Wesleyan University Top Questions

Bands. Heroin.

Wesleyan's social and extracurricular scenes are what makes it the happening place that is. Each week is chocked full of student music shows (I'd say at least 5 shows a week), art openings, cultural events, and random specific activities. The staggering diversity of the student body's interest shows through this process. If you can't find a niche at Wesleyan that interests you, then college probably isn't your thing.

Political, LGBT, comedy, artistic, athletic and musical groups all have significant participation on campus. Nearly all students participate in some kind of extracurricular group. Artistic events, performances, film screenings and academic talks/lectures are far more widely attended than athletic events. Students party fairly frequently, mostly in house parties.

House parties, fraternity parties (if you like that sort of thing), or do your own party. Dating is mainly random hookups at parties, although there are some pockets of dating.

There are too many damn performers. This is a side effect of how self-expressed and confident people are about themselves. But with something like 14 acapella groups, 3 improv troupes, 2 sketch troups, an unending number of dance troups and at least 5 plays having auditions RIGHT NOW the opportunities to get on stage are endless. This also means that finding absurd, strange or simply bad art is commonplace. Generally this is okay since among the endless chain of shows to go to, you probably end up at ones you only came to in order to support your friends. So its okay that it sucks. You didn't come to see a good show anyhow. Jocks and greek lovers have a hard time at wes. This doesn't mean that I wasn't often offended by some of their behavior or attitudes, but I sympathasize with the amount of shit they get. They exacerbate this by reacting against the dominant liberal values being foisted on them and being even bigger assholes.They act offensive because they are angry about being perceived that way. I'm not excusing them but I understand why they act that way.

There are all kinds of sports teams on campus. There are lots of music groups, social action groups, theater groups, etc. Athletic events are not popular at all. The dating scene is so-so because the school is so small that everyone knows each other...a lot of kids just meet people at parties and hook-up. But there are others who have long relationships, etc. Students in some dorms leave their doors open. I met many of my close friends in my dorm freshman year. It was a great experience. Parties are common. Thursday and Saturday are the biggest nights for parties. Fridays are a little more laid-back but still pretty fun. Spring Fling is a big concert every year in the center of campus, and the University spends a bunch of money to get good bands. Everyone comes out and has a great time! Frats/Sororities are not important. There is a small group of students (maybe 10 percent) who party at the frats all the time. Everyone else pretty much avoids them completely.

Politically active organizations are certainly most prevalent. Overall, Wes students are involved. People are very busy, but have fun doing what they do. We work hard and play hard. We're very serious about getting our work done, but love to have fun. Fun does not have to involve drinking or drugs. There's tons going on on campus. On a given weekend, the question asked is never "what is there to do?". The oft-asked question is rather "what am I going to miss out on this weekend?"

I never went to a Wesleyan football game and did not feel that I missed much. It does exist, and if that's your thing, I think you can still have a good experience at wesleyan, but it is generally not the focus of attention. I was more involved in the music/theater/comedy/art scene, and thought it was wonderful. There's always lots to do if you drink and party. There's always lots to do if you don't drink or party. Like all schools, there is always something going on. The problem won't be finding something to do, it will be choosing which option from a list of 10.

People tend to support the really good sports teams, like Women's Volleyball, Men's lax and soccer. Students often do leave their doors open in dorms. Most events are pretty popular, it just depends on what your interested in. Dating isn't that popular at Wes. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it seems to be more hook-ups. My closest friends are on my team or were in my dorm my Freshman year.

