<p>I'm not a current student, but it's only been a year since I graduated. </p>
<p>Things I didn't like: Classmates who thought they knew everything. Falling into the same know-it-all mindset. Playing the "I'm busier than you" game. People who liked to be offended but who didn't think other students should be allowed the same luxury. The degree to which certain online fora (restricted to the Wellesley community) encouraged and developed these tendencies.</p>
<p>I'm digging through my memory, trying to think of other problems, but that seems to be the whole list, at the moment. For the most part, the problems I had with the college were all online. I only had one bad run-in with another student, and that was about laundry. </p>
<p>You cope by finding friends who don't let you dwell on the negative aspects of your college experience. On the whole, the professors, staff, and student body are supportive and encouraging. There's very little sense of competition (in the "my grades/jobs/internships/etc. are better than yours" sense), and the campus is beautiful. It's a bit of a trek to get into the city, but that never bothered me. I've always lived in fairly small towns and rural areas, so the city and its party scene never appealed to me. I only went into Boston a handful of times in my four years there.</p>
<p>To answer one of your other questions, a women's college is for women. That's about as specific as anyone can be. Until you're there, it's hard to say whether or not you'll enjoy the environment. I went despite the fact that it wasn't co-ed, yet it never felt weird or unnatural. I never once wished that there were male students around. Some people worry that students won't be able to cope in the "real", mixed-sex world, which is a bit of an overreaction since there are still men around: there are male faculty, staff, and cross-registered students.</p>
<p>Visit the campus, overnight if you can. See if you can drop in on a club meeting--most organizations would probably be happy to let you do this if you talk to them. Talk to professors in the subjects you're pursuing. Eventually, you'll get a feel for the college that goes beyond the viewbook.</p>
<p>I've wondered a lot about this too--I'm worried about Wellesley being too much of a...bubble? I guess I want to know how small it <em>feels</em> to students...I know that it's both secluded and small, but I wonder how aware of that the students are.</p>
<p>omg. i wanna visit wellesley sooo much!
open house is april 27/28.. isn't it kinda late considering the fact that we have to send our deposits and stuff like that to the schools before May 1st?</p>
<p>nah, it's just their clever way of recruiting us--I think they're hoping that if they can leave us starry-eyed in love with Wellesley so close to the drop date, then we're much more likely to choose it as opposed to colleges that we've fallen out of love with in the elapsed time.</p>
<p>Ringer05, thank you so much for that. I'm visiting Wellesley in a few weeks. I'm making connecting schedule with other colleges I have gotten into. </p>
<p>I thought its open house is April 20-23ish? That weekend. ??</p>
<p>ALANA students can attend either session. As an ALANA alumna I think the ALANA session gives you a good prospective on your community but again either session is great, do not feel confind to only ALANA events. The whole school is for everyone.</p>
<p>Yes you can. You need to call admissions and ask- I'm not involved with them at all, but I do know that there are prospectives coming to sleep over at Wellesley every week of the school year.</p>
<p>We're always given the positive side. Going to the school, what do you think sucks about it? And how are you coping with that?</p>
<p>I don't like the food/meal plan. This is probably just me being spoiled and not recognizing a good thing, but yeah. Do with that what you will. I'm sure this is a fault that isn't unique to Wellesley. The system itself (theoretically) is good -- as much food as you want, lots of dining halls, no swiping or anything -- but the food itself leaves something to be desired.</p>
<p>The distance from Boston, although not huge, is sometimes a deterrent for lazy people like me. I do still go out a lot, and go to Boston at least once a week or every other week... but it doesn't stop me from wishing the ride was shorter. Wellesley is secluded in that way, and that has its benefits and disadvantages. It doesn't feel small to me, personally, because the people here are generally so aware of so many different kinds of national and global issues.</p>
<p>I'm still in my first year, so maybe my view on this will change... but I'm not really fond of our distribution requirements either. It forces us to take classes that we wouldn't normally, I suppose, and that's probably the whole point of a liberal arts education... but I don't relish being forced to take math and science classes. At all. Who knows? Maybe I'll take Oceanography next year and love it, but.... the odds are slim. Again, probably a petty complaint about something that's meant to be good.</p>
<p>Overall, the women's college environment hasn't been negative for me. I really think this depends on the person, though. One of my friends hosted a prospective student in the fall who was complaining about the lack of boys pretty much as soon as she got here. You know yourself best... if you think you wouldn't be able to exist!!! without men, well, maybe Wellesley isn't the best idea. On the other hand, even if that is your opinion, you could come to Wellesley anyway and realize that it's not actually that much of a transition. There's no clear cut way to say, I think, who is right for it and who isn't. It depends on how much you try to open yourself to the experience, I guess.</p>
<p>Hopefully that came out less ramble-y than it looks... eep.</p>