<p>^ Thanks for clarifying, when I look at Wesleyan that truly was my only concern (since I haven't received my financial aid decision yet, lol!)</p>
<p>No problem, Mytheos. I look forward to seeing you around next year (you're 2010, right? Not to be a stalker).</p>
<p>Yes, I am from the class of 2010. I am sure we will be seeing a good deal of each other next year.</p>
<p>I have a question or two for all those currently attending Wesleyan or Wesleyan Alumni.</p>
<p>I visited Wesleyan as a junior over April break, and I still remember thinking that everyone seemed so involved in extra curricular activities, academics, etc. I love activism in a variety of activities purely for passion (so not for graduate school or required community service hours... but just 'cause you like it). Are most people on campus really involved? Are most people really interested in a multitude of activities?</p>
<p>Also, is it... too small? Is it just like high school where everyone knows one another and gossips... and... ?</p>
<p>Current Wes students: do you know if there is someone organizing overnight hosts for ED students at WesFest? I'd like to get in touch with someone about finding a place to stay for Friday night into Saturday. :-)</p>
<p>Milquetoast - I think Wesleyan's size is one of the best things about it. It's not nearly as incestuous as some of the smaller LACs and, there are any number of musical, political and athletic venues that each draw respectable crowds without the same people feeling that they have to "do it all". One case in point: the people who run <em>Wesleying</em>, the student-run blog, are not necessarily the same people who write for the student newspaper -- unusual for an LAC.</p>
<p>And, it's next to impossible to know everyone at Wesleyan. First of all, you'll be lucky to get to know any seniors at all (with the exception of your RA); they generally live in the student ghetto area, just to the south and west of campus and will be busily adjusting to life buying their own groceries, cleaning their own bathrooms and buying legal liquor for the first time.</p>
<p>You'll have better luck with juniors and sophs, but, even then, a lot depends on what classes you take and what activities you choose to get involved in (see, above.)</p>
<p>That said, there is definitely a Wesleyan bubble, just as there is an Amherst bubble, a Williams bubble and a Swarthmore bubble. People almost have to be pushed off-campus to visit the shops, bars and restaurants only blocks away in downtown Middletown and holidays and breaks are significant mainly for everyone's impatience to get back to find out what everyone else has been up to.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>How are the biological sciences? (I'm an aspiring doctor~ ^_^)
How about the Chinese program?</p>
<p>^funny how those often go together..</p>
<p>there's an East Asian Studies major which has both social scientific (i.e. Chinese Politics and Political Development, Modern/Traditional Chinese history, etc) and humanities (a Hong Kong/Taiwan film course, Classical Chinese Philosophy, etc) courses in it, plus a language component. it's real cool - i know a lot of EAST majors. </p>
<p>if you just want to take language courses that's of course an option too. first year chinese is maaaad hard (you have to go to class every week day of the year) but it's definitely worth it, because your fluency and literacy will improve massively. plus you make a lot of lasting friendships in it, cause it meets every day and because the workload is so intense. second year chinese is more of the same; i stopped taking it then.</p>
<p>wesleyan is a good school to study chinese at, actually. the language instructors are very intense. the Freeman Scholars program brings some very bright kids over from China (and Asia) every year; beyond the kids themselves the EAST department is also very active, hosting a lot of programs and lectures and movies and stuff at the department's house. there are numerous Asian (including of course Chinese) cultural events/nights/showcases on campus. and frankly there seem to be a lot of asian people here, though i haven't met as many as I would like because I'm not in the sciences. there's enough people to have 2 all-Asian soccer teams (Typhoon and Red Devils) which compete in intramural leagues and always have way more players come out than can actually play on the field at one time.</p>
<p>point being, chinese studies specifically is a pretty dynamic field here, and the environment at Wesleyan is very Asian-friendly.</p>
<p>natural sciences are amazing at wes. the best at any liberal arts college, probably.</p>
<p>Ah~
I'm right now debating b/w Middlebury and Wesleyan (I must say...ITS HARD)</p>
<p>Middlebury's Chinese program is like O.O
Reading about Wesleyan's...It looks good too~</p>
<p>For someone hoo wants to become a doctor...I really want a strong biological sciences program (natural sciences in general should be strong). I realize that both schools have strong natural science programs (all the top LAC would)...But the big question is which one has got the stronger biological sciences (chemistry...is an ugh for me lol~ I am definitly a bio person~)</p>
<p>Thnks again~</p>
<p>Sorry, everybody. I couldn't get back onto College Confidential for a while. Lemme go through these and answer as many questions as I can...</p>
<p>Science, especially natural sciences, are better at Wesleyan than at any other liberal arts college, I'd say. Undergrads publish with professors a LOT. Wes gets funding from the national science foundation, which no other LAC does. It's one of the distinguishing features of Wesleyan that it has "research institute"-quality sciences despite being a liberal arts college.
