<p>I got into wesleyan. The thing is that i applied on a fluke, i dont know a thing about wesleyan, never even visited the campus. I also got into bucknell and i need to compare the 2. I know ill get some good pro-wesleyan info on this forum, so hook me up. Basically i need to know how it stacks up to bucknell, how happy students are there, what the general feel of the student body is, hows the campus. I can get superficial answers from the schools website, but i want some nitty gritty.</p>
<p>From what I hear, it's nice academically, but the social scene there sucks. Middletown is supposed to be a real down and out little city, and there's a lot of the pretentious atmosphere of an ivy league school at Wesleyan, just with a lot more drugs. I got accepted there, but I think I'm going to end up at NYU instead.</p>
<p>B</p>
<p>You've lucked out unbelievably. A small university, Wesleyan is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the United States. The past twenty years have been particularly good to Wesleyan as its name has become better known (it is favorite subject of the conservative press) and its notably liberal alumni have achieved prominence in such disparate areas as law, journalism, film, and even athletics (one of the winningest football coaches of recent years, Bill Bellichick, graduated from Wes and is the father of a current student.) Bucknell is a good, solid place to go to college, but, it is worlds apart from Wesleyan; it is WAY more conservative and preprofessional. The most popular major is business administration. People don't generally go to Bucknell for the rip-roaring, intellectual atmosphere. OTOH, the Bucknell campus is said to be among the prettiest in the country.</p>
<p>It's true that Middletown is not a big city; but, what are you going to compare it to? Amherst, Massachusetts? Williamstown? The fact is that the southern part of New England, that is to say, the part of New England too warm for skiing, is one of the most densely populated areas of the United States; anything you can't find in Middletown (and there is less and less that you can't find there) you can probably find within a half hour's drive. Most people don't do a fraction of the things they think they will do in a big city and when you come right down to it the social life of a typical NYU student is not that different from a Wesleyan student; on a typical Saturday night if you are not to be found in a smoky bar, sipping orange juice (because you're underage) you are just as likely to wind up in a friend's dorm listening to music and passing around a joint. Certain things are just universal.</p>
<p>yay john wesley!! i love wes <em>v</em></p>
<p>The students at Wesleyan are talented, ambitious, and motivated by a passion for what they're learning and a sincere desire to make an impact on the world they inhabit. You can only find this at a small handful of colleges. (I can't speak for Bucknell, really) I will admit that this sometimes leads to pretention, but there are going to be pretentious people everywhere.</p>
<p>Also there are going to be drugs everywhere (especially NYU). Don't avoid a school because of its perceived drug use habits, the rumor is always more severe than the reality.</p>
<p>Middletown is a fine city with an interesting history. It has its fair share of interesting restaurants, shops, and all-night diners. New York City it ain't, but you have your whole life to live in NYC and only four years to spend on a real residential campus.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, I was sort of in a similar position. I applied to 9 schools somewhat haphazardly. I visited some of them (including Wesleyan) but I determined from the visits that every college was the same and thus didn't care where I went. I didn't really realize Wes for the place for me until I got in and came to WesFest. I recommend you do the same and really take some time to meet your fellow admits and some current students and explore the campus.</p>