College of Wooster
Reviews

Tuition

Tuition at The College of Wooster is $47,600, this site needs an update.

A Hidden Gem

Tucked away in the valleys of Ohio, Wooster is a helluva school. The professors are, for the most part, outstanding. The Independent Study Program (I.S.) sets Wooster apart from other liberal arts colleges and makes it a national leader in undergraduate research. Everyone has to do I.S. before they graduate. Also, there is a unique Greek system that is different from big schools like OSU. I rushed and knew from the outset that Greek life was not for me because I'm not a big fan of alcohol. Wooster IS a party school, but academics come first. Athletics here are incredible for such a small school, our basketball team reached the national championship game for our division last year - which galvanized the campus, but athletics take second fiddle to academics. More about academics, Wooster has a lot of interesting minors that one can pick up as well. For example, I am a Latin American Studies minor, and I am so stoked to study abroad. Probably the most annoying thing about Wooster is security, but you have to realize that they are just making sure that everyone is okay and "trying" to follow the rules. They do need to relax, however and let us do our thing, because more regulation will lead to more of a problem (duh!) Also, townies do exist and the town does have a love-hate relationship with the campus but the administration is working on this and I've found most of my interactions with the Wooster "townspeople" to be very positive. All in all, there is truly no other place like Wooster, and it is an outstanding academic institution that provides ample opportunity for a social life.

Surprisingly More Than Expected

When I first thought of coming to school in Ohio, my immediate reaction was that there would be little to no diversity on such a campus. Happily, I can say that idea is completely false. There is much more diversity on Wooster's campus that many expect. The college works hard to attract students from all backgrounds, beliefs, and orientations.

With Concern to Sexual Orientation

Wooster has a very supportive gay-straight alliance group. It has been very supportive and helpful to me during the transition of college to have this group of people to go to for advice and support. They are also a lot of fun. There are weekly dinners, get-togethers, a week all about coming out, and a general celebration of people as they are, no matter what their gender, sexuality, or orientation may be.

Lowry Dining Hall- Generally Very Good

Yes, people complain about eating in a dinning hall. Dishes can be repetitive and there are those days where you just kind find anything you want. But Wooster offers a lot of variety. Lowry Dining hall has stations for sandwiches, basics (home-style meals), vegetarian (which includes vegan options), Noodles, Cereal, Pizza, Stir Fry, Eggs,Soup, a Grille International, Bagels, Specialty Diet (gluten and lactose free products) and Dessert. There is also a very good salad bar and a fruit and sides bar (sides as in applesauce, yogurt, cream cheese, etc). Lowry even offers spices so that you can get creative. The various stations of the dining hall allow you to make your own dish. You can get as much out of the dining hall as you put into it.

If You Want to Bar Hop...

This isn't really the place. However that isn't to say that the party scene isn't a good one. It's just centered around house parties and hall parties in the dorms. Friday nights the local on campus bar, The Underground, is open till 2am. But if you have a car and a DD then there are three or four great places to visit in town, that's about it.

Mooove in Day

The dorms may not be great, but the ease of getting settled in is top-notch. Wooster has an entire day during orientation devoted to getting people moved in. They have quite a few volunteers that will help unload your car, which really smooths out the process.

Some Diversity

The majority of the students are white, but many different minority ethnicities are represented as well. Students from different groups do mix, but there are certainly defined boundaries between groups. Religious diversity and sexual orientation diversity are better accomplished.

It's Like Your Family

I am on the swim team and they are defiantly the people I am closest to on campus. Although it is a huge time comittment involving practices, meets, team meetings, and team parties, it is totally worth it. It seems that those who play a varsity sport are really dedicated to it, even if we don't get a huge following. Basketball is followed by the whole school and games seriously show our school spirit.

Good but Repetitive

Lowry, the main dining hall, has a great variety and great food but begins to get repetitive. You just need some creativity to get yourself through. Flex dollars are plentiful but places to use them are few. You end up eating a lot of fried food at Mom's with these flex dollars.

