Is it impossible, Ivy level rigor?
It may be impossible for you, but that depends on how hard you want to work. It isn’t too hard for the 90 plus percent of Wellesley students who graduate.
It’s not impossible if you manage your time wisely and ask for help when you need it. I would say it’s harder than the average Ivy, but only because those schools have by and large suffered from the same type of grade inflation that plagues many colleges and universities. Wellesley actively combats that with its grade deflation policy. So it’s harder to get an A, basically.
When you ask how hard is it, do you mean how much coursework is assigned to each subject or how difficult is it to get a 4.0?
31 students in the class of 2017 graduated summa cum laude, which requires a GPA of 3.9 or higher.
how is the coursework? Do you really get a lot?
Wellesley does a great job in their admissions process, they don’t accept students who would be overmatched. But plenty of young ladies who had been a big fish in their high school, get humbled when they come to Wellesley, mostly because its hard to accept that an A is no longer automatic. They cannot skate by on their reputation, and their regular modest effort may not be enough to make them stand out from the rest of the class.
Based on my D’s experience, I would say it is more rigorous compared to many other schools.
I graduated a million years ago (specifically, 25 years), so my experience may not be valid anymore. But many of my classmates were disappointed when they went on to graduate school at Ivy League schools because the courses at the Ivy League were not nearly as in-depth or demanding as they were at Wellesley. I went to grad school at a Big 10, and I would say the same thing for my experience, but I was in a professional program, so didn’t expect it to be as difficult as Wellesley.
Although I have never earned a lot of money, I would say that my Wellesley education has been one of the most valuable things in my life. Wellesley taught me how to look at every side of an issue and really participate in civic life. To think things through without making rash judgments.
The joke at Wellesley is that if you need to boost your GPA, cross-register for a class at MIT. :))
In all seriousness though, 95% of first-year students return for their sophomore year. Wellesley does a good job at admitting students that thrive and are successful in the Wellesley academic environment. So if you are admitted, have confidence that you belong.
@3puppies What do you mean by overmatched?
match your abilities with the rigor / work demanded