Hi -
I would welcome any thoughts on Washington & Lee - academic rigor, student life, campus setting, job placement, overall experience.
Thank you.
Calling current parents/students @V3rnor @cinnamon1212 @cltrising
I will share our D21’s experience later when I’m home.
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I don’t have time to write a lot; I suggest ypu read old threads and also sites like Niche. While subjective, broad trends can be discerened, I believe, especially if you are comparing colleges.
Our experience, briefly, is that it may be the best college experience anyone in our family has had (we’ve attended the University of Rochester, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, SMU and Emory). Lexington is so beautiful, charming, and fun, and the tightness of the community – the connection to the school – is stronger than any I’ve seen.
My son’s been offered fantastic research opportunities and is prepared well for the next stage of his life.
Highly recommend!
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Here are career outcomes - a bit hard to read in how they present it but lots of good info. The second attach is easier to read but less data. From 2022
Sure! Just as a curious thought, are you/is your child applying to the class of 2029 or 2030? I’d presume the class of 2030, but the result season is coming around the corner.
For some context, my views of W&L are from the Freshman side/Class of 2028, so they may be lacking in comparison to the insight Dramamama’s D will have.
Academic Rigor - W&L doesn’t advertise itself as a rigorous school for no reason, the classes are hard. Really, with the step up from high school to college, it’s to be expected. Some of the classes will demand a lot of you both in and out of class, and you may end up with some grades you weren’t expecting. But truly, you are learning something. And from my point of view, that’s what you’re really at college for, for the most part - not the letter grades.
Academic support is no joke either here at W&L. Through the Harte Center in Leyburn, students can set up one-on-one tutoring with peer tutors for specific classes to help them study outside of class. In addition, many harder classes (Econ, Latin, Calc, and Business) have group study, or student-office hours led by upper-division students if a one-on-one doesn’t work. I used several of those resources when I was taking Calc 1. W&L has the Writing Center, where students who are specifically trained/skilled in writing can help you brainstorm, break down ideas, and more to help you in your writing.
Student Life - Just because W&L is a rigorous school academically doesn’t mean you won’t have fun - the opportunities are massive. W&L, truthfully, has a very big but not overpowering party culture. Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday nights are designated “party nights,” where people go out to locations off campus and have a fun time. W&L has a program called Traveller/Trav, which is a shuttle service W&L offers to students from these party locations to help discourage drunk driving.
Greek Life is also a very big part of W&L with ~75% of each class year joining a frat/sorority. Rush Week took place a few weeks ago, right before the start of the Winter Term. I’m not the expert on this though, as I didn’t rush (not a party guy.). But if your child isn’t into Greek life, there’s a lot to do for the independent community!
W&L has a boatload of clubs you can join, from pre-professional ones like Pre-Health to the Chocolate Milk Society where you drink Chocolate Milk. We even have an “I Love Water” club which rates ALL of the water fountains on campus. Social life is abundant as well, outside of partying (if it isn’t your cup of tea). For actual social occasions, W&L has FUDG/Friday Underground, which is an alcohol and substance-free social zone located in a University-affiliated house ~10 minutes from the Fmain campus. In addition, there are NO obligations to go out, you choose if you want to or not. I spent last night baking and frosting a Carrot Cake with my friends in the Graham-Lees kitchen. I’ve spent nights yapping with friends in my common room or studying.
Campus Setting - The setting of W&L is the only pet peeve I have with the Uuniversity a very small one. The city W&L is incorporated into, Lexington, is STUNNING. Most if not everything in the city is family-owned and everyone is genuine. You can spend hours walking around town getting coffee, and gelato. I spent half of a day in our used book store which has, I kid you not, ~20-foot tall shelves and floors PACKED with books. Around campus too: Lexington is near Buena Vista, which you can drive over to if you have a car. We’re also close to several state parks, where our Outing Club likes to go out and paddle board at, and camp.
Only drawback? Lexington is pretty rural. Getting here can be a challenge depending on the day, as you need to fly into either Roanoke or Charlottesville and drive ~1-1.5 hours to get to Lexington. Luckily, W&L has a service where you can schedule shuttles for a cheap fare to the airports and back, as well as special shuttles if you are traveling outside of the usual travel times (Christmas, Thanksgiving). That’s my only pet peeve, otherwise, the entire city is walkable, and W&L runs van shuttles to areas around town including Kroger, Food Lion, CVS, and Walmart.
