<p>I don’t think it matters too much if the OP applies ED because I believe she attends school in Hong Kong and will not visit any US schools before making a decision (based on other posts). The OP says she already knows students at Wellesley, so they can probably give her some personal feedback. </p>
<p>And, to be perfectly blunt, Wellesley seems to be extremely appealing to Asian students. My sister recently graduated, and she said the actual percentage of Asian students is probably closer to 40%. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (to quote Seinfeld)!</p>
<p>According to its website, “Wellesley’s entering class of 2012 had 24.9 percent Asian American students (plus 12.5 percent international, at least half of whom live in Asia).” I am guessing that the 24.9% includes only those US students who declared their ethnicity on their application; many Asian students do not.</p>
<p>From what I saw during my frequent visits, the Asian students appear to be very tight-knit, especially the international students. And I saw tons of posters advertising events sponsored by the different Asian Cultural Clubs.</p>
<p>To be clear, I am not saying that “all Asian students love Wellesley.” I am merely stating that they have a very visible presence on campus and receive a tremendous amount of support from the administration. I thought that might be reassuring to the OP.</p>
<p>It does matter if she applies ED, gets in and then changes her mind. ED is a binding contract. It is only for those who are certain of their first choice. My daughter wasn’t, so she applied RD everywhere. It’s stressful having to wait until March after the frenzy of the application process, but it’s far better to be patient than to be mistaken.</p>
<p>True, ED is absolutely binding. I just assumed OP knew that. </p>
<p>To clarify: What I meant was IF she decides that Wellesley IS the school for her, then she might as well do ED because she will not have the opportunity to visit schools after receiving college decisions (as an earlier poster had suggested).</p>
<p>@Massmomm Right now, I think I’m still uncertain - even though I have doubts about Wellesley I can very clearly picture myself enjoying that environment. I am very passionate about starting projects and building communities - I think I would definitely have enough drive to push myself into new and different things during the school year, and thus meet new people - I’m certain this would happen at any school, but it might be even more important within Wellesley. On a similar vein I love exploring new environments and would love to see Boston: I’m quite confident in my ability to force myself to leave campus quite often in order to explore the “outside world” more fully. However I’m not sure if this is just my internal rationalization and justification for what I perceive to be Wellesley’s “shortcomings”, or whether this genuinely means Wellesley should be my top choice.</p>
<p>@justdoesntmatter To be blunt again, one of the additional reasons why Wellesley might be a good match for me is because of name prestige - as long as Wellesley pleases my parents I personally don’t care how famous it is, but since it seems to be one of the more “well known” LACs amongst certain “Asian” communities, it’s seen as quite a good choice for students who are looking for an LAC experience but also have to consider the approval of parents and whatnot. My parents are both in academia so they at least know a little about LACs, so if I genuinely consider another (equally as venerable) option there shouldn’t be too big of a problem.</p>
<p>You’re right though that I probably won’t be able to visit the campuses of colleges I’m applying to, which is massively inconvenient, but I guess I’ll have to just cope.</p>
<p>Thanks for thinking of me. Yes, I’ve considered doing an exchange year or going abroad, but I’d rather transfer and have the chance to enjoy two years of college. I really tried to make it work here, but in retrospect I wish that I had made up my mind earlier about transferring. I put it off till the last minute and really didn’t have any time to spend on transfer applications and essays. I should’ve done it over winter break, but that just seemed too early & I still hoped things would improve second semester.</p>
<p>I had visited Wellesley during reading period, and I just assumed that the mood was so somber, quiet and stressed because everyone was studying, but the mood seemed like that all day, every day, all year. </p>
<p>Whenever someone posts a question here regarding a negative stereotype, Wellesley parents are quick to refute it. I am here to say that, from my perspective, many of the negative stereotypes about Wellesley are true. To be fair, some of the positives stereotypes are also true: Academics are top-notch and the campus is gorgeous. But there are other “prestigious” schools that offer this, as well as a social setting that is more enjoyable and in touch with the real world. </p>
