Wesleyan University Top Questions

maybe the first two, but most of us do shower.

NO

There is a noticeable about of blind liberalism, which itself is just as ridiculous as the mentality it attacks. Most students are a lot more real than that.

It's true that on the whole Wesleyan students are liberal, but the diversity on this campus is pretty mind-blowing. There are a couple hippies, hipsters, athletes, artists, people of all kind. Even conservatives. And on the whole, the students have a very deep understanding of inequity and are tremendously self-critical in a way that allows for each person to truly transform over the course of 4 years. Although Wesleyan is probably one of the most politically active campuses in the country, many students expected there to be more happening on that front. That seems to be related to the general (apathetic) political climate, and seems to be changing for the better.

The first one is only partially true. Wes does admit a certain percentage of minority students, the exact number of which can probably be found in most basic college search books. I know that there is a push right now to admit more international students, and Wes has a very supportive queer community. However, I have found that some minority groups (especially racial/ethnic/international) tend to keep to themselves, and don't kid yourself into thinking that there are anywhere near as many non-white students as there are white students. What Wes really is, at least in my experience, is a sort of a microcosm of a city, where there is certainly tension, but also understanding and coming together. As for activism, there is a small group of Wes students who are extremely active politically, environmentally, etc., but it certainly doesn't dominate campus. In other words, activism could potentially define your Wes experience, but you could also spend four years here without being at all involved, and still leave with a great, fulfilling education.

watch the movie pcu. its based on wesleyan. now take that movie and make it 734852862757 times whiter (yes its possible, its sad) and 2486356293486916 jillion times more annoying and conservative on the low. yes, again it is possible i am sorry to say.

yes and no. 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.

There are some students here who protest more or less indiscriminately. There are also plenty of students who remain completely apathetic. However, I have found that more than at other schools, Wesleyan students really care about world issues and when they do speak out, they have worked hard to gain a complete understanding of what they're doing. The sixties thing is kind of true though- Zonker Harris day was like a trip back in time. Colorful ribbons and ladies' underwear in the trees, furniture outside, bands playing, girls in fairy costumes, open drug use, frisbees flying. I don't think there are that many places where such an event would achieve such irony-free levels of participation.

Basically. But there's not as much militancy or emphasis on political correctness as you might expect--in general it's more a down-for-whatever hedonism, not as much yelling about communism communism rah rah rah. Also many of the students are as smart as they are pluralistic, so it's hard for a lot to take a hard stance on issues. If you want to make stuff about stuff you'll be great. If you want to talk about stuff, yes let's talk about stuff. And if you DO want to take up an issue you're passionate about and fight for it, the door is wide open.

In some cases, yes. Obviously, not all students fit the mold described above, and I think that, oftentimes, a few particularly loud voices become paradigms for the student body as a whole. Generally, lots of Wesleyan kids are very opinionated and enjoy flinging their opinions out into the community, sometimes just to see who gets riled up.

For a good part of the student body, yes--though it is less than half.

Some of them. Most students care about issues, but are too busy smoking pot all the time to do anything about anything. Lots of hipsters. Way more white students than the school will admit. And lots of people are less open-minded than they pretend to be.

Not really.

Somewhat. There really is no one Wesleyan student. There are many different groups of people on campus, each with different styles, music tastes, academic interests, etc. While there is a fair amount of pot smoking (as on any college campus), Wes students work hard. There are tons of protests in which one can participate should the desire arise, but they do not take over the campus at all.

somewhat.

The part about political correctness gone mad, no. It's a liberal place but it's pretty open minded. And there's a small but vocal minority of jocks and frat boys if you're into more right-wing politics. The part about the spoiled hipsters, pretty much true. Eclectic is a "frat" made up entirely of them. They wear a uniform of far too tight thrift store clothes and an ironic 80s accessory. They listen to crappy indie music. But although they are irritating from a distance, they are a very tight-knit minority, and besides most of them are normal people once you get to know them.

You will find these stereotypes in every single college environment you participate in. For Wesleyan, however, what I discovered was that the majority of these stereotypes were both unjustified and untrue, a case of jealousy and a failure to understand the extremely unique culture prevalent at Wesleyan, an infective academic, social and cultural climate that I have come to love and cherish!

Though some stereotypes hold, there is a great diversity of students and student interests that overrides the establishment of any one predominate stereotype. There are different niches for different types of people. There are a surprising number of athletes, and while some fit the mold of standard jocks, most are at Wesleyan as students primarily. There are certainly events or situations where stereotypes are applicable, such as frat parties or concerts, but even then not everyone fits the prescribed category.

The skinny jeans thing may be partly true, but the music at Wes has been really good and very diverse, last week I went to an amazing reggae concert, and the week before that I went to a bluegrass show. My friends are artsy, but by that I mean that one is a really good painter, my roommate is an amazing modern dancer, and my other friend is the best piano player in our class. As for the Brown thing, only one of my 20+ close friends even applied there, and I think the people who chose Wesleyan did so for a reason...because they thought that Wesleyan was the right place for them, not Brown. The schools and their vibes are really different.

probably