of speech and opinion while they're actually stopping anyone else from saying a word for fear of getting bludgeoned to death.