Hello! Thank you for doing this, this is great! I have a couple of questions about the social life if that’s okay?
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how easy is it to get off campus? And how is the Wellesley town like in general?
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Is it super competitive and high strung or is everyone fairly comfortable and welcoming?
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How easy is it meeting guys/getting guy friends? Like, I’m gay so relationships don’t matter as much so, but I would love some friends that are guys!
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is it easy juggling work and play? Like, is campus lively enough to take breaks and find something to do, or is everyone rather stuck in books?
Thanks again
@jayunch Hi! I’ll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
- It's very easy to get off campus, if you have the time to do so. We have a private Wellesley bus that runs from campus into Boston/Cambridge on the hour every day of the week (except Sun is every 2 hours). We also have a bus that runs on Sat. to the mall/movie theater/shopping center/target. The bus ride into the city takes 40 minutes and is $6, round trip, on the weekends. On the weekdays it's free.There's also the commuter rail that's around a 10 min walk if you want to get into the city that way.
The town of Wellesley (the Ville) is small and not student-oriented. It's mostly upscale boutiques, and a few places to eat (pizza, burritos, bagels). There's also a Starbucks and a Peet's for coffee. The residents are upper-middle-class, majority white; there's limited diversity.
- It's not high strung in the sense that everyone is competing against each other. But it's very stressful because everyone is trying to do well. It's a very welcoming and comfortable environment - everyone looks out for each other (for the most part - your always going to come across annoying people wherever you end up).
- I don't go out to parties, and most girls meet guys through that avenue. However, you can always take classes at Babson/Olin/MIT or join orgs on those campuses to meet guys. On a day-to-day basis, however, there's limited interaction.
- The campus host A LOT of events. It's actually a problem that there's too much stuff going on. So you can always take a study break and go to a talk by a guest lecturer, take a walk around the lake, find friends in the dining halls. It can get tough during midterm and finals season, but most people understand the importance of finding balance.
@CeenCat Thank you so much for these detailed answers, it’s really helpful when trying to make a decision.
Another question: what are the most popular majors and how quickly do classes fill up?
@jayunch
The most popular majors are Economics, Biology, Poli Sci, Psychology… in no particular order. And more recently -Computer Science has gained popularity.
Some classes fill up VERY fast, particularly intro CS classes and intro Econ classes. When registration opens at 8:00 am, you better be ready to register at 8:01 or else everything will fill up. It’s pretty stressful, but I’ve never had a problem with registration, you just need to have a few classes as backups in case you don’t get into your first choice. This is the tradeoff of having small classes - there are limited seats! However, it gets easier as you move up because registration is staggered - first years register last and seniors first.
My D has gotten all of the classes she wanted both semesters she’s been there with the exception of her writing class–she was assigned one that was not on her top 10 (they ask you for a list of your top five choices for each semester). She ended up in one she would never choose/had zero interest in, however it worked out just fine and she did like the teacher. She is a much better writer after one semester than she was a year ago. There is guidance in registration however–they teach you how to register in small group meetings and your student guide can hold your hand through it. In my D’s experience they all went to the common room in the dorm and registered on their laptops with the guide helping those who needed it. It helps to be fast and definitely have alternates. If you don’t get something one semester, you’ll get it another semester. One semester she didn’t get a class she wanted but someone in it changed their mind a few days later and dropped it and she saw it online and was able to grab the spot ( or maybe they created more seats?). There is also a new and improved waiting list system that is automatic for most classes. For others, you have to email the professor. It is stressful because of the adrenaline of a race but at least you know right away if you got a class or not. You also can assess your chances because you know upfront exactly how many seats are left in the class after the upperclassmen register (plus most of them don’t need the intro classes anymore so there are usually plenty of seats in the class you’d want.) Wellesley also might create a new section of a class with a big waiting list–this happened last semester. Back in my day we waited in line in the gym for an hour or two just to find out it was gone once it was your turn. Registration will go fine.
Love this forum cause it keeps me from making a new one every time I have a question!
Got into Wellesley last week after a year of dying and have a few ?s
- What are the men at Olin/Babson/MIT like? How about Harvard men? (I’m sorry this is my first question I just like boys okay? Okay)
- Heard that most of the parties are held at MIT and Harvard frats. I only went to a few high school parties where people drank and stuff, so I’m not sure how to compare high school parties to college ones. Are the MIT/Harvard frat parties pretty rowdy? Are they fun? What’s the atmosphere? How often are they?
- I’m planning on becoming an English Major because I have always loved literature, but I don’t really have any interest in using it for a career (mainly haven’t found a job that I both love and that pays). Another potential interest is becoming a psychiatrist or ER Doctor, both which require pre-med. Would an English Major be of any use alongside the pre-med track? What’s the pre-med track like? How popular is the English Major and what do students usually do with it?
- What’s the housing like? How big/small are the rooms? What’s the highlight of each dorm, and which one are freshman most likely to get? Does each dorm have a high concentration of singles vs suites, etc? During Open House this April, will we get to your all the dorms before choosing?
- How do we pick roommates? Is there like a Facebook group or a quiz that matches you will good potentials? Haven’t seen much on this but other colleges are sending me their info on it.
Sorry for all these questions and how long they are. I don’t care if multiple people answer only one or a few, just want to know the answers to them all!
