Wesleyan University Top Questions

Yes and no. There is a lot of political homogeneity, but there are some disenting voices. People are to the left for sure, but pretty clever. A lot of different types of students so most people will find something that interests them.

Not necessarily, there's a variety of personalities. Although I'd imagine hippies represent a higher percentage of the population at Wesleyan then they do in the real world.

We have writers, homosexuals, and artists but it's not so cut and dry.

In a sense they are fairly accurate. The school is very liberal and many of the students are. However, like any school it is very easy to find a niche. The school is very diverse and not only racially. There are many like minded kids but there are also many other kids who don't quite fit the Wesleyan stereotype.

Most Wes students will tell you that they adore Wes, and that they love it because of the student body. Wes kids are involved in a million projects and yes, have their idiosyncracies. It's a diverse campus which is home to many disparate groups of students, from hipsters, to hippies, to athletes, to artists, to musicians, to fraternity brothers, from American students to African, Phillipino, Indian, British, and South American students, just to name a few. The students at Wes are, for the most part, aiming to save the world, or at least make a tremendous impact upon it. The greatest number of Wes seniors are hired by JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, The Peace Corps and Teach for America. The academics at Wesleyan are rigorous, but competitive only amongst those acruing pre-med requirements. Among students majoring in the humanities, intellectual conversations are far more frequent than discussions about grades and achievement.

Wes is the most diverse place I have ever EVER been. We have a little bit of everything, and the best part is--nobody cares! Plenty of people shower, most people don't actually have dreads, there is nothing wrong with American Apparel and unisex pants, sometimes a good protest is a good time, and there is nothing better than supporting your friends at whatever they do, from athletic events (because, yes, we have athletes), to dance productions, to art shows, to concerts. No matter who you like to surround yourself with, you will find those people, as well as have your entire image on the world opened up by spending time with people unlike those you have ever met before.

1. Definitely! While "body drugs" like coke are in relative wide usage, more of the student body is into trying out new things to expands their heads, from pot on up to Leary-esque questing after psychedelic truth 2. Not quite...students are generally lefty, and political debate is lively and progressively slanted on the campus, but I'd say that relative few students are truly engaged in national political issues, Washington often seeming too fascist and conservative to be saved by or even to listen to the kind of political ideas widely accepted by Wes studemts. 3. Yes, no doubt if you come to Wes you will definitely come to ask probing questions about your sexual identity and broad sexual norms, whether you ever do anything about it or not, 4. YES! The art-making in all fields (except maybe theater) is rarely too far behind the NYC and international cutting edge. The best liberal arts college bar none to study contemporary artistic practices. 5. Hippies not so much. Hipsters...quite a few, but they restrict themselves to a tight knit community around the eclectic house. 6.Yes, for the most part. 7. Only if you consider the vocal expressio of our rejection of mainstream American values and norms to be whining.

somewhat. but i found a lot more apathetic and fashionable people here...like a lot of people care more about having their skinny jeans be from the right store than Darfur, you know?

to an extent. While students are predominantly politically liberal, they tend to be very open minded and logical about their political beliefs, therefore, while the campus is very liberal, it is by no means an unwelcome place for a political or social conservative. There is fairly widespread recreational drug use. The student body is by no means wealthy or pretentious. Wesleyan is very generous with their financial aid, as well as outreach to many culturally, geographically, and economically diverse communities. As a result the student body is diverse in many ways, particularly economically.

To some extent. BUT you can find conservatives and I know a lot of people who have never even tried pot before.

To a degree, yes.

This stereotype has some root in reality, but is actually far from accurate. Yes, most Wesleyan students are liberal. Yes, many Wesleyan students are politically aware. But this alone does not seperate Wesleyan from its peer institutions. Most liberal arts colleges are predominantly liberal, and many college students happen to be interested in politics. What sets Wesleyan apart is how vocal and outgoing students can be when they want their voices heard. I have yet to meet someone at this school who does not have some particular passion that they wouldn't pursue to the end of the world.

Obviously that wild image is not exactly accurate. But that's not to say that the hippy culture is gone from Wesleyan, it's just less obvious. Students may not be clad in tie-dye, but the spirit is still there.

yes and no. a lot of girls are really pretty!!! however, you definitely don't see too many of the stereotypically pretty sorority-girl types. The football team, at least, sucks. The hipster-jock divide is true in the sense the both ends of the spectrum stay in their respective corners. however, if you don't want that stereotype to be true, many people cross those boundaries easily. Yes, students are incredibly liberal. I know of 3 self-professed republicans, and i only know one of them personally. I don't know any hillary supporters.

With the exception of Teach for America, no. Seriously...a lot of kids here do Teach for America. The truth is that the kids here are just a bunch of smart kids that don't fit neatly into any one box. The same football DKE brother in your econ class is in an a cappella group or something equally surprising. Drugs are around (its a college campus after all), but kids here know their shit and get it done well. We like to play but know playing is only fun if your still managing to get a degree at the end of the day.

no

Wesleyan is such a special place because, while it is predominantly liberal and does host individuals or small groups of people that fit these stereotypes, it is the kind of school where practically everybody can feel comfortable. Most students are pretty down to earth, and stereotypes are typically not the basis of friendships. While Wesleyan stereotypes are often accurate, I don't think that reflects badly on the student body. We have a diverse collection of stereotypes, which makes for a rich academic and social environment.

There are stoners and hipsters at Wesleyan, but there are also serious athletes, Orthodox Jews, accomplished opera singers, and future doctors (and not a few students who span more than one of these categories). And while it often feels like the student body as a whole produces more noise than action, there are groups and individual students who do amazing work to improve the working conditions of the campus dining staff, the educational conditions of kids in Middletown, the living conditions of farmers in the Dominican Republic, and the environmental conditions of the world at large.

to some extent, but not really

Both Hippies and Hipsters are present, and yes, a lot of people have some experience with illicit substances, but Wesleyan is so much more than that. I've found to campus to be remarkably socially diverse. Any and every group you can imagine is present here, and people interact freely and openly with everyone else. It's hard to feel like no one else is like you here.