Couple questions on campus life

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
1

<p>I'm deciding where to apply to early admission. The two schools I was most impressed with were Pomona and Wesleyan (I've visited both, although Wesleyan was a while ago). Obviously they are both good academically, but they are very different in some other ways. </p>

<p>If you don't know anything about Pomona, it is near LA and probably has the best weather of any liberal arts school in the country (SoCal). Pomona also is in a 5 college consortium (Claremont McKenna, etc) so you have access to a ton of resources, five dining halls (I'm serious about my food lol), and 5000 more students.</p>

<p>I came out with the impression that Wesleyan students were more interesting to be around, which is why Wesleyan is so high on my list. My two problems with Wesleyan are Middletown and the weather. I'm from Miami, so I've never been through a serious winter, and I'm worried I'll get bored in Middletown. Which leads to my questions:</p>

<p>Can someone tell me a little about the winter experience and how students deal with it? I know about the Wesleyan event site and that the college tries to entertain students... I'm a little more interested in the reality of what students actually do during the day. </p>

<p>Do students sometimes feel isolated or closed in by Middletown? How do people deal with it? I guess New York/Boston can be an escape, but its a long drive. </p>

<p>Kind of specific...during winter, how do students get to the gym and athletic facilities?From what I remember it was kind of to the side of campus. I like to work out, but braving the cold when you're sweaty seems kind of crazy. </p>

<p>Also, does the food get boring at the dining halls? How does the dining work- are there like designated sushi days, italian days, and so on? What kind of options do students have on the meal plan? I'm not a big salad person and I'd get bored eating burgers and pizza every day. </p>

<p>Thanks for any answers ahead of time!</p>

2

<p>I’ll try to allay some of your concerns…</p>

<p>as for winter, yeah it’s cold, but if you dress warmly, it really isn’t much of an issue. as for what students do, there is way too much variety to describe it all… the only thing the weather really affects is the number of outdoor events. instead, things just happen indoors (it’s not that there are less events, in fact there are probably more during the winter months). plus, if there’s snow, people go sledding down Foss Hill in the middle of campus, or ski down it even, or have snowball fights, or build snowmen…</p>

<p>as for Middletown, it does have a nice Main St with tons of restaurants, but not too much in terms of entertainment. however, most people don’t feel isolated by Middletown because there is so much to do on campus. I only venture off campus to go out to eat every once in awhile.</p>

<p>Going to the gym in the cold really isn’t that bad. Maybe it’s because you’re from Miami, but it isn’t really an issue. You just throw on a sweatshirt or jacket on your way back from the gym… the gym is just as crowded during the cold months as when it’s warmer. Actually, probably more so in winter, because people are less inclined to work out outside.</p>

<p>Now for food- there are many options. There is the Usdan cafe, which has sandwiches and sushi pre-made. The Usdan marketplace is the main dining facility - it’s all-you-can-eat buffet. The burger/hotdog/fries and salad bar are always available. There is pizza everyday with daily specialty pizzas (can be requested, too). There is a main entree that changes every meal. Also, there is a stir-fry station that has quesadillas, philly cheese steaks, and breakfast for dinner as specials. There is pasta that changes every day, kosher, and vegan stations that also change every day. Then there is Summerfields, which has a set menu but has specials every day. WesWings has wings/salads/sandwiches and has specials everyday. Red and Black cafe has sandwiches, salads, and soups and specials everyday. Pi Cafe has sandwiches and all the hot and cold drinks you could want made to order. Star and Crescent is an eating club open to all that has a different one-item 3 course menu every meal. </p>

<p>As you can see, lots of variety. And, if you somehow get bored of all of this, you can go to WeShop, the on campus grocery store, and make something yourself.</p>

3

<p>-most people are too busy with everything on campus to think about the location, but it’s not really isolated or closed in at all. Middletown is far from the middle of nowhere, and it’s not all that hard to go to places like New Haven, New York or Boston if you really want to. there’s so much (student-created) on-campus culture that I’m usually giving up something I really want to do if I leave campus for a night. i know my only concern about not being in a city was not being able to see good live music, but I go to several concerts a week now, sometimes more than one a night. what are you looking for in a location?</p>

<p>-I’m from new england so I was used to the winter, but I personally think it can be kind of fun. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s sort of a bonding experience getting through the winter. a lot of my friends from California were ecstatic when it started snowing and we could go sledding on the hill. the first snow is really beautiful. it’s hard to say whether you’ll have as easy a time adjusting, though. </p>

