I got accepted to Babson as a transfer student . I am deciding between Babson and Wesleyan (I know, very different schools) and I have some concerns about Babson that maybe some of you can help me address.
The students- I am very worried about all the kids here being super preppy/formal/frat people. I toured campus last week, so it was basically empty. However, the few kids that I did meet who were helping give tours were very preppy kids. I am very down to earth and I do not like the whole party scene. I do track and field, so I guess that I will meet some people there that will hopefully be nice. I went to a small prep school for high school and really did not like the kids there. I need genuinely nice, sweet people who don't party all the time but still like to have fun and go places. Do all the kids think they are better than each other? Is it super cut throat? Are they all preppy?
Track and Sports in General- Does anyone know any kids on the track team? When is the new track going to be done? Is it annoying to have to bus over to Wellesley to practice? Is there an indoor track and an outdoor track? Are the athletes very focused and do they take it seriously? Is it easy to balance sports with the curriculum?
Business- Is there a real advantage of coming here vs going to Wesleyan and then going to get an MBA? Can you be successful in business/entrepreneurship with a liberal arts education, or is the Babson way a lot better?
Transfers- They wont tell me how many years I have left to finish, but it will be around 3, meaning I have to take an extra year of undergrad. Is that worth it?
I honestly think that I would enjoy my time at Wesleyan better, but have better career options at Babson. Is it worth it to stick it out at Babson for a good business job and good connections, or have fun at Wesleyan and then go get a good MBA afterwards? Any opinion helps! Thanks!
My grandson just graduated from Babson…the student body is extremely diverse and international…not preppy all
They have a special Healthy H dorm dedicated to students who wish to live a healthy lifestyle…no alcohol…very good option…Also you will be better grounded in all aspects of business with a degree from Babson…and it is very close to Boston and they do a great job helping stUdents with career placement
While Wesleyan has a slightly higher academic rating, if you are interested in business I would choose Babson!
The student body at Babson is very diverse and encompasses a wide range of interests and lifestyles. Only 19 percent of students are actually involved in Greek Life, and there is no pressure to join Greek Life at Babson. I am personally not involved with Greek Life, but do have friends involved, and it is not an exclusive community; I still feel that I can be friends with them without participating in their organization. The students who are not involved in Greek Life have many other groups and clubs that they’re involved in on campus so they truthfully don’t notice Greek Life. At any college campus there is going to be a range of personalities, which is easy to pick up on once actually on the campus. Babson is an extremely supportive community where students are not very cut-throat; Babson students are willing to lend a calculator, stay up until 5am studying with their peers, and always want to see their peers succeed.
In an average class at Babson, you’ll see students coming to class dressed in business casual, and also students who are wearing sweatpants and yoga pants. Again, there is a wide variety of personalities and students who attend Babson, and there is no pressure to be one way or another. These characteristics carry over into personalities, and there are some students on campus who are more preppy, but there is also an abundance of students who are more laid back.
To explicitly answer your question about partying, it’s whatever you choose to make it at Babson. There is no pressure to party or do anything out of your comfort zone at Babson. No one will care one way or another about how you spend your time outside of academics. Students don’t always stay on campus—some people like to go into Boston with their friends or visit peers at other colleges; it’s truthfully your time to do what you wish. If you do choose to stay on campus, there are always tons of fun activities to do every weekend. Needham/Wellesley is an active area, so if there’s nothing to do on campus, it’s an easy travel to the surrounding towns to hang out with friends.
In terms of the culture at Babson, it’s definitely very collaborative rather than cutthroat. While most students are ambitious and driven, all students at Babson collaborate with their peers in most all of their classes, and as a result, this fosters a very collaborative culture across the student body.
We’re not involved in the track team or sports on campus, but we did speak to a track student (who would be more than happy to speak personally with you about any other questions you might have) to answer your questions.
a. The new indoor track and indoor sports performance center is planned to be completed in 2019. There is only an indoor track on campus. Athletes in general and track athletes are very focused on both school and sports. When it comes to practices, the track team is intense and focuses on the sport itself and their improvement, but when it comes to academics, they are also equally focused. The team supports each other and does study sessions to make sure that every athlete can succeed. Babson is a D3 school, and athletes here are able to balance their academics and sports without any challenges. Time management is a necessity though, but you’ll find that at every college campus.
While we cannot speak on behalf of Wesleyan University, we are able to say that only 5% of Babson students enroll in a grad program directly after graduation (the most popular program being law school). Most selective MBA programs prefer a few years of work experience from their applicants. Babson is special because it encompasses a Business and Liberal Arts education, meaning that your time at Babson will be spent evenly between liberal arts courses and business courses. Again, it’s not necessary to concentrate at Babson, so should you choose to not, you can take any course that you would like. Having this dual education really puts Babson students ahead of other applicants when entering the workforce—not only do they understand how to run a business and specific parts of a business, but they are more articulate in their forms of communication.
Again, should you choose to enroll in Babson, your academic dean will evaluate your credits and determine which credits are transferable so you’ll know what your timeline to graduation will be.
Hope this answers some of your questions! Feel free to respond if you have anymore questions
Thanks everyone for all of the answers! I ended up choosing Wesleyan. Not because Babson was a bad school, I just am not 100% sure about business yet so I want to have more options just in case I change my mind. It was a really hard decision though and I’m still super stressed about it!!
I am transferring from the University of Florida, so it is a big change! A whole new part of the country, a way smaller school, and a completely different student body. I am in for an interesting year!
I am sure you will do very well. Put in the time for studying and don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed. This is a small school with good access to some excellent professors who like to teach!