<p>I'm trying to decide if Wellesley would be a good fit for me, so I though input from girls who actually go there would be helpful. I got a Likely on my early evaluation letter, and will find out in April if I got in.</p>
<p>I'm interested in majoring in Biology, but I've heard that Wellesley science isn't that great unless you're premed? How much truth is there in this??</p>
<p>Also (which I'm sure is a very common worry) I'm a bit apprehensive about going to an all girls school. Have you enjoyed the experience, or do you feel like you would have had more fun in a co-ed environment? Is it actually easy to date and met guys, or is it highly competitive?</p>
<p>If you could also comment on the overall environment you have found, I'd appreciate your input. Was it preppy? nerdy? too competitive? </p>
<p>I am very confused by this statement. If you’re majoring in biology or you’re pre-med, you take the same biology courses. How does that make Wellesley science not good unless you’re pre-med? </p>
<p>There are people who are pre-med and there are people who major in the sciences to go on specifically in the sciences. This year alone I know people who have gotten into PhD programs at MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, etc and I know many more in other years. I also know people who have gotten into equally as good medical schools, dental schools, nursing schools, etc.</p>
<p>These questions have already been addressed in detail quite recently in other threads. Keep on reading the Wellesley page or do a quick search and you’ll find some answers.</p>
<p>absolutely, I see that you’re new on CC, so I’ll reiterate welles’ suggestion of reading through the past threads that you find here. All of your questions have been asked and answered multiple times. Don’t worry - your questions are very common and the types of questions that lots of students ask when they consider Wellesley, but it also means that all current students and alumnae have heard them a million times. It’s not that we don’t like answering questions from interested students - it’s that it’s less fun to keep repeating yourself over and over again.</p>
<p>I’m more interested in your claim of: “I’ve heard that Wellesley science isn’t that great unless you’re premed? How much truth is there in this??”</p>
<p>Where exactly did you hear this from? Where exactly is this message being conveyed? Because anyone who does a little digging around can easily see that Wellesley is one of the best places to do science, whether or not you’re pre-med. I’m always astounded at the number of people who say that they’ve heard that Wellesley isn’t a great place to do science. I can’t help but think maybe it’s from people who have an outdated view of either Wellesley, or top liberal arts schools in general. All the top liberal arts schools in the US would be a fantastic place to do science because you’ve got all the amenities of the large research universities, but no grad student population to compete with. In other words, all the resources are more available to you as an undergrad.</p>
<p>As a science major, just want to say that the large research universities are not necessarily the best places to do lots of hands on science as an undergrad. Not that you can’t do science research at those schools, but the opportunities are not like those found at smaller schools like Wellesley.</p>
<p>I actually heard the science thing on CC, in another blog I was looking at. A student said that when they had majored in Bio at Wellesley and went onto grad school they felt ill prepared. I realize its the same program as the pre-meds, but it might be that the focus of the program was more geared towards people looking to go premed then those looking to go on to specialize in biological field. Just wondering if there was much truth to that, because hearing that worried me a bit, since thats my intended major ha.</p>
<p>OK, well in my opinion, the statement of the other student sounds a little misleading because in the biology major, YOU actually get to choose most of the classes. I know - I was a biology major. In fact, if you haven’t already, take a gander at the requirements found on the biology dept website, you know, the source of the information you want : [Biology</a> Major Requirements | Wellesley College | Biological Sciences](<a href=“http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/bio_major_requirements.html]Biology”>http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/bio_major_requirements.html)</p>
<p>You see that everyone has to take the same 2 intro level courses, then 4 courses at the 200 level taking at least one course from 3 different disciplines in biology, and then 2 courses at the 300 level of your choosing. In other words, there is an element of choice in 6 out of the 8 biology classes and YOU can decide which classes to take within your interest. I went to Wellesley thinking I liked Microbiology. After taking my intro level and Cellular Bio course, I thought, hhmm… protein pathways and endless minutiae of the Krebb cycle don’t float my boat. Therefore, I took more systems and community level bio courses. I personally felt very prepared for graduate school, which was more on the community bio level. So feel free to use my experience to weigh against the other student.</p>
<p>In other words, there are plenty of students who have an non-biology or non-science major and are still pre-med and apply and get into med school. There is a little bit of overlap in the recommended pre-med courses and the biology major, but they’re not one and the same.</p>
<p>Thanks jacinth, that was really helpful. Yes, I’m interested in ecology and evolutionary biology, and wildlife biology/zoology, much more than I am in microbiology or biochem. Its good to hear that there is flexibility within in bio major itself, because its such a broad field I’d really prefer to be studying something I’ll go on to specialize in. I’m still a little apprehensive about the all-girls part, but I’ll look around other blogs and see what people have had to say about that. I feel better as far as my academics and interests in bio go though! Thanks again.</p>
