<p>direwolf: I'm not a frosh, but I remember being shocked by how INTERESTING all my classmates were. Everyone seemed to have eight esoteric and totally unrelated talents/interests. I loved it. </p>
<p>When you say "other LACs," to exactly which ones are you referring? There are hundreds. And it's not like we'd be able to tell whether there are more people "out of the mainstream" here than other places, since, you know, we go to Wes. That said, a lot of people at Wesleyan are pretty progressive. A lot of people couldn't care less. Given the political climate with which people my age have come of age, though, I can't imagine wanting to be IN the political mainstream. </p>
<p>Wesleyan is humming with activity all the time, but on weekends it's really insane. There are always dozens of events. Check out <a href="http://www.wesleying.net%5B/url%5D">www.wesleying.net</a>, before every weekend they post a roundup of non-alcoholic events on campus (the parties can't be publicized because Public Safety will break them up).</p>
<p>direwolf, I'm a current Freshman. I can't definitively answer your first question, as I haven't seen the full picture yet, but the campus certainly has a lot happening on the weekends. I haven't gone a weekend without some form of excitement.</p>
<p>serena, don't worry. You don't need to have a strong interest in politics in order to get in. I claim to be a liberal, yet I don't find myself very interested in politics either. </p>
<p>As for Financial Aid, I feel that Wesleyan offers it solely on the basis of financial need, though I'm not sure exactly how much is given. You might wanna check out the Wesleyan website or go to an info session at Wes.</p>
<p>jyi, the class size for Wesleyan's Class of 2011 was 738, as opposed to the enrolled 741 (probably due to getting off waitlists). With that in mind, I would have to say that the average class size from the Class of 2007 to the Class of 2011 is about 724. The class sizes, on a more qualitative level, are ideal for a college setting. The kids get to know one another much more than they might at a bigger school.</p>
<p>BUT, unlike some even smaller schools, you definitely still meet new people sometimes and see fresh faces. It doesn't feel claustrophobic. It's really quite ideal :D</p>
<p>Oh - and in case you were asking about the size of courses - Classes range quite a lot. There are FYIs capped at 19 students designed specifically for freshmen that guarantee you can get into small seminars as a freshman - although this isn't really that necessary, since you could, anyway (for example, I took a non-FYI lit class freshman year with 12 students). As a freshman, you might be taking a lot of larger intro classes; the giant intro science classes can have 100+ students (chemistry, bio), and even intro social science or humanities or math classes could have as many as 40. but don't worry - the class sizes quickly drop after that. After those intro classes, you're likely to be in 10-20 person classes again.</p>
<p>jumble and showtunes: thanks for your responses. </p>
<p>jumble: my question about students came from my recent visit to wesleyan.
when i was there on the tour the student body seemed more mainstream than the rep of the place, a rep that's outdated maybe? the kids seemed on the cool side compared to some other LACs i've seen, but not very "out there." just wondering if freshmen have a sense of that too.</p>
<p>showtunes: how are you finding the courses and workload so far freshman year? tnx again</p>
<p>direwolf, the courses thus far are intriguing. I love every single one that I'm taking. The science and math courses here are actually very rigorous in their own right-- you learn A LOT in a small amount of time. I'm taking a Physics course where the professor approaches the subject from a physical (as opposed to a mathematical) perspective. In other words, she teaches us by doing things in demonstrations. As for the workload, the amount of homework given ranges from the upper limits of average to heavy, but is still manageable. Believe me-- you'll have enough time to do a Physics set, a Calculus set, a Chemistry lab report, and still maintain a social life. It's all about time management.</p>
<p>The financial aid office was not helpful at all when i just talked to them. although i have my efc, they could not give me even the slightest estimate of aid i could qualify for. i can not pay for this school at all without aid, so it is totally pointless to apply or visit the place unless i know i could get some kind of financial aid- besides just loans.</p>
<p>anyone know anything about the financial aid packages wes tends to give out? my current efc is 4403, but next year (when i would prob apply) it will definitely be lower. i really need grants/scholarships, not just stafford loans.</p>
<p>the transfer admissions lady i talked to wasn't helpful either, just told me to look for it myself on the website. umm, whats up with this?</p>
<p>also, know anything about the studio art department/courses/faculty?</p>
<p>my boyfriend just started at wesleyan, and it sounds like an amazing school, but i'm not sure i could get in... my sat's were cr760 m590 r590(considering retaking it), ACT30, lots of art awards and some extracurricular/community stuff in my past... but i'm a transfer, and did a sort of alternative travel college program first year, and am in an art school now, so ehhh, i'm just not sure how all that adds up.</p>
<p>no one answering a phone is going to tell you whether you will or will not get fin/aid, much less its exact composition. Why set up a situation where people can come back later and say, "that isn't what the lady on the phone told me I would get."? it stands to reason that if your efc is <5000 you are not going to be required to take out $40K a year in loans. Have you compared your efc with your boyfriend's?</p>
<p>liz-- Wesleyan meets the total calculated need. Financial Aid can't tell you any more than the EFC calculator on the website can. If your EFC is 4403, that's approximately what you'll pay. It can't be exact because you haven't filled out the official forms that Wes uses, but it will be in the ballpark. Like me, you will get a large amount of grant aid with that EFC. Don't worry about it. There is a cap to the amount of federal loans you're allowed to take out each year.</p>
<p>direwolf: Wesleyan kids aren't a pack of total freaks, whatever you might have heard. There is for sure a large contingent of radicals of every stripe, but I think that most of us come across as relatively normal human beings despite our politics. Cool, you say? I'll take that as a compliment.</p>
<p>yea, i definitely understand they can't give much information over the phone, especially without forms and verified info from me, but many of the other colleges i talked to today actually would talk to me about it, or give a range, like "people with an efc of around 4000 and less can usually receive up to 8,000 in grants, 18,000 in stafford, etc, etc....."</p>
<p>if things were perfect, with an EFC every school should cost the same, but of course that isn't really true, people end up taking out outrageous loans to go to college all the time, and i just wanted to figure out how wesleyan might differ in their aid.</p>
<p>maybe i was just kinda turned off by the way the lady gave me the info. and together with the person from transfer admissions, it just sort of added up to being frustrating.</p>
<p>and my boyfriend didn't apply for financial aid, so he isn't much help in this situation.</p>
<p>but thanks for the replies, it does help some, at least is slightly reassuring? heh.</p>
<p>liz, just apply RD if you're worried about Financial Aid. However, if you're really into Wesleyan, apply EDI or EDII, and try using a loan program like Astrive Student Loans.</p>
<p>I am about 90% sure that I am applying to Wesleyan Early Decision. I do have some questions about the Wes Admissions process, though.</p>
<p>-I am most likely going to go into the Film Studies program. I know that Wes has a very prestigious program, so would it be better to choose another major on my pre-application? This connects to my second question.</p>
<p>-I am an average/above average student with 710CR, 610M, and 720W. I know a lot of schools don't look at the SAT writing, so in the scheme of things, my math score is really pulling me down. Should I still think that there is some hope for me? I am extremely involved with clubs, am in the National Honors Society, I am going to have great teacher recommendations, and I'm also going to send in a photography portfolio.</p>
<p>-And, last question: If I don't, in the end, apply to Wes, I would apply to Vassar ED. I know I have a better chance at Vassar because of the 60/40 female/male ratio, but I really think I want Wes over Vassar. If I do not get into Wes during EDI and apply for Vassar EDII (which they have), do you think the fact that it is round 2 could hurt my chance? I want to do Wes first, but I feel that if I had a better chance overall with Vassar, that would be the best way to go.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your help. I really appreciate it everyone.</p>