<p>My suggestion is, if you visit the campus and come away with a bad vibe, go with your instinct, don’t listen to all the parents here telling you how great it is. If you cannot visit the campus, like @13lia1, try to find a way to talk, email or skype a couple of current students or recent alums–maybe contact admissions or checkout some student blogs?</p>
<p>@UnhappyWendy, I myself transferred after my freshman year (Carleton --> University of Michigan) and my older daughter also transferred (University of South Carolina --> Ithaca College). So I hope you are able to transfer to somewhere which is a better fit.</p>
<p>While you are at Wellesley, do enjoy the aspects that you may not find elsewhere - the “civilized” living (no drunken parties at all hours keeping you up at night) - and students who are intellectually engaged with their studies as a matter of course.</p>
<p>I really don’t think it’s easy to find a college that has it all.</p>
<p>I agree with the points Unhappy Wendy made. My D is not unhappy, but it’s a lot harder to get to Boston than Wellesley portrays, and it’s difficult to meet guys, except through frat parties, and I agree with her that it’s not the best way to meet people. Wellesley in general takes itself Very Seriously and it can get a bit much at times. That said, she loves the academics and professors. </p>
<p>As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I first arrived on campus I was surprised to hear the Wellesley “sisterhood” being referred to as a “siblinghood.” Like other women’s colleges, Wellesley finds itself in a paradoxical dilemma regarding acceptance of transmen and transwomen students. </p>
<p>The cover article in next Sunday’s “New York Times” magazine section, “When Women Become Men at Wellesley,” discusses the “sisterhood vs. siblinghood” debate. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>location out of touch with the real world. I had thought about this too, but then I kept hearing things like Stabbing in the Boston Commons (happened yesterday), emails sent to many Harvard Asian female students threatening shooting (happened a couple weeks ago, this is particularly scary because I myself identify as an Asian female), and Boston bombing (a couple years ago). Some students are unhappy with the location, but I just want to make it clear that a SAFE environment is not so easy to find in a city, even it’s a fabulous city like Boston. I personally appreciate the safety provided by a suburban town like Wellesley, and I know many of my friends do too.</p></li>
<li><p>Few parties on campus. I know that the nights when “parties” were thrown by orgs, we had to lock our doors. Wall decors in our res hall was even rudely destroyed by a drunk male guest. Many of us chose to come here because we appreciate a safe and comfortable environment uninterrupted by the noise and anxiety caused by wild and constant party scenes. If you really want that party, there are A THOUSAND parties in Boston city every weekend, suit thyself.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@TheMilkyWay433 I thought about this for a long time as well. I think one of the reasons why I like the Wellesley environment is because I want to be able to CHOOSE my social scenes - If I want to party, I’m confident that I’ll be able to find people to socialize with, but that choice will be mine alone and won’t be imposed onto me. I very much treasure the idea of a safe, quiet, nurturing environment in which to grow as a person and a student.</p>
<p>@UnhappyWendy I’m reading the article now! I looks very interesting, and yes - I’ve heard a lot about the uncomfortable and confusing relationship many WCs have with their transgender students.</p>
<p>Hi I have been considering Wellesley. I was just wondering how you guys feel about the school’s stress level, as in how do you cope with it and how stress is there to begin with? </p>
<p>Personally I don’t quite understand why people stressed so much about competition/academic stress when I was considering Wellesley. I went to a private school, worked my ass off (5-6 hours of sleep every night), playing varsity sports, and getting A-/As. So far at W I have been getting 7 hours of sleep every night, going to Boston with friends, participating in ECs, working 9 hrs/wk, getting similar grades as I did in high school…
You just have to be academically prepared and have good time management skills. It also really depends on what school you come from, and what’s your expectation of working HARD.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I am also a first year. So, please take that into consideration, hehe.</p>
<p>@TheMilkyWay433 It definitely has been! I’ve seen Wellesley being mentioned in college-related news no less than three times in the last week… Hope you’re having a great time there! Hopefully I’ll see you in person sometime next year!</p>
<p>@13lia1 I AM LOVING IT. AH. give me 3 days and I can talk to you non-end. PM me if you have any question; I’d love to answer any of your questions.</p>
Hopefully I’ll see you in person sometime next year!</p>