Namely their reasoning is that Wellesley is ranked higher and carries a better name. I guess I could understand this, but I think honestly W & Barnard are the same in terms of name - the reason why Barnard is ranked lower is kinda arbitrary because it doesn’t take into account the attachment to Columbia University.
Honestly I could probably be happy at Wellesley, but the location of Barnard is really special for me. * also I want to be able to talk to guys lmao. I know that if I do go to school in the US, I want to go to a women’s college though.
If you think you can be happy at Wellesley, that’s good.
But it’s YOU who will be going to school, not your parents…
For my daughter, Wellesley was way to far from the city, even from Boston. She wanted to be in the middle of action! When we toured Wellesley, she jokingly said, “Gee, my dating choices would be professors or custodians’ sons!”
Please discuss with your parents and come up with what’s most important.
Good luck!
I think the only people who think that Wellesley has a better rep than Barnard are people who treat US News as some kind of be-all end-all absolute source of wisdom. BOTH are truly fantastic colleges. You should ED where you in your heart of hearts feel that fit. If the location of Barnard is special to you, then Barnard is where you should ED. Good luck!
@avgsopho1223 I’m sorry that you have to deal with this. I absolutely agree with the rest of the posters who wrote that you should apply ED to the college which YOU like the best.
That being said, if I’m not mistaken, you’re pretty young, and will be a minor until the end of your freshman year in college, so you’re more dependent on your parents than the regular Senior, who are generally 18 by the end of high school.
Rankings, especially USNews rankings, are fairly meaningless. It is nothing more than a popularity and income contest. Wellesley’s only real advantage over Barnard is the size of its endowment. On the other hand, as you said, Barnard’s association with Columbia is an advantage over W. Barnard being in NYC can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on whether you like living in NYC.
Sit down with your parents and create a detailed list for concrete things that are important for them and for you at a college. You can then check each of them and see how each of these colleges ranks in that factor. That way, you can remove things like meaningless ranking systems from the calculations.
@MWolf Yes, I am pretty young (will graduate at 16). I think they trust me to live in NYC though, that isn’t their concern with me applying to Barnard. What I appreciate about Barnard over Wellesley is:
location + opportunities (one woman said that by the time she graduated, she had completed 10+ internships which helped her )
cultural diversity + arts scene in NYC
boys lol
participation in d1 athletics (women’s crew - I’m not recruited but competitive for walk-on)
connection of alumni
potential 4+1 program
Some advantages of Wellesley
very impressive Alumni & endowment
less expensive (not by much, though, and we don’t really need any aid)
@avgsopho1223 Those are all very good arguments. Have you presented them to your parents? Even the one about boys can be couched in the terms of Barnard being a women’s only college.
The part about opportunities is probably the best one to emphasize. While Wellesley likely also has amazing opportunities because of its reputation and quality of its education, Barnard is a short physical distance from the economic center of the USA. Even in today’s world, being physically close is a major benefit for obtaining things like internships and other opportunities.
The art and cultural scene is also a good point. After all, isn’t college supposed to be about expanding your cultural horizons?
Of course, in the “worst” case scenario, you will end up applying ED for Wellesley, which is an amazing college as well, and I’m absolutely certain that, if you are accepted and attend Wellesley, you’d do great and have an amazing time.
If they are after prestige, does it help to point out that Barnard’s acceptance rate is lower?
I think a huge difference, and advantage to Barnard, is the easy accessibility to internships. Most classes do not meet on Fridays, leaving the day free for this kind of work experience. It is very easy to get around NYC, and to get back and forth to jobs, etc. These are the kinds of opportunities that really help get a job after graduation, so perhaps the parents can consider that as well.
Woohoo! Score one for presenting a reasonable, well thought out argument! Also, kudos to your parents for listening to you, and putting aside their own preferences in favor of your reasonable request.
I think that all that’s left is to wish you the best of luck. I hope to hear this fall (or early winter) that you are accepted and will attend Barnard!
