Questions about orientation, stress & peer pressure in Wellesley~

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

<p>I am still debating about going to Wellesley in the fall and I have got some questions for you guys~ :)</p>

<p>Orientation:
what is it like? Is there some special programs? (e.g. like a camping trip that Dartmouth, Pomona and Hamilton have?) What are the placement tests like? Are they difficult and how should I study for them?</p>

<p>From what I have seen on the website, Wellesley's orientation isn't really the best or the most interesting... I kinda wish there will be more fun and less about choosing classes, technical problems and placement tests... ><</p>

<p>Stress and peer pressure:
How serious is the competition? How many classes do people normally take?(I have heard wellesley girls taking more than 5 and even 7 courses a semester) How late do most of the students work till at night? What can students do other than studying and going to lectures on weekday nights? How different is Wellesley's college life comparing to other colleges in general? Is it different mostly because it is all-girls or is it because people tend to work a lot harder here?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for who can kindly help! <3</p>

2

<p>I’m too long winded to answer this in one post, so first to number 1: </p>

<p>Well, I do think that it is fair to say that Wellesley doesn’t really go for the blow-out extravaganza orientation. Assuming it remains largely the same, you’ll have some relatively low key meetings with your First-Year Mentor group, you’ll do the administrative things like getting your id, taking a few placement tests, and registering for classes, and if you want they usually give you the choice of three day trips (my year it was a boat trip in Boston, a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, or a trip to a Red Sox game) one of the days. And other stuff, too, but that’s mostly what I remember of orientation. Personally I like the fact that you have a week to ease into getting your room set up and choosing your classes and getting to know people. It’s also worth saying that there really isn’t much on the agenda that you MUST ATTEND. Mostly if something sounds lame to you you can skip it. </p>

<p>Everybody has to take the QR test. They send you a practice packet over the summer (either through snail mail or email, can’t remember). You just have to get half or more of the answers correct. I think if you did decently well on the Math SAT/ACT, you should be fine, in general. If you fail you get a second opportunity to pass it. Only if you fail again do you have to take the QR test, which is a bummer but not a big deal in the long run. This is the one test that has a real consequence if you don’t pass, so I would definitely study a bit or a lot for it, depending on your facility with math. </p>

<p>There are several foreign language tests, which vary in difficulty based on the language. I took the German one, and there was some grammar, some listening, and some speaking. I had gotten a 5 on the AP German test, which is supposed to be equivalent to 4 semesters of German but I was shaky with my speaking, so I got a German 202 or German 232 placement. German 202 is fourth semester German, while German 232 is an elective you would take after having had 4 semesters. I ended taking German 232 and did fine. Again, I can’t speak for the other languages, but I know that for German at least the placement test was not really a hard and fast you-must-take-our-advice deal. </p>

<p>I think there are some science placement tests, but I really know absolutely nothing about them. </p>

<p>The only other placement test that I know of is the music theory placement test, which would be applicable to those interested in the Music department in general or in taking music lessons. As a person who played an instrument for many years but never had any formal music theory training, I personally found this placement test quite difficult, especially the Aural section where you listen to chords and simple melodies and are supposed to write down what they are. I placed into the lowest music theory (MUS 111), but ended up taking the slightly accelerated version, MUS 111X, which turned out to be quite easy for me as a person who had merely played an instrument for a long time. That said I know that both at Wellesley and here on this board many people with more formal music theory experience than myself found the placement test quite easy, so I think it really depends on where you’re at. I don’t see any real reason to study for the music theory placement test, as it seems to me to be the sort of thing you either know or don’t know.</p>

3

<p>Orientation is a lot of fun. It’s nice to have logistics figured out before classes start. There aren’t any special programs, per se, but there are field trips students can sign up for. In addition, students experience their first Wellesley traditions. There are placement tests for certain languages and music classes. Don’t study for them, because you want to test into a level that is comfortable for you. There’s also the quantitative reasoning (QR) exam. Later this summer Wellesley will give incoming students a copy of a practice QR exam. The QR exam doesn’t test high level math, but students can’t use a calculator. </p>

