Wesleyan University Top Questions

The student body is diverse as all hell. If you're looking at this page its because your familiar with the school, so I'm sure you've heard how diverse Wes is. And its true what you've read. We're (for the most part) all liberal minded people, with groups for every type of person (and if there isn't you can get the funding to make it). Admissions is need blind, and your group of friends will most likely include kids from every social/economic background. I know my group of friends looked like a United Colors of Bennaton ad, and I wouldn't of had it any other way.

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I really think that there's every kind of student at Wesleyan, which is definitely a positive thing. However, its also easy for people to stick to one group rather than interacting with individuals from different social groups. There is some self-segregation that goes on, but I think that an open-minded student would definitely enjoy the diversity of the student body. The population of students that come from public schools is exceptional for a small liberal arts school (about 50-50), but Wesleyan cannot afford to give as many students financial aid as some of its peers. While the student body is predominantly left, there are token conservatives who still feel comfortable expressing their views.

On the whole, Wesleyan is a diverse and tolerant place. There is a large international student body and a large and vocal (if not unified) queer community. Increasing financial aid is also opening Wesleyan up to students from more diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Nevertheless, there is still a feeling of privilege that pervades the student body. This is evidenced not so much by conversations about expected future salaries, but rather by more subtle clues like conspicuous consumption. There is also a fair amount of insularity among several of the diverse groups that compose the student body. It is not unusual to see a table in the dining hall composed entirely of Asian students, and another composed of Latinos. Despite these shortcomings, however, there is a lot of encouraging work going on to make Wesleyan an even more diverse and accepting place, both on the part of the Dean of Diversity and Academic Advancement, and on the part of various identity-based student groups. Politically, Wesleyan is overwhelmingly leftist, to the point that it is almost a campus joke, though I believe there is an official student group of Wesleyan Republicans.

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Wesleyan's student body is hard to generalize about. You can find every type of person at Wesleyan, though it sometimes seems like everyone is a liberal but uninvolved white kid from Westchester. In actuality, however, Wesleyan is one of the more diverse schools of its kind (they pride themselves in being a "diversity university"). Though some groups stick together from student of color, international student, etc orientations at the beginning of the year, most are integrated with the rest of the campus so that there really aren't four clear tables in Usdan (the new dining hall). Though you may find some athletes or theater kids sitting together after practice, you'll often find such groups sitting together. Almost all students are to the left politically and non-religious, though I'm always surprised by how many conservatives and religious students there are too.

There are many groups on campus, and it divides the student body. Kind of like high school.

Various, various. There is the stereotypical heavy presence of "hipsters." Everything else, too.

Students on campus represent basically every demographic possible. The campus is tremendously welcoming of all races, queer identities, socioeconomic background, etc. People often to hang out the most with people that share their identities, but everyone is friends with everyone, and everyone hangs out with everyone else at some point. Parties can be a hilariously eclectic gathering of people. Students are predominantly liberal, VERY politically aware and highly politically active. The campus culture is probably the best part of Wesleyan. There is truly the sense that everyone is free to be themselves without any reservation, and others are supportive of that. This creates a supportive academic and artistic environment for all who wish to try something new or take risks.

The student body is rather diverse, though it likes to think of itself that way more than it actually is (in the sense that the majority of students, like me, are still fairly privileged and white). That said, Wesleyan is known as a sort of a "safe haven" for LGBT students, I have several international friends, and one of my housemates is part of the working class student group on campus. Sure, a lot of students are from the East Coast (specifically New York and Boston), but if I'm any indication, that doesn't mean that the East Coast rules. My friends hail from California, North Dakota, Washington DC, Wisconsin, New Orleans, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and many other places.

what can i say.. its WHITE AND RACIST. ignorant at best.

definitely a very liberal social atmosphere.. there are a lot of radical thinkers and a generally accepted queer population. but there are many different "types" of people. many defy easy categorization. people dress however they want, which doesnt mean there aren't some preppy kids. notable: this year at graduation a large number of seniors won't wear caps and gowns.. a student figured out we don't have to wear them to participate in the ceremony. instead of spending $55 on cloth we'll only wear once, we are donating that money to a housing project in our community. (I think this is representative of the wesleyan student body.. a student taking initiative to question and modify something that a lot of the the world takes for granted) I know a few politically moderate guys on sports teams who plan on going into finance or investment banking, who have told me they feel out of place here. But they came here because its the school with the best academic reputation they got into, and they don't particularly regret the decision.

There are tons of small liberal arts colleges with outstanding academics, but the student body is the reason I chose Wes. The people here are awesome. I have learned as much or more from my peers this year as I have from my classes, and I think that's the way it should be.

I am the kind of student the would feel out of place at Wesleyan, but as an athlete most athletes or athlete-type personalities simply stick together and form a sub-culture at Wesleyan that is party centered. Different types of students on a basic basis interact, but the athletes ("the tech") and the radical, stereotypical Wesleyan types ("techies") tend not to interact. There is a lot of left-winged political activism at Wesleyan.

Wesleyan is definitely becoming less queer, big time. More than half of students are not on any financial aid, so it's a very wealthy student body, but one where student's don't want to admit they are wealthy. Many students are from NY, MA, and California. Way too many white hipsters, with skinny jeans. There are frats on campus, so preppy people go there. Students are mostly politically aware, mostly identifying as "very liberal," but outside of the occasional anti-war protest, spend most of their free time drinking or smoking. Students don't talk about how much they will earn one day and pretend that they will go save the world, but most students end up getting high-paying jobs after graduating.

The student body has many different niches. There are plenty of diverse groups on campus in every social aspect you can think of. Something that's really nice is that I don't feel like part of one particular group because I relate to so many.

Leftist, roughly 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} gay or lesbian, either well-off upper middle class or, rarely, struggling lower class, and a pretty well racially integrated student body. Most students are from the NY area or California. There is a vocal minority who are highly involved in politics.

D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. If you stay in your cage at Wesleyan, you will never know what waits out there. To be honest, as an international student at Wesleyan, I did feel unprepared for the culture shock that was to ensue my first year in college. After getting over the cultural shift, I realized that Wesleyan students are an incredibly friendly bunch who will smile, chat and share a cigarette if approached. I have made some of my best friends through simple introductions of curiosity. There is something for everyone in Wesleyan. And if there isn't, people usually make it happen. It's that simple.

I think religious students would feel out of place at wesleyan. There is a large bias against religion in general. Most wesleyan students are from the northeast from upper middle class backgrounds. Students are left politically, but less politically active than you might expect.

the diversity at wesleyan is unlike any i've seen at a liberal arts school-- people are always organizing around race, class and gender issues on campus, as well as relevant world events. groups I've organize with: trans/gender spectrum women of color house womanist cunt club wesprep wesdef