<p>brand (and any other students who transfered)- how did the transfer process go for you, once school actually started? Did you ever feel a bit left-out, or have any trouble warming up to the school? Socially, academically, extracurricular-ly...? heh</p>
<p>also, just to note, i intensively studied the course catalog last night... and jesus christ, i think i am in love.</p>
<p>i feel like they talked about this in the info session i went to, but i can't remember, sooo, how do majors/minors work? Do people actually have minors, or is it just sort of, you have your major concentration, and then if you are interested in something else, you can take lots of courses in that for general education?</p>
<p>i was particularly interested in the possibility of minoring (or something like that) in philosophy. anyone have any experience with the classes/professors in that field?</p>
<p>liz, I'd answer with your latter statement-- we don't have minors here. Otherwise, I'd minor in Voice or in Music. We have majors, double majors, and many courses that we can take to fulfill General Ed. expectations, though they're not requirements. Definitely, however, feel your way out here (or at any other school, for that matter) before you decide your major. Wes is especially great because it gives students such a strong foundation in the natural sciences, the humanities, and in many other areas.</p>
<p>liz: As showtunesguy said, we don't have minors. Because of this, a lot of people double major, or do the equivalent of a minor in a second subject if they feel like it.</p>
<p>Also, be do have "certificates" in certian subjects, which amounts to more or less the same thing as a minor. There aren't many, but you might want to learn more about them just in case one interests you (thoug we do not have a certificate in anything realted to philosphy).</p>
<p>yea, i saw the certificate thing. that was definitely interesting. i'd love to do the environmental studies one. the science in society program looked pretty cool too. haha, mmm i might need to narrow down my interests here. i wish i didn't have to stay at the school i'm currently attending for the rest of this year. it really feels like i'm wasting time when i could be doing things that are so much more interesting.... too bad wes won't just let transfers come in half-way through the year...</p>
<p>That said, there are some really fun (and intelligent) philosophy professors. It's a pretty good department, I'd say!</p>
<p>And they're great with letting nonmajors into classes :)</p>
<p>can some of you talk about the average academic work load for students at wesleyan?</p>
<p>i am absolutely zealous about learning, especially when it comes to things i'm
interested in, and there's a lot, which is why i look so keenly on wesleyan, and i really thrive when surrounded by other motivated, curious people, but i have never been the type of person/student to study and work EXTREMELY hard to have good grades, especially when i'm not so interested in the subject matter (although it seems that wesleyan, and other lac's, tend to have a wonderful range of general ed courses that can meet different interests)... high school was at times awful for me, and homework was never my top priority. one of the things that worries me about wesleyan, and i guess any of the very academically rigorous lac's, is that i wouldn't be able to happily handle the workload. i could do it, but with all the other things i want to be involved with it seems like it could be difficult and a bit exhausting. </p>
<p>in the end, i want to be pushed and stimulated so much more than i am currently, but i just don't want to be struggling and stressed to do well. </p>
<p>is a little time management all it's taken for most of you?</p>
<p>yeah, time management is all it takes. i'm horrible at time management and i've still done reasonably well. my better-organized friends get great grades almost all the time.</p>
<p>in general, wes kids are great about not stressing over schoolwork. there's not a culture of pressure at all. you just do your work, occasionally blow it off, occasionally whine about how much you have (and are not doing), but generally, people just go about their business and still manage to have tons of fun and be involved in tons of other activities too.</p>
<p>it's partly about the classes you take and how much you want to put into them, and partly about your personal definition of success.</p>
<p>liz</p>
<p>no problem at all, though I'm a pretty social person to the extent that my transfer friends were commenting on how I have no problem approaching groups of people I don't know and befriending them. I know other transfers that have stuck to the groups they met during orientation or their transfer groups and aren't necessarily in love but I think everyone is pretty much enjoying their time. As far as everything, yes now that I'm here I definitely would have preferred coming in as a freshman, though being a transfer isn't having any negative effect on making friends and having a good time.</p>
<p>I completely agree with brand. I know him personally, and I certainly do enjoy his company (especially on Saturday nights, when he needs to get inside from the cold, lol). At Wes, being a transfer doesn't seem to be a problem at all. You'll definitely find friends here.</p>
<p>Liz: I'm amazed at how like me you sound. I went to a kind of competitive public high school that drove me crazy - all anyone could think about was homework, and compare grades, and all that stuff. At Wes, students are definitely intellectual and motivated in the sense that they genuinely care about their academics - but students spend as much time doing extracurriculars and just talking about intellectual topics that interest them as holing up in the library studying. That's actually probably my favourite thing about Wes. It's intellectual without being competitive... students are motivated but laidback, NOT high-pressure. :D</p>