Job Placement - I’m not the expert in this, so Dramamama’s D can take point on this. But from what I know, W&L has a VERY good reputation for job placement. We have our Career Office (CPD) which has industry specialists you can schedule appointments with through Handshake. We also have Career Fellows who are current students and will sit down with you to review your resume, do a mock interview, and more. W&L’s Alumni Network is vast, we use a site called Colonade Connections which has some Alumni’s email addresses, career industries, and contact information that you can use to network.
Overall, my experience at W&L has been amazing so far, the support that students get from both each other and the faculty is unparalleled and was kind of a blur of information, so let me know if you have any other questions!
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W&L is incredible. 100% recommend visiting and you will fall in love!
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The 75% Greek life is a huge deterrent for my daughter who is not the party type at all. Can anyone comment on W&L for more intellectual/nerdy/studious types? We’re in VA and honestly wrote if off because of the Greek life/party reputation. But not entirely written ofc as she’s still building her list.
It’s highly regarded, very selective, and has great career outcomes. It is known for being rigorous. No doubt there is probably a work hard play hard mindset, as with other colleges of this level, which others here can speak better to.
If Greek Life is off putting, it might be hard to escape, but clearly not everyone is in Greek Life. It’s going to be important for your child to decide if they are open to the possibility of being involved, or if they are happy to find their friends amongst those who don’t participate. And of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t make friends involved in a frat or sorority.
As a note, there are other selective colleges of the same caliber which offer little in the way of Greek life, and a number which have none at all. A quick search indicates that peer schools are:
- Amherst College
- Barnard College
- Bates College
- Bowdoin College
- Carleton College
- Claremont McKenna College
- Colby College
- Colgate University
- Davidson College
- Grinnell College
- Hamilton College
I believe most of those don’t have Greek Life. W & L also has a big advantge over some of the other schools listed in that they do have very prestigious and large scholarships available
I think Greek life at Colgate is very active, you just can’t join until sophomore year. My daughter was told to be social freshman year you pretty much have to join a sport.
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deleted (wrong OP.)
I wouldn’t rule W&L out because of greek life. It is not what you typically think of when you think of it at large schools. There is a spot for everyone and I personally don’t think it is any more of a “party school” than others.
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Not sure that this is accurate given the amount of posts & writings that indicate otherwise. An area worth researching as things often change.
There are a couple of now dated CC threads on the topic.
W&L Certainly has a big party aspect. It’s kind of a work-hard, party-hard culture on campus. But it certainly doesn’t take over campus or dominate college life like it does at other colleges. After party nights, everyone settles back in as students: the academic rigor of W&L demands that of us.
Again, there is NO pressure to rush or even go out. I don’t go out to party, and I didn’t rush a frat. A lot of my friends rushed, and many of them also didn’t. Them being in a frat doesn’t change my relationship with them, I’m still good buddies with all of them. We have a lot to do besides partying and doing Greek life.
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Sorry for the delayed reply. I wanted time to be thoughtful and provide what I hope is helpful information.
I’ll start by echoing cinnamon’s suggestion to have your student check out social media posts… both the official college account but also any student-run publications and clubs in areas of interest.
I suggest this for any college in consideration.
Specifically for W&L…
The Columns - official newsletter
Ring-Tum-Phi - independent student-run newsletter
There are many accounts specific to athletics, clubs, Greek life, etc. I’m happy to help identify those if you ask about specific areas of interest.
I’ll post about our family’s experience in a separate post.
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According to College Navigator, out of 450 degrees awarded in the 2022-2023 academic year, 28% of W&L graduating seniors majored in business and or accounting; followed by economics and government (20%); about 10 seniors majored in a language; 11 majored in history; 10 majored in math; 5 majored in physics; 7 seniors majored in art, music, or theater combined.
