<p>So, Wesleyan is one of about ten schools on my list (including Brown, Macalester, Colorado College, and the like). I visited it a few years ago and really liked it. My question is, why would/did you choose Wes over other schools? I'm all the way in Oregon, so I don't hear a lot about the school, and as far as I know, no one from my high school has ever ended up there. So what sets it apart?</p>
<p>I realized I should probably clarify my questions. My thoughts were a bit jumbled when I posted this, so I know I didn’t really ask anything with much substance!
Here’s more of what I was getting at, hopefully in better-question form:</p>
<p>1) I’ve heard Wes is incredibly liberal. Fair enough, a lot of colleges are. I’m more on the liberal end of the spectrum myself, so this certainly wouldn’t bother me, as long as it’s not in the far extreme. When people tell me that Wesleyan is “extremely liberal,” do they mean that it has a population of intense, political crusaders who aren’t willing to consider other viewpoints (as seems to be the case at a few schools, these days), or simply that it’s the way the school leans?</p>
<p>2) What’s school spirit like? On campus, does it feel more “rah-rah,” or more reserved? When I visited, I came during the summer, so it was hard to get a feel for this.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the help.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is a small but complex community. The name alone contains a ton of history: the first American college to be named after the English church and social reformer, John Wesley, it was the flagship institution of American Methodism for many years. And yet, during those formative years many of the seeds of modern Wesleyan were planted, including pioneering research work by top-notch faculty (including future president, Woodrow Wilson) and the emergence of an extremely strong student culture in the form of various independent student societies and a charter membership in the NCAA (1906).</p>
<p>Today, Wesleyan still sees itself in the reformist role, by going beyond sermonizing, through the advancement of knowledge and the pursuit of excellence. These multifaceted urges were recently on display at an Autumn afternoon football game: while the Wesleyan o-line was methodically taking apart the Tufts defense, another group of students carried placards protesting the treatment of school janitors. Can such things take place simultaneously on the same campus? Wesleyan is living proof that it can.</p>
<p>I fully agree with Circuitrider’s comment. Since my son was one of the 50-60 students who carried placards supporting the aims of contracted university custodians to have a higher wage rate, I will also comment. These students made sure that they did not interrupt the flow of the game and they stayed well off the playing field. They walked quickly once around the perimeter of the field and then dispersed. The Wesleyan football announcer on the live stream said, “Oh, look–only at Wesleyan!” After that. my son went back to his dorm room to study–he has several tough science and math classes–and after that, to a community meeting in downtown where residents are trying to make some neighborhood improvements. A few days before that, he attended the inaugural meeting of the Wesleyan Grateful Dead Appreciation Society, founded by a member of Wesleyan’s Republican group. From what I can pick up, his rather open-minded approach toward people with different political views than his is fairly typical. I would certainly not worry about Wesleyan being “extremely liberal”, and my son’s current experience there bears witness to that.</p>