<p>I’ve said this before, but I don’t find Wellesley students that competitive. Instead, I think that Wellesley students generally hold themselves to high standards. A full time course load is 4 classes, which is plenty. I know a few people who have taken five classes for a semester or two.</p>

<p>How late students work depends on how well they manage their time. There are certainly people who manage to go to bed before 10 or 11 pm most nights. On week day nights students can be found studying, hanging out with friends, going to club meetings, and eventually sleeping. </p>

<p>I think social life is different here because Wellesley is a women’s college, and students work hard. Most of the crazy partying happens off campus.</p>

4

<p>Okay, now number 2: </p>

<p>People normally take 4 classes. 4 classes is the full course load. You only need to take 4 classes for 8 semesters to graduate with enough credits. A very high percentage of students each semester takes 4 classes. That said, it isn’t hugely unusual to hear of someone taking 5 classes in a semester. I did it myself last semester. It can be a lot of work, however. Essentially no one takes more than 5 classes (they may end up with more than 5 credits, but it isn’t the same thing). I’ve never personally known anyone who did so, and I’ve only ever heard of a few people in the entire lexicon of Wellesley taking 6 courses, let alone 7, which I’ve never heard of and don’t even think is possible. THIS IS NOT NORMAL AT WELLESLEY. 4 classes is normal. First semester First-Years can only take 4 courses. Anyone who wants to register for more than 5.75 credits (usually one course = 1 credit, except courses with labs = 1.25 credits) cannot do so without getting administrative permission. </p>

<p>I feel like a broken record, but I strongly believe that the competition at Wellesley is inwardly driven–that is to say, people put pressure on themselves to work hard and do well, but are not focused on besting and/or sabotaging their peers. Some people do find this climate stressful, but at the same time people tend to be very understanding if you say that you really don’t want to talk about something (homework, classes, tests, whatever) because it is stressing you out. </p>

<p>How late do people work at night? Depends on the student. Some students regularly pull all-nighters. Others regularly go to bed before midnight. Many people fall somewhere in between. I tend to be a night owl, but I try not to have to work past 1 am, as my ability to churn out good work decreases significantly after that hour. </p>

<p>Like at many college campuses, tons goes on during the week. Besides the regular club/extracurricular meetings, there are often programs put on by clubs or dorms on weeknights that are not just lectures. For example, maybe the campus democrats will have a viewing party of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report in a dorm tv room (viewing parties in general of popular shows are events for some people). It is not unusual for there to be smaller musical events during the week as well. There are also often events in the Pub or the Hoop, or people just go there to hang out. I don’t feel like I’m doing a great job of explaining it but really a lot goes on during the week besides just lectures. </p>

<p>It depends on who you are comparing Wellesley to, but I do think that life at Wellesley is quite different compared to life at other colleges. Wellesley often shows up as one of the least heavy drinking, etc. schools on those Princeton Review lists, and while certainly plenty of people drink, I think that no one would characterize Wellesley as a party school (which is of course a problem for many people, but is also a positive for many others). Because it is a women’s college, the campus attitude towards many women’s issues is much more progressive than it would likely be at any coed school, even the generally progressive ones. By reputation this dynamic is less so at Wellesley than at some of the other remaining single-sex seven sister colleges, but I still think the larger point stands. Furthermore, there is definitely a particular feeling to life at Wellesley compared to life at other schools that arises in large part because of attitudes towards schoolwork and future goals. As you have probably heard, the mission is to educate women “who will make a difference in the world”, and while this may seem like merely an admissions platitude, the drive to succeed does form a large part of the Wellesley-student-psyche. I know from reading this board for several years now that people seem to form pretty strong impressions either for or against Wellesley when they visit, so even more so than generally, if at all possible, I would urge a visit before the final decision (I’m abroad currently, but it seems that Spring Open Campus is this week, so hopefully you and anyone else contemplating attending Wellesley are able to make it to campus for that).</p>

