I am open to most things but my family is very conservative. I love the community so far from reading about it but I wonder if I will feel very conservative when I get there.
I think most will say that college campuses in general have a liberal slant. MA is considered a liberal area. I would not think Wellesley would me very much different than another comparable school. You will definatley be able to find like minded people there.
Not gonna lie, conservatives are definitely a distinct minority. They exist, though–there’s a College Republicans group, if I recall correctly. I would recommend considering how you personally would respond to the environment. If you’re ok not having a large number of people with similar political views to you, then you’ll probably be fine. If that’s a dealbreaker, though, it might be a good idea to reconsider. I wish I could be of more help! That’s just my impression based on my time at Wellesley.
@Tothelimit What is your intended major?
It depends on what “conservative” means to you…
If you primarily are conservative in the fiscal sense, well you likely know that Wellesley is a bastion for the study of Economics…so I’m sure you can always find a lively conversation about free trade, deregulation, and taxes.
If your conservatism is more about social issues…you said you are “open to most things”…consider these rhetorical questions:
- Will you be comfortable in a strongly feminist environment?
- Wellesley has a large and visible lesbian/bi population, is that a problem for you?
- About 50% of the students are persons of color and another 10-15% are international. Are you ok in that environment?
Conservatives on campus exist, but are certainly a small group.
https://thewellesleynews.com/2016/10/05/wellesley-college-republicans-remains-neutral-in-the-2016-election/
I saw in another thread that you received a Likely in your EE application. Congratulations! I suggest planning a visit during Spring Open Campus where you can attend classes, meet people, and spend the night. That should give you a much better sense about how you’d fit.
Good luck!
@Tothelimit Yo! I’m conservative and I’m going to Wellesley! Come. Join me! I’m Class of 2021. I’m not very politically involved though…
If you decide to go, PM me! It would be nice to get to know another conservative Wendy! 
(I had reservations at first, too, but after talking to students and alumnae with similar circumstances, I felt reassured and ultimately decided to apply ED.
Not sure if you’re already made your decision, but Wellesley’s a very open and accepting place. People usually value diversity of thought. That being said, it is a very liberal. If you need to be surrounded by people who agree with you about everything, it might be a problem. Otherwise, people are usually very respectful with each other and don’t harass each other for opposing political views.
I am a liberal international student from Europe. I am open minded and tolerant. I love debating and I hate political correctness. Even though I am liberal I, am against safe spaces and I recognize a lot of dangers in the overused political correctness. I was treated very badly many times by Wellesley students only because I openly shared my views. I love this college, but the truth is that nobody cares about diversity there. You have to abide by the central dogma. If you don’t, you might feel alienated, at least in the beginning. I think I have already found my niche and it is not so bad for me right now.
Just a plug for everyone on this group: If you wind up going to Wellesley, join The Freedom Project. Great place for Wellesley students of all stripes to engage in intellectual pluralistic discussion. We have a great mix of conservatives, liberals, and libertarians this year. It’s a great tight-knit community on campus.
If trigger warnings annoy the crap out of you this might not be the best fit. There is definitely an acclimation process for conservatives. Do you like the social atmosphere of the school? It isn’t your family that has to go to it, it’s you. I have found my D can’t relate to us as much as she used to, but this may be said about any college’s influence.
I am an alumna from the late 1980s and know a couple of current Wellesley students. Although Wellesley was a liberal school when I went there, I think it is even more so now. (As a native New Englander, I was surprised to find out the majority of my classmates from California were Republicans!) I am sometimes taken aback by the language and (lack of) consideration of other points of view on various alumnae forums, as well as the request for trigger warnings for things I wouldn’t have previously considered needing a trigger warning. I work with kids who have gone through horrifying life events in times of war, so I probably have a jaundiced view in terms of trigger warnings.
That said, having talked to some current students about this, I think the in-person discussion on campus can be very different and more accepting and nuanced than the online culture, so if you go there, try to take part in events and stay off-line as much as possible! The suggestion to join the Freedom Project is a good one. Also, I have a grad school friend who is a prof at Wellesley, and think the professors, even very left-leaning ones, will LOVE having you in their classes. (As long as you have thick skin, ha, ha.) It is very boring for them when students all have the same opinion, and it helps overall education to have varying points of view. If you make good arguments, you might find yourself able to get some excellent recommendations upon graduation.