<p>Ok so this may sound a little lame but I sometimes look at these threads and the website and think "wow, why the hell was I accepted!? I'm not smart enough to attend Wellesley!" Unfortunately these little uncertainies are begining to become more frequent so i was hoping that someone could supply some guidence or comments here.
What happens if a student is failing a class... does the prof spend extra time with her to help her out or is everything left in the students hands to figure out if she wants the help or not. Also, what if you do really badly in like 3 courses for example.. can you redo them or something like that? I love that Wellesley is so prestigious, but sometimes I feel that I would be safer going to a less academic place and getting really good grades than going to Wellesley and potentially bumming out on everything - coz then grad schools REALLY wont want me! Also this whole grade-deflation thing is very off-putting...</p>
<p>If you were accepted, you’ve got something special that they want to see. And you ARE smart enough. Don’t shy away from an amazing opportunity because you’re afraid. If you always do that–you’ll never reach your full potential.
Go to Wellesley. If they want you, and you want them, don’t let your fear hold you back. :)</p>
<p>I felt exactly the same way as you are feeling when I got accepted, so I drew this:
<a href=“http://www.catsushiart.com/images/Updatecomic_goingtocollege.jpg[/url]”>http://www.catsushiart.com/images/Updatecomic_goingtocollege.jpg</a></p>
![http://www.catsushiart.com/images/Updatecomic_goingtocollege.jpg[/url]](http://www.catsushiart.com/images/Updatecomic_goingtocollege.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>You were accepted for a reason, so be proud of it! Don’t hold yourself back from going to a great college (this applies for any situation) just because you think it might be difficult. Since Wellesley is a small college, profs are wonderful about meeting with you and being willing to work with you. I have been able to meet with profs before tests to go over exams, and if I don’t do well on a paper I have also been able to meet with them to go over what I did wrong. I have been having difficulty with one of my languages, so I have been meeting with a senior once a week who tutors me for free.</p>
<p>Re worrying about fitting in and grades:</p>
<p>A lot of people who attend feel as though their friends around them are smart while they are not. The same people who you think are smart are probably thinking the exact same thing about themselves and that YOU are the smart one. Often times that comes with the notion that there was a mistake in admissions, etc. and that person must work extra hard so no one finds out. It’s called “Impostor Syndrome” and the original research done on it about a generation ago occurred at MIT and Wellesley. Smart people live with themselves 24 hours a day and know that they are not smart most of the time.</p>
<p>A lot of people who go to Wellesley have gotten As all the time before. It’s because they were the top of their class in high school. In most of the classes I took in high school, I highly doubt the class average was more than a B+. I just rarely got Bs because I was my high school’s valedictorian and according to my school, on average got better grades than every single other person who graduated with me in the hardest classes my school offered. </p>
<p>I wasn’t necessarily the best student at Wellesley, but I wasn’t the worst either. I could have put a lot more effort than I did, but I was also taking fairly hard classes as well.
My brain also made a crucial shift from the high school paradigm in attitudes about grades from this:
A+=A (good)
A=B (okay, could be better)
A-=C (you got what you needed to get by, but you should have done better)
B+=F (bad)
B=U (we have a serious problem here) (yes, the people who failed HS where I was from got F U on their report card.
B-=U
C+=U
C=U
C-=U
D=U
F=U
U=U</p>
<p>to this:
A=A
B=B
C=C
D=D
F=F</p>
<p>I think a lot of people have this problem. Granted the old paradigm shift might have been a great motivator for me to do better in college. But honestly, once you make the paradigm shift, you realize that the whole “grade deflation” policy means absolutely nothing. It never changed the numbers of Cs, Ds or Fs received at Wellesley.</p>
<p>My friends occasionally did complain that if they went to a “state school” they would be the best and they wouldn’t have to work so hard. </p>
<p>Do you know what you get at a place like Wellesley that you don’t get anywhere else? </p>
<p>Peers. </p>
<p>Finally. </p>
<p>Thank God.</p>
<p>Re Resources when you are stuck:</p>
<p>A big barrier to success in college for people who have coasted in the past, is suddenly finding that the coursework is at or above the level that comes naturally. Most LACs have resources for academic troubles and Wellesley is no exception.</p>
<p>Professors are not going to track you down if you fail many assignments. There are fewer grades in classes and seeking help is up to you. You are an adult and you also need to be able to figure out when you are over your head. The important part is that once you’ve decided there’s a problem, help exists.</p>
<p>All professors have something called office hours. It’s a regularly scheduled time every week (a couple of hours) where student who are having problems with homework, the class, etc. can come to talk to the professor. The prof will be there, and often checks the first day of class to see that every single student does not have a conflict with at least some small portion of the office hours. Professors also tell you how to contact them outside of office hours. Sometimes there’s a line, sometimes there’s not. It depends on the prof and the classes they teach. A typical Wellesley professor teaches two classes.</p>
<p>Large classes and intro classes often have tutors assigned just for that class. Some science classes have something called SI- supplemental instruction where an upperclasswoman holds an additional voluntary session each week (food is included) to </p>
<p>The PLTC is a clearinghouse for workshops and tutoring for all departments. You can get assigned tutors for subjects, or even public speaking and writing.</p>
<p>You can drop any class you take before the 5th week and there will be no record of it on your transcript. If you don’t care about that, you can drop any class before the last day and retake it. You cannot retake a class you finished.</p>
<p>Wellesley also has a “credit-non” policy, where you can declare a class to be graded on a pass-fail basis. However, the benchmark for a pass, is equivalent to a C, not a D. You are limited in the number of credit-non classes you can take to qualify for Latin Honors, but credit-non classes are not included in your GPA. Ironically, had I taken more classes credit/non, I would have gotten Latin Honors.</p>
<p>ok great! thanks for the info!!</p>
<p>I also feel this way. I am from Canada, so I have taken absolutely no AP or IB.
haven’t even touched the prep book.