It almost makes me want to become a science major, because sciences at Wes are just that good.</p>
<p>Here is a chart that compares science funding at Wesleyan to that of other colleges, including Middlebury:
<a href="http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/images/federal_2001-2003.gif%5B/url%5D">http://www.wesleyan.edu/sciences/images/federal_2001-2003.gif</a>
And comparing publications:
<a href="http://frontpage.wesleyan.edu/sciences/images/publications_1994-2004.gif%5B/url%5D">http://frontpage.wesleyan.edu/sciences/images/publications_1994-2004.gif</a></p>
<p>Per student, Wesleyan has about .38 publications per student, while Williams and Wellesley have about .26 and .18 per student, respectively. That's a big difference.</p>
<p>Also, Wesleyan graduates a lot of female scientists, if it matters to you (it should, even if you're a guy): <a href="http://www.norc.org/nr/rdonlyres/ada68082-6fd6-4a18-8043-cd885e390298/0/sed2003.pdf(p.81%5B/url%5D)">http://www.norc.org/nr/rdonlyres/ada68082-6fd6-4a18-8043-cd885e390298/0/sed2003.pdf(p.81)</a>
55.3 percent of doctorates were earned by women! Pretty cool.
That document also shows that Wesleyan graduates the second-highest number of science doctorate recipients (Middlebury isn't even in the top 20 list).</p>
<p>Wes and Midd are both great schools, but if you know now that you're basing your decision off of natural science programs, I think choosing Wes is a no-brainer.</p>
<p>(z): Are there any decent record stores in, or near, Middletown? (Totally serious question.)</p>
<p>-I think that there’s one record store in Middletown, but there are definitely more at the Meriden Mall, which is only about a ten-minute drive away.</p>
<p>Ealgian: In your personal experience, have you ever had a class where the professor forcefully/extensively addressed political issues unrelated to the subject material? </p>
<p>I am what you might label a moderate with some liberal leanings, but what I love about the program I'm in at my HS is that everyone's political opinion is permitted and critiqued. Some books I have read and documentaries I have watched have made me very wary of college administrations where it is obvious that students are unfortunately punished for disagreeing with the professor.</p>
<p>Are most humanities-type classes ingest-and-regurgitate or are ideas divergent from that of the professor okay?</p>
<ul>
<li> (1) Nope, I’ve never had a class where a professor addresses irrelevant political issues.</li>
</ul>
<p>(2) If you disagree with the professor, that’s fine. I mean, to be brutally honest, if you’re incredibly conservative, you’re not going to be the most favored person on-campus or in-class—though I don’t think you’re necessarily made fun of or anything of that nature in class.</p>
<p>(3) I can honestly say that humanities-type classes can go either way—you don’t have to just ingest and regurgitate information. I was (and still am) a potential Spanish major, and last semester, I definitely incorporated some of my own ideas into my essays. I ended up doing well, despite incorporating my own ideas into essays.</p>
<p>flying_pig319: Okay, I have a pretty specific question about the Music department at Wesleyan: I was looking at the info about requirements for a music major, and it says that 14 courses are required. That seems like a lot to me, considering that you only have 32 courses total throughout your career at Wes. I was thinking about it as a double-major too, which I have heard from other people is supposedly very doable, but since the other major requires 10 courses, 24 out of my 32 courses would have to be taken in those departments? I don't know whether that's really intense, or whether I just am not familiar with how these things work and that's actually pretty reasonable. Do you know people, though, who have majored (or double-majored) in music, and do they find the requirements overwhelming?</p>