My S’ (and FDIL’s) experiences are slightly out of date, as they graduated in '20 and '21. But here it is…
But re: Greek Life. My S is naturally on the nerdy side. I would have highly discouraged Greek Life for him had he been at UVA/Tech/JMU. (We did highly discourage it for my younger S at JMU.) However, we felt W&L was different. It felt more inclusive, and W&L appeared to be very strict about hazing. My S wound up with mono that semester, and he was let out of all activities that he felt he couldn’t do. He told us that one frat got disbanded because they made their pledges do push-ups. FDIL was in a sorority. I haven’t asked her much about it, but she seemed happy with it. S’s freshmen roommate did not rush and he was still friends and hung out with those who did rush.
Re: job placement. My S was an econ and math double major. Sophomore year, he did have an easy time getting a math research job on campus. Junior/Senior Years - He did not have good luck with the on-campus interviews for internships/jobs. There is a lot of competition, and many people have wealthier/more connected parents than us. (We weren’t in the bottom tier, but just above income wise. And we come from a poor area of the state.) He wound up getting his junior year internship from a former frat brother, who is now one of his best friends.
Senior year he wound up getting a job with a major financial institution applying on his own. He did use the career services and reached out to alumni inside the institution, and both were helpful. An interesting side note… where does he believe he really improved his interviewing/speaking ability? During his Jr year internship, he also worked as an Uber driver. He was in a new to him city, and he said it helped him learn the city, and he would drive lots of business people to and from the airport. He said it was like doing a dozen interviews a day. And it was through one of these rides, where the rider told him “I think you’d really like working at XXX.” So you never know.
FDIL got her job in Marketing using the Alumni network.
Re: toughness of classes. I would say they are tough. When my S went to St Andrews for a semester, he found those to be very easy in comparison.
Both kids did the study abroad - my S at St. Andrews. He had a fabulous time traveling all of Europe wherever his $$$ would take him the cheapest. FDIL had hers cut short, as she went in January 2020. She has a harrowing tale of her “Escape from Italy” as the doors closed for covid. Hopefully, nobody will have that experience again!
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Common sense says W&L (or similar school) cannot be a “party school” in the traditional sense while also maintaining its rigor, academic reputation, and selectivity. And while there are all sorts of people at all sorts of schools, some schools skew one way or another. I would say W&L skews towards kids with good social skills. (And by that I do not mean superficial kids, or party all the timers). Would a kid on the autism spectrum, who struggles with social interactions, thrive at W&L? I don’t know.
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So I hesitate to respond because I graduated 25yrs ago 
But a few things I think remain constant. My son is applying this year so I’ve dug back into W&L life a little, my husband keeps up with 2 of his professors and I have some friends with kids there now.
I’d say the things to know about W&L are:
It is an academically outstanding school.
The alumni network is great (my husband and I both got jobs through alumni)
It is definitely a party school although perhaps not at the level it was in the 90s.
I LOVED living in Lexington, I worked at the coffee shop and knew all the locals, it was great. Some people hate it.
After a while, Lexington and W&L seem small and my husband and I were itching to graduate and we moved to NYC right away.
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Apologies for the late reply. My D is a first year at W&L, and I think if you asked her, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. She’s made a tremendous group of friends through her activities in the Fall. Just went through sorority recruitment and is excited about spending time with her new cohort.
She is a varsity athlete, so I think that helped the transition to school in August. I believe athletes represent close to 30% of the student body, so there is definitely a sporty vibe.
Classes were challenging first semester but she did well and really liked her professors. I’ll echo some of the above comments regarding social life. This is a group of very smart, motivated students that enjoy blowing off steam. You can go out as much or as little as you want and no one will give you a hard time. The schoolwork is tough, so I’m not sure you could survive steadily partying 3-4 nights per week.
I’m happy to answer any other questions you have - feel free to DM me if you’d prefer.
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I tagged a few current parents and students above so hopefully they will all chime in. My D is a senior so I specifically tagged a couple posters with current freshman for the most up to date feedback. I’ll share our family’s experience in this post.