Athletics aren't very big on campus, but if you're a varsity athlete, especially a runner who is in season all year long, it's easy to forget that. Athletic events are pretty well-attended, but far more popular are concerts and lectures by good guest speakers etc. The Eclectic Society, which is the "anti-frat" hipster frat/headquarters, is very prominent, though not necessarily because there are a lot of people in it. The three frats are not a huge presence on campus - they add to, rather than dominate, the social and party scene. Most people drink, there's a lot of pot, and a fair amount of people are into prescription drugs, coke, and hallucinogens. For most people, Wednesday through Saturday are viable party nights, though there are people at either extreme. Wednesday's bar night, Thursday is usually a pretty strong campus party night, usually with bands playing at either Eclectic or Psi U, Friday's a little bit of a down night, and Saturday is usually the biggest party night of the week. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm probably leaving the library just as it's closing or wasting time on the internet. As with probably most colleges, the "dating" scene is really the hooking up scene. You go to a party and get drunk enough to make a pass at someone you find attractive. If it's successful, you go home with them, and maybe it happens again and maybe it doesn't. The rules are only very hazy and everyone has their own definitions.

Most weekends I would attend performances (sometimes professional, sometimes students) in the early evening, and then go to house parties at night. There isn't really a bar scene in Middletown, but the Wesleyan house party scene is really thriving and awesome. People just walk up and down streets with senior houses on them, popping into parties where you usually know someone, but sometimes you don't, which is fine. You're never asked to pay anything for alcohol, everyone just seems to believe that it all works out in the end - you'll throw the party next weekend, etc. In the warmer months, the house party scene is especially fun because the parties end up all joining up in backyards and in the streets themselves. Athletic events aren't very popular, but most artistic performances are very well-attended community events. The Center for the Arts books a lot of really amazing and innovative acts which are very very affordable for students, and groups on campus always bring in tons of crazy and fascinating stuff. Most people I knew went to parties at frat houses during the first semester of their freshman year, and after that, never again. There are tons of festivals in the spring (Buttstock, spring fling, etc.), all of which are SO FUN.

There's a group for everyone at Wes, and more pariah it is, the tighter-knit it will be (Wesleyan Christian Fellowship, Wes Republicans, etc. are all pretty close groups). But the first people you'll meet will be the other people on your hall freshman year, and you'll probably be bff with at least a few of them. Most people tend to spend the weekends hanging out. What "hanging out" means is up to you - drinking, dancing, going to concerts, or watching movies; you'll find some other like-minded students to do it with. Frats/sororities are as important to you as you want them to be. Most students are friendly to a fault, so you'll make a lot of friends early on, and will then whittle them away over the years to a core group, and then you'll all probably get a house together as seniors. Well, that might not be accurate - there are plenty of those hypersocial valedictorian All-State cross country runners that know everyone and who you want to hate but can't because they're just too darn nice. (Apparently, another Wes pastime is writing run-on sentences). The dating scene is good, and don't fret if you didn't get laid in high school, because lots of other kids didn't either and you'll get an opportunity at Wes. I promise. I spent one day last weekend studying and the other day drinking vodka and playing a board game with friends until 4 am. Yeah, it was a big weekend.

As an athlete you get a unique view of Wesleyan, its wayyyy more conservative and wayy more jaded. A lot of guy athletes are only at Wesleyan for their sport and would not even consider the school otherwise, and they make that known. Nonetheless, playing field hockey at Wes is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is all that I wanted from playing a college sport, a healthy level of commitment and a good group of girls.

I think everyone's social life is different here. Some kids go to the frats everyweekend, some go to senior parties or program house parties. plenty just play video games of beirut in their rooms. late-night snack trips are rather popular. a lot of people meet their closest friends in their dorms.

music is huge. atheletic events are not big to people outside a certain bubble. theater is also big in its own bubble. dating-wise: people hook up on weekends and then either follow up on it or not. dating dating like going out to dinner with someone you are interested in is pretty obsolete. i met my closest friends in my dorm freshman year and also in my dorm sophomore year... and through being introduced to friends of friends. at 2am on a tuesday im taking a break from work and dancing with my housemates. traditions- spring fling and 4/20 etc.. days when the whole school really comes together. a saturaday night without drinking might include going to the film series and then a dance party where you don't care if you're drunk or not. off campus you can get dinner on mainstreet or go to destinta or one of the bars in town.

