Washington and Lee

[Anonymous]

VA has an abundance of public colleges to choose from with UVA being the coveted flagship. W&L being a high priced private college probably doesn't get prioritized within the commonwealth in terms of college choices. That said, W&L is a top 10 LAC nationally, has a beautiful campus and a strong alumni network. It does have a savoury past, but the faculty and students wanted the name changed. The trustees didn't.
I think the school is headed in the right direction. Most PWIs have some issues that need to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Well I’d venture it’s less desirable to VA kids because it competes with UVA and W&M for interest and loses that battle.

W&L is way better than W&M.

No

Yes it is. Smarter, better looking students

W&M 82% in the top 10% with 39% with reported rank. W&L with 78% in top 10% of class with only 26% of students reporting rank. W&L is more or less taking high standardized test score kids that may well not have great grades or class rank. W&L doesn't report GPA. W&M average GPA is 4.3 with 89% reporting GPA.

W&L SAT mid 50 is 1530-1410 vs. 1520-1360 at W&M, so W&L is a bit higher at the low end, but it is also quite a bit less diverse than W&M (which certainly isn't the most diverse).

The W&M gpa stat is utterly worthless as it’s a weighted gpa which is total garbage. Weighted GPAs are the standard of upper SES suburban public schools to artificially inflate their students profiles. By using those garbage numbers, W&M makes itself look better than it is and plays into the absurd rich public school house of cards.

At least it reports a GPA, unlike W&L. Any state school in Virginia has to report GPA to SCHEV, and also reports on the Common Data Set. W&L is reporting next to nothing, mostly just standardized tests. No class rank for 74% and no GPA for 100% of incoming class.

This is just stupid. W&L is irrefutably a great school. No, I didn’t go there.

[Anonymous]

3.8% Asian (undergrad)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It’s a good school but it’s too “southern money” and Greek for most NoVa kids. NoVa kids want prestige (T20 or so) or value (UVA) W & L is very good education but it’s got a particular social vibe that these kids aren’t interested in.

Wow. Talk about generalizing and projecting your own opinions onto 17 year old kids.

Only if you’re new to this board. I answered based on what I read here. You new? Or an attention-seeking troll?

My personal story is that my own kid didn’t like it. We visited. Felt just like a small rich southern high school. And it’s the size of most NoVa high schools. Good education? Yes. Appealing to DMV kids? Not so much.

I know many NOVA/ DMV kids who find it very appealing.

Yeah they just can’t say it because they’ll get canceled.
The school is not generally racist, that’s just insulting and ignorant to say. It has a complicated history just like most old education institutions in this country.

Many kids from the NE. School is similar to any of the other SLAC.
W&L is a great school - alumnus here

" Under Lee’s leadership, his students would, among other things, form a KKK chapter and harass and assault Black school children. The board of trustees of Washington College honored this legacy when it decided to rename its institution Washington and Lee University."

" After significant and critical national attention, Lee was finally put on trial at the place where his body is buried. Not guilty, the board of trustees announced on Friday. The vote was not even close—a supermajority of trustees (22 out of 28 trustees, or 78 percent) voted to retain Lee as a namesake. That vote, however, did more. It signaled that Washington and Lee University will continue to shine as a beacon of racism, hate, and privilege."

(Of the 28 trustees, 25 are white, and 23 are male.)

(https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/06/white-supremacy-washington-and-lee-robert.html)

Yes yes and I guess your point is that there has been no progress what so ever since?
Get real. You’re putting modern morals in a much different time frame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:""The name never bothered me," said Thomas W. Penn, a 1974 Black alum whose son also attended the university. "Lee Chapel, though, was a bit spooky with all its Confederate stuff." Lee is buried in a crypt beneath the chapel named for him."

""You know exactly what you're getting into when you go to W&L," echoed Ford, noting that W&L held an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lee's death the same year he began his studies. "To the Lost Cause people, the town of Lexington and the W&L campus are special. It's their mecca.""

https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/washington-and-lee-university-keeps-name/

This is stupid. I graduated from there in the past 20 years and had many diverse friends and experiences. If this is what you choose to think about the school your gross assumptions are baseless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well I’d venture it’s less desirable to VA kids because it competes with UVA and W&M for interest and loses that battle.

W&L is way better than W&M.

No

Yes it is. Smarter, better looking students

W&M 82% in the top 10% with 39% with reported rank. W&L with 78% in top 10% of class with only 26% of students reporting rank. W&L is more or less taking high standardized test score kids that may well not have great grades or class rank. W&L doesn't report GPA. W&M average GPA is 4.3 with 89% reporting GPA.

W&L SAT mid 50 is 1530-1410 vs. 1520-1360 at W&M, so W&L is a bit higher at the low end, but it is also quite a bit less diverse than W&M (which certainly isn't the most diverse).

The W&M gpa stat is utterly worthless as it’s a weighted gpa which is total garbage. Weighted GPAs are the standard of upper SES suburban public schools to artificially inflate their students profiles. By using those garbage numbers, W&M makes itself look better than it is and plays into the absurd rich public school house of cards.

At least it reports a GPA, unlike W&L. Any state school in Virginia has to report GPA to SCHEV, and also reports on the Common Data Set. W&L is reporting next to nothing, mostly just standardized tests. No class rank for 74% and no GPA for 100% of incoming class.

This is just stupid. W&L is irrefutably a great school. No, I didn’t go there.