<p>-most places freshman live are close to the gym, and honestly nowhere on campus is that far from anywhere else. you learn how to layer your clothes. </p>

<p>-there are several options for food on the meal plan besides the dining hall (which is pretty good but can get repetitive) including multiple on-campus restaurants, caf</p>

4

<p>A) Middletown: Middletown isn’t that interesting, it’s true (though it does have some things to do: movie theater, restaurants, laser tag are all in walking distance, and you can get more creative if you/a friend has a car). </p>

<p>However, it REALLY doesn’t matter, at least not for me or basically anyone I know. The campus is FULL of things to do, all of the time. During the week, you’ll of course have a lot of work to do. But on most weekdays, there will also be a variety of lectures, performances, film screenings, cultural events, program house programs of all kinds, sports games, clubs, etc. to fill any free time you have (plus, of course, hanging out with your friends, chilling or sledding on Foss Hill, depending on the weather).</p>

<p>On the weekends (starting kind of on thursday, and definitely Friday), it’s the same thing, only the number of events basically doubles, plus there are a variety of kinds of parties, from small dorm parties to large frat parties. </p>

<p>Also, random plug: if you happen to like movies, we have an AMAZING film series that runs every Wednesday-Saturday in our best theater (rumor has it that Scorsese called it one of the best places to watch a movie on the east cost…). A great mix of classic, foreign, cult, indy and mainstream recent films, and they never repeat a movie over the course of four years.</p>

<p>You should check out the events posted on Wesleying to et a sense of the kind of things that go on: [Events</a> – Wesleying](<a href=“http://wesleying.org/category/events/]Events”>http://wesleying.org/category/events/)</p>

<p>B) Winter. Yeah, it gets cold. And sometimes rainy and grey in a depressing way, or slushy-snowy in a depressing way (as opposed to real snow, which rocks). But it’s not that bad. People might go out a little less in the winter, but it’s rarely so cold that you won’t do something you really want to just because of the weather. And that holds true for the gym, too. I know I, at least, still go to the gym during winter. You could always get a friend to drive you if it really bothers you.</p>

<p>C) Dining: At Usdan, the main dining hall for meals, there is always a variety of options. Yes, there are pizza and burgers, but also a grill that’s a Mongolian grill at lunch and rotates at dinner, two different soups every day, a “classics” station (normally some kind of meat + veggies + starch), a vegan/kosher station (that is quite good even if you are neither), and a random specials station. Plus, a large variety of ice cream and other deserts, a make-your-own sandwich station, normally there are bagels, etc. etc. Lots of options! </p>

<p>Check out this week’s menu here: [Weekly</a> Menu](<a href=“Wesleyan – Fresh. Local. Delicious.”>Wesleyan – Fresh. Local. Delicious.). Keep in mind that doesn’t cover everything, just the things that change.</p>

<p>There is also Summerfields, which is more of a sandwich, salad and fries kind of place, which takes meals, that has a base menu plus specials every day at dinner.<br>
Basic menu: <a href=“Café Bon Appetit”>Café Bon Appetit;
This week’s specials: [Weekly</a> Menu](<a href=“Wesleyan – Fresh. Local. Delicious.”>Wesleyan – Fresh. Local. Delicious.)</p>

<p>Plus, there are LOTS of options for spending points. Although freshmen and sophomores have to get plans with meals, if you get the highest-points option, you’ll have enough points that you can add more variety, and then as a junior and senior you can get on all points:</p>

<p>WesWings: Burgers, wings, sandwiches, veggie options, specials which often include pasta:
Base Menu:<a href=“http://www.weswings.com/Take%20out%20menu%202.pdf[/url]”>http://www.weswings.com/Take%20out%20menu%202.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
This week’s specials (on the left): [Wes</a> Wings Home](<a href=“Weswings and The Red & Black Cafe”>Weswings and The Red & Black Cafe)</p>

<p>Red+Black: Yummy sandwiches and other snacks (they have smoothies!)
Base menu: <a href=“http://www.redblackcafe.com/RBC%20Menu%20on%20web.pdf[/url]”>http://www.redblackcafe.com/RBC%20Menu%20on%20web.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
This week’s specials: [Home[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Pi Cafe: (Wes’s version of Starbucks, basically)</p>

<p>Wesshop: On campus grocery store</p>

<p>Downstairs cafe in Usdan: Good for on-the-go. Always has sushi, pre-packages sandwiches, soup, coffee, yogurt, drinks etc.</p>

