<p>Poudlard: I love your name! :-)</p>
<p>Ringer, I can back into the same conclusion from other numbers, including the approx. 12 percent differential of W students paying full freight, iirc. The W student body is substantially wealthier but with overlaps. It would be a leap of faith to expect that economic differences of that magnitude are not reflected in aggregate attitudes. It may not make much difference to some students, it may be significant in one way or the other to others. My D noted something of it but it wasn't particularly important to her in evaluating W; otoh, it was one of the dimensions where S was a positive "click."</p>
<p>TheDad: Back to numbers, what I had meant to say (but forgot in the rambling I ended up erasing) was that diversity is more than the representation of extremes. Those are also important, but there's a lot of middle ground that inevitably gets overlooked in comparisons. Even more than that, there are a lot of people right on the edges of extremes (such as my own case with the Pell Grant) who still contribute to the overall character of the institution without being part of the most oftenly cited numbers. Perhaps it was only my personal experience of the school, but I never felt economically stratified, and yet I still felt able to speak up about being from a lower-middle-class (or lower-class, depending on perspective) background. It was an interesting and dynamic balance between neutrality and advocacy.</p>
<p>But thank you for your insights on campus economic diversity. In particular, I liked your point about the world-view embraced by the students. I'm not sure if I wholly agree, but it did make me stop to think about the possibility. I think it's clear that any of the Ivy Leagues or Seven Sisters (among others) is based on a legacy of affluence, but there is still a great deal to be done at all of these schools to open the doors to a wider array of students.</p>
<p>Ringer, I think the most important thing I can say is that, as with many complicated answers, the answers are not in black-and-white but in murky shades of gray that may in fact vary with the perspective of individual students. </p>
<p>Note: I am not of the "there are no wrong answers" PC school of thought but perceptions can really align along quite a range, sometimes for the damnedest reasons, including frigging luck of the draw in terms of what a given indivdual's experiences are with hall mates, class mates, profs, etc. And some people have sensitive nerve spots that others lack completely. </p>
<p>Which is why I think the whole college search/selection process is something of a crap shoot. You do the best you can, gathering both objective data and subjective data, such as that gathered by visiting a campus, talking to others as you gather anecdotal evidence, and even digesting musings on a Internet bulletin board like some kind of obsessive vulture. Given such due diligence, the process will often yield a good "fit" but it's not a guarantee.</p>
<p>I'm particularly partial to eyes/ears-open visits but even those are subject to the luck of the draw.</p>
<p>And then there's the plain flukey. I'll tell you a story: the acceptances were in and D was down to Wellesley and Smith for the finals. We flew into Boston coming back from a high school orchestra trip to Vienna & Prague. She had an overnight arranged at Wellesley and I dropped her off and amused myself in Boston for 20 hours. When I picked her up, it was a gloomy gray day and had been raining almost constantly. </p>
<p>I picked her up for the drive to Northampton and did a light debriefing, "How was it? What did you think? How was your host? Etc.?" but D was deep in thought. Halfway down the turnpike to Smith, we burst out of the clouds into golden sunshine. Yes, I know this is objective tripe, but Frank Capra made any number of movies that worked on this level. I bit my lip real hard to avoid saying anything...when we compared notes months later, D had had the same thoughts: A sign! A sign!</p>
<p>So much for a 100 percent rational process. And, thankfully, she had a long list of rational reasons for making the decision she did or I would have squawked. But the process is 100 percent rational for very few; gut feelings count for a lot.</p>
<p>Btw, I want to put in a plug for Wellesley as one of the most civilized colleges in the world on one account: the Early Evaluation process. God, that's so damned decent. I think ED is a terrible bargain for most students but EE gives a partial benefit without any of the down sides. Wellesley was also the most assiduous in terms of having students follow up with D.</p>
<p>I had the same experience with Harvard vs. Wellesley that your daughter had with Wellesley vs. Smith :) It was also one of my first inklings that I could never live in a big city. The noise, congestion, and grime (even of Harvard Square) depressed me to no end, and the weather was gloomy and stiflingly hot--July, I think. I went to Wellesley the next day (which I had absolutely no intention of applying to and was visiting solely to appease my mother) and was immediately rejuvenated by the bright sunshine, the birds, the incredible beauty of the campus, and the very sweet administrative assistants in the admissions office who, feeling terrible that my parents and I had gotten lost on the way there, offered us a parking space right next to Green Hall.</p>
<p>Intuition can go a long way. Perhaps it was sheer luck that the school was a perfect fit for me ... but I'd like to think that it was something more than that. I guess I have my mother to thank for it ;)</p>
<p>Well, my D's capsule summary of Harvard was priceless, I thought: "I liked it more than I thought I would."</p>
<p>Of all the things I was happy about during the process, towards the top is the fact that she never got caught up in rankings and prestige as the Holy Grail.</p>
<p>(1) If you don't find Wellesley diverse, you're not going to have a whole lot of luck finding a liberal arts school that's better in that respect. Sorry. Could it stand to be more diverse? Sure, why not. But I don't know what the OP could have been expecting in terms of "diversity." </p>
<p>(2) None of my friends came from destitute families, but it is certainly not true that most of them were exorbitantly wealthy either. Most of them kept pretty tight budgets and were on financial aid (myself included). I never owned any designer crap, and I never felt out of place because of it. With the utmost honesty, I cannot understand what is making the OP so status-conscious. I thought most people typically dressed comfortably - ranging from jeans & sweatshirts to even sloppier ensembles. Most people really didn't care what you wore around campus.</p>
<p>Furthermore, you're going to find wealthy people at every school, in addition to people who will bend over backwards to make themselves appear to be part of the wealthy crowd. I found that most Wellesley women were above that and concerned themselves with less superficial things.</p>
