Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning
At W&L, we believe in the power of learning by doing which is why exploration and challenge are at the heart of our curriculum.
Our students are invited to expand their education beyond traditional classrooms and broaden their understanding through engaging, hands-on experiences. Learning opportunities come in a variety of shapes and size, often in the form of community-based learning, global education and undergraduate research. Experiences are only limited by students’ imaginations.
Students might predict the next presidential nominee during Mock Convention, devise ways to supply clean water to impoverished communities with Engineering Community Development, produce weekly news broadcasts with The Rockbridge Report, provide pro bono consulting services to non-profits as part of W&L Student Consulting group, or facilitate communication within the increasingly diverse population in Rockbridge County through ESOL.
Academics
Spring Term
Imagine exploring a topic in-depth and working intensely alongside your fellow students and your professor. That’s the essence of Spring Term. Students choose one course from about 200 options that may be conducted in the U.S. or abroad. It’s not uncommon for students to say after their Spring Term experience, “This course changed my life.”
The Rockbridge Report
Produced weekly by journalism students at Washington and Lee University, The Rockbridge Report seeks to provide the community with fair, accurate and accountable news coverage and in-depth analysis of local issues. While the content is produced by Washington and Lee students and overseen by their professors, The Rockbridge Report focuses on news outside of the college campus.
Mock Convention
Beginning in 1908, W&L students have replicated the national convention of the party out of power in the White House every four years, continuing a tradition fueled by rigorous research and non-partisan student leadership. Mock Convention is now a 112-year tradition at W&L, and is the most accurate and realistic mock presidential nominating convention in the nation.
Field Programs
W&L offers several field programs through a variety of programs and departments where students are introduced to and participate in activities directly related to potential careers after graduation.
Shenandoah
Whether you're a writer, interested in editing or publishing as a career, or just looking for an experience unlike other classes at W&L, the Shenandoah internship provides students with the opportunity to think about language in new ways. The literary magazine has been publishing fiction and poetry from writers around the world for 75 years, and its practicum course offers experiential learning in editing, manuscript evaluation, production, web design, and publicity.
Veronika Kolosova ’25 has explored the liberal arts experience at W&L through campus involvement and an interdisciplinary approach to her studies.
Students participating in two new Leading Edge programs during this year’s first-year orientation were able to complete tactile projects while building community on campus.
This summer, students working with associate professor of theater Stephanie Sandberg explored the practice of compassion through the eyes of documentarians.
W&L students share their experiences getting to know the larger Lexington and Rockbridge community during the summer months.
Cultivating a Community of Care
Through the Davis Projects for Peace Grant and a Fulbright ETA, Allie Stankewich ’23 is building relationships with the communities she serves in East Africa.
Elka Prechel ’26 was inspired by a Spring Term Abroad to explore her passion for teaching in France and Italy this summer.
Eliza Spaht ’26 took a course on the economics of winemaking with the Council on International Educational Exchange’s Business and Culture program in Barcelona, Spain.
Student Organization Spotlight: First-Year Orientation Committee
The First-Year Orientation Committee has been planning since last fall to offer programming to welcome the Class of 2028 to W&L’s campus later this month.
The A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation, named in memory of a late Washington and Lee student, allows students to pursue their passion for environmental conservation.
Summer Research Scholars are spending their summer helping to bring one of the world's oldest cities to life through modern technology.
‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Jenefer Davies
In this month’s episode, professor Davies talks of creating and building W&L’s dance program to be a place where preconceived notions dissipate and the liberal arts education flourishes.
Addie-Grace Cook ’25, a politics major with a double minor in Middle East and South Asia studies and poverty and human capability studies, is spending her summer making an impact in the greater Rockbridge community through a Shepherd Program internship with Project Horizon.
“ The invaluable lessons I have learned from Mock Con, both in political analysis and leadership, will carry with me into my future endeavors, whatever they may be.”
John Harashinski
Major: American Politics • Minor: Education Policy