<p>-flying_pig, I actually know quite a few people who are double-majoring in music, and they find it totally doable. Some are double-majoring in Government and Music, and others are double-majoring in History and Music. They definitely don’t find the requirements overwhelming. I mean, they realize how many courses they have to take, but they somehow work it well. I’m sure you’ll be fine. ☺ </p>
<p>andalusia: Nowyouknow, when you say dance parties do you mean
a) Lil Wayne and top 40 hip-hop
b) Justice and hipster Pitchfork **** (not that I'm lumping Justice with ****, but you know what I mean)
c) Girl Talk haha
d) Daft Punk </p>
<p>I just want to know if I am ever going to roll at a serious 'rave' in the next four years. Or if my glow sticks are going to come out of their package. That would be nice. I want to get a feel for the scene up there because while I'm fine with Javapalooza, but I'm afraid that no one is going to positively respond to my strobe lights and music running at 130 BPM. I will miss vibing so much, ack!</p>
<p>-andalusia, dance parties can mean all of the above, though you’ll most likely see more of (a)-(c). It’s all a matter of which kind of party you go to. As for the ‘rave’, quite honestly, you’re gonna have to go off of campus. Still, you’ll find people who are just as willing to go to a rave as you are. </p>
<p>(z): More questions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Is it possible to spend four years at Wesleyan without ever taking a math course? </p></li>
<li><p>Is it easy for underclassmen to get involved in writing for The Argus, and maybe even Wesleying?</p></li>
<li><p>(z), it’s definitely possible to spend four years at Wes without taking a math course. I mean, I may have taken one my Freshman year, but that was honestly a waste of time. (I already took Calc, but was so adamant about finishing my GenEd’s early.) It’s actually incredibly easy to avoid math courses (well, if you’re majoring in the sciences, that’s slightly more difficult).</p></li>
<li><p>Yep, the underclassmen can almost immediately get involved in both the Argus and Wesleying. I have many friends who have been writing for both since they were Freshmen.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>IJ0A6L6: From your point of view and experience, what are the strongest departments at Wesleyan?
Also, how is the math department there?</p>
<pre><code>-IJ06AL6, the strongest departments that I know of are as follows: many (if not all) of the science departments, Government, History, English, and Film, among many others. The math department is quite good, from what I’ve heard. The professors are intelligible (I was about to take Vectors and Matrices last semester, but dropped the class during the Drop/Add Period because I just ended up not having enough time).
</code></pre>
<p>Jarsilver: what's the deal with gen ed expectations anyway? I know it's 3 courses in each area, but it's only for receiving the honors designation and not for graduating, right? how many people do or do not do this?</p>
<p>-Hey, jarsilver. Yeah--the Gen Ed expectations are 3 courses in each area, but only for receiving Phi Beta Kappa with a GPA in the 90-93 range (minimum). For graduating, it’s a simple 32 credits, if I’m remembering right. I know several people who are doing this with minimal to no effort, and several people who aren’t. Don’t even worry about it! ☺ </p>
<p>(z): Is it easy to put together a schedule at Wes without classes before, say, ten a.m.? Waking up early makes me grumpy.</p>
<p>-(z), it’s definitely easy for someone to put such a schedule together, unless you’re a Chem major like I am, LOL. :-P I mean, other majors won’t be as ridiculous in terms of their meeting times. A non-9 AM schedule is definitely doable. </p>
<p>livemylife: Kinda off-topic here, but how's the dating scene? haha.</p>
<p>-Hey, livemylife. Honestly, the dating scene for me sucks major ass here. (Please excuse my French). But then again, my type is more of a Chelsea guy (New Yorkers, you know what I’m talkin’ about, LOL!~). Still, I definitely know many couples who are very cute together. So, in short, the dating scene ain’t too shabby, but I wouldn’t say that it’s the best, per se. </p>
<p>norolimasfaloth: wahhhaaaayyyyy! NO MATH!
