Wesleyan University Top Questions

Hipsters. Hipsters everywhere.

Over the years, the sports teams at Wesleyan have really started to assert themselves. In soccer, volleyball, crew, cross-country and lacrosse, the teams really excel. Are Wesleyan students hipsters? Well, some of them, but not many. There are plenty of jocks at the school - in fact, more than there used to be. There are also fraternities. Our rival schools don't have fraternities anymore. Pot smoking isn't that huge. Opinions, chalking, protests and political passion are rampant, but that's a good thing!

Two members of the men’s varsity baseball team discuss stereotypes that divide athletes and non-athletes.

Two members of the men’s varsity baseball team discuss stereotypes that divide athletes and non-athletes.

Two freshmen discuss stereotypes.

Two freshmen discuss stereotypes.

A senior reflects on the stereotypes he has encountered at Wesleyan. Good interview!

A senior reflects on the stereotypes he has encountered at Wesleyan. Good interview!

For the most part

Yes, all stereotypes seem to come from some truth. However, while there are pot-smoking liberal hippies, there are also those who live to be "hipsters," those who wear Abercrombie, and those who are "jocks." The best part of Wesleyan is that you can be anything - weird, or not, just yourself, and almost everyone on campus will love you and accept you unconditionally.

i think they are true for a lot of students--except I am someone who is very poor...

This stereotype is an extreme of one aspect you can find on campus. Although you can certainly find people that exemplify these stereotypes, you can also avoid it all together.

The hipster character is overwhelmingly present. Hippies, not so much - we don't do that kind of sincerity.

yes and no

Some of the stereotypes about Wesleyan are accurate in describing some of the students. Fortunately, we are actually a diverse enough campus that students have a host of different interests they pursue, and we can't all be heaped together as liberal hipis or hipsters or whatever. However it is true that we are actually Wellesley. Completely.

partly, but not entirely.

(see above)

Not really. There are a handful of hippies, and a handful of hipsters, but it's not that divided. People get along, and there are a lot of types of people. Heck, there are even a lot of types of hippies and hipsters. And, sure the school and its students are generally really accepting of everyone regardless of their gender and sexuality, but it's really only part of the population, and not an overwhelmingly large part. And I know plenty of people here who got into Brown and other Ivy League schools but chose to come here because it's more relaxed, and the people are great.

Each stereotype can find a student to support it. Those who are super radical, very gay, and part of the film department are good at making themselves seen and heard. But in fact there are not many of them and the only reason they have formed the stereotype is because they force themselves to be seen/heard. There are moderates. For example I am gay but do not feel the need to flaunt it. I am also a moderate when it comes to politics and I don't feel like I am snubbed by liberals.

In isolated cases, yes. Vising the campus for the first time, I got a sense of that negative impression. But the REAL activism on campus is less visible, because these students are having professional meetings with all levels of staff and faculty and making HUGE differences on a wide variety of fronts.