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.