Things I like… and some concerns

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
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<p>I'm applying RD to Wesleyan and so far I absolutely love nearly everything I've heard about it. I'm interested in film, so obviously Wes is one of the best places in the country for that. I also love the emphasis on the arts, the quirky and individualistic atmosphere, and the location (I have not visited, but I'm looking for something in between a rural and an urban environment, and Wesleyan seems to be fairly urban without being in the middle of a large city).</p>

<p>Still, I have some concerns about the school. Could anyone please comment on each of these areas of concern and state your own experience? Also, if you have any direct links to webpages that will give any additional info, that would be appreciated. :)</p>

<p>1) English department - I know I said I'm interested in film, but that's just it: I'm "interested" and not yet positive that I want to major in it. My primary goal at this point is actually to major in English (I might add on a film minor or double major). So I've heard lots of great things about the film department, but I can't seem to find anything that talks about the prestige and quality of the English department. I looked at the department online, and plenty of the professors attended top Ivy league schools so I would imagine that the department is pretty good. However, I just can't find anything in the way of rankings or online articles to either confirm or deny that.</p>

<p>2) Divide between athletes/artists - I've heard that there's a bit of a social chasm between the athletes and the more artsy types on campus. Is this true? Do you think this severely affects your social circles / choice of friends at Wesleyan? I fall more into the "artsy" category, but I definitely want to do IM sports in college and I already run several miles each day. I like working out, and I have friends who are both artsy and sporty! I'd like to continue having friends in both categories without it being a stigma.</p>

<p>3) Decline in rankings - I know that rankings aren't everything, but I can't help but notice that Wesleyan has fallen rather far behind what it used to be. It used to be in the "little three," which it technically still is as far as athletics go, but it no longer seems to be on par academically with Williams and Amherst. Is there a reason for that? I heard it's related to endowment… do you think a smaller endowment affects the college experience? I applied to Williams and Amherst in addition to Wesleyan. I like the Wesleyan vibe the best, but would it be dumb to choose Wesleyan over Williams or Amherst? (Did anyone on here make that choice?)</p>

<p>4) Drug culture - I've heard that drugs are a problem at Wesleyan (in fact, I just read the "MamaTried" post on this forum and it seems like her son has been having problems in that regard). Are drugs really widespread? Can you easily avoid them and people who are using them on campus?</p>

<p>5) Laid-back atmosphere - I've heard Wesleyan described as "laid-back." This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I just had a negative experience with Brown. I interviewed with them last weekend, and everything seemed very unorganized. I got interviewed in a bean bag chair (I don't want to sound overly stuffy, but I thought that seemed really unprofessional and my knees were in front of my face the whole time because the chair dipped so much), I drove over an hour for an interview that only lasted ten minutes (all my other ones have been at least 45 minutes!), and everything seemed very unorganized. In that sense, I started to think that maybe "laid-back" is a negative thing. I'm not someone who's obsessively competitive, but I do work very hard and I like to be on top of things. That kind of disorganization really bothers me, and I would say I'm "competitive against myself." Would I fit in with the Wesleyan atmosphere in that regard?</p>

<p>6) Campus - I haven't visited. This isn't exactly an area of "concern" for me, but I really don't know what to expect. Like I said before, it seems like a happy middle between urban/rural, but are my assumptions true? Is it a pretty place to live? :)</p>

<p>Whew, sorry that was a really long post! I'm sorry if I made any incorrect assumptions here - just going by stereotypes I've read about online, so I can't claim that I really know what I'm talking about in all these categories. Feel free to comment on all or some of these points. Thanks!</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>There isn’t really much information as far as “rankings” by department for LACs. That being said, any top LAC is going to have a strong english department.</p></li>
<li><p>There is a joking divide between artists and athletes. This article ( [Food</a> Fight: Label Yourself - Which Side of Usdan Do You Eat On? - Food - The Wesleyan Argus](<a href=“http://wesleyanargus.com/2013/11/11/food-fight-loud-side-or-quiet-side/]Food”>The Wesleyan Argus | Food Fight: Label Yourself – Which Side of Usdan Do You Eat On?) ) outlines the relationship pretty well in the context of the dining hall, Usdan. Again, it’s a bit of a joke. Students are mostly well rounded and don’t confine themselves to one social circle.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know much about how the rankings work, but I’ve heard that Wesleyan has dropped due to its relatively small endowment. There are some technicalities with financial aid, so if that’s a big thing for you, look into it.</p></li>
<li><p>Just like any college, there is a bit of a drug culture. Marijuana may be a little more prevalent than at some other schools. There isn’t pressure to drink or do drugs, though, and there are plenty of things that students can do other than drink, especially with the strong visual art, music, and film presence.</p></li>
<li><p>There is a slightly laid back atmosphere, but I would say it is far more positive than negative. Students still work very hard, and classes certainly aren’t easier than any top LAC. Wesleyan is laid back in the sense that students are not cut-throat.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>6.I would say the campus is little more rural than urban. Middletown is small, and has a few small stores and a movie theatre, but there aren’t any major cities nearby. The campus isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful, but it’s pretty and all the facilities are relatively new.</p>

