Barnard v. Wesleyan

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
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<p>Hi guys,
I already posted this on the Barnard forum but I'm trying to narrow down my choice on where to apply ED and I think it's between Barnard and Wesleyan. I thought Wes was my first choice for a while and i really love the student body, liberal arts curriculum, exciting campus, all of that. My main fears however are that the student body is too liberal/activist. I consider myself liberal, but I don't want to be constantly discussing/complaining about politics. Also Middleton kinda sucks and while I know that there is a lot to do on campus at Wes, Middletown cannot compare at all to NYC. Additionally I have met some students at Barnard and they have all been so nice and welcoming but I don't really know anyone at Wes so I'm not sure if Wes will be as nice and friendly of a community. I love the sense of community within a big city and connections to Columbia that Barnard has. Also the academics seem very strong at Barnard and Wes. Additionally NYC is my favorite city and I would love to be able to live there for four years while getting a liberal arts education. My fear with Barnard however is that I have gone to an all girls school my whole life and I take classes at the boys school and have some interaction with boys obviously, I feel like my college experience should be coed and I am afraid that I will have to go out of my way to experience college with boys at Barnard. Also, I know this is a hard question to answer because they are so different, but how does the social life compare? I love music/concerts and parties and all that. I consider myself a very social and fun loving person so where would be the better fit? Also, what school would have better job and internship opportunities? I assume it would be Barnard but Wes definitely has some notable alumnae. </p>

<p>I am largely undecided in what I want to study in college, but I have developed an interest in Urban Studies. I am also interested in History and English and just the humanities in general. Some other colleges I am looking at are Tufts, Vassar, Emory, Oberlin, Carleton, Tulane, USC, Berkley, Kenyon. Weird list I know but I think I narrowed it down to Wes and Barnard but I am still open to some second opinions about these other schools! Thanks so much!</p>

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<p>Going to an all-girls school definitely doesn’t mean your college experience is going to be lacking boys, especially in a city like New York. Most of the socializing is done off campus, anyway. I grew up in NYC and there are plenty of things to do if you enjoy music - you can hit up an off broadway show, go to a concert, watch a play in the park. I think you’ll meet a lot more people at barnard, simply because you’re not restricted to talking to people from your school. Parties are probably also within closer reach; I could find something to do every week if I really wanted to.
At the same time, I don’t think wesleyan students go around talking about politics way too much; unless you go looking, I don’t think you’ll find yourself discussing anything like that. The students are really nice from what I’ve seen, so I wouldn’t worry about that, either.
I think you can safely get a job and internship at any of the schools you listed. I think Vassar is a good mix of the music/liberal arts experience that you want.</p>