No one said it isn't a good school. It is just that the claim that W&L is way better than W&M is definitely open to fact-based counter arguments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:""The name never bothered me," said Thomas W. Penn, a 1974 Black alum whose son also attended the university. "Lee Chapel, though, was a bit spooky with all its Confederate stuff." Lee is buried in a crypt beneath the chapel named for him."

""You know exactly what you're getting into when you go to W&L," echoed Ford, noting that W&L held an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lee's death the same year he began his studies. "To the Lost Cause people, the town of Lexington and the W&L campus are special. It's their mecca.""

https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/washington-and-lee-university-keeps-name/

This is stupid. I graduated from there in the past 20 years and had many diverse friends and experiences. If this is what you choose to think about the school your gross assumptions are baseless.

I'm quoting your fellow alumni, the "diverse" ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a weird combo - academically tough for admission but a total party school once you are there for pretty southern rich white kids. Lots of TX, MS, GA kids.

I went there and this is very accurate.

Toured it with our HS DCs, when one was a junior, younger a sophomore.

They loved the campus, liked the students they met, etc. Neither DC ended up applying. One decided they didn't want to attend a school in the south and the other decided it probably wasn't a good fit, but open to some other southern schools.

My DCs are Jewish. I think I get why they had these opinions.

[Anonymous]

It attracts a lot of wealthy, southern private school kids because it’s similar to their high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a good school but it’s too “southern money” and Greek for most NoVa kids. The parents ofNoVa kids want prestige (T20 or so) or value (UVA) W & L is very good education but it’s got a particular social vibe that these kids aren’t interested in.

FTFY

[Anonymous]

Well, I guess we can add W&L to the list of colleges that get DCUM riled up.

I did not go there, nor did my kids, but it is a top SLAC nationally. People who attended should be proud of that. Nobody mentioned the merit scholarships offered by the school, which I believe go to 10% of the class. Yes, it might be too Greek for some people's tastes.

[Anonymous]

It is great school with a lower acceptance rate than UVA and WM. However, UVA and WM are great public options and it is a small private school in a small town. I am sure that scares away some from NoVa but they are not hurting for applications. It leans conservative but there are lib kids there. It is not a northeastern slac where 90%+ identify as progressive/liberal. If your kid is liberal and not able
to cope with differing opinions probably not the school for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a weird combo - academically tough for admission but a total party school once you are there for pretty southern rich white kids. Lots of TX, MS, GA kids.

I went there and this is very accurate.

Toured it with our HS DCs, when one was a junior, younger a sophomore.

They loved the campus, liked the students they met, etc. Neither DC ended up applying. One decided they didn't want to attend a school in the south and the other decided it probably wasn't a good fit, but open to some other southern schools.

My DCs are Jewish. I think I get why they had these opinions.

Well, that’s interesting. We are Jewish and toured Hillel there, which won a major award in 2008 from
Hillel International. There’s also a major W&L scholarship, the Weinstein Scholarship, for Jewish students. My kid met Jewish students who are very comfortable there and enjoying their experience.

My child was a Johnson Finalist, not a winner. W&L was the most generous with grant aid out of all the schools my child applied to. In the end, my child chose another school for a particular professor’s area of expertise. W&L was a very close second.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all of your comments. It's good to hear opinions on the school. I didn't realize it was a top 10 LAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a good school but it’s too “southern money” and Greek for most NoVa kids. NoVa kids want prestige (T20 or so) or value (UVA) W & L is very good education but it’s got a particular social vibe that these kids aren’t interested in.

Wow. Talk about generalizing and projecting your own opinions onto 17 year old kids.

Only if you’re new to this board. I answered based on what I read here. You new? Or an attention-seeking troll?

My personal story is that my own kid didn’t like it. We visited. Felt just like a small rich southern high school. And it’s the size of most NoVa high schools. Good education? Yes. Appealing to DMV kids? Not so much.

I know many NOVA/ DMV kids who find it very appealing.

Yeah they just can’t say it because they’ll get canceled.
The school is not generally racist, that’s just insulting and ignorant to say. It has a complicated history just like most old education institutions in this country.

Many kids from the NE. School is similar to any of the other SLAC.
W&L is a great school - alumnus here

" Under Lee’s leadership, his students would, among other things, form a KKK chapter and harass and assault Black school children. The board of trustees of Washington College honored this legacy when it decided to rename its institution Washington and Lee University."

" After significant and critical national attention, Lee was finally put on trial at the place where his body is buried. Not guilty, the board of trustees announced on Friday. The vote was not even close—a supermajority of trustees (22 out of 28 trustees, or 78 percent) voted to retain Lee as a namesake. That vote, however, did more. It signaled that Washington and Lee University will continue to shine as a beacon of racism, hate, and privilege."

(Of the 28 trustees, 25 are white, and 23 are male.)

(https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/06/white-supremacy-washington-and-lee-robert.html)

Interesting that you focus on Lee. There was also a request to remove Washington from the name. Do you feel the same way about George Washington U? How about a Brown University, which was founded by actual slave traders? There’s always about Yale University, named for Elihu Yale, who oversaw slave trading and brutally oppressed natives as the governor of a colony. Other slave owner names: Dartmouth, Barnard, Johns Hopkins, & Rutgers. And that’s not even including schools like Harvard, where slaves actually lived and served the Administrators and students.

If going to boycott schools because of their connections to slavery, we need to be thorough about it.