Guilford College (Guilford)

Guilford���s legendarily ���accepting culture��� arises through the incorporation of a number of core tenets that include ���diversity, equality, community, stewardship, etc.��� The school is ���a place where you can express yourself free from judgment,��� and ���impacts every aspect of your life and continues to carry you as part of its family even after you graduate.��� Students are given the opportunity to make all of their own choices, and the school works at ���providing support for those decisions,��� and heavily promotes the idea ���that doing things the hard way is usually worth it.��� The Quaker college is known for being green (to put it mildly), and the administration works to raise ���student and individual awareness of the environment and everyday life through education and service learning.��� The level of engagement of the students is matched only by the school���s willingness to listen; student involvement is in everything from policy changes to food options, and ���can be one person���s efforts or many.��� ���I know someone who campaigned for getting coffee in the cafeteria���s ice cream selection, and this year we had a trial run that seems to have gone over well,��� says a sophomore. Still, a few students do think the administration could let up on ���parenting the students.��� Professors are able to ���create an environment that invites discussion of materials from different perspectives��� that ���[pushes] and [supports] you at the same time.��� The ���intensity of academic learning��� means that ���your absence in a class does not go unnoticed,��� unsurprising at a place where teachers are called by their first name (���which is really awesome���). The small scale class sizes ���really allow for individual attention and academic growth.��� Most classrooms are arranged with the desks in a circle and the classes are ���highly interactive���; every class ���is filled with questions for the class to answer, even simple questions.���

This is one ���funky community of diverse people,��� all of whom ���seem to share some appreciation for the outdoors and nuttier aspects of life.��� ���Hippies or athletes��� covers the majority of the student body (as does ���liberal���), and there are many ���refreshingly weird individuals��� who���ve ���taken their time at Guilford as an opportunity to redefine themselves.��� ���We color outside of the lines in innovative and interesting ways,��� says one student. Friend groups tend to be in cliques, but are ���still very friendly with other groups���; as one junior puts it, ���There���s a lot of varying interests but some wires tend to be the same across the board...like being culturally aware, or fighting against the oppression of minorities.���

Fun at this ���socially intriguing��� college comes in many forms: walking in the woods, hiking, community service, the local art and music scene. ���It���s always felt like more of a village than an institution,��� says one student. Relaxation is taken very seriously after a week of hard work (Guilford is ���writing heavy��� and ���the library and its resources are used a great deal���), and ���lying down by the lake and playing music or watching movies with friends is almost mandatory.��� Bars in Greensboro are also an option, but if students can���t get there ���the school does a good job at hosting activities around campus, which can help the slower weekends.��� There is admittedly ���a lot of weed, but it���s totally fine if you aren���t into smoking or drinking.��� People on this ���beautiful��� campus are very socially and politically aware, and ���someone��夷s always planning protests or creating petitions.��� Food options are a sore spot for Guilford students, and ���there���s also sometimes an athletic divide.��� Students are ���really active��� in groups and organizations, and there is ���lots of talk of oppression, gender issues, and race in the social sciences and humanities.���