Locking Down on Campus

Campus strictness hasn't really been an issue for many people, but the local police force just joined with campus security, and they're locking things down more than they have been in the past.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is very remote. There is almost nothing to do with out making it a big event. unless there is a group or club that has planed rides and gotten enough people to attend then almost nothing happens here. If you have friends on campus then it is not that big of a deal because you can just hang around with them but be ready for some pretty low key nights. The town around the school is ok there are some nice people but then there are some people that you just wouldn't want to hang around with. the only shopping that is close is Walmart and jc penny so don't plan on having a lot of options. most people play on a sports team because it is a D3 school. Over all if you come from a place with a lot of options then this is not going to be the same thing. usually the same thing happening every night and there is a lot of doing nothing with other people. If you have gone out one weekend here then you know what all the rest will be like

Unauthentic Ethnic Food

In Wooster, OH, finding authentic ethnic food is nearly impossible. There are a couple of restaurants around that are good, such as the Henry Station and SoMins, but most places are Americanized food. The better restaurants are close by if you have a car, but otherwise they're inaccessible. There are some student discounts here, but not much.

Decent

I personally don't have a car on campus, but my friends that do have a parking permit say that they don't have too much trouble finding a spot. The permits can get expensive, though.

Off Campus Dining in Wooster

Wooster has a good local scene for off-campus dining, although it is not very accessible (especially in the winter time) unless you have a car. There are vegetarian and organic options, especially at the Local Roots food market and cafe. The pricing is generally what you would expect from a restaurant or cafe, although my personal favorite breakfast place, the Parlor, is very cheap and delicious to boot. There are a few fast food places within walking distance, and more chain restaurants (i.e. Starbucks, Panera Bread, Chipotle, etc.) in the uptown area, which is only accessible by car or taxi.

A Nightlife With Out Clubs

There is always something to do every night hosted by the school or an on-campus group for a good time without alcohol. And there are generally house parties on weekends and certain weekdays if you are looking for something. In the small town there are very few clubs for over 21 year-olds, however to go to real clubs requires a trip to Cleveland.

The Wooster Scale

There is a diversity of kinds of girls on campus, however there is a minority of superbly attractive girls on campus. Not that they don't exist they can just be few and far between. Playing a sport is a helpful indicator for both guys and girls as far as attractiveness. That doesn't mean if they don't play they absolutely won't be attractive (for both guys and girls)it just tends to help. Wooster tends to be a school where academics come first, and then looks.

Getting More Strict

When I started at the College 4 years ago if you got in trouble for alcohol all you got was a slap on the wrist. However, in the past 3 years they have become a lot more strict about drinking, and especially playing drinking games. If you get caught you still don't get into much trouble, especially if it's your first offense, but just be smart. Don't drink outside, or in hallways, and don't be an idiot.

The Campus Is Incredibly Diverse

On my hall alone, which has about 40 people, there are 3 international students, one from the Netherlands, one from El Salvador, and the last one from the Philippines. People are incredibly accepting and open. Economically, we have those who are from rich families, but also those like me who have almost a full ride due to financial aid. Regarding religion, just the other day I was hanging out with friends when we realized that in that group there was a Jew, a Muslim, a Catholic, an Atheist, and a Baha'i. It doesn't get much more diverse than that. The building of worship is universal, so services are more comfortable for members of any religion. The LGBT group on campus is highly active.

Variety

I can't think of any better way to sum up the people here. But, to make sweeping generalizations that really don't encapsulate the entire population, there are many girls with the laid back, simple but still pretty, fashion on campus - this means a lot of t-shirts and jeans, though there are lots of nice boots and jackets with colorful scarves and great style on campus. There are nerdy, sporty, diligent, comical, and loyal people on campus, with everything in between and all the combinations that you can think of.

Parking Pass, Good to Go

Get a parking pass and you're good to go. You don't really need to worry about not finding a spot. There is free parking for guests on the weekends, you just have to check in with Security.

On Campus Houses Ok

You don't really have to look for off-campus housing at Wooster. If you want something like that, the school has houses on campus for groups who do service projects. It's a really good idea.

Lowry Versus Kitt

Lowry is the main cafeteria on campus with an array of your typical college food. While it serves its purpose, it does tend to get quite repetitive. Kitt on the other hand is a vegetarian food venue that changes daily and provides delicious hot comfort food. If you want a meal reminiscent of home than Kitt is the place to go, but to avoid lines and to fill up on some ridiculously good cookies, head to Lowry any day.

Get Your Parents to Buy You a Car!

Public transport lacks at Wooster. There are no buses or trains, the town is too small for such. There are a couple of cab companies, however, that have special college rates.

The school provides shuttles to the main shopping area and shuttles also go to and from airports before and after all breaks. They also set up a Hertz car rental program on campus so as long as you have your driver's license, you can rent a car from the school on a per hour basis and it'll get charged to your main school account. Pretty neat!

Pretty Good

Have a fantastic Men's basketball - student attendance at all sporting events could be better, but a majority of students are part of some kinds of team on the campus.