I really really want to graduate with honors so I am so pumped I don't have to do math in order to accomplish that!
I am currently doing a Berkeley online course in pre-calc, can I use it to get some Wes Credit, if possible since its a university course?
Also, for freshmen, how does one go about registering for classes? I was looking up wesmaps and there were some classes where freshmen couldn't register for, are we only supposed to register for the approved for freshmen courseS? because the other ones are so much cooler. I heard something about A lists and B lists when it comes to preference, how does that work?</p>
<p>-Hey, norolimasfaloth. Um, I would discuss with Admissions or University Relations about that (the Berkeley online course, that is). I don’t think that would necessarily count for Wes Credit. Sowwy. </p>
<p>-As for freshmen registering for classes, one can go about registering through WesMaps and through their advisor. You select the courses you want and your advisor approves ‘em. Of course, he/she/ze will make suggestions, but you don’t necessarily have to take them. As for courses themselves, freshmen are not only restricted to those approved for freshmen. Pre-requisite override and Permission of Instructor forms can get freshmen into many, many, many non-Freshmen courses. I know a freshman who’s in my Sophomore Colloquium. About the A-lists and B-lists, you get two paths—meaning that if you get list A approved with your top choice for a course, you get about five or so courses. If you get list B, you get four or so courses. Still, you can put courses from list A as well as your top choice in list B so that you get your most desired courses regardless of the path. </p>
<p>dukiex3: I was wondering... Does Wes have a good variety of vegetarian eating options?</p>
<p>-Hey, dukiex3. I’ve been waiting for someone to ask this question. Yes! There are some great vegetarian eating options. There’s a vegetarian station at Usdan, as well as many vegetarian snacks at WesShop. I have to say that I’ve honestly gotten hooked on some vegan muffins, despite the fact that I don’t have the necessary willpower to become a vegetarian, LOL. </p>
<p>valentinocuevas: i know that the film studies major is strong, but how are the fine arts and art history departments?</p>
<p>-Hey, valentinocuevas. The Fine Arts and Art History departments are also pretty great. Some of my friends in the Fine Arts have told me that their classes are intense, requiring several hours in the studio every week. Regarding Art History, I’ve heard that they’re pretty swell, too. :-P Sounds very 50’s of me to say, but I’ve heard some good things. Wesleyan’s art galleries and what-not are pretty good, too. ☺ </p>
<p>(z): <<(z): it is very possible to go thru Wes without a math course. remember, there are no requirements here, only general expectations. for the natural sciences/math aspect, you can get by with only sciences and no math (i.e. physics, chem, bio, astronomy, etc.)>></p>
<p>My big fear now is that I'll get to Wesleyan and have no motivation whatsoever to take math/science courses. Do students ignore those "general expectations" to their hearts' content?</p>
<p>-Students can ignore Gen Ed’s freely, within the boundaries of their majors, of course. Again, don’t worry about it! </p>
<p>MilqueToast: I have a question or two for all those currently attending Wesleyan or Wesleyan Alumni.</p>
<p>I visited Wesleyan as a junior over April break, and I still remember thinking that everyone seemed so involved in extra curricular activities, academics, etc. I love activism in a variety of activities purely for passion (so not for graduate school or required community service hours... but just 'cause you like it). Are most people on campus really involved? Are most people really interested in a multitude of activities?</p>
<p>Also, is it... too small? Is it just like high school where everyone knows one another and gossips... and... ?</p>
<p>-Hey, Milquetoast. Not all of the people on campus are involved with activism or in millions of extracurricular activities, but many support both. Most people are interested in a multitude of activities, but it’s all about passion. You can take up many activities, few, one, or none at all. Um, and yeah—Wesleyan’s a bit of a clusterf<strong>k (excuse my French again). Still, Wesleyan is a comfortable clusterf</strong>k. Gossip can occur on campus, but gossip occurs everywhere. Not all students gossip.</p>
