Do I have a shot?

<p>You know I’m not so sure, triage is necessary, have you seen Williams Library?, like A’s their endowment is huge, it was a draw for us when we found A offered 180 fellowships to graduating seniors, couldn’t believe it, out of 460 class of 2014. A are building 4 new dorms and the long awaited Science Centre is on the move again, alas my DS will not see it finished.</p>

<p>I liked Wes initially, was drawn to the CSS program, the recruiter tried really hard to convince my DS, flew him to visit and offered Fin Aid to match A and the other offers, really Wes offered the same aid which was great, there are just so many things that at least on the face of it, let Wes down. Forgive me to list a few, because it pained me to note them but I could not let my DS attend where I didn’t feel he was committed or would thrive.<br>

  • The campus is horrid, with the exception of the few newer buildings and a football field in the middle makes no sense
    (I hate football anyways), -The dorms were something out of the 1960’s they don’t even compare to those at Vassar, Pomona or Amherst’s (palaces). - Frankly we dismissed the attitude of some of the students at the Wesfest, but it got under our skin the "activist’ for the sake of "activist’ didn’t work for us, the female students were ‘aggressive’ the males too quiet. The Library though interesting on the outside, is a horrid mess inside, with really tatty old lamps and tables again something out of the 1980’s, anyone could spend $20K and really tidy it up, compared to Williams, well there is no comparison!. - The Athletic complex again, its from the 1970’s, hardly been touched, nice sepia photo’s of the past, but not in the least bit attractive to today’s best students. Senior housing leaves something to be desired a current senior told us their house was being raised to the ground at the end of the semester and others were in the same state. As to the Greek life, just be done with it Roth, don’t try to make them co-ed, just rid the University of them. Now I liked the academics and some of the faculty we met, but no-one made the effort to connect with us or DS, seems some of the faculty are just not trying and were seeing out time, time for a clear out more like!.</p>

<p>I really wanted to like Middletown more, we tried, we stayed, we eat, we walked, but the town and surroundings are very, well, how does one say it, down at heel?, unkept, little or no new business, boarded up homes and business fronts, outside the main street, there is NOTHING to compel you to spend FOUR years living here.</p>

<p>Sorry, but we tried to like Wes, flew in 2000 miles to visit, stayed for 2 days and it’s just not that which is was before, no wonder it ranks lower than it did, the town needs money spent and the university needs even more, but alas that endowment doesn’t allow it. I’m sure it works for some but I’m not paying $60K before aid for what Wesleyan currently offers.</p>

<p>@Englishman‌

</p>

<p>I don’t think that’s how financial aid works. They deduct the amount awarded for aid before you pay, not the other way around. Sorry, if that was a misunderstanding.</p>

<p>@Englishman‌

</p>

<p>Good grief @Englishman‌. You’re describing the stacks! You barely set foot in the library.</p>

<p>@Englishman‌

That doesn’t describe any athletic structure on the Wesleyan campus. It’s clear to me that you visited a lot of colleges in a very short amount of time and are confusing them. It happens.</p>

<p>@Englishman‌

</p>

<p>Welcome to Amherst:
<a href=“http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GIGnk1A5ekw”>http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GIGnk1A5ekw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It’s interesting because when my son visited Wesleyan last spring two big draws for him were the Athletic complex and the way senior housing works. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I agree with Circuitrider. You must be confusing a different college’s athletic center with Wesleyan. Wesleyan also has an amazing Crew boathouse. Amherst’s boathouse is little more than a tin garage.
<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/deptinfo/facilitiespages/freemanathletic.html”>Wesleyan University - Official Athletics Website;

<p>To add to these comments, </p>

<p>@Crewdad, we didn’t see the Crew boathouse at Amherst or Wesleyan, so I cannot comment, you are likely correct. </p>

<p>@GrudeMonk each to their own, but we toured the senior’s house, which has by now been torn down and it was really really crappy and I would not have wanted my senior living in it, perhaps they are getting better, I agree there is flexibility which is nice. </p>

<p>@Circuitrider nice video, have you seen Charles Pratt Dorm?, that’s what Wesleyan has to compete with!. </p>

<p>I agree we saw several colleges, but in this case DS, DW and I flew to Middletown in April for Wesfest, we toured the facilities and campus Friday of Wesfest and stayed and visited again on Saturday, we visited the Freeman Athletic Centre with the tour group and took pictures to allow us to reflect, honestly (it may have changed in 6 months but i doubt it ) it is so dated the pool to, have you seen Williams and Amherst facilities?
A spent $40m on the Football field/track (Pratt) alone in the last 2 years, its amazing and a horrid waste of money because we hate and dont follow football, but they can do that, they spend like its going out of fashion, golf course… buy it, hotel buy it…and remodel it spend =$30m+, if only Wes could do that, my son is an athlete but considered Wesleyan’s Freeman Centre no better than his High School, if only.<br>
@Circuitrider Lastly I know fin aid, I just got 6 offers for DS14 this year, so trust me I know how fin aid works, Wes was great and nearly matched all the other offers, but it’s what you get for the money/cost. </p>

<p>Remember I think there are only 6 Colleges (HYPS+ Pomona +one more? & A even Williams is not without loans or Intl need blind) which are loan free/meet 100% of need (Intl in addition at Amherst) and are agnostic/need blind when considering admissions, Wesleyan is NOT.
We felt although Wes offer was similar, the others offers all of them Vassar, Pomona, Pitzer and A, cost of attendance is largely the same, but what you get for that is what counts (you get what you pay for?), in our opinion Wesleyan could not come close, but I’m afraid the facilities were perhaps the biggest problem for us, the town of Middletown didn’t help. </p>

<p>But hey it’s just one families opinion, to add to what @wesleyan97 suggested, everyone has their own opinions especially alums, btw I didn’t get my undergrad in the US!.</p>

<p>@Englishman‌ stop digging a hole for yourself and admit you were smoking something that day. It was probably a nice spring day. LOL.</p>

<p>Wesleyan’s Freeman Athletic Center is actually newer than Williams’ by three years (and marginally more expensive):</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/deptinfo/facilitiespages/freemanathletic.html”>Wesleyan University - Official Athletics Website;

<p><a href=“http://facilities.williams.edu/properties/chandler/”>http://facilities.williams.edu/properties/chandler/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@Englishman‌

The pool, too:
<a href=“Wesleyan University - Official Athletics Website”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/deptinfo/facilitiespages/natatorium.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@Englishman‌

If that’s true (and we have to consider the source), they were swindled.</p>

<p>Pratt:</p>

<p>

<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/magazine/issues/2012spring/collegerow/pratt”>https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/magazine/issues/2012spring/collegerow/pratt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;