Wesleyan University Top Questions

Students are politically active.

My classmates are extremely intelligent and hardworking.

caring, passionate, driven, friendly, sometimes weird (in a good way), very smart, well-read.

There is an outstanding amount of diversity on every level at Wesleyan - racially, socially, sexually (gender and orientation), religiously, culturally, ethnically In addition there is something beyond tolerance and acceptance on campus, where students are normally genuinely interested in what is different and legitimately willing to learn and understand someone else and where they come from. Four Tables the sexually ambiguous politically active fratty - girls and boys athletes - girls and boys

Wesleyan is extremely open. When I was applying for colleges during high school, the phrase "Diversity University" kept popping up. This has certainly proven true as students of all backgrounds are accepted and respected-- white, black, Hispanic, Asian, lesbian, bisexual, liberal, conservative, rich, poor, West coast, East coast, international. Wes has a reputation for being liberal, and though you are more likely to run into left-minded students, there is still a solid conservative presence on campus. There is a divide among the athletes and the non-athletes, but this has become less pronounced as I've spent more time here and gotten to know more people. It seems that many non-athletes are under the impression that the athletes are just dumb jocks, but this is certainly not the case. Several of Wesleyan's athletic teams consistently rank towards the top of the GPA spectrum within the NESCAC and within all Division III teams.

The general perception about Wesleyan seems to be that we are all liberal. Not everyone is liberal, but most of us are. There's a lot of diversity of thought here, though. There are apoliticals, socialists, libertarians, Green Party members, and plenty of independents. I know a few Republicans as well. Racially, the student body isn't, I think, diverse enough to merit our nickname "Diversity University," but it's much more diverse than my Minnesota public high school. I know a lot of international students. It's nice to get to know people that aren't exactly like me. There is definitely a large contingent of private-school kids from New York and California, but you do meet the odd Midwesterner or Southerner as well. And everyone interacts, regardless of socioeconomic background, race, geography, or worldview. That's one of my favorite things about this place. Also, this is a great place for LGBT people. When I visited Wesleyan last spring, I asked a student if there was a gay-straight alliance. He laughed and told me that "this school is one big gay-straight alliance." If you do not support LGBT rights, you probably do not belong at Wesleyan. Basically, the people here are really intelligent, passionate, and fascinating.

Wesleyan is incredibly diverse racially, ethnically, spiritually, and socioeconomically. Everyone, for the most part, is incredibly accepting of each other. Very conservative people would probably not do too well at Wes, though. For a loving, accepting school, not much love is given out to the Wes Republicans group (it is growing, though). Wes is very LGBT friendly. Socially, I would say you've got the very jock-y athletes as one extreme, and eclectic (the "hipster" society -- they host tons of concerts and the annual "sex party" I'm sure you've all heard about) as the other extreme, but most people fall in the middle. Sometimes these groups think they're isolated and that's why they hate on the other extreme, but if you work to make friends outside of your social group, you'll have them. I played for the varsity soccer team, and while at times I felt like I had to prove I was a "dumb jock," I had a very easy time making friends who aren't athletes by joining other extracurricular activities, and my best friends honestly lean more towards the artsy/hipster side than the athlete side. Religiously, most students aren't religious, and those that are are Jewish or Christian. Our chapel does hold other religious services, though. Because Wes is a small, private liberal arts school, a lot of kids went to prep schools, are wealthy, and can pay full tuition, but a lot of students (I think 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) are on some form of financial aid. I've never seen financial differences be an issue in friend groups, and this may be because all of your basic needs (housing, food) are included in your tuition and you can't opt out of them. ALSO, and I don't know why Wes gets this rep, but the students are not unattractive. In fact, the students are very attractive and at the very least, dress very well.

Wesleyan is incredibly diverse racially, ethnically, spiritually, and socioeconomically. Everyone, for the most part, is incredibly accepting of each other. Very conservative people would probably not do too well at Wes, though. For a loving, accepting school, not much love is given out to the Wes Republicans group (it is growing, though). Wes is very LGBT friendly. Socially, I would say you've got the very jock-y athletes as one extreme, and eclectic (the "hipster" society -- they host tons of concerts and the annual "sex party" I'm sure you've all heard about) as the other extreme, but most people fall in the middle. Sometimes these groups think they're isolated and that's why they hate on the other extreme, but if you work to make friends outside of your social group, you'll have them. I played for the varsity soccer team, and while at times I felt like I had to prove I was a "dumb jock," I had a very easy time making friends who aren't athletes by joining other extracurricular activities, and my best friends honestly lean more towards the artsy/hipster side than the athlete side. Religiously, most students aren't religious, and those that are are Jewish or Christian. Our chapel does hold other religious services, though. Because Wes is a small, private liberal arts school, a lot of kids went to prep schools, are wealthy, and can pay full tuition, but a lot of students (I think 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) are on some form of financial aid. I've never seen financial differences be an issue in friend groups, and this may be because all of your basic needs (housing, food) are included in your tuition and you can't opt out of them.

Wesleyan is incredibly diverse racially, ethnically, spiritually, and socioeconomically. Everyone, for the most part, is incredibly accepting of each other. Very conservative people would probably not do too well at Wes, though. For a loving, accepting school, not much love is given out to the Wes Republicans group (it is growing, though). Wes is very LGBT friendly. Socially, I would say you've got the very jock-y athletes as one extreme, and eclectic (the "hipster" society -- they host tons of concerts and the annual "sex party" I'm sure you've all heard about) as the other extreme, but most people fall in the middle. Sometimes these groups think they're isolated and that's why they hate on the other extreme, but if you work to make friends outside of your social group, you'll have them. I played for the varsity soccer team, and while at times I felt like I had to prove I was a "dumb jock," I had a very easy time making friends who aren't athletes by joining other extracurricular activities, and my best friends honestly lean more towards the artsy/hipster side than the athlete side. Religiously, most students aren't religious, and those that are are Jewish or Christian. Our chapel does hold other religious services, though. Because Wes is a small, private liberal arts school, a lot of kids went to prep schools, are wealthy, and can pay full tuition, but a lot of students (I think 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) are on some form of financial aid. I've never seen financial differences be an issue in friend groups, and this may be because all of your basic needs (housing, food) are included in your tuition and you can't opt out of them.

Wesleyan are the most open-minded, passionate, and caring people I have ever met. The average Wes students juggles with at least 5 activities at a time, hah. Also, The people I've met at Wesleyan CARE SO MUCH. About their learning, about social issues, and most importantly, about each other.