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Willamette University
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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • The Beast/The 'Stro: The Bistro
  • Card: The Willamette student ID, which is called the Compass Card. Any time someone asks about “the card” or “your card,” he or she is referring to the University-issued identification card.
  • 'Chas/Muchas: Muchas Gracias restaurant
  • Chicken Fountain: Mark O. Hatfield Fountain get this nickname because it looks like two chickens.
  • Gold Man: The statue on top of the Capitol building
  • Gouds: Goudy Dining Hall
  • The Hat/Mark O./The Lib/The 'brary: Nicknames for Mark O. Hatfield Library
  • The Island: Kaneko
  • The Mainland: Main campus
  • The 'Tag: Montag Student Center
  • UC: Putnam University Center
  • Willamette Bubble: Physically, this means the one city block that makes up the Willamette campus. Mentally, it refers to the Willamette lifestyle.
  • WU: Willamette University
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • Bringing an iron and three-foot long ironing board is a waste of space.
  • Do not stress about picking a major; use the first year to complete the general education requirements to get a feel for what you actually want to study.
  • Everyone is anxious about going to college and has different expectations of what college is supposed to be like.
  • It is not as hard or scary as you think.
  • Just how much it rains
  • Save quarters for laundry.
Tips to Succeed
  • Do not be intimidated. Everyone was a freshman once, and they survived. So can you.
  • Get to know your professors as people and not just as teachers. Most of them have incredible stories that will inspire and motivate you.
  • Go to class. You—or your parents—are paying for it. So go and learn something.
  • If you have questions, ask! Professors are more than helpful, and they want you to succeed. It is not a bad idea to visit their office hours sometimes, either.
  • Keep an open mind. College is a time to meet new people, develop new ideas, and embrace differences in others.
  • Participate in clubs and activities. Involvement is one of the most important aspects of college life.
  • Take advantage of all the opportunities Willamette offers, whether it's athletics, internships, music, or the Northwest location. Find your niche and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
  • Take time to enjoy the social aspect of Willamette. Many students become trapped in their academics.
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Willamette Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at Willamette University

csandallscholarship

Political Science and Government '15

5.0
A+

Geeks Galore

Everyone here is passionate about something, and in any class, you can find any major, and a huge number of intelligent people. Conversations at Willamette end up being intelligent thorough, and even scientific evaluations of stupid things. Like figuring out how much whale sperm is in the ocean, and why.

Apr 02, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Willamette University

aparsagian

Physics '14

4.2
A-

Wonderful Students and Faculty

Willamette truly provides a wonderful community. I have found the people to be incredibly nice, and the professors extremely helpful. Everything is pretty laid-back, so getting involved is very doable.

Feb 18, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Willamette University

ejonas

English '15

4.2
A-

Intellectual Vibe

Many students are very invested in their studies and are eager to share their passion with friends. People here are studious but can still have fun.

Jan 18, 2012

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Page 1 of 3
User rating for Willamette University - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 9 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • Matriculation: During Opening Days, all of the new students attend a night ceremony where they are given a candle which they place on the Mill Stream. The result is hundreds of lit candles floating down the Mill Stream.
  • Mill Streamed: Consider yourself lucky if your birthday does not fall during the school year. It is tradition that Willamette students get thrown into the stream on their birthday. Take a shower immediately after because the Mill Stream is not the most sanitary place.
  • Star Trees Lighting Ceremony: Willamette has some of the tallest—if not the tallest—outdoor Christmas trees in the country. On the first weekend in December, the trees are lit during a ceremony that involves the entire Salem community singing carols and sipping hot cocoa. It is one of the more heartwarming events on campus that every student should experience at least once during their time at Willamette.
Urban Legends
  • Legend says that if a couple shares their first kiss under the five Star Trees near Waller Hall, they will get married.
  • Some say there is an escape tunnel beneath Waller Hall that connects the University to the Capitol building. Apparently, it was used during World War II.
  • The current Art Building was originally the Willamette School of Medicine. Apparently, students would perform experimental surgeries in the attic of the building. If you go to the top floor of the building today, you can view where the surgeries were conducted and even pull back the new carpet to see blood stains on the wooden floor beneath.
  • The Gatke basement and Mission Mill are said to be haunted.
  • The glass dome at the top of Waller Hall is called a cupola. On the inside of the cupola, there are said to be hundreds of signatures, including Mark O. Hatfield's (the man for whom the library is named). However, you can only access it through the president's office, so very few people have seen the inside of the cupola.
  • There was supposedly an exorcism performed once in the Haseldorf Apartments.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Rafael Baptista
Hometown
Portland, OR
Major
Politics and Spanish
Grad Year
2012

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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