What’s so great about Willamette, anyway?
By wucollegian on Apr 15, 2009 in Opinion
As we go through our day-to-day lives at college and become more comfortable with the WU atmosphere, it becomes easy to lose sight of what’s really important. No matter where you go to college, you’re going to have complaints — it’s only natural. However, the great thing about college is that you get to choose it. If you feel like you made a mistake in coming to Willamette, that maybe you wanted a big-school atmosphere with 30 cheerleaders instead of six, or out-of-control on-campus keggers all weekend, you are free to find those things somewhere else. However, as much as we might complain about it from time to time, most of us chose Willamette for a reason, and it’s important to remember what we love about this place. Here are 10 reasons (in no particular order) why I love WU.
10. Bon Appétit
So maybe all-you-can eat dinners at Goudy aren’t your grandmother’s home-cooked comfort food, but it seems like student complaints are a little bit out of proportion with the actual quality of the food. Bon Appétit treats us pretty well, with great breakfast and lunch (capitol-worker worthy, in fact), weekend brunch, gourmet options every Thursday, spring brunch and the gourmet holiday dinner, as well as a variety of different options at dinner (including vegan and vegetarian). Do I have to pull the starving kids in China card?
9. The students
The student body at WU is one of the main reasons why I chose this school. I am continually amazed by the students I meet every day. Every student here seems to be involved in at least two different extra-curricular activities: from sports, to clubs, to ASWU to WEB. As much as we complain about the Willamette bubble, our students appear to be extremely aware of a world outside WU and are constantly trying to improve it, through research grants and awards, abroad experiences, summer internships and trips like TaB. At WU, I feel I am surrounded by motivated, talented and globally and socially conscious students that challenge me to be a better person.
8. Small classes, attentive professors
The professors at Willamette are the kind of teachers I dreamed about while in high school. Every paper I’ve written, test I’ve taken and assignment I’ve completed has not merely been stamped with a letter grade, but extensively commented on and carefully considered. On top of that, our professors are so invested in our education that they are willing to meet with us outside of class whenever they are available to help us with papers, chat with us about the course subject or just get to know us as individuals. With small class sizes, we’re challenged even more and professors take a much more active role in our education than at a university with classes of 500.
7. A community of 1800
Walking across campus, I normally see at least five people I know, and even a quick trip to the Bistro for coffee becomes a conversation with a friend. Though many may complain about such a small group of students, our small, close-knit community is one of the things I love most about WU — we’re just one big family. With this atmosphere comes our collaborative attitude toward education. Students here aren’t competing to see who gets the most A’s, we’re working together to learn.
6. Financial aid
Yes, tuition is expensive, but so is tuition at every other top-notch liberal arts institution in the nation. However, the difference is that Willamette makes it a bit easier to avoid going broke by generously providing financial aid to over 90 percent of students. There are various scholarships, grants and loans available to help us get through the pains of $35,400 tuition. Plus, the Scholar Achievement Loan is now available to help students going through tough times because of the economy.
5. The Capitol
Yep, it’s right across the street. I’ll bet most other liberal arts schools of 1800 students can’t claim to have such an amazing resource. We get amazing speakers, a great politics department and fabulous internships, all just because of our location. Any place that can attract Ruth Bader-Ginsburg with her snazzy top hat has to be great.
4. Our campus
Our campus is undeniably aesthetically pleasing, especially in the spring. Every time I see those cherry blossoms snowing petals into the Millstream I fall in love with this place all over again.
3. Chalk, music, slack lining
It’s so fun to walk around campus and see students creating exquisite sidewalk chalk artwork, playing the guitar, having impromptu a cappella performances, playing Frisbee, or defying death by slack lining across the Millstream. Students at WU know how to appreciate the small things in life and have fun without needing to be constantly entertained.
2. The Bistro
How great is it that we have our very own student-run coffee shop right on campus? It’s a great place to do homework, hang out with friends and, of course, drink coffee and eat bars bars.
1. Traditions
Where else could you guarantee happiness by kissing beneath a grove of trees shaped like a star or throw your best friends in a river to commemorate another year of life? WU’s traditions give us a quirky personality and, of course, an excuse to dunk your friends in the Millstream.
One of the reasons I became a tour guide was because since the moment I sent in my deposit I felt a strong connection to the university. As we become more comfortable with our Willamette home, we often need to be reminded of those attributes that make this university a desirable place to receive a college education.
Contact: lgold@willamette.edu
Illustration by Heidi Andersen