Washington and Lee University Top Questions

Here, most people fit the typical southern "good ole boy" mold. Although a fair amount of students are from the north as well, this is indefinitely a conservative southern school. The students population isn't very diverse, although things are changing.

students don't wear pajamas to class, there are little to no LGBT type people on campus, most people come from the same homogeneous background.

Students get very dressed up for call; everyone looks good mostly all the time. Someone who doesn't dress preppy and wear the right things would probably feel out of place; everyone dresses pretty much the same.

it is lacking a little in diversity but there is a great diversity of ideas. i think that all groups, religious, racial, LGBT, etc. all get along very well on campus. a student who does not want to be social would feel out of place at W&L. i don't mean they have to drink or party all the time, they just have to be willing to hang out with friends and go out to eat and go to events. if you are a hermit who just wants to sit around your dorm all the time and study 24/7 then you will be miserable. in classes everyone interacts. there are different social circles that make up W&L which are set by about sophomore year. you just get set in your circles and most have no desire to branch into others. W&L students are from everywhere...north and south, west coast, east coast. the majority aren't even from virginia where the school is located. most students come from middle class families but there are students from lower and upper classes. unless someone talks about it or flaunts things they have, no one can really tell what class people are from, they just blend together. students are very politically aware in years of presidential elections. not as much during the off years but our annual mock convention brings together the entire campus, amazing speakers, and national coverage. it is considered a conservative campus but even those who consider themselves conservative are close to the middle. students talk about how much they hope to earn but typically just talk about the type of job they want, not the amount they will make.

While Washington and Lee is stereotypically "white/preppy" the administrations office is working on diversifying the student body. Most students wear comfortable clothes to class, jeans and a jcrew t, khaki shorts and a polo or t-shirt. Most students are from the south-east or texas, however, i was surprised by the large number of students from new york and surrounding states. Students are highly aware and active in politics. We just held our "Mock Convention"- a tradition that takes place each election year. We predict (correctly) the presidential nominee for the out of house party.