<p>My son is applying to great LACs and Wesleyan is near the top of his list. We were there a few years ago but haven't been able to visit recently, so I would love to hear from anyone who's got a more current impression of the campus. I hear good things about the newest building and renovation. There's a web cam looking at the construction of the new student center here <a href="http://campuscentercam.its.wesleyan.edu/view/index.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://campuscentercam.its.wesleyan.edu/view/index.shtml</a> and from its description the center sounds terrific. How do Wesleyan's facilities now compare to its peers?</p>
<p>I think the biggest turnaround has been the city of Middletown itself. Wesleyan is the only NESCAC college where you can actually walk downtown to see a movie before it comes out on dvd.</p>
<p>Wesleyan's facilities are equal to or better than almost all the NESCAC schools (subjectively of course)... for example, there are new freshman dorms/senior suites built in 2005 which are beautiful. obviously, there is the new campus center, which will be done in the summer. the film center has a brand new cinema that seats hundreds and is in my opinion, better quality than most movie theaters. olin library has over 1 million volumes... unheard of for a school of Wesleyan's size (and more than its peers). and of course, freeman athletic center is a sight to behold. I have yet to see a better athletic center.</p>
<p>All that stuff is new and excellent. However, many of the other dorms are pretty delapidated, including the upperclass apartments and many of the senior woodframe houses. The science buildings are also showing their age, although a new science facility is planned for 5-10 years down the road.</p>
<p>Thanks johnwesley for mentioning the renaissance in Middletown. My son has been just a little put off by some of the more precious college towns surrounding some LACs. He thinks that being in a town that's got "real stuff" as well as the usual bookstores, restaurants and coffeehouses that cater to college students would make for a richer undergraduate life. I'm thinking that a place like Middletown might offer both sides of what he wants.</p>
<p>your son will probably venture into town maybe ... twice. there's so much going on on campus that we rarely leave it - we have our own movie theater (that shows free movies two nights a week and $4 movies another two), cafes, bookstore, etc. although there are quite a few good restaurants, a dance studio and laser tag downtown, it actually isn't the most exciting place.</p>
<p>I think the perspective shifts a little bit once you leave the frosh dorms; you'll find that the town pretty much starts at your front door.</p>
<p>Is the campus bookstore the only game in town? How far to the nearest Borders or independent book seller?</p>
<p>I imagine Hartford would have the nearest big-box stores (although there was some talk recently of a Target moving to Main Street.)</p>
<p>For more popular fiction and best-sellers there's always the public library which is just a couple of blocks down the hill.</p>
<p>Random question: How far is Wesleyan from Hartford?</p>
<p>About a half an hour by car.</p>
<p>What about New Haven as a place to go for more bookstores and such? It's no further than Hartford, right? Is it easy to catch a ride there with someone on the weekends?</p>
<p>It depends on the traffic. New Haven is slightly further away in the opposite direction from Hartford, but, it's also within the half-hour to forty-five minute range. And, yes you can usually find someone headed in that direction on the rides board in the student center. A lift to New Haven is also the most popular route to New York City. From there you can catch both Conrail and Amtrak lines to the Big Apple.</p>
<p>actually there are malls and lots of big-box type stores in meriden and also farmington (farmington has a borders AND a barnes and noble, not sure about meriden). those two towns are both less than 15 minutes away. </p>
<p>and the drive to new haven takes a half-hour or less, usually, so it's totally manageable.</p>