Washington and Lee University

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My DD was accepted last year so we spent sometime on campus. Frankly her primary motive for applying was to compete for a Johnson scholarship. She was not selected although we were offered financial aid.

DD sat in on a class and we toured campus and spent the nite in town. My DW and I both liked it although I was a little concerned about my DD feeling like a have-not amongst the haves. My DD did not want to rush a sorority and did not like the location and feel of the junior dorms.

In the end my DD decided it wasn’t for her. My DW and I thought it would be a very nice place to spend your college years but we didn’t want to not respect my DD’s wishes.

Because of Lee, VMI literally next door, and the confederate flags it seemed to be a place that draws strong feelings. Spend some time on campus and you’ll get a sense if it is right for your family.

My DD was also accepted with a generous FA package. Felt the same as above. We parents lived it & it’s a beautiful campus but DD didn’t want to be “the poorest kid on campus” No thank you! I had to respect that as DD had other choices. Also the sorority women were scary.

PP - can you share what her other options were? My DS likes the small LAC feel of W&L, just not the southern pride part or the Greek life.

NP - look at Davidson.

NP - yes, we really liked Davidson as a less conservative/uber fratty and more intellectual - while still feeling "Southern" - alternative to W&L.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Years ago, when it still was mostly male, it seemed to possibly be a sort of safety valve school for the mediocre sons of rich parents. Maybe things have changed. It is well ranked. But the last name “Lee” is not on trend...

W&L has always been well regarded. Not a safety school for mediocre sons. Which means you know little of how the South traditionally viewed W&L. It was a regional college in the same sense Haverford and Bowdoin in the northeast drew heavily from a certain segment of the northeast's population with some coming from further afield for the excellent academics. Same for W&L except it was the Southern version.

You're thinking of Hampden-Sydney. Or Randolph-Macon.

DP. Growing up in DC and graduating from a cathedral school in the late 80’s I can assure you that W&L was viewed as nothing more than a safety and hardly in the same league as Bowdoin or Haverford.

I suspect your bias has little to do with reality. W&L along with Davidson always had a reputation for strong liberal arts academics in the South. The school didn't miraculously reinvent itself into a well regarded LAC in the last 20 or 30 years.

Meh....regional LACs with no national prestige. But the south will rise again....right?

One can say the same about Bowdoin and Haverford.... and that is the whole point. They were regionally known strong LACs that drew most of their intake from the respective region (heavily New England, heavily Mid-Atlantic). Bowdoin and Haverford did not have national reputations either. Very few people traveled outside their regions for college.

Your comment about the South rising again shows you have an ingrained bias and are shooting yourself in the foot.

[Anonymous]

This forum is very biased against W&L because of its name and heavy emphasis on greek life. Visit and see the college for yourself. It is a beautiful school with great academics but is not for everyone (which goes for any school).