There are many a cappella groups and comedy troupes. There's usually at least one a cappella or comedy show a week. All the dorms are quite different. Mine is pretty quiet but I am very good friends with many people on my hall. Doors are left open so study-sick students can wander in to hang out. There are fraternities that host many bands and dances, although they certainly are not the dominant social scene. It's very possible to avoid them completely. Last weekend, I celebrated three of my friends' birthdays and went to a dance at a fraternity.

lots and lots of groups! I don't know what's the most popular. a lot of groups, especially those that sponsor activities (such as war protests, etc) get a lot of people coming to help with specific events but not to show up to meetings on a regular basis...I'm guilty of this. I'm involved more seriously with ASHA though, which I like because we're trying to make a difference in Middletown by, for example, donating money to AIDS organizations here and having someone from a center in Middletown come speak about his experiences to spread awareness. kids leave their doors open fairly often, especially depending on the dorm. In Westco, lots of doors are open, more so than in the Butts, I think. but most people would love to have you just drop in unannounced and distract them from work. we're pretty friendly. theater is great here. there is a ton of diversity in shows, dances, etc. the dating scene is...well, freshmen seem to be just starting to settle down. there are a lot of couples, and a LOT of people not even remotely interested in dating. so it just depends on what you're looking for. my closest friends either live near me or I met them early in the year, or through friends. generally, people have their own groups, so if you become close to one person, you kind of absorb their friends too. on Tuesday, I'm probably doing my homework. or having a semi-serious conversation with someone that I don't want to break off. or being outside, if the weather is nice. traditions: duke day, zonker harris day, 4/20, wesfest. people party generally thurs-sat. lots of drinking and smoking, and it is a little difficult to find stuff to do if you're not into being around that, but not impossible. most people drink and/or smoke but there's a sizable minority that doesn't. frats are not important. most parties happen in dorms, unless there happens to be a concert at psi u or something. last weekend I got drunk in other people's dorm rooms. and had long drunken conversations. I usually party with my friends as opposed to huge groups of people. not drinking? again, not too much to do. maybe go see a show, or just hang out with people? I'm not really sure. off-campus, unless you're going to the city, isn't terribly exciting. though there is good thai food.

People are not into athletics at all! We don't even have a real stadium and nobody comes to the homecoming game. The amount of school spirit is pathetic. Most parties are small house parties where the only things to do are drink and smoke. There are very few campus-wide events, which leaves most students very bored.

Accapella is a big deal. We also have a few dance groups and comedy/improv groups which are pretty good. We have this annual burlesque show which is HUGE on campus. We have guest speakers and bands come a fair amount. Robin Williams talked earlier this year and most weekends you can find either school bands/ DJs or non-school affiliated bands playing. When it comes to nightlife the frats on campus hold a lot of stuff. We have a few traditional sports frats, Beta and DKE, which hold dance parties and whatnot. Psi U is another frat which holds cool themed dance parties like Studio 54 and 90s party. Eclectic is known as the alternative, hipster frat and hosts the ever-popular Sex Party early in the year where everyone goes scantily clad and has a dance party in Eclectic which is adorned with porn. Alpha Delt, the literary society, also holds parties but they tend to be on the classier end, I'd say. In general though, frat life is not that big and most people just go to frats for parties on weekends. People are always partying in dorm rooms, the Lo-rise and Hi-rise apartments and senior houses.

the most popular activities on campus may in fact include Residential Life, student of color/nationality affinity groups, and sports. Athletic events, however, are not super popular because Wesleyan's strong suit is not sports. People generally do not "couple up" but people do hook up often. Every year we have Spring Fling and WesFest-- Spring Fling includes "famous" singer/rappers, liquor, and partying for one weekend. WesFest is our celebration for students who have been accepted and includes a big bbq and introduction to the clubs on campus.