The question many students ask when choosing a college is: what makes this school special?
When answering in regard to Washington and Lee University, the most unique part is the Honor System we all adhere to and how seriously we all take it.
The Honor System is not something we can explain easily to other people or our friends at other campuses because they just don't get it. In the world we live in today, it's hard to believe that a large group of people can act honorably, put stake in their reputation, and be trusted to do the right thing -- but in our small community of Lexington, Virginia, we do.
The Honor System was a gift bestowed on our University by Robert E. Lee, which is understandable because he graduated from West Point. In short, the Honor System is usually understood as no lying, no cheating, and no stealing -- but it is not a written, codified system. It changes as the student body changes, and it adapts as we see fit. When a community member is convicted of an Honor Code violation, it means that it has been determined that they did something to violate the community's trust. Often, these matters are not black and white. This is why our Honor System is known as a system and not merely a code. It extends to all parts of our lives as W&L students.
One of the best parts of the Honor System is the mutual trust and understanding we have between faculty and students. Our final exams are self-scheduled and un-proctored, and many professors allow final exams to be taken outside of standard exam time blocks and anywhere we want. When we submit assignments and exams, we always sign the Honor Pledge: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this exam/paper/etc."
Because of the Honor Pledge, students take their academics and exams seriously. You won't find students on our campus sharing answers, cheating with their phones or sneaking in cheat sheets for written exams. We take the time to actually study for exams, but even if we don't have time to study we take them on our honor without cheating -- because W&L students would rather fail an assignment on their own than ace it by cheating. This may sound idealistic, but I can assure you that this is the norm. In the rare instance that a student does cheat, someone else will usually turn them in -- because not saying something is seen as complicity, and we are all responsible for maintaining our community of trust.
After coming from a high school where things went missing relatively frequently, it has been incredibly refreshing to go to a campus where we can leave laptops, textbooks and backpacks around the library, dorms and academic buildings -- and come back hours later without anything being touched. Freshmen don't often lock their doors because no one steals from each other. In this way, the sense of community at W&L is truly unparalleled -- and is for sure the defining feature that sets us apart.
