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Colleges & Universities College of Wooster
21

@TytoAlba
My roommate (who I’ve been with since freshman year) is a Communications major but has found a love for computer science because they love the department so much. My roomie never had taken a comp sci class before, but the professors and material really spoke to them.

I am not sure about all the companies that recruit, but I know a lot of my friends have worked/will be working with after graduating with Cleveland Clinic, Huntington Bank, etc. There are many “career fairs” and “law/med school fairs” for students to interact with organizations, but also, the alumni network is incredibly active and helpful. A lot of resources can also be found in APEX (which I spoke about previously). No one I know is afraid of not getting a job they will love. To further my case, under the “Fast Facts” section of Woo’s website they state that 95% of students are employed within 6 months after graduation and 94% are admitted into their top-choice grad school (stats that were important to me when making a choice).

There are suite-style dorms and newer dorms on campus, and if the building isn’t newer/updated, the school is working on it!

Here are some realistic descriptions of housing options for upper-classmen:

Armington Hall: used to be Greek housing and made up of mostly singles is being fully renovated and right next door…

Stevenson Hall: A/C and just renovated. Mostly singles.

Brush Hall: Super nice, behind Holden Hall and Lowry. Mostly singles and triples and are the hardest rooms to get!

Schoolhouse: (across the street from Drugmart), A/C, most spacious, includes a living space and large windows and a kitchen, and costs extra (and many are willing to pay the price for its luxuries).

Holden Hall: BEST LOCATION ON CAMPUS. High ceilings, where most sophomores live. Older building, but being right next to your classes and Lowry tends to be a plus for most.

Gault Manor: A/C with smaller rooms and Luce Hall (a language learning suite-style hall!).

Bissman Hall: (used to be First Year housing, now Greek housing) but since sororities and fraternities live in the building, it’s more about the people they surround themselves with rather than the room size/condition, smallest rooms ever, but roomies tend to really love each other so they don’t mind :slight_smile:

Kenarden: Beautiful building with a great kitchen and lounge. Next to Andrews, so a bit out of the way, but very close to Kauke.

Luce: Known for A/C and “language suites” (super resourceful and are great places that hold open houses to give traditional food to students every once in awhile). Tricky to navigate, but great building.

Douglass: Where they put most students who are gone for a semester, windows are thin so it gets chilly sometimes, great downstairs, where many school events are held (such as Covers).

As for the houses, really depends on the house and who owned it beforehand. I know that administration is now allowing greek life to expand to houses for the first time in years, but service housing will still be available. Houses do not get cleaned by staffers and tend to have maintenance issues such as bee infestations and such, but they are resolved quickly. Personally, I’m a dorm-life kind of person, so I don’t know much about living in a house, but I do know of people who really love living in a house.

As for the First Year dorms, I will describe each one as best I can in as few words as possible:

Babcock: A/C, nicest FY dorm, spacious and great location (next to Lowry and gym and across from library).

Born: A/C, 2nd nicest dorm, hospital lighting, spacious rooms, kitchenette on each floor.

Andrews: Most out of the way, high ceilings, nice living spaces, worst bathrooms.

Compton: Worst condition, good storage, best basement (renovated kitchen and tv space as well as new LGBTQ+ safe space.

Wagner: Middle of the road, right across from wellness center, first floor and basement just renovated, great storage.

All-in-all, the first-year dorms are livable and I everyone I’ve met spends most of their time outside of their dorm unless they are ill or need to sleep since so much goes on on-campus.

22

Also just wanted to tell everyone congrats on your (or your applicant’s) acceptance! I got my acceptance via portal the day before Thanksgiving last year and I know what an amazing feeling it is (especially getting an extremely generous Dean’s Scholarship!) Cheers to you all and I hope you continue to consider this amazing academic and social community :slight_smile: I encourage all people considering the school to ask whatever pops up in their minds because that’s the one thing I regretted most (and I know I can’t be alone!). Hope you all have a lovely holiday.

23

How much of the campus social scene is dominated by Greek life?

24

@TytoAlba
Greek life is very lowkey on campus. Of course, you’ll see kids wearing greek letters on a sweatshirt and there are parties thrown by frats and sororities typically every weekend, but I would say only about 10-15% of students are a part of Greek life.

Personally, the factor of having little to no Greek scene was important to me when making my decision on a college, but I realized after actually experiencing college that Greek life was for me (at least Wooster’s Greek scene was since it is so lax).

