Class of 2021 Orientation Feedback

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

My daughter is wrapping up Class of 2021 orientation. I wanted to take a moment to share our experience during the process.

Pre-Orientation: Wellesley makes great use of social media for accepted students. Several forums were available to introduce yourself and get to know future classmates, ask questions, and get advice, with input coming from staff and existing students. Upon arriving on campus, my daughter already “knew” many people simply because they’d been chatting online for months. The local Wellesley Alumnae chapter also held events to make connections with local students, alumnae, and other Class of 2021 members.

Move-in: Quick and easy, there were many staff members standing by to help transport possessions to the assigned room. It was a special surprise when the President of Wellesley College, Paula Johnson, stopped by to say hi as room decoration was in progress. With 20+ residence halls, I’m sure opinions will vary, but my daughter is very happy with her residence hall/room/common areas/dining room.

Social Life: Numerous, well-organized events have connected my daughter to her classmates on her floor, her residence hall, and her mentor group. Her social network is off to a great start before the first class has even been held.

Academics: Class selection, professor selection, schedule, balancing extracurriculars, work study, and academics…these were all weighing heavily on her mind. And now they are are not a worry. There are a tremendous amount of resources dedicated to helping first-years answer these questions. Resident Assistants, Peer Academic Coaches, and First Year Mentors are all upperclasswomen that have been very available and helpful with class registration. Additionally, there have been a couple of occasions where she’s contacted professors and she’s received a rapid response with an answer or an offer to meet and discuss the question. In summary, she felt very informed making her enrollment wish list, and was able to enroll in her first choice for every class!

As time goes on, I’m sure opportunities for improvement will come to mind. But the initial experience has been absolutely first-rate and an extremely positive experience making the transition from home to college. Well done Wellesley!

I’m happy to try and answer any questions you have. Good luck!

2

I also found move in to be wonderful at Wellesley but at 5 p.m today the night before classes begin professors were emailing student with reading assignments, labs to fill out and videos to watch. The girls are all scrambling to get pre homework done. This should of been sent to them days ago not the night before classes begin. Its is midnight now and freshmen are up doing work that professors emailed just hours ago. So now first rate is not my opinion.

3

@Foreverbold That stinks. My daughter didn’t have professors emailing her the night before classes began so I wonder how widespread it was. I’m sure that holding class registration for first-years a couple of days before classes began contributed to the lack of notice for prep homework.

4

My daughter had one assignment emailed, I think. And it wasn’t a hard one. I don’t think a lab can be filled out before you do the lab–it was probably a lab rules form or something–they do have to undergo some kind of safety check before doing any lab, things like, no food, must wear close toed shoes, must wear safety glasses and lab coat, etc. Lots of rules. Actual lab reports take HOURS, like 8 hours to fill out, and the kids get time to do them (a week or two) after performing the lab. There are also readings to do before the lab or you won’t understand what you’re doing.

I think part of it is that most classes are mixed-- meaning, not all for first year students, and actually, might have half- majority of sophomores in them. Except for the First Year Writing and First Year Seminars, everything is mixed and our daughter could be sitting next to a senior trying to knock off her last distribution requirement who registered for the class last April.

Wellesley is academically challenging and our daughters pretty much get to hit the ground running! There are lots of support systems in place for that too.

5

Yep, lab work is no joke, and there are a few pieces of equipment we had to use. If she wears glasses like I did, she might find the safety goggles they provide to be uncomfortable. I picked up a pair of [over the glasses safety glasses](http://www.otg-goggles.com/best-over-glasses-safety-glasses/) for cheap and brought them every day. Made the long labs much more enjoyable.