DePaul University Top Questions

DePaul University is known as the largest Catholic school in the nation. A lot of people upon first hearing this statistic might just think that this Chicago city school is just about religion and going to mass. However, this is where those people would be incorrect. Although DePaul does have access to its own Catholic Church-St. Vincent DePaul Church located just off campus- DePaul also hosts a variety of different religious groups that to my knowledge feel just as at home at this University. There is even a place for you should you not chose to believe in any god, DePaul's Atheist and Agnostic Club. Why, you ask, would such a large Catholic University want to include all of these different groups? Aren't Catholics exclusive, stingy and unwelcoming of other conflicting religions? The University of DePaul was founded by a Catholic man, now a saint, Vincent DePaul. His beliefe was to give back to the community, and to be welcoming of all peoples. This idea is true the original definition of the word catholic. As defined my Marriam-Webster's dictionary, Catholic is not only a religion but can be characterized by broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests, universal, comprehensive. This conception of catholic may be lost in the present day, but DePaul University, through its diverse population and accepting views is showing how the stereotype of Catholic can be changed for the better. The university is filled with caring students who take part in service days sponsored by the university, no matter their religion. When walking around campus, there is no safe bet as to what religion if any, a particular student belongs to. DePaul is Catholic, but can not be defined by its religious affiliation, but rather by the ideas of acceptance, charity, and transmission of knowledge across cultures.

DePaul University attracts students from all sorts of backgrounds, ethnically and socially. Here, the social cliques that appeared almost set-in-stone in high school are non-existent. No more fretting over choosing a lunch table at this urban university, because DePaul's smaller, more intimate class sizes enable friendship between students who would not have normally been friends before coming to college. Students' culturally and socially diverse backgrounds are what help make DePaul University an eclectic, urban environment.

Stereotypes at DePaul? Not so much. Of course you have groups of students that tend to hang out together (athletes, fraternities and sororities, etc) but for the most part, DePaul has a pretty diverse student body. There are so many ethnic- based clubs organized by students for students at DePaul. So while there are these types of things at the school, students mingle with pretty much anyone for the most part. Everyone is different, everyone can be who they choose, and I think the fact that everyone embraces that at DePaul makes stereotypes irrelevant.

Sterotypes at my school are that people dress up for class (wear high heels, dresses, ect.)

A common misconception of the student population at DePaul is that it is comprised of mostly Caucasian students. But if you take the time to walk around our campus, you'll be able to see that there is a strong representation of Latino students at our school. From Greek life with the many Latino based fraternities and sororities to the student organizations such as the Men of Color to the popular Latin dance group, Ritmo Dembow. There is a strong representation of different Latinos at our school so diversity is something we truly do not lack.

As an out-of-state student, I have noticed that the stereotypical DePaul student in Chicago's eyes is a bit different than as the rest of the country sees it. In other states, many people view DePaul students as all-around good students. The type that get good grades while also participating in many extracurricular activities. Chicago tends to see DePaul students as rich, suburban kids that have a very sheltered view of the world. Many people in Chicago don't realize just how spread out DePaul students are within the city. The stereotypical DePaul students do exist, but so do many other types of students--many of which are mature, hardworking, and unique to many other people their age. I think this is because DePaul students live all over the city, which many people tend to forget and make their judgements off those who live on campus.

DePaul is a huge school, with thousands of kids from all of the U.S. and from all over the world, providing numerous varied types of people. I even think that the stereotype of kids that attend the loop campus compared to the Lincoln Park campus are different. If I had to say a stereotype of people at DePaul, I would have to say preppy in Lincoln Park, and more artsy at the downtown campus.

It's true that there are a lot of privileged students that go to DePaul University, but they don't make up the majority of our student population. DePaul is very diverse and admits people from all walks of life. There is an equal balance of just about every type of person, and hundreds of different organizations and activities on campus to help you meet them.

I think that a lot of people think a lot of DePaul students are spoiled kids from a wealthy suburb that have not worked a day in their life. Some people might think this because it is a private university in a wealthier part of Chicago but the stereotype is definitely not true. I know I've worked extremely hard to get to where I am and DePaul is an extremely diverse school but people of all different backgrounds.

DePaul University was once rated "most diverse student population" as well as "happiest students" by the Princeton Review. Although those rankings are a few years old, I feel they are still quite accurate. The "typical" DePaul kid cannot really be classified. We have business majors that wear suits and ties to class, hipster vegans who start protests on campus, geeky media students who are currently creating the video games the next generation will be playing, sorority girls having bake sales for charity, and everything in between. Traveling between DePaul's Lincoln Park and Loop campuses you see a lot of faces. Sometimes they are kids you sit in class with, other times they are the industry professionals who will hire you after (or during) school, sometimes they might be both. What DePaul students are NOT is limited (the city is their campus), sheltered (they live and work among a diverse population), or waiting on "the real world" (they have access to internships, jobs, and experiences that kids at other schools often have to wait until they graduate to participate in).