ANOTHER BOY QUESTION SORRY!! Okay so just curious, but is Wellesley one of those schools where you might come home and find a sock on the door? Like do couples that sleep together usually go to Wellesley or do they go to the partner’s dorm/apartment off campus? I’m more just wondering if you walk down the halls at night and see a bunch of doors closed with “do not disturb” signs or something. I see it in movies a lot idk
I’ll leave the party questions to the students but!
- Dorms are assigned to freshmen and you will have no choice. Almost all of the dorms have some rooms allowed for first year students. Some rooms are larger and some are tiny. Some dorms are more central and some are on the edge of campus. You can either find your own roommate (a roommate match list will probably happen after May 1) or one will be assigned to you randomly and you will likely get a double (although a triple or quad is possible) and there are medical singles for first year students. I do have to say I was very impressed with the move-in process. I was wary of having to lug stuff up 3 flights of stairs but they had plenty of 2-wheel hand trucks and the staff helped us load everything up into a big laundry type cart and took it in a service elevator for us (my D lives in the Quad this year).
- Here is the premed track, basically: http://www.wellesley.edu/medical/prepare
You should sign up for some of it your first semester so that you can make progress. The sciences have labs that take 3-4 hours which is a big chunk of the day, so you want to spread them out over your first 3 years (so you can take the MCAT after your junior year and apply in your 4th year and go after graduation). Of course you can major in English and be pre-med. Med schools do not care what your major is. It might be refreshing to have an English major in the sea of ubiquitous bio and neuroscience majors. You should google MCAT and see what you need to study for it as well.
- Since you'll be an English major, try to get Writ 105/Eng 120 (Critical Interpretation) as your first year writing course. It's a requirement for the English major and it makes good sense to knock two birds out with one stone especially since you'll have to take all those pre-med courses and labs listed in the point 2 link!
Re: English majors, a lot of med schools these days look favorably on majors in the humanities, since they show a breadth of experience and interest. Redpoodles gave a good answer about Wellesley’s premed track in general. If you’re interested in psychiatry, you should definitely look into some classes in Wellesley’s psych department, which is fantastic.
Wellesley English majors go on to lots of different jobs. A good number end up in publishing or working for non-profits. Many (including me) become teachers or professors. The critical thinking and writing skills you learn as an English major prepare you for lots of different career tracks, even ones that aren’t strictly related to literature.
Hello! I’m back with a question about dorms!
I hear rice cookers/boilers/candles/rtc aren’t allowed but one of my friends currently attending say people have them anyways. Would it be fine if I brought the mentioned items or would they hit me with the fine right away?
If you bring them you must hide them. Don’t bring candles. Aromatherapy diffusers are allowed I think, and fake candles give you the ambiance without the risk. You can also have string lights which give a nice ambiance too without the risk of candles.
Is there Journalism major at Wellesley? Because I cannot find it anywhere.
No, there is not a Journalism major. Wellesley is a liberal arts school, so there are no “professional” degrees eg. accounting, business, journalism, etc. There absolutely are students interested in Journalism, but you’ll find them nested into other departments such as Political Science, English, etc.
HI! I know this post is kind of old but I hope you can still help me! I’m thinking of applying to Wellesley for next spring! I’m a transfer student and I was wondering if you could tell me whether you know of any transfer students and if they love the college or not? Also, I’m planning to major in science but I know it’s a liberal arts school, would you still recommend I apply?
Hi @nvme2015 ! I know a couple of transfer students and they love it here. Of course, it depends on what you are looking for - why do you want to transfer?
I’m a Biology major and Wellesley has a very strong science program. Don’t be turned off by liberal arts colleges as a science major - most of the time they have excellent science programs! Plus, you have smaller classes and form great relationships with your professors, who you can later do research with. The only caveat is that you’ll have to take humanities classes because as a liberal arts student, you have to be well versed in all areas of academia (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
@nvme2015 I was a transfer student! I came in at the beginning of my sophomore year in 2010 and loved it. Transferring was a great choice for me. I was an English and history double-major, but I took some science classes as well. The science departments at Wellesley are very strong–that won’t be a problem for you.
What size are the beds? XL twin or regular twin?
I have had the impression that Wellesley has a community feel with a sense of sisterhood. Then I read this post and start wondering if I had made a false assumption:
http://wellesleylamppost.com/post/142313091854/the-complete-truth-of-what-i-love-and-hate-about. Specifically, it was this excerpt that caught my attention:
“Lack of close community - This isn’t always an easy place to make good friends. Most of the student groups that take up a lot of your time and foster group bonding (you know, the places where you’re likely to make your closest friends), are usually the groups you have to apply to get into. And you have to apply to get into way too much here. I think it’s easy to go through your days here with lots of acquaintances and not many people you’re close enough to to make this place feel like home.”
Are people at Wellesley welcoming? Or are most people too absorbed in schoolwork to make friends and bond? I have also heard that its difficult to make friends here; is this true? Or is just a general truth about college?
Hm…that wasn’t really my impression when I was a student. Your hallmates during the first year tend to be a good source of friends, and there are plenty of orgs that don’t require you to apply to get in (I’d say it’s the vast majority, if I recall correctly). My advice is this: Be proactive about making friends. People tend to be a little nervous and awkward at first, since you’re all in an unfamiliar situation. Make an effort to ask people to eat with you in the dining hall or form a study group or whatever floats your boat. Join a couple of orgs right away and see if they strike your fancy. Making friends won’t be too difficult as long as you make an effort.