<p>(3) The level of snobbishness and cattiness at Wellesley is no worse than at any other college/university. It's QUITE easy to avoid people of that nature, and I can say the same for "drama." If you don't want drama, don't invite it. If it falls in your lap, bring it to a quick resolution or stay away from the people who want to perpetuate it. Let them come crawling back after they've grown up a bit or at least have returned to rational thinking. Again, this is DEFINITELY not unique to Wellesley, and I'd wager that you'd find even more drama and catty attitudes (among BOTH men & women) at other universities. Additional note: I never noticed the trend of upperclasswomen not being friendly towards younger classes. I don't believe it exists. Also, I found the administration to be quite nice... even a bit nurturing.</p>
<p>(4) Telling people that I go/went to Wellesley has never lost me any points with anyone anywhere. There is a stereotype that W women are desperate, and some people do fit it; however, people will pigeonhole you only if you let them. And post-graduation, I can tell you that most people react <em>favorably</em> upon hearing that I went to Wellesley (unless they went to Smith - heehee. Just kidding.)</p>
<p>(5) Drinking is NOT rampant at Wellesley by comparison with other colleges and, heck, the whole dang world! Reasons for drinking at Wellesley do not differ significantly from the reasons people drink at other schools (namely to enjoy a buzz and have a good time?)</p>
<p>(6) Class discussion is nearly unavoidable at Wellesley. One must make a point of being a total wallflower (or not showing up to class at all?) for her professors don't know her name. ALL of my professors for all 4 years I was at Welllesley knew exactly who I was (AND who the rest of my classmates were), and I interacted with many of them outside of class pretty frequently.</p>
<p>(7) The only time the bus ride from Wellesley to Boston took an hour was during extraordinarily heavy traffic, which is NOT 24 hours a day. Unless traffic is ridiculously backed up (b/c of an accident or something), it's 40 minutes to Harvard, max. And I took 2-3 round trips on that bus per week - weekdays & weekends.</p>
<p>(8) Yes, there are occasional bug problems in some of the older dorms (especially ants, and one case of bees. I know - eek! Never heard about any spider issues); however, I lived in a very old dorm all 4 years, and I never had any problems. I loved the rooms I ended up with every year; they were MUCH better than "dingy holes." My main complaint would have to be the thin walls.</p>
<p>In conclusion, I have a difficult time contemplating how someone at Wellesley could have the same experience as the author of the original post. Yes, there are extreme cases of snobs, drama, cattiness, etc. - but she makes all of these problems sound ubiquitous when they absolutely are not. </p>
<p>One should definitely visit the campus and talk to as many students, alums, and faculty as you can to help give you the best idea of how good a fit Wellesley is for you. Look for trends in what you hear from all of these sources; the positive and negative aspects that multiple people bring up are things you can probably rely on as being true. I don't think you will find too many people who share the OP's view of Wellesley and its students.</p>
<p>Is it just me or is the above poster repeating the same thing many people have posted over again?... Anyways I agree with the OP. Most of what she said is true...and this is coming from a current student..not an alum.</p>
<p>I'm a recent alum, first of all. It's not as though student dispositions have radically changed over the past year and a half since my departure. I still know a number of students at Wellesley, so I am not that far removed, contrary to what you are insinuating with your comment about my alum status.</p>
<p>Secondly, my repetition of certain points that others have mentioned simply serves to lend them more credibility. That's one of the main purposes of reading and posting in these forums - emphasizing (often by repetition) attributes of the school so that prospective students can formulate a reasonably accurate characterization consisting of both positive and negative features. I also elaborated on several issues with details of my own personal experience at Wellesley, which is much more helpful than contributing "Yeah, what the OP said. The end!!"</p>
<p>So, please, drop the "uhhh" attitude. If you want to disagree with what I've posted you are free to do so, but please don't hypocritically complain about redundancy in the thread when you've essentially been redundant with your post as well ("Yeah, what the OP said!"). It would be far more productive if you could cite some concrete examples of phenomena described in the original post. Thus far the OP doesn't seem to have too many people who agree with her, and those who have concurred with the OP have yet to provide supporting evidence that her claims about Wellesley are valid (perhaps with a few exceptions).</p>
<p>Ya I would love to go in details...but I have finals to study for :) maybe later when I have time on my hands. Anyways you obviously haven't been on community..I don't think you can anymore..for those of you who don't know what community is, it's this thing girls go on to rant and rave about their problems. Well anyways there have been many people who agree with the OP. And as an alum...no offense...but why are you still hanging out on college confidential? Shouldn't you be out saving the world?</p>
<p>Let's look at my profile. Joined Dec 2005. 5 (now 6) Posts. Clearly I must be spending every waking moment on here.</p>
<p>I'm entitled to taking a few minutes out of my day ("saving the world") to post on here to tell prospective students about Wellesley to help them determine whether it is the right school for them. A prospective student posted a link to this forum in the wellesleyblue livejournal community - a link to this thread specifically - at which point I joined so that I could throw in my 2 cents every now and then. While I was at Wellesley and since graduating, I have ALWAYS taken an interest in interacting with prospective students. I was an overnight hostess for visiting prospies. These days I would like to get involved with talking to prospective students in the DC area. I don't need to justify my presence any further, thanks. </p>
<p>Good luck on finals. When you do find the time, some actual examples of what the OP is talking about would make a valuable contribution to the thread. (More valuable than, say, trying to insult me.)</p>
<p>Yeah wertrow, I have to say that I, as a Wellesley prospective, don't mind at all the extra comments of alums/students however repetitive they might seem. I actually really, really, really appreciate (and enjoy) hearing everyone's take. Like drealynne said, I can only assert that something is probably true when multiple people confirm and elaborate on it.
