<p>I've scoped out the history department at Wellesley, and I like what I see. A lot of the courses--and there seems to be such a variety!--look truly fascinating; the professors seem to be well-respected on RateMyProfessors (albeit not the most reliable source); and I enjoyed my experiences in the classroom when I visited a history class. This being said, as someone who is definitely leaning toward a history major, I'd also like to get perspectives from current or former students.</p>
<p>Were your experiences in history classes positive? Interesting? Are the professors as good as the Internet makes them out to be? Would I be well-prepared for graduate work in history, in your opinion? </p>
<p>I appreciate your responses to those questions and any other advice/information you wish to add!</p>
<p>RateMyProfessors is super outdated for Wellesley. On the Wellesley computer system, we have a part called “opinions” that has more up to date information about professors, classes, etc. </p>
<p>I’ve only taken one history class at Wellesley, but it was awesome. It was a small-medium size class for me (compared to my other classes) at about 11-13 or so students. There was a lot of emphasis on readings and discussion, which is pretty much the way things are in history courses. My professor was very personable and encouraged those of us who weren’t history majors to still take more history courses just because it was an interesting area.</p>
<p>I feel that no matter what area you study at Wellesley you will be prepared for graduate school in some respect (caveats being in more quantitative based computer science degrees and design architecture). I know a lot of people who have gone on for PhDs in history, and they’ve gotten a lot out of their Wellesley history major experiences.</p>
<p>I’ve had an amazing experience in the Medieval Russian history course I’m taking this past semester. It’s my first history course at Wellesley (I did global history, AP Euro, APUSH in HS) and I absolutely love it. The emphasis is on discussions of the readings, as welles10 wrote, and the prof is really encouraging, knowledgable, and dynamic. </p>
<p>I’m certain that Wellesley’s history department would prepare you for graduate work. How likely your job prospects are AFTER graduate school, however, is another story…</p>
<p>I also have only taken one history class at Wellesely, but it was excellent. The professor was extremely dynamic and interesting and it was one of my favorite courses here. He was tough and not an easy grader at all, but he was so, so committed to his students and immediately responded to emails, even in the middle of the night, and was always made himself available to meet, even reorganizing his schedule so that he could meet at very inconvenient times. Several of my friends are History majors, and the all speak very, very highly of the department.</p>
<p>I loved both of the history classes I’ve taken. Sometimes, people find it to be very different than previous history classes they’ve taken. I rather liked that the courses I took focused on big picture, overarching themes, cause and effect, as well as discussion of sources and reading. There was also a bit of emphasis on developing arguments and interpretation that you don’t get if you’re going through and just learning about events/people. </p>
<p>Whether that’s a plus or minus for you, it was a nice plus for me. I would emphasize that you can shop around for classes the first couple of weeks of the semester. Definitely sit in on a class and see if it’s for you.</p>