<p>Ok, I must admit, I'm obsessed with Wellesley! I absolutely love the campus and the academics are fantastic! I also love the cute little village and the fact that it is so close to Boston. However, the reviews I'm reading on this website and on other websites are all noting how academically challenging Wellesley is compared to other top schools, including the ive-legues. This makes me nervous. What about Wellesley makes the school so challenging?
I know that is a very broad question, but I'm just looking for some insight on the matter.
Thank you</p>
<p>I think that for me what made it so challenging was that I was no longer one of the smartest in the class. I was SURROUNDED by remarkable, brilliant, driven women. I was in awe of these women and I continue to be in awe of them. In high school I put minimum effort in my course work (honors and AP) and did very well. This changed when I got to Wellesley. You have to do ALL the reading, you have to go to ALL the classes and if you need help, you have to ask for it. I got the hang of it after my first year. Also, your professors expect a lot from you because they know that you can rise to the challenge. I hope that you are admitted and I hope that you do not think twice about going. It is a school like no other and it is a place that will change you. That beautiful college near the sparkling lake…</p>
<p>From what my D has shared, the academic expectations are very high. There’s no lowest common denominator. Imagine if you took the top students from your high school AP classes, and now their level of work is considered average.</p>
<p>Here is an example: my D took Arabic at Wellesley. She had a friend from HS who was also starting Arabic at our state public university. They were using the same textbook. D’s class finished the textbook in one semester. Friend’s class spent 2 semesters covering the textbook. Friend’s class was 5 credit hours, typically students at the public university take 15 credit hours per semester, so it was a third of her coursework. At Wellesley you typically take 4 classes, so her class was a quarter of her coursework.</p>
<p>So my D was covering not only twice as much content in her class, but it was a smaller percentage of her overall workload.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is very clear or a good example, but it boils down to a lot of work academically to keep up with it all!</p>
<p>I think if you went to a top notch college prep school and were in the top of your class there, you might not have as big of an academic adjustment to make as the kids, like my D, from a fairly well regarded public HS all AP honors kind of thing. </p>
<p>BUT, that should not deter you unless you don’t want to do the work needed to excel - Wellesley students all share a drive and passion for learning and do adjust to the workload! (warning - I am the parent of a freshman, but this is what I have seen)</p>
<p>I think another reason Wellesley is so challenging is because it attracts students who want to focus on academics – students don’t attend Wellesley because they want to go to football games or party hearty…</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>