A lot of people ask why I chose Washington and Lee, to which I answer a variety of reasons chiefly their generous financial and merit aid. The better question is why did I stay at W&L. I never thought I would end up in a small school in the middle of basically nowhere that has a reputation for attracting children of affluent, largely Caucasian parents. Yet, I don’t think I would be having a better college experience anywhere else. I truly found the place for me. I have close friends that are never very far away due to the small size of the campus. The classes are challenging and stimulating. And, there is a general focus of becoming not only more educated but more intelligent and, for lack of a better word, genteel. W&L wants to produce good thinkers but, equally as important, upstanding people with open minds and open hearts.