The University of the South

Very safe and peaceful campus. Challenging academics and great professors.

Please bring a car as you can't get anywhere without one.

I chose Sewanee for a lot of reasons--the easy access to the great outdoors, the quality of the programs, the sense of community, the physical beauty of the campus, and so on--but the two things that became the most important to me were the relationships I was able to establish with others and the benefits of a liberal arts education. I made friends I still meet with them online every month, and I am still in contact with several of my favorite professors. (You definitely get to know them--I did an independent study with two of my friends that met at a professor's house). Additionally, the fact that I had to take classes in many different disciplines has made it much easier for me to comprehend the thinking of other people; it makes it easier to interact, and I can discuss a wide variety of topics. Sewanee places a great deal of emphasis on writing as well, and that has more than fully equipped me for my future career and academic endeavors. The class sizes were small (the biggest I took was 52 people; the smallest had 3. 15-25 was more typical). There are plenty of clubs and organizations to pick from. All the same, if I had to choose again, I would choose Sewanee a hundred times over.

This is not a school for easy A's, the party/drinking/hookup culture is real (though there are plenty of people who don't participate), the school is physically very isolated (the town has 1 stoplight--and it's flashing yellow in one direction and flashing red in the other), and the dorms & buildings are wildly different in quality (I had a single with a private bathroom one year but also didn't have air condition three of the years there).

I think the small community Sewanee provides allows students to make friends easily and build good relationships with different social groups and professors on campus. Campus life is very active, and there are many opportunities for students to find jobs and internships through organizations.

I think the school isn’t very diverse, and our Greek life organizations aren’t all as accepting as they should be.

The University of the South like all institutions is not perfect, but it is an incredible place. Sewanee, as it is colloquially known, has an incredible group of students, faculty, and staff that strive for academic excellence. There are so many opportunities for study abroad, internships, and community outreach. And it is all on 13,000 acres of beautiful mountain land. I love Sewanee and feel like my most honest and happy self here.

Sometimes Sewanee can be a difficult place to attend. Res Life is mean, some dorms don't have A/C, and the socio-economic differences can be very pronounced. Also, access to grocery stores and restaurants can be a struggle without a car.

I really like the availability of professors, the domain, and the athletics. The social setting is different from most other colleges and I think that really gives it a unique feeling to campus life.

It can be tricky meeting new people so you really have to force yourself to go out and meet others.