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Comparable Schools'
Diversity Grades:
College Prowler Take
Along the main walkway between Graham Chapel and Brookings Hall, banners recruiting members for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, black, Korean, Indian, and gay groups fly overhead, at least giving the impression that Wash U enjoys a diverse and open-minded community. While three quarters of the student body is white, Wash U does enjoy the presence of active and outspoken minority groups. As on many campuses, though, minorities often stick together and have their own clubs, parties, and dorms. Many times, though, the ethnic lines blur, and blacks, whites, Native Americans, Korean-Americans, Jews, and Catholics all party together, become fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, and share community service activities. The cultural interests of the average Wash U kid (beer-pong, TV sports, and video games) unites those with different family and ethnic backgrounds. In terms of life experiences, Wash U’s undergrads are not as diverse. Generally wealthy, they have led charmed lives and are not typically the adventurous, risk-taking sort. Not many Wash U students come from disadvantaged financial situations, working class families, or have international backgrounds. Further, a large proportion of Wash U students have, for one reason or another, similar career interests. Pre-medicine, engineering, and business dominate (making up over 40 percent of all undergrads), giving a less liberal-artsy and more corporate feel to the student body. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
In many ways, Wash U is a...
In many ways, Wash U is a relatively homogenous place, in that most students tend to be well-off, American (the international community is small), and pretty conventional in their political and cultural views (i.e., somewhat conservative or unengaged). That said, minority groups contribute a lot to campus diversity with events like the Chinese New Year Festival, or Diwali the break-dancing club, or the Korean barbecues. But diversity is, in fact, one of Wash U’s problem areas. There are people from all over the country, and sometimes the world, but they often resemble each other socio-economically and politically and reinforce the homogeneity of the campus. |
Anonymous says: |
Wash U is not as diverse as I’d...
Wash U is not as diverse as I’d like it to be, but we’re pretty good compared to other places. Something that bugs me is that, even though we’re diverse on paper, a lot of times people who are of the same race tend to stick together and not really hang out with people of a different culture than them. That’s kind of lame. |
Anonymous says: |
From what I just read the other...
From what I just read the other day in the newspaper, there are lots of Jewish people and Asians that attend Wash U. However, a lot of times, the different groups tend to keep together. I personally didn’t see minorities around here too much. |
Anonymous says: |
I come from a very diverse...
I come from a very diverse community (Ann Arbor, MI), so I’ve found it hard to find areas that compare, but Wash U is about as close as you can get. You certainly don’t feel like you’re surrounded by only white people. There is a large Indian population, Asian population, and African American population. I certainly didn’t feel like I was starving for culture. There are a number of very popular student-organizations for different ethnic communities; the Indian student organization puts on a show every year, the Japanese student group has a festival, the Hawaii club (which I was a part of) puts on a luau, and there are other events as well. |
Anonymous says: |
I would say our campus is pretty...
I would say our campus is pretty diverse compared to other schools. Definitely more so than other private schools I looked at. There are a lot of Asian and Hispanic students on campus. I would say those two groups are the biggest of the minority groups. Our school also has a very large Jewish student population. A lot of the students here are Jewish. I think we have a good mix of students attending Wash U. |
FactsEconomic Status
The majority of Wash U students are fairly affluent, and many show it.
Gay Pride
The gay community is somewhat visible on campus. There is a large GLBT club called Spectrum Alliance that organizes an awareness week and other events.
Minority Clubs
Wash U has a number of Asian American, African American, Hispanic, and Indian American clubs that throw parties and sponsor different events. There are also seven African American Greek organizations, an Asian fraternity, two Jewish fraternities, and one Jewish sorority.
Most Common Religions
There are many Jewish students on campus, but Christian groups are more numerous and active.
Political Activity
While the campus is pretty evenly divided between conservative and liberal, there are also a significant number of neutral students. Students are generally outspoken about their political views and the campus becomes very active during elections. Still, many consider the student body to be generally apathetic about politics.
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