<p>I keep hearing that Wellesley is the number one women’s college in the US, but how did that reputation come to be? Is it deserved? Is the quality of the education at Wellesley better? If so, is it logical to choose Wellesley over the other all-women 7 sisters colleges for this reason?</p>
<p>[I’m posting this is the Wellesley, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard forums]</p>
<p>I, personally, would not think think the education you'd get at Wellesley would be any better than the one you would get at Barnard. I think rankings are deceiving, because they generally ignore Barnard's relationship with Columbia, so it appears that Barnard offers fewer classes, has fewer facilities, etc. than Barnard students actually have accesss to. Barnard is also the most difficult of the women's schools to gain admission into, so academics is clearly THE focus here. That said, Wellesley is an amazing school that also offers a great education. You really need to focus on what works best for you; if you really love the city, New York (and, therefore, Barnard) offers a great "welcome to the real world" education in addition to the fantastic academics. If you're not so much a city person, Wellesley would be a better fit, because you could always run to Boston for fun, but otherwise wouldn't be stuck in an environment that you might not enjoy. If you know what major(s) you're interested in, that should also be a factor. For example, the English program here is one of the best in the country, which is why I chose to apply to Barnard and not to Wellesley. I'm sure Wellesley is similarly particularly strong in other programs. If you don't know what you want to study yet, however, it is pretty much a decision based on environment, so I suggest visiting and getting a feel for how you'd like the area as well as how you would like the girls at each school. In my personal opinion though, the actual quality of the education provided at each school is equal.</p>
<p>In addition to the questions of money and fame (along with Smith, Wellesley is the most widely known sister), there's the interesting issue of their all-male ties.</p>
<p>Though Radcliffe was Harvard's official sister, Wellesley was very closely tied to Harvard in popular thought and in practice. Harvard has consistently been a number one school. Barnard was and still is tied to Columbia and New York City, both of which have undergone lots of ups and downs in their history.</p>
<p>While I think Wellesley is a fabulous school, I think its reputation is relatively overblown (i.e. the other sisters are much better than they get credit for, and Wellesley gets a prestige bump above its quality). The education you get at any of the top schools will depend on you, and how much you take advatage of the many offerings of whatever school you pick.</p>
<p>hi! i really need help! i thought since you mentioned barnard you know somehting about it and could help, i accepted tufts' offer of admission, but barnard just got me off their waitlist..where should i got-- i was gonna major in International Relations and minor in Media and Communications at Tufts....help!~</p>