Wooster’s Greek scene is everything but what you think of automatically when you think of Greek life as a whole (such as Southern schools and/or bigger schools). It’s less expensive, more about connections and less of a commitment/a “lifestyle”, something that appeals to those who do choose to go Greek at Wooster. The Greek scene is not pushy and honestly it’s more common not to go to parties at all, as most Woo students like to spend the night in with friends. Or, if a student does like to go out, it’s also totally accepted and normal. There is no expectation of what a Woo student does because there is no specific mold to a student at COW, which makes it so beautiful and unique!

I spoke about Greek life briefly in previous replies if you are looking for more information.

25

@woostudent123 Thank you for answering questions. Your insights are very helpful. I have three questions for you which if you can’t get to until after the semester ends, I completely understand. Best of fortune with finals!

My questions are:

  1. What's it like being a social science major at the College of Wooster? What do you think of the political science and economics course offerings / professors / departments at COW?
  2. What three words best describe the vibe on the campus and if you give a brief description of why you feel this way.
  3. Besides the weather and some dorm concerns, what do you least like about the College of Wooster?
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Anyone interested in dorms, I would suggest heading over to the Wooster website. They actually have floorplans for each dorm, so you’ll se that they are actually bigger than what you will typically find in other schools. When my son was deciding b/w COW & another school for ED, he listed COW’s dorms as one of their pluses over the other school.

27

@Twelfthman Happy to help!

  1. I love being a political science major. The classes and professors are interesting and interactive to the point that I really feel is effectively teaching me. There are classes from your basic introduction classes to Media and Politics, and I haven't found myself disappointed by a class or prof ever. I know a lot of people who love philosophy (never clicked for me) but the one course I had, I loved my prof who made the class interesting. Unsure about history, as most people that I know of typically choose Poli Sci (unsure why).
  2. Chill, motivated and unique. There are many aspects to Wooster's campus and students, but the one thing that continues to stick out to me is how humble yet amazing everyone I have met is. I haven't encountered people that take themselves too seriously or think that they're "all that", and students love to try their hardest for hours in the library, but still have fun! That's something that I found to be very rare in other campus environments.
  3. Probably the dining hall hours. They only serve dinner from 5-8 PM and I have always been someone who eats later. There are other options, being Mom's, but I just wish Lowry could stay open for one more hour!!!
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@woostudent123 Can you speak a bit about diversity and inclusion? I’ve read your comments about the large number of international students, but are openly gay students accepted and safe at COW?

29

@buckeyeinbama
Yes! CoW is more liberal when it comes to LACs in OH, but not as liberal as Oberlin. People are very welcoming, with the exception of the few who make hate comments to individuals, and all discrimination is intolerable. I find that most students attending the college are very accepting and open-minded.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion, which is located in Babcock Hall (if you have ever had a formal tour of the college, this is the building they bring you to for a sample dorm!)

There are also staff members who students of all backgrounds can come to speak to in the center, whether it’s just to chat or concerning issues on or off campus for guidance. Since there is a LGBTQ+ presence on campus, there are also a variety of groups that are formed by LGBTQ+ community members, such as QPoC (Queer People of Color) and the Queer Student Union. These groups have been known to hold events to welcome those who identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community as well as allies in events such as “Queer Prom” and BBQ events.

CDI (Center for Diversity and Inclusion) also offers “Safe Zone” Training sessions for interested students, which educates those who want to better understand and be a source of support for others who identify in the LGBTQ+ community. There are also many organizations, from sororities and frats to the Student Gov. Assoc., that have Diversity Chairs/Committees who serve as individuals to encourage inclusion and acceptance of students of different cultures, races, sexualities, etc.

I should also note that the school really focuses on celebrating those who belong to the LGBTQ+ community, as there is even a ceremony in May which honors graduating students of the community for not only their accomplishments, but for facing the harsh reality of the discrimination they and others face in the world.

Also: The college just created an “inclusion hangout area” in Compton’s basement (first-year dorm), that is designed solely for LGBTQ+ members and is exclusive! It’s like a VIP lounge for LGBTQ+ members. I will link the newspaper article for more info!

Here are the links to the resources/clubs/events that I talked about :slight_smile:
CDI: https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/sgi/
QPoC: https://www.wooster.edu/students/organizations/special/qpoc/
QSU: https://www.wooster.edu/students/organizations/special/queer-union/
Lavender Celebration: https://www.wooster.edu/students/diversity/sgi/lavender/
LGBTQ+ Lounge: http://thewoostervoice.spaces.wooster.edu/2018/09/14/inclusive-safe-space-opens-for-lgbtqia-students/

30

@woostudent123 I just read that Wooster has hired a Chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the first time. Can you comment on this position? What will it mean to the college, the students and community relationships?

