<p>I'm stuck trying to decided between Wes and Colgate. I need a push in some direction. Can anyone help?</p>
<p>Without specific knowledge of your interests, Wesleyan is a better school academically.</p>
<p>Middletown on its worst day, it's WORST day, is better than Hamilton, New York.</p>
<p>Well I did end up sending in my deposit to wes, so this is kind of redundant at this point, but...</p>
<p>john, I've read that Middletown has bad problems with crime/gang violence and that it is not uncommon for a student to be mugged every so often. is this true?</p>
<p>Crime in Middletown hovers pretty much on the nuisance level. Connecticut itself is one big urban sprawl from New York City to the Massachusetts border so, no matter how pristine the streets may look, anyone can swing by campus and be on an interstate in a matter of minutes. This is why I advise everyone not to throw away their common sense just because they're on a rustic looking campus; don't walk home drunk/twisted alone, lock your doors behind you, shut ground floor windows, don't leave valuables unattended.</p>
<p>I don't know about gang activity per se but there are two rival high schools within walking distance of campus; on Saturday nights it is not at all unusual to see some rather mature for their age teens trying to crash the bigger house parties on High Street. Alcohol, class resentments, early morning hours -- stuff happens (perhaps, one reason why I notice campus security is now headquartered next to Eclectic?)</p>
<p>Herb:</p>
<p>I had the same decision to make as you and I chose Wesleyan. Although I loved many things about Colgate it all came down to my feel for the differences between the Colgate students and that of the Wes students. WesFest and meeting and talking to alot of Wes kids made it clear to me that I am more like a typical Wes kid than a Colgate kid. I went to a party at I think the literary society and stayed until the early morning hours. The kids were great and really warm. They were also great to talk to. Although there was booze nobody pressured me to drink and everyone came over to me and invited me to join them. Then at 3 AM one of the guys escorted me back to my hostess' dorm and was a complete gentleman. I also carefully reviewed the course catalogue and in my areas of interest there were so many more varied and interesting courses than at Colgate. So now I can't wait to start on August 28th. I hope you love it as much as I do.</p>
<p>I picked wes over colgate too.
If you're in middletown late, travel with friends. You're fine during the day.
Not like new haven's any better, same with some parts of NYC. That being said, I've ridden my bike in middletown after dark and there's nothing wrong with it.</p>
<p>People overreact to these things. Statistics with people tend to get over dramatized due to the emotional/humanistic aspect of it. Still, it's better to play it safe and go with friends if you're going to go watch a movie at destinta theater at night. You should be going with friends anyway...</p>
<p>My daughter just received a call today telling her she was accepted off of the waiting list. Can anyone tell me anything about the dorms, food, or the dealings with the administation. We visited last year but were not taken to a dorm so I was concerned about them. I read that the administration is not always accommodating or helpful. Any experience with that? And what is the overall feeling about the new president?</p>
<p>At any campus that's active politically, there are going to be metaphorical 'clashes' between the administration and the students. The two have different agendas, but I've found that they're alright. I don't really have a problem with them. Plus, with the new president, it should be interesting to see where and how things go.</p>
<p>I don't think freshman have the option of picking a dorm this year, but housing here is fine. I don't think I've heard anyone complain about their housing past the initial few weeks because every dorm has its pros and cons. That being said, I'm pretty happy here, all things considered.</p>
<p>Outofstate, here’s my thoughts as a current Freshmen:</p>
<p>DORMS: Next years Freshmen will only have the option of picking between freshmen only, mixed year housing, WestCo, or 200 Church (as opposed to being able to specify which exact dorm like last year). All the dorms have their pluses and minuses, but I think they are all pretty decent (if you want more specifics feel free to ask or PM me). </p>
<p>FOOD: We’re getting a new food provider (along with our new campus center!) and people are really excited about it. The provider we have now wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t that great either, but everyone involved (including student representatives) say the new company is really, really good.</p>
<p>ADMINISTRATION: Yeah, people had problems with our current president, but there is a general feel of excitement for the new one (I know I’m thrilled, but then, I’m biased, because he, like myself, is an Alpha Delta Phi ;) Of course, we’re generally a quirky bunch, which gives me faith that he will be more open to some of the things that students want, such as a return of chalking).</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies.</p>
<p>Weskid, the two dorms you mentioned are mixed housing correct? Clark, I believe is the freshman dorm? </p>
<p>I like what I read about your new president. I think the fact that he is from Wesleyan is a definite plus. You are a quirky bunch and I wonder if my daughter didn't slip in because she comes from a pretty traditional school background (read - parochial school) and they thought she would add some diversity! LOL That being said her parents are liberal Dems and her dad was quite politically active as an undergraduate himself. </p>
<p>I guess I am trying to find out how much of the quirkiness is hype and how much is real. Although I guess you attract those who are drawn to the reputation. While daughter is quite open-minded and accepting, she is a little concerned about how she will fit in and mostly if she will find others like her who might share political views but don't necessarily wish to partake in some of the more "liberal" social activities.</p>
<p>Clark is indeed a Freshmen dorm, as is Fauver Frosh. 200 church is a program house (literally a house, not a dorm) focused on tackling issues of diversity on campus, and is mixed, as are WestCo, the Nics and the Butterfields (which are the other dorms with freshmen).</p>
<p>The quirkiness, IMO, is very real, but it is QUIRKINESS, and not just the hippy/hipster-ess a lot of people think it is. Wes students value people's right to be individuals...including the choise to NOT participate if they don't feel comfortable. I know a number of people here who don't like participating in those more "liberal" social activities, and they still love it here.</p>
<p>In answer to a student interviewer's question regarding "weirdness" as it pertains to Wesleyan, Michael S. Roth, the president-designate made a distinction between experimetation and merely testing limits for the sake of being shocking or different:</p>
<p>"[E]verything I can do to help students and faculty create the new, sometimes through exploring very old things, I really want to do?but the culture of shock, or of testing, I think it's a bit of disservice actually to the culture of serious experimentation that Wesleyan has been known for. I mean, "serious" seems like a stodgy word. Norman Brown was here in the '50s, and Carl Shorske and Bucky Fuller, John Cage?talk about weird, right? but they were pioneers. They were changing the way people felt about education, sexuality, culture, music, and silence?they were breaking barriers, and working very hard to do it?joyously, it wasn't just testing."</p>