<p>There are courses that focus in ecology and evolution/genetics. You can also take some courses in environmental studies if you’re interested in wildlife biology.</p>
<p>I am glad I found this topic because this is something I have been wondering about, too! I got my acceptance letter just yesterday, and I know it is going to be difficult to choose, but I also want to major in some sort of biological field in hopes of preparing for medical school. I’d love some more insight on the questions asked above already, but I have a few more:</p>
<ol>
<li>How are the professors in the science fields?</li>
<li>How is the variety in class choices for the sciences? Are there many options in biology besides “general” biology?</li>
<li>Do you have lab requirements? How big are the classes and the labs in general?</li>
<li>I know you can cross-register for classes at MIT, but I have heard that many science majors go there for classes rather than at Wellesley. Is this the case? How has the experience been there? I wouldn’t mind this, but I still would like to go somewhere where the science program is fairly strong.</li>
<li>What are the opportunities available for doing research in your undergrad years?</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>the professors i’ve had so far have been absolutely great, always willing to answer questions and meet you even if you can’t make office hours. i think the small class sizes are a real plus in this aspect because all my science professors know my name, whereas my friends at MIT who are in giant classes of 300 or so get absolutely no face time with their professors. individual teaching styles vary, but for the most part i’ve found my lectures to be pretty lively and engaging. (to be fair i’ve only taken bio and chem classes so far, so the physics department is currently a mystery to me)</p></li>
<li><p>i recommend you look at the course catalog (find it under academics at the wellesley website). i’m happy with the variety, there’s a lot of courses i personally would love to take</p></li>
<li><p>most science classes come with a required lab section that’s generally 30% of the course grade. i believe physics and neuro labs are shorter, but chem and bio labs are about 3.5 hours long, once a week</p></li>
<li><p>you have the option of taking classes at MIT (i believe you can take 2 per semester there after your first year), and i know a lot of people who take advantage of this, but i would not trash our science department. we have some amazing faculty, and we have small classes and no TAs - i would argue that this experience is better than taking huge classes at MIT. i plan to take some classes there that aren’t offered at wellesley (like some of the higher level biology ones), but for the most part i think our science program can stand on its own</p></li>
<li><p>it is very possible to get a research position here if you are interested in one, either over the summer (there’s funding set aside for this, look at the science center webpage) or during the semester. i’ve found that the faculty here are very approachable and happy to talk about their research, and are willing to help you find some good opportunities</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sudden topic shift, but what can anyone tell me about music groups at Wellesley? I probably won’t be majoring or minoring in music, but I remember reading on CC that extracurricular music groups, especially choral groups, were only so-so and didn’t play much of a part in campus life. I’d love to learn more and have someone refute that claim. </p>
<p>The physics department is smaller than the biology and chemistry departments. Your intro level courses will be about 30 (about 35-40 if you’re on the pre-med physics track: Physics 104/106 instead of the major-track: Physics 107/108). Once you get to upper level courses all your classes will be about 10 or less, depending on the year.</p>
<p>Labs are really small, which I really appreciate about Wellesley. Intro physics labs are maxed at 15-16 if I remember right. Upper level labs run about 6 per lab. You work with a partner for your labs, and you get lots and lots of face time with both your professor and your lab instructor.</p>
<p>After your first semester first year, you can actually take up to three classes a semester at MIT. You do have Wellesley requirements to complete so those should be your main priority your first two years, imo.</p>
<p>There are a lot of music groups on campus: acapella groups, choir, various jazz bands, other music groups, etc. I would say acapella groups require the most time commitment (practice generally runs about 3 times a week for 3 hours each). In general though everyone knows about the music groups on campus and they’re pretty popular: check about some of the facebook groups/ fan pages – some have quite a following! </p>
<p>I think the general notion on CC was that some people are not a fan of the current choir director. What truth there is in that is a case by case basis; some people get along, and others don’t. If you’re interested in choir, check it out at Spring Open Campus and see if you like it.</p>
<p>Students seem to be happy with the sciences here. I know a few people who “had” to take a science course as part of the distribution requirements and ended up as bio majors. Students appreciate that Wellesley doesn’t have TAs in the traditional sense. Wellesley also has paid internships in the sciences over the summer. I know various Bio majors have commented that they are interested in going to grad school, when they never would have considered attending in the past. </p>