Reflections of our daughters Wellesley education having just returned from graduation

<p>Our family has just returned home from three joyously beautiful days celebrating our daughters graduation from Wellesley. We are so thrilled with the education she received that I am feeling motivated to share our happiness with others.</p>

<p>The graduation was a series of receptions over several days, everyone of which was personal,intimate, lovely and full of the warmth of the community. The sun was shining warm and bright with flowers and foliage bursting out all over campus. We had never seen a college campus look more lovely. We seemed to run in to a friend of our daughters at every turn and all of them delightfully introduced us to their parents and grandparents. </p>

<p>But more impressively, we met so very many of our daughters professors at every event. She had majored in one of the largest majors and yet at the department reception we met virtually all of her professors who all knew her personally and had personal tales to relate to us. Our daughter was on a first name basis with most of her professors as they had spent many hours guiding her in the writing of papers and a thesis.</p>

<p>The actual graduation ceremony is preceded by a procession where by the professors adorned in their colorful academic gowns walk down a path bordered by all the graduates. This procession takes over 30 minutes as the professors and students are constantly stopping to give one another a hug!</p>

<p>Until graduation we had not appreciated the strong ties our daughter had made with her academic advisors and professors and the huge level of inspiration and support they had given her. And at the ceremony it was obvious that her experience had been shared by the vast majority of Wellesley students.</p>

<p>Our son is a student at a top ivy league school and yet it has been our daughters Wellesley education that he seeks to emulate. Upon arrival at school he was very disappointed to learn that all of the Freshman Seminars he was interested in were full. Our Wellesley daughter advised him to just go talk his way into one of the seminars he most wanted to attend, after all that is what a Wellesley woman always does!!! So even though he was a freshman with experienced upperclassmen telling him that it is just not possible to get in to a full seminar, our son took the "Wellesley way" and received permission from both his professor and the Dean to enroll in a "full" freshman seminar. </p>

<p>Our daughter graduated with tears of joy. Her intimate group of Wellesley sisters were very international and some will scatter all over the globe but quite a few will be working close by. (Wellesley seems to enjoy the same level of finance recruiting as the top ivy league schools and most of her friends have landed top jobs despite the economic slow down). Beyond sisterly friendships she had also become close to a number of "guy" friends at nearby colleges. </p>

<p>As for myself , I also shed tears of joy knowing that our daughter had invested four fantastic years at Wellesley not only personally but most importantly, intellectually. Our tuition money had invested in the highest quality of education that inspired our daughter to be learned and curious in a huge range of fields developing her mind with the close mentoring of those fabulous Wellesley professors.</p>

<p>Should you be looking for an education where you will be truly engaged in learning and seek to work closely with your professors, few schools will match the intellectual energy of Wellesley. Should you be looking for a close community of sisters from every corner of the United Sates and the world, Wellesley will provide that community for your entire life.</p>

<p>wow, thank you so much for that. I'm even more excited now to be going to Wellesley in August!!!</p>

<p>that was so encouraging! thank you for that wondering mum. i wanna go to wellesley NOW. :)</p>

<p>I love the profs at Wellesley! One of my profs drove me back to my house after a girl scout trip we led together. I play tennis with another prof at least once a month. It's extremely common for professors to take classes out for dinner. I once watched a Red Sox playoff game at a prof's house.</p>

<p>I wouldn't say my experience is 'normal', but it's definitely not far from the norm. </p>

<p>I have to admit that I am regularly motivated to do well in my classes by my professors. I can't let them down! They've done so much for me!</p>

<p>Oh my goodness-I read this and am so excited for my interview! I hope I get in-it sounds like such a rewarding and learning experience-plus the professors sound spectular!</p>

<p>this was extremely encouraging. thank you, Wellesley sounds nothing but amazing. i really hope i get in!</p>

<p>It's so true--you can get into almost any class you want. Classes are never too big for you to get to know your professors. There are no TAs, so you form intimate relationships with professors and not their proteges. </p>

<p>Oh, and also, some teachers invite you to their homes for meals. My polisci prof Barbecued for us this semester!</p>

<p>Thanks for your sharing, wondering mom! :)</p>

<p>I second that! Thank you for sharing about your daughters' experiences!
my heart goes a-flutter when I think of wellesley :)
best of luck to all!</p>

<p>Thank you for sharing your perspective with us, wondering mum!!! It made me love Wellesley even more (even though I haven't been to MA before)! :)</p>