<p>Hope this helps and good luck!</p>

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<p>I know it is impossible to visit everywhere, but many if not most of your questions would be answered by a visit. After a visit you will either 1. love it, 2. hate it or 3. still not be at all sure. If it is the first or second, the visit was very well worth it. If the third, well you only wasted a day. Do it in connection with scheduling a tour and an on campus interview. You will get a lot of information; most importantly you will get the vibe of the place. My S loved it from the moment he stepped on campus. He just knew it was the right place for him, and he still loves it. But some visitors have the opposite reaction and hate it, and that is equally (if not more) important to know. (And if a survey of one is at all meaningful, which I really doubt, my S is an English major, does not do drugs, is an exercise fiend, has a lot of friends, but only one of whom is a varsity athlete … but he didn’t have varsity friends in high school either so that may not be meaningful).</p>

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<p>Bump.</p>

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<p>As one of only 2 universities in the NESCAC athletic conference, our D (athletic recruit and science major) was drawn to Wes by the possibility of greater research opportunities (on top of NESCAC high-quality academics+athletics). She loved her overnight campus visit, high level of student engagement in class discussions, quality coaches and students she met. </p>

<p>Around the time she was debating ED vs. RD we stumbled across 3 independent sources who characterized Wes as an ultra-liberal culture of hipsters and pseudo-militant feminists, and where blatant pot-smoking is commonplace. Level of inclusion and open-mindedness for those with opposing opinions is unclear. None of these issues came across during the campus visits, but the fact that three sources concurred was cause for notice. A picture of a very different Wes than we’d imagined began to emerge. </p>

<p>Security is another question mark. During our first tour, within moments of our tour guide touting the secure environment, we passed a newspaper kiosk with headlines declaring a chronic campus security problem (either students vs.Administration or college-town tensions). Sounds like the Administration is under siege; is a changing of the guard immanent?</p>

<p>We loved the school’s size, academic reputation, competitive athletics, beautiful campus (library especially!) and inviting town/surroundings. We’d been so excited about possibilities at Wes, but the sum of the concerns above added up. We wondered if these issues were behind the decline in rankings.</p>

<p>Thanks skipmaxim for addressing some of these issues above. Anyone else willing to weigh in on these concerns?</p>

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<p>Wesleyan is “liberal” but not all students are liberal. Security has not been a concern. The teaching is first rate. If you have any doubts, listen to lectures by Michael Roth and other faculty members on Coursea (you can sign up for free). Your daughter would be lucky to attend.</p>

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<p>The counter-culture movement of the 1970’s hit harder at Wesleyan than most colleges, and throughout the next 20 years, Wes did have a reputation as a place with “militant feminists.” Those decades established a stereotype, which somewhat persists to this day, despite the school not being as extreme as it was back in those days. Sure, there are probably still “militant feminists” on campus, but they probably encompass 0.08% of the student body, whereas at other schools it might be 0.04% (both are small numbers). Same with pot-smoking - if the incidence is 20% at other NESCACs, it might be 22% at Wesleyan. I didn’t smoke, and neither did my friends. That’s the beauty of Wesleyan - you can have the experience you want. Sure, there’s a drug scene. But it’s not any more significant a part of campus life than at any other NESCAC (and all NESCACs do have drug scenes, as do most liberal arts colleges). It’s completely avoidable. See skipmaxim’s post with point #4.</p>

<p>The schools is liberal, but not really any more so than any other NESCAC school.</p>

<p>As for crime, if you look up Clery reports for NESCAC schools, Wesleyan is no different in crimes on campus. There was an issue with Public Safety and the director last year, but he has since left and the school is conducting a search and hired an outside consulting firm for a new head of Public Safety and changes to be made to policies.</p>

<p>Wes students are a fiery bunch; I wouldn’t characterize the administration as under siege.</p>

<p>As for rankings, it mostly comes down to endowment. Wesleyan, in the 80’s, had an endowment as big as Williams and Amherst, but due to overspending (mostly on fancy buildings) and not soliciting alumni, the endowment hasn’t kept up. Wesleyan has since righted the ship, and is now saving most of what it raises, and is currently in the middle of a $400 million capital campaign, over half of which will be going to the endowment. As soon as the endowment starts compounding what was raised from the campaign, the ranking will come back up.</p>

<p>I think your daughter’s overnight is the more accurate impression. Are these other sources current students? Alums? College guidebooks?</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for those insights smartalic34. Looking forward to Decision Day!</p>

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<p>cheeros89,</p>

<p>This thread is now closed but may have some useful information on it. </p>

<p><a href=“What has happened to Wesleyan? - Wesleyan University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/wesleyan-university/1191404-what-has-happened-to-wesleyan-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The discussion gets pretty wild, and I think It got closed because a guy named john wesley flamed out. Rumor has it he’s reemerged under name and posts often on Wesleyan’s site. He’s a big booster. Not a bad guy, but a bit of a nut with fetish for Wes.</p>

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<p>Sorry cheerios89, it was circuitrider, not johnwesley who contributed to the flame out and the closing of the posts. I get those two confused sometimes. :)) </p>

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<p>^^One of my favourite NESCAC threads. To this day I’m a little confused as to why it was closed. O:-) </p>

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<p>Just read about the debacle with Beta Theta Pi at Wes that resulted in campus protests against the administration (Atlantic Monthly, March 2014). That could explain the rumors I’d heard. </p>

<p>Interestingly, those protests earned president Roth’s praise. Knowing that activist culture is encouraged, it strikes a more constructive tone rather than one of ongoing angry dissent. Also could explain the high success rate of Wes applicants to law school.</p>

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<p>Which way is your D leaning PilotDeep? </p>