But they must have thought that I would somehow succeed in Wellesley,
so I believe I will.</p>
<p>i definitely understand how you feel mvogel, i feel the exact same occasionally. I have intelligent friends, and I wonder how they know everything that they do. But that’s part of the appeal of hanging out with them- they know things I don’t so it’s always interesting being around them and I know things they don’t as well. I’m sure the Wellesley community will be really accepting, and if you were accepted, they obviously thought you were up to the challenge. I try to keep that in mind when I’m doubting my acceptance. Even though I’m nervous, I know I’d be a lot happier in a school that challenges me and allows me to be surrounded by people who are like me. I’m sure you will be absolutely fine :]</p>
<p>catsushi, love your art.</p>
<p>catsushi, that is absolutely adorable. I love the Hogwarts part. :)</p>
<p>thirded, catsushi, that was awesome!! you should have that printed in counterpoint or the wellesley news or something. good stuff.</p>
<p>thanks guys…and Catsushi your drawing was great:) lol
I guess what worries me is that I’m going to be majoring in biology and although I love that (and maths which is in my degree) and have done it for 4 years of high school; I haven’t touched chem or physics since early grade 10 which are imporant parts of my major. I also don’t have a forgien language that’s offered at Wellesley (I did an african language coz I’m from South Africa), so I’m planning on learning French now too… it just all seems like a pretty big task …Dain 3265 I also don’t have any IB/ AP courses so I know how that feels!</p>
<p>You can take introductory chemistry and physics; you don’t have to rush right into organic chemistry or something like that (and please don’t!). Everyone comes to Wellesley with a variety of high school backgrounds; not every high school offers the same courses as I am sure everyone is aware of. Yes, taking all these classes may seem daunting, but also remember, you have 4 years at Wellesley. You don’t have to take all three sciences in a semester!! Space things out … you might find you actually enjoy it :)</p>
<p>As to the whole not being “smart” enough issue:</p>
<p>I found that for many people, Wellesley was the first time where they weren’t the smartest (or one of) students in their classes and so their self worth came into question. Similar to you, mvogel, they thought they had been admitted as a “mistake.” In reality, people came to accept that it was OK not to be the smartest girl in the class. It’s OK not to know the answer to every question the professor asks. In fact, I think the vast majority of classes at Wellesley have very little to do with trivia and more about how to think and make connections and really expanding your academic interests. </p>
<p>Also, I found that people’s academic struggles varied quite a bit in their first year, depending on their high school background. Those that came from particularly strong high schools curriculum might have been able to coast a bit, but generally, by the time sophomore year rolled around, everyone’s preparation level had evened out and it wasn’t so much of an issue anymore.</p>
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<p>My my what an ego boost, I should come by here more often. Thanks everyone. :]</p>
<p>I had never considered myself to be a science person when I came to Wellesley, but I got curious, so I have been taking more science-y classes. They’re difficult, but they’re also really interesting. I have little to no background in Biology, but I understand that there are a lot of other students like me out there. Also, professors are very understanding about students who are completely new to material, and are willing to work with you until you fully understand the information. This kind of support is really what makes Wellesley such a great atmosphere for trying out new things.</p>
<p>When I came to Wellesley my goal was to avoid the sciences if I could. But then I took a science course (to fulfill the requirement), thought it was ok, then I took another and another… and now I’m a science major! How things change once you get to college…</p>
<p>Wellesley really fosters your curiosity and creativity in your classes. Don’t be afraid to take classes outside of what you think you might enjoy; you might turn out to really like it. Last year I took an art history class (also to fulfill a distribution requirement) and I was actually the only non-art history major in it, but my professor understood where I was coming from and gave me really good tips and insights into the material. Looking back on it, that class was one of my favorite classes that I have taken so far!</p>
<p>i feel the same way as you. i definitely think i got lucky. if i end up going to wellesley i’m gonna loathe the oppressively competitive environment… anxiety seeping through my veins as i write this… i wish there was some way i could tell the highest achieving girls who will be attending this fall to just cool it and not be so scary! maybe i could do something to lighten the mood over there… crack a joke in the middle of class…</p>
<p>There will be students who are very competitive and others who are not. Make friends with people you want to be friends with and take some classes together if you can! The anxiety level at Wellesley does not have to be so overwhelming if you don’t let other people’s stress get to you.</p>
<p>because no one tells jokes, has fun or laughs at wellesley…</p>
<p><strong>sarcasm</strong></p>
<p>Haha
I’m sure there are fun people at Wellesley. Just can’t help feeling nervous</p>