<p>gg0624: Current Wes students: do you know if there is someone organizing overnight hosts for ED students at WesFest? I'd like to get in touch with someone about finding a place to stay for Friday night into Saturday. :-)</p>
<p>-Hey, gg0624. I’m not exactly sure. I would call Admissions, though I’m sure some of the WesFest interns and Admissions may be organizing a lot of that. If you need someone to host you, I’d be up for it (if you’re a girl, I can ask one of my female friends). Call Admissions first.</p>
<p>jyi3931: How are the biological sciences? (I'm an aspiring doctor~ ^_^) How about the Chinese program?</p>
<p>-Hey, jyi3931. I’ve heard that the Intro Bio courses are a major pain in the you-know-where. You’ll have a lot of reading to do, but if you’re into Bio and that sorta thing, you’ll definitely love Wesleyan’s Bio department. The program’s very rigorous, but it’ll also teach you a lot. Haha, I’m a Chemistry person, so absolutely no Bio for me. I already had my Bio AP credit pre-approved before I got to Wesleyan. ☺ I’ve heard great things about the Chinese program, though I don’t know a lot. I can ask my friend who’s taken Chinese courses and get back to you.</p>
<p>this is a question about wesfest. I recently got an invitation in the mail for the "wesleyan pre-frosh program for admitted students of color." If I decide to participate, will I be missing out on all the other activities at Wesfest? and will I be free to roam around or is the program really structured?</p>
<p>Hey, halb. You definitely won't be limited by that program. You'll get to go to whichever WesFest activities you want, I'm sure. You'll be free to roam around. WesFest doesn't limit you--at least, I think not. Don't worry. Wesleyan should be free to explore during WesFest.</p>
<p>heck no! you can just chill on the hill throughout the day and party all night if that is what you want to experience. they do have some really great events like mabuhay which i would not miss...</p>
<p>current students...
I was accepted to Wesleyan undecided (as are the majority of students, I'm guessing) but I think I plan on eventually going into business (I have no idea what else I would do...). Obviously there is no business program to speak of at Wesleyan. My question is... how well does Wesleyan prepare students to get jobs after graduation? I am not interested in becoming a teacher and I don't know anything about law school. I've heard that LACs pretty much prepare you for one of those two options or for med school. I would have substantial debt upon graduation from Wesleyan but will debt be manageable to pay back after graduation?</p>
<p>Wesleyan can do an excellent job to prepare you for business (and business school?)</p>
<p>an excerpt from Wesleyan</a> University Information, Introduction, Academics, Admissions, Financial Aid, Students, Athletics, Alumni, Faculty, Alumni, History, Campus, Students, Faculty, Address, and Tuition says that "While Wesleyan had the country’s second highest number of seniors applying to the Peace Corps, the top three employers hiring students from the class of 2006 were Morgan Stanley, Mitchell Madison Group, and Teach for America."</p>
<p>an old quote from Wesleyan's site at Wesleyan</a> University : Admission says that "Sixty percent of the employers who recruit on campus are business concerns, and the top three employers (excluding the Peace Corps and Teach For America) for the graduating class of '98 were Andersen Consulting, J.P. Morgan, and Lehman Brothers." Obviously less relevant now due to, uh, certain company failures, but the point is that despite Wesleyan's "liberal artsiness" the place is still great for business.</p>
<p>BGapplicant:</p>
<p>If you major in Econ, you can definitely get your head into the business world. One really cool program Wesleyan has that isn't advertised is the summer Quantitative Analysis Center program, where you work one-on-one doing research with a social science professor during the day and also learn data analysis skills during morning classes. If you want to go into consulting or something, those data analysis skills are very desirable. I have a fair number of friends going into finance and that sort of thing - you can get good jobs definitely in that field if you want it.</p>