5

<p>advantagious, fascinating post! </p>

<p>I have been merely waitlisted at Wellesley and I find this so informative!:)</p>

6

<p>-advantagious
OMG!! I am sooo grateful for your detailed information! <3 Wellesley girls really do go out of their way to help people!</p>

<p>-college_ruled
thank you so much as well!</p>

<p>I will look in to the information and I guess I should make my final decision soon…</p>

7

<p>Aww, thanks for the compliments. Always happy if my posts help people.</p>

8

<p>I agree that Wells isn’t your typical “party school”, but that doesn’t mean that it’s completely free of the alcohol/drug/party scene. I know lots of people who go wild on weekends (and less frequently, weekdays), but I also know people who rarely party. It’s easy to find the scene you’re looking for.</p>

9

<p>something else that I remember bout orientation week: mocktails and karaoke in the pub, making s’mores by the fire pit, let me speak (I spoken word performance by current students), pretty sure there was a treasure hunt as well… hmm and i remember finding very little time to unpack coz there was so much going on…!!! i LOVED ORIENTATION - esp. international student orientation:P (3 days extra!!)</p>

10

<p>PS: someone asked me the other day if I miss seeing guys… I was honestly confused for a second and responded “what do mean I see them all the time” lol then i remembered that i go to a women’s college!! FAIL :slight_smile:
anyway the point is that if you want to get off campus - like me - its very easy to. I’m off campus 4 days a week (taking a class at MIT 1/4 days) and I love that I can come back to my peaceful life here at wellesley and actually sleep without my neighbours yelling and playing uber loud music at 4am. I also really appreciate that on weekends when i need to really knuckle down and work, I can knowing that I’m not going to get too distracted…</p>

11

<p>There was a treasure hunt as a part of Orientation in Fall 2008. Orientation activities change every year, though they do try to keep them fun! (and they’ve definitely improved since my first year)</p>

12

<p>One more question for wellesley girls:
Are there small groups of international students(i.e. Chinese…) who tend to just stick together? What do American students think about them and do you guys find it hard to be friends with them?
I am just worried that I might miss out on the part of sisterhood if it is harder in Wellesley to get out of my comfort zone and meet people. Although I do intend to push myself to go out there, I am afriad that because of what my Chinese friends think and do, I will start to think staying in my comfort zone is quite alright…</p>

13

<p>Internationals do tend to stick together, but more so at the beginning of the years – internationals also come a few days earlier for international student orientation, so you have a few more days to meet other students. I would say branching out beyond having friends from your home country/ other international students varies. For the most part, I would say people branch out and friend groups become more mixed international and domestic students.</p>

<p>College is a time to get out of your comfort zone. Explore!</p>

14

<p>Orientation is fun! There’s so much free food! I recall different field trips into Boston, an on-campus scavenger hunt, and more…and the weather’s generally lovely. I was a little disappointed too that Wellesley didn’t offer some outdoorsy hiking orientation program (like many other unis) but I think that was for the best. Not to be anti-feminist but we’re an all-WOMEN’S (where does the apostrophe go?) college in a white-suburban Massachussetts town…</p>

<p>As for the technical stuff, Wellesley holds your hand through every step of the way. Seriously, don’t stress.</p>

<p>And on the topic of stress, Wellesley IS stressful. It’s the school of overachieving Hermione Grangers. And there are no Fred and George’s to lighten the mood. But every now and then, we build snow(wo)men, run around the lake, cook together, and play hide-and-go seek in the science center to maintain our sanity.</p>

<hr>

<p>International students do tend to self-segregate. But because of Slater International House, it’s incredibly easy for internationals to befriend other internationals. </p>

<p>I think that it’s a natural tendency to want to befriend people who are similar to you. I’m happy that I’ve found many more Asian friends in college than I did in high school, where the majority of my friends were white. As long as you don’t exclusively speak in Chinese/ act super cliquey, I think it’s fairly easy to have a diverse group of friends at Wellesley. FYM groups, classes, orgs, sports, etc. are all ways to branch out</p>

15

<p>Hide and seek in the science center is awesome!</p>