火爆社区

Everything at Warren Wilson College, a small liberal arts school outside Asheville, North Carolina, can be attributed to its unique approach to learning, where academics are combined with 鈥渨ork and service.鈥� As one student describes the College, it鈥檚 鈥渨ork for the hands, service for the heart, learning for the mind.鈥� The 鈥渨ork program at Warren Wilson is one of the main reasons I chose the school,鈥� says one environmental science major, and another student adds that the 鈥渨ork program is [what鈥檚] truly interesting about this school. We run our own little country here basically.鈥� That doesn鈥檛 mean academics take a backseat鈥攁s one history major points out, 鈥淲e take as many credits as other college students and we work 8鈥�16 hours a week.鈥� Professors at Warren Wilson earn mostly high praise from students: 鈥淭hey are great at both lectures and discussion, and are able to teach nuanced, complex ideas and concepts in interesting and concise ways.鈥� With the small size and strong sense of community, the faculty here is very involved and very accessible. With their help, and the experiences that come from service and internships, students say 鈥測ou get a broad taste of a lot of different areas of work, hobbies, and future jobs.鈥�

The student body at [Warren Wilson] is sustainable, eclectic, earthy, hard-working, and very community oriented. As one photography major puts it, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking for someplace different, this is it.鈥� The school鈥檚 former motto was 鈥淲e鈥檙e not for everyone, but maybe you鈥檙e not everyone,鈥� and some students find that still holds true, though others note that 鈥渓imited racial diversity鈥� 鈥渄oes not create a welcoming environment to racial and ethnic minorities on the campus.鈥� At the same time, vocal students stress the school鈥檚 accepting nature, underscoring that Warren Wilson 鈥渉as a strong LGBTQ community.鈥� As an environmental science major puts it, 鈥淭he environment and proximity to Asheville attract the typical tree-hugging hippie crowd, but there鈥檚 really a place for everyone at the college鈥� and nearly everyone is 鈥渁ctively engaged in issues of social justice.鈥� In short, Warren Wilson students are 鈥渇antastically talented, hardworking, and willing to think outside the box.鈥�

With classwork, community service, and time spent on one of the numerous campus work crews, students say 鈥渄ays are easily filled鈥� and 鈥渨eekdays tend to be very busy.鈥� When it鈥檚 time to relax, 鈥減lenty of students spend as much time outside as possible hiking, swimming, skating, exploring the city of Asheville, and partying.鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very outdoorsy campus environment because we are in the middle of Appalachia鈥� and 鈥渨e have miles and miles of hiking trails that are campus property.鈥� Beyond the outdoors, 鈥渃reative writing and coffee culture are a big part of Warren Wilson鈥檚 culture,鈥� along with live music and 鈥渃ontra dancing on Thursdays.鈥� Some students say that the work crews are the closest thing the school has to fraternities and some of the more popular pastimes are 鈥渁ctivities related to the crews鈥攍ike blacksmithing workshops, beekeeping workshops, fabric workshops.鈥� With the school鈥檚 appreciation of music, the 鈥渃afe is usually hosting shows that are a huge draw.鈥� In one student鈥檚 estimation, 鈥淓veryone at the school loves the outdoors and has a healthy appreciation for taking an afternoon off to explore the river or trails.鈥� Warren Wilson is a place where politically-, socially-, and environmentally-focused 鈥渄iscussions are ubiquitous in and out of the classroom.鈥