Hey everyone! I was admitted to the class of 2020 and I’m so so so excited to have a chance to become a part of Wellesley’s newest group of incoming students. I am still debating between Wellesley and a couple other schools but I am 90% sure I will be enrolling in the fall. I would love to attend SOC just because I’ve never been to campus, never really had to branch out by myself and make new friends, and I want to get a taste (a trial run, if you will) of Wellesley before the school year begins. However, because I live abroad, travelling to Boston will cost me around 800 US dollars. While my parents are willing to cover the costs if I really want to go, 800 dollars is a lot, a lot of money that could possibly be better spent.
For those of you who have gone in previous years, what was the experience like? Is it worth the cost? Did you make new friends? Did it prepare you better for the actual school year?
Alternatively, does anyone have experience with asking for travel grants or vouchers from the school to cover part of the cost of visiting?
Thank you!
Hi, I’m also a newly admitted student of the class of 2020. Which country do you represent?
Spring Open Campus is going to have a lot of kids checking out Wellesley that may end up picking other schools. It’s basically a schedule of events that all try to convince you to come to Wellesley (like any school does). You get to taste the food and take a sample class. You get to sit through presentations by various people–professor panels, student panels, the president, the financial aid people, etc. You get to walk around to see the place and you get to sleep (usually on the floor) in a dorm room. You get to interact with upperclassmen for that and see a student’s real take on the experience.
Come if you can to check it out for yourself (to make a decision) but don’t expect to find your best buds there (although everyone is friendly and welcoming). Depending on your interests you may be in different groups of people at different times, some the same, some different. Don’t forget you will have Orientation in the Fall. Internationals get to join Orientation earlier than Americans! You will have plenty of bonding time and social activities in Orientation so don’t fret too much if you have to miss Spring Open Campus. You will probably find “your people” after you join clubs and have classes and see who lives near you. In this case I’d say go with what is best for your family. In other words, don’t feel bad or like you missed “everything” if you can’t make it. I remember people looked exhausted at the end of last year’s campus. We were exhausted and we didn’t even travel far!
Join the Facebook group and also, for my D’s class (2019) someone made a roommate-finding list if that interests you. You enter your info and some things about your lifestyle and preferences and see if anyone looks like a match. She learned a lot about people from those two things. Still, she went with the random-assigned roommate and it worked out beautifully.