<p>Star+Crescent: Run by Alpha Delt, some of the best food on campus. Monday-Thursday dinners, Tuesday-Thursday lunch, with a meat and veggie (sometimes vegan) option at both; dessert at lunch+dinner, salad at dinner. Also, first three freshmen eat free, so if you’re dedicated, it can be a great deal for a freshmen low on points!
An archive of their menus posted on Wesleying: [url=<a href=“http://wesleying.org/tag/star-and-crescent/]star”>star and crescent | Wesleying]star</a> and crescent – Wesleying](<a href=“Weswings and The Red & Black Cafe”>Weswings and The Red & Black Cafe)</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies. Thanks for the weekly menu too. Sorry if I seem kind of ridiculous about the weather, I just prefer warmth over cold. And yes, I like movies.</p>

<p>Smartalic: I would probably prefer a city or a city suburb for the obvious reasons, but I’m willing to live in a small town as long as I don’t feel suffocated by the school. I can see myself wanting to occasionally get out, but I can also understand what all of you said. </p>

<p>Again, thanks for the replies. It definitely helped.</p>

6

<p>santeria</p>

<p>I am a Wes student this year and my sister recently graduated from Pomona, so I feel that I might have some insights for you on the Pomona vs. Wesleyan debate.</p>

<p>first off, don’t be deceived by the fact that Pomona is an hour away from LA, traffic usually makes it longer, public transportation isn’t easy, driving in LA isn’t fun and I know for a fact that my sister NEVER went into LA. That being said it was probably because there was SO much to do on campus. Pomona, Wesleyan, all of these small liberal artsy schools that are not in cities really will have plenty to do on campus. There is kind of an upside to having a real sense of community too. </p>

<p>as far as weather is concerned… I guess it depends on how much it bothers you. One thing to keep in mind is that you go home for a month over winter break, so already there is one less month of real winter. if you bundle up and you’ll be fine though. Also New England Falls are beautiful and Spring is fantastic. And I know that my sister often did not have air-conditioning in her dorms which was pretty awful, especially for moving in and out in june and may. but I’m not going to lie, if you like sun (which it sounds like you do) you would probably be happier at Pomona. It’s just a matter of priorities. for me, sun and a city would have been nice - but the people at Wesleyan are amazing and that is the main reason why I chose it.</p>

<p>As far as food is concerned, I think Wesleyan does a really good job. I only ate at the Pomona campus a few times but I would say that Wesleyan food is better, given that it is still mass produced. Pomona and the other colleges have more dining halls, but I found the selection to be limited because of it. Wesleyan has Usdan, the one all you can eat dining hall on campus that has tons of options. There are a bunch of other eateries on campus too. Both of the towns have good food, but Claremont is much more yuppified and often the restaurants and can be more expensive. Middletown, surprisingly has a bunch of really good restaurants. </p>

<p>one of the other big differences between Pomona and Wesleyan is housing. my single as a freshman was just as nice and big as the one my sister had as a senior at Pomona. Pomona you pretty much live in the dorms all 4 years, whereas at wesleyan you live in the dorms your first year, then your sophomore year you have the option of the dorms or a program house (which are pretty cute). Juniors have the option of sharing an on campus apartment with friends and finally seniors can live in a really cute woodframe house with friends. so pretty much after freshman year, you can have pretty easy access to a kitchen if you are willing to cook and are concerned about food. </p>

<p>I recognize that I have fairly limited knowledge on Pomona, but I hope this helps.</p>

7

<p>I’m glad you mentioned housing, it’s a really important difference between schools that a lot of people don’t think about (or just ask superficial questions like “are the rooms nice?”)</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the insight. The reason I didn’t ask about dorms is because it isn’t critical here as both schools have better-than-average housing. I’m pretty sure Pomona also has the apartment and friend suite option for upper-classmen. I was definitely impressed with Wesleyan’s freshman dorm and general housing when I visited though. What are the program houses for? Languages?</p>

9

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Program houses are for all sorts of things. There are some language houses (German House, French Hall, Sign Language House, etc). But there are also some that are more cultural (La Casa, International House), houses based on religion (The Bayit, Interfaith house, Buddhist House, etc), houses based on lifestyle and issues that are important to you (Well Being House, Earth House, Womanist House, Open House, etc) and a bunch based on interests (Science Hall, Film Hall, Music House, Writing House, etc). There are other thirty, I think, so lots of cool options if that’s something you might be interested in. (Check them all out here: [Residential</a> Life - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/reslife/ugrad_housing/programhousing/programhouses.html]Residential”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/reslife/ugrad_housing/programhousing/programhouses.html))</p>