Academic rigor - My D attended a rigorous private high school and while she felt she was prepared for freshman year W&L academics, she often mentioned how smart all the kids were (she had a bit of imposter syndrome TBH). She is premed and sophomore year classes really stepped up to another level. She basically gave up much of a social life one semester to survive organic chemistry and is prouder of the B she earned (her first and only to date) than any other grade across her school years. The academic rigor definitely influences students’ social choices at times. My D continues to feel the classes are rigorous and that she is being well-prepared for her post-grad plans.
She found professors to be engaged and interested in their students lives. Fall semester freshman will often get emails from professors if they miss class to make sure they are okay. I was appreciative of this personal touch when my D had some “freshman dorm crud”. I thanked her professor when I met him at parents weekend and was told many professors try to look out for freshman transitioning to college life and will notify a dean if kids don’t respond in a timely manner.
Club life - My D appreciated the many opportunities on campus and the surrounding community. She had a lot of leadership and service experience in high school and was given ample chance to continue in college. Her particular areas of interest are peer leadership, community health, food insecurity, pre-med clubs and shadowing, Greek philanthropy, outdoor activities, theater/chorus/dance (although she’s no longer active due to time commitments).
Coming out of high school I would describe my D as an academic/unapologetically nerdy/theater kid, introverted but confident in areas of interest with significant leadership in those areas. The resources and guidance provided by faculty and leadership at W&L have led to growth in her confidence, which have allowed her to stretch and seek new experiences she may not have otherwise.
Social life - As v3rnor mentioned, there are ample social opportunities whether one participates in Greek life or is independent. The majority of Greek parties are open to all students, although there will typically be alcohol available. For students interested in substance free activities, there are many club activities, arts events and FUDG (Friday Underground), as well as just hanging with friends in common areas or student rooms/apartments. (Students are required to live in campus housing three years.)
The school provides a shuttle on “party nights” plus two university “Uber” cars for transportation to locations off the shuttle route. There’s a lot of university oversight of Greek organizations, activities and a commitment to keeping students safe. Unfortunately there are still occasional incidents (as at any school), but there is a lot of effort to make all students safe while participating in social activities.
Specifically regarding Greek life, if my D attended my alma mater (SEC uni) she would never have considered Greek life, but the experience at W&L is not comparable. It is more inclusive and recruitment is a LOT more low-key. If a student is interested and open to the process there will be a place for them. Recruitment is the start of winter semester to allow students a chance to adjust to college life. For sorority recruitment, girls start off all wearing matching tees and no one is expected to buy new wardrobes for the parties. This does not mean every girl will be matched with their top choice sorority but they will find a spot if interested and continue through the process. My D is in Greek life and served as her sorority Philanthropic chair and Panhellenic Executive leadership. I’ll let others comment on frats.
Campus setting - My D is from a large city and has been charmed by small town Lexington and the surrounding Shenandoah Valley. She loves walking to the cute shops downtown (shoutouts to the pet shop and book store). She’s also involved with the Outdoor Club and has tried activities i would not have always expected (skydiving). This beautiful area of VA offers easy access to water activities, hiking, camping, snow skiing, etc.
As mentioned by another poster, it is rural with the closest airports an hour+ away, so travel should be a consideration. This is an often mentioned challenge for some families.
Job placement - Since my D is a current student, I’ll speak to her internships and career preparation. Due to the rural location, this was an area of concern for us when deciding if W&L was a good fit for our premed student. She spent time talking to the pre-health advisors and other premed students before making her decision. She’s been very satisfied with the support of the advisors, faculty and alumni networks. They’ve assisted her in finding research, internships, subject-specific study abroad and local shadowing and clinical experience. As an aside, they have university-provided cars for students to checkout for transportation to approved activities. My D has a car on campus, but typically checks out the campus car to save on gas/maintenance since her current clinical position is an hour away. Last year she shadowed locally so did not need to take advantage of this.
General - I agree there is a bit of a work hard play hard atmosphere, with academics coming first for the majority of students. The small student body allows involved faculty to intervene if a student is struggling, helps most kids adjust to a healthy balance if they get off track. There have absolutely been times of frustration and struggle for my D, but I feel they would have happened anywhere. Overall, we have been very happy with her student experience and our parent experience.
I’m happy to answer specific questions. (Hopefully this makes sense as I’ve typed this in bits and pieces over several hours. 
)
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