<p>Like, really. I can't even begin to describe how much better Wesleyan is as an atmosphere for learning than my high school was...</p>
<p>I'm just recently been 'referred' to Wesleyan by an advisor. They said that the school may be a good fit with me. Academics aside, how is the town and area around and on the campus? I am a HUGE concert person. You have no idea. Are there any concert center or places where I can watch concerts and have easy access to it?</p>
<p>Also, how is the school spirit? One of the things I am looking for is the school spirit. My school needs to have school spirit.</p>
<p>Middletown's a big ethnic town with a lively political scene and pretty good restaurants. Not exactly, a 24/7 place, but not the middle of nowhere either. What kind of music do you like? Between the newly renovated Beckham Hall and Crowell Concert Hall there are active band and recital venues on campus. Indie music is HUGE at Wesleyan. The Hartford Symphony is in, well -- Hartford, about 30 minutes away.</p>
<p>Wesleyan's not a ra-rah sort of place, but, there is a kind of quirky pride in the range of its students and professors. It is at or near the top of the annual Washington Monthly poll which purports to measure a school's "contributioin to society" and the recent announcements of two scholarship funds that will allow up to ten returning military veterans to attend Wesleyan at any given time, will probably add to its rating.</p>
<p>For more traditional school spirit, lacrosse, soccer and women's basketball seem to draw the most raucous crowds.</p>
<p>moviefreak:</p>
<p>My D loves Wes and everything about it. However the requirements you mentioned do not bring to mind Wesleyan. The town of Middletown is pleasant but unassuming. There are some good restaurants and a fun main street. But it is not a rockin town. There is no significant music venue in town. NYC is about an hour and one half away by train. </p>
<p>That said there is according to my D and her friends a fantastic music scene on campus. Kids in her hall get together and jam,playing their instruments and sing. There are numerous great student bands representing all forms of music,including alternative rock, great jazz, classical, cover bands etc. The social clubs bring many bands to campus to listen and dance to every weekend.</p>
<p>The theatre scene is vibrant with innovative acting and directing. The film program is perhaps the best on the east coast.</p>
<p>The student community are intellectually aware and active. The kids represent an eclectic mix of philosophies that appear to generally respect and nourish one another. It is a fun place where kids bust their humps studying but truly know how to enjoy themselves.</p>
<p>That said it is not a school that wears its spirit in bold colors like a Penn State or other big sports universities. </p>
<p>You have to get on a plane to see and experience the school as nobody can share it with u in a few words.</p>
<p>Dana's Dad</p>
<p>A capella groups and theatre productions are huge at Wes. I'm part of Quasimodal, the university's oldest coed a capella group, and we just had a concert last Thursday at Olin. And I'd have to disagree with danalynne a bit-- we certainly wear our colors (not all of us, but some of us), and we sing our Wesleyan Cheer Song and Alma Mater with pride. :) Even though Middletown pales in comparison to the city (NYC, where I'm from), it has a very intriguing and homey atmosphere. And the Wesleyan campus' life itself? :) We've had celebrities like Robin Williams and Michael Bay speak here. We've also had a lot of popular bands play as well at the frats.</p>
<p>Do people date? Are there many couples on campus?
Are there any typical middle-class mall girls?
How easy is it to meet people after freshman year? Do people form their cliques and stay/live with them, or are there periodic shakeups? </p>
<p>I am an alum with a daughter who might want to transfer to Wes, so I wonder if today's Wes is like the one of 25-30 years ago, which was a lot of fun but would be a social disaster for my mall-going, pre-professional daughter who usually has a boyfriend.</p>
<p>There are definitely couples on campus, and there's definitely dating. And it's not too hard to meet people after freshman year, if you want to - it's easy to live with friends and not be forced to interact with strangers all the time, but Wesleyan is the perfect size such that you feel cozy and at home and you can't take a walk across campus without seeing someone you know, but you're still meeting new people in your classes and such all the time.</p>
<p>As for "typical middle-class mall girls" - well, I don't know if I'd really say Wesleyan has any of those. Maybe we have middle-class mall girls, but even they probably aren't typical; the one thing I can say about Wesleyan students is that each student I've met is unique in their own way, passionate about something. I also think that, academically, the school has an overwhelmingly intellectual liberal arts, and NOT pre-professional, feel.</p>
<p>I think the best thing for your daughter to do would be to visit the campus and do an overnight :) Once she stays here for a day, she should get at least a start of a feel for whether she could be comfortable here for four years! :)</p>
<p>:) I am currently a junior in the IB program from Missouri, and I have decent grades, EC's, I'm a good essay writer...will being an applicant from Missouri be a major advantage in Wes admissions?</p>
<p>question - </p>
<p>what are some schools that are similar to wesleyan?
i am an international student at the american school in asia. </p>
<p>so far i've heard of brown, vassar, oberlin, and bard...</p>
<p>Im apply to wesleyan as well as pomona college in california.</p>