31
  • When did you know that COW was the college for you? And why was it the school for you?
  • Was it easy for you to find your people/friends?
  • Do you have any regrets about going to Wooster?
32

@Kona2012 Dr. Ivonne García is amazing!!! The position she holds is pretty much to work with President Bolton to give her outlook on behalf of minorities at Wooster as well as making sure students are included and it helps with diversity on campus. This is also one of the first steps Wooster is taking to make sure more Latinx staff are able to support the Latinx community on campus.

33

@denseavocado

  1. I had a bunch of random signs from the universe thrown at me. Like seeing a Wooster shirt at a Goodwill where no one knows of the school, seeing a Tootsie Roll wrapper during a different college tour, etc. Once I got on campus, things started falling into place and I continued to visit, not because I was unsure, but I just couldn’t wait to come back. Wooster was the school for me because it has a classic college feel, was the perfect size for me, offered the academics that I am majoring in and was more diverse than other schools I looked at.
  2. Since I’m less of an introvert, it’s usually not too hard to meet new people and make friends with them. I know many introverts on campus that also made friends fairly quickly, as they bonded through their shyness and common hobbies. The college makes sure to have students engage with each other from day one, through making students sit together with a class during orientation and holding events later at night such as movies outdoors, pizza nights, roller blading; the list goes on and on. You will always have someone at Woo.
  3. I have no regrets coming to Woo, and have only been surprised at how my experience continues to get better. I know some are homesick, but as long as you keep busy and interact with others, Wooster soon becomes your home.
34

Hi everyone. I just wanted to know more about full-tuition scholarships in Wooster? I am planning to apply within 2 days to Wooster but I want to know more about the scholarship.

35

@Hero127t For current and accurate information of that nature, you should really go to the source: https://www.wooster.edu/admissions/scholarships/

From its website you will see that, Wooster does not offer full tuition merit scholarships. The highest $ merit scholarship for this year is worth $34K. Current year tuition and fees is $50,250, and when you include room and board the comprehensive fee is $62,100.

Of course, if you qualify for need-based aid you may be able to get a greater portion of expense covered. Good luck with your application!

36

I believe @Hero127t may be an international student. Info for FA can be found here: https://www.wooster.edu/admissions/international/aid/

Keep in mind, you will need to be in the very tippy top of applicants for full tuition to be awarded.

37

@ChaosParent23 I have a good ECA record but I have scored a little less on SAT. It is 1450 in a super score and 1430 without superscore.

38

As a Wooster sophomore transfer student (new this year 2018-2019), I can’t say enough amazing things about Wooster. I love it here! STUDENT BODY: I made friends right away because the students are so welcoming. It’s an amazing community of people who reach out to one another. I hardly ever encounter elitist exclusive students. STEM: I am a Chemistry major with a minor in Physics and am really impressed with the professors and rigor. I feel challenged every day. I love the new science building. I go in there to study almost every day and always find people who can help me out if I’m having a hard time with a concept, etc. ATHLETES: I am a lacrosse player and can comment on the athlete scene: it’s very non-jock in the traditional sense. By that I mean, the athletes aren’t athletes first and foremost, they are just normal people who happen to be athletes. I would describe my teammates as “nerdy jocks.” The typical “jock” isn’t usually interested in Wooster because of how rigorous this college in its expectations of students. The IS project is HARD! I was shocked at how challenging it was after Skidmore (which was also challenging but not like Wooster) and I attended a very elite boarding school and can attest that I was well prepared for college. THE GREEK SCENE: Very low key and diverse. It’s fine to be in it and fine to not be. I am in it but have tons of friends who are not. DIVERSITY: Not as diverse as my high school (with was 30% POC), but still pretty decent. Diversity is important to me and I think the college scores a B+ in diversity among LACS. WHY DID I CHOOSE WOOSTER: For all of the above reasons. I sensed all of the above on my campus visit and just knew it was the right fit for me. People are themselves; there’s no pretension. I am so happy I made the choice to come here. MERIT SCHOLARSHIP: I receive 25K yearly and am so thankful for this. My parents don’t qualify for financial aid so my family was excited. I got into Vanderbilt as well and although Vandy is a more prestigious school, I picked Wooster because of the research opportunities and the merit aid. Hope that helps!

39

@Cole19988, if you don’t mind me asking, I’m curious what led you to transfer from Skidmore. My son is a HS sophomore in boarding school and an athlete and is interested in Wooster, and your comments are very helpful. Thank you.

40

I am currently going through my college preparation process and I have made a list of schools where I want to have my undergraduate studies. Wooster is one of my top choices. I am interested to major in math in college. So how is it like to be a math student at Wooster? As an international student, I really want to know how life looks like at Wooster. So, @woostudent123, can you please share your experience and maybe about a friend of you from a different country? Thank you.