Plus, I basically love how Wellesley women are so helpful in this forum. It makes me feel that they as a whole are indeed such a supportive community (if not often quite passionate about their school as well), which in turn gives me a warm feeling that I did make a good decision in applying ED earlier this fall. (I was worried at one point when I read some disparaging comments; now I realize, after reading more positive ones, that if I do get in, my chances of having a fabulous experience both exist and are probable.)</p>
<p>So ladies, comment on!
We prospectives appreciate it, and I personally am grateful for any glimpses into life at or even after Wellesley. Thanks.</p>
<p>Ok well… This was from 5 years ago.
Any new current students/alums wanna comment?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what thread this is in since I’m on my phone but I’m guessing it’s in the right forum.</p>
<p>Dear Flowrt,</p>
<p>Did you even attend Wellesley? </p>
<p>1st: Wellesley is extremely diverse, and the people there are very open to different cultures. Of course there are some people who aren’t the most open-minded, but they represent the minority of Wellesley. </p>
<p>2nd: The Upperclassmen aren’t going to run around babysitting all of the younger classmen! If you were to go up and talk to them , politely, then they would be happy to help.</p>
<p>3rd: The ‘Middle Class’ at Wellesley is not doctors and lawyers who make $200,000. That is uppermiddle. Very few girls had parents that made over $1 million. People whose parents make $600,000 are some of the better off girls. </p>
<p>4th: Most Wellesley girsl have something called Wellesley pride, which obviously you do not have. Guys do respect Wellesley girls, but if you are stupid, rude, and/or slutty, then of course they will not come near you. They are attending MIT and Harvard, they are smart and polite.</p>
<p>I really prefer to comment on specific questions asked anew (very much preferably in a new thread) than continue a five year old thread. A few general points, however: Wellesley is in fact quite ethnically diverse, and while it is true that white and asian students form the largest demographic grounds, it is not true that Wellesley is undiverse with regards to other ethnic groups. It is also true that Wellesley, like all of its peer colleges and universities that I am aware of, has a significantly richer student body when compared to the general population. It is not true that there are many Wellesley students who are obviously very wealthy, nor is it true that Wellesley compares poorly overall to its peers in terms of economic diversity. I have known a really diverse group of people at Wellesley, both casually and intimately, and I would not say that Wellesley students are unfriendly, unhelpful, unfun, or unable to laugh at their own foibles–quite the opposite, in fact. Professors are also nearly uniformly excellent both in terms of teaching and in terms of personal interaction–after my graduation I saw a professor in one of my majors who I had only ever had as a substitute, whom I had never had more than minor personal interaction with, and who would certainly not know me for my prowess in said major since said prowess was sadly quite minor :). Despite the very casual nature of our relationship, upon seeing me milling about he made a point of very warmly congratulating me, by name, and bantering with me for a few minutes before I hurried off to find my parents. That sort of consideration from professors is far closer to the norm than not, and I can think of a number of other similar stories from my own experience alone. Wellesley has its flaws, as do all institutions of higher education, but as a newly minted alum I look at my time at Wellesley as a rare and precious gift and I feel that the admittedly incredible sum of money my parents paid for my experience (including but not limited to my academic education) has already been paid back in full, even with 60+ years (one hopes!) ahead of me to wring more value out of the investment.</p>
<p>These are the diversity stats from the Wellesley website for class of 2014:</p>
<p>White/Caucasian 43%
African American/Black 8%
Latina/Hispanic 6%
Asian American/Pacific Islander 22%
Biracial 7%
Multiracial >1%
International Citizen 11%
Unknown/Not Reported 3%
Other >1%</p>