Whitman State University (WSU) is a popular university located in the city of Lakewood. The university is mainly known for its highly respected Science and Engineering department, becoming a popular choice for those with pursuing a STEM degree. However, its other departments are well-respected as well. The population of this university consists of the wealthy and/or the intelligent, due to the high bar of entry (difficult admission exams, personalized essays written for the department of your interest, stating your interest and how you plan to be an aid to the career field of your choice, etc.) Because of the selective nature of this university, attending alone may earn you respect from the outsiders looking in, but inside the university? There is a hierarchy of respect, based on how you gained admission to the school.

𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭

This university is split into four wings: the east wing, west wing, north wing, and south wing.

Each wing belongs to an academic focus and contains classrooms that fall under that broad category. Floors are generally based on the difficulty of their contained courses (first floor = entry-level courses, etc.), but it is common for courses to be placed on whichever floor has available room.

Each wing has a max of 4 floors that can be traversed either via elevator or stairs.

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠

Academic Focus: Health & Life Sciences

General List of Contained Departments:

• Medicine

• Nursing

• Pharmacy

• Public Health

• Neuroscience

• Psychology

• Biochemistry

• Nutrition

• Kinesiology

• Genetics

Reputation: Depending on the individual, their opinions, and their major, those who fall under this academic focus are stereotyped as those of "real importance." Some people of this wing feel that they will offer purposes that humans always need and bring about real change in the world. Some people of this wing feel offended that those of the North Wing (Science & Engineering) get too much praising and uplifting when the people here are studying are quite literal responsible for "saving lives."

Those of the aforementioned opinions may have strong rivalry with those of the North Wing. They might look down upon the West Wing (Arts & Humanities) for being more a "useless" field.

But in general, not everyone subscribe to these opinions and does not care about the weird culture of this university.

𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠

Academic Focus: Arts & Humanities

General List of Contained Departments:

• English

• History

• Philosophy

• Languages

• Fine Arts

• Music

• Theatre

• Architecture

• Design

• Religious Studies

Reputation: Depending on the individual, their opinions, and their major, those who fall under this academic focus are stereotyped as those pursuing "useless degrees." Some people of this wing feels disrespected for having their degrees and career choice mocked for not fitting conventional choices. This wing experiences a lot of in-fighting from the snobby crowd, as those of the more useful departments (History, English, etc.) feel that they are being unfairly lumped in with the "useless" crowd (Fine Arts, Music, etc.) Some people of this wing tend to try to stick together since they feel they should be united against the hate from other wings.

But in general, not everyone subscribe to these opinions and does not care about the weird culture of this university.

𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠

Academic Focus: Science & Engineering

General List of Contained Departments:

• Aerospace Engineering

• Biomedical Engineering

• Chemical Engineering

• Civil Engineering

• Computer Engineering

• Computer Science

• Electrical Engineering

• Environmental Engineering

• Industrial Engineering

• Materials Science

• Mathematics

• Mechanical Engineering

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Biology

Reputation: The university's crown jewel. Depending on the individual, their opinions, and their major, those who fall under this academic focus are stereotyped as those pursuing "the future of the world." Some people of this wing become snobby, self-assured, and feel that they carry the university's reputation on their back. Some people of this wing look down on other wings, especially the West Wing. By some, those who criticize this wing are considered "lame" and "afraid of the future."

Those of the aforementioned opinions may have strong rivalry with those of the East Wing, butting heads with the department.

But in general, not everyone subscribe to these opinions and does not care about the weird culture of this university.

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠

Academic Focus: Business, Society & Law

General List of Contained Departments:

• Business

• Economics

• Finance

• Accounting

• Marketing

• Political Science

• International Relations

• Law

• Sociology

• Psychology

• Education

• Communications
  

Reputation: Depending on the individual, their opinions, and their major, those who fall under this academic focus are stereotyped as those pursuing "professional liars," due to general distrust in lawyers, politicians, etc. Some people of this wing are truly in their own world; they cannot be considered "useless" like the West Wing and cannot be considered "overhyped" like the North Wing. These people considered their departments to be useful in their own ways, and find the other wings to be "not worth their time."

Those of the aforementioned opinions care little about the other wings, but may or may not participate and picking at the West Wing for its "uselessness."

But in general, not everyone subscribe to these opinions and does not care about the weird culture of this university.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬

The university consists of two major residence halls, split by gender: Bellamy Hall (women's dorms) and Hawthorne Hall (men’s dorms).

Based on a student's tuition package (standard, mid-tier, and high-tier), students will be randomly assigned rooms.

Even for the wealthiest of students, dorms are often shared if they live on campus, with typically two people to a room.

𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬

Standard: One single room, two single beds (or more depending on the number of people to a dorm), kitchenette, shared closet space, individual desks, and basic furnishings. Will have to use the community space for washing and drying your clothes.
Mid-Tier: Larger space, two small bedrooms (or more depending on the number of people to a dorm), a small closet and desk for each room, full kitchen, and basic furnishings. Will have to use the community space for washing and drying your clothes.
High-Tier: Much larger space, two decent-sized bedrooms (or more depending on the number of people to a dorm), bigger closet and a desk for each room, full kitchen, washer and dryer in the room, and basic furnishing.

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Due to the selective nature of the university, there is a hierarchy of respect based on how you were admitted (of course, not everyone agrees or subscribe to this rigid hierarchy):

𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐠 ("𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲")

Reason: While the majority of the population of the university was partially admitted because of their family's status and wealth, these students are still notably intelligent, getting in by taking an admissions test, writing a personalized letter to their department, and/or personal sought after by the university because of their performance and work during high school. Nepotism babies are students who bought their way into the school, avoiding all admission tests and essay writing to get admitted. Even though it is supposed to be impossible for a student to buy their way in, corruption runs rampant in this university, and if you have connections? You can get through the door.

The Opinion of the People in this Rung: While depends on a case-by-case basis, some nepotism babies are prideful and do not care much about the classification as they consider their nay-sayers to be "jealous" of them. Others are more insecure about it and try to hide the fact that their parents paid for them to attend. Some try to overcompensate by constantly trying to prove their intelligence and worth to others with varying success.

𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐠 ("𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭")

Reason: While scholarship students have more respect for working hard and being admitted by intelligence alone, some may consider them to be "uncultured" and find their admissions to be "hand-outs." Most of those who do not like scholarship students feel that they have a drastically different upbringing and does not fit the "high-class" society of this university. They also feel that scholarship students are getting "unfair advantages," especially if they are given a tuition package greater than standard as a condition for them attending.

The Opinion of the People in this Rung: While depends on a case-by-case basis, some scholarship students may try to hide the fact that they got in through a scholarship and pretend be of a higher status. Some may try to be invisible and focus on their education to avoid ridicule and mockery.

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐠 ("𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐊𝐢𝐝")

Reason: The majority of the student body fits within in this rung: partially admitted due to their wealth and status, but ultimately got admitted due to their intelligence (high scores on the admission exam, well-written personalized essay, etc.)

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐠 ("𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬")

Reason: The top 1% of students that have accomplished incredibly feats even prior to college (building something ground-breaking, starting their own company, etc.) These students are usually from the wealthiest families and seem to only be attending university so that they may have some credentials under their belt.