<h2>Wesleyan didn't used to be the butt of lunatic fringe jokes, and actually had some of the smartest kids among colleges anywhere. They've lost a lot of ground. I hope the new president can turn things around.</h2>
<p>from a new CC posting on the Admissions Forum today:</p>
<p>"College Rankings from 1966
For those of you who like debate which schools have moved up and down, here is a list of schools in order of average SATs for the class entering in 1966. Some familiar schools are not included because they stated ranges rather than averages. It's from The American Counsel on Education's "American Colleges and Universities (10th ed.)</p>
<p>Cal Tech 1429
MIT 1428
Harvard 1389
Yale 1380
Rice 1368
Bryn Mawr 1363
Wellesley 1361
Weslyan 1356
Pomona 1345
Smith 1345
Columbia 1344
Brandeis 1337
Brown 1330
Reed 1330
Chicago 1329
Williams 1323
Dartmouth 1323
Carleton 1323
Princeton 1321
Oberlin 1320
Cornell 1313
Penn 1309
Barnard 1305
Hamilton 1304
Middlebury 1299
etc.</p>
<p>The degrading of intellectual rigor started in the mid sixties everywhere. It apparently had no brakes in some places more than others, Wesleyan being among them. A look at the current course catalogue should be the first stop for anyone considering how much to overlook in settling for the college they can get into, rather than one they want to go to.</p>
<p>Strange post. Forty years later it might be time to start getting over your problems with the Sixties. Especially since, judging by only SAT scores as you do above, Wesleyan's current entering class has an average more than 50 points higher than in your "golden age" of intellectual rigor.</p>
<p>
[quote]
A look at the current course catalogue should be the first stop for anyone considering how much to overlook in settling for the college they can get into, rather than one they want to go to.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because no one who applies to Wesleyan actually wants to go there. Especially not those people who applied ED. Or thos people who turned down Ivies and higher ranked LACs for it. They were all just settling. Yeah. </p>
<p>PS. We're still a top ten LAC. Not to shabby, I'd say.</p>
<p>PPS. What's wrong with our course cataloge? I'm quite happy with it...there's already more I want to do than I have time to, and that's with basically disregarding the entire math/science seciton, because I don't like math/science much.</p>
<p>Yeah, for a quirky school battling a conservative headwind for the last thirty years, and, with a fraction of the endowment per student of its nearest rivals, I'd say Wesleyan must be doing something right. Maybe it's in assuming that seventeen y/olds can think for themselves.</p>
<p>Despite all of the things johnwesley and others may mention, Wesleyan still ranks 22nd on the Revealed Preference rankings, ahead of many top LACs and universities. As he said, the school must be doing something right, especially given it's "limitations" compared to peers.</p>
<p>"Especially since, judging by only SAT scores as you do above, Wesleyan's current entering class has an average more than 50 points higher than in your "golden age" of intellectual rigor."</p>
<p>The SAT was re-centered in the 1990s. A 1356 in 1966 might reasonably be estimated as equivalent to a 1410 - 1430 or so on today's exam. You can't tell exactly, because the effect of re-centering varied by section and by score range.</p>
<p>I spent hours comparing the Wesleyan course offerings to the other schools I was admitted to and found Wes superior. Those other schools were top notch lacs. The course catalogue of Wesleyan also compared on an equal plain to the Amherst, Middlebury and Williams courses I saw when I checked them.</p>
<p>The class of 2011's SATs averaged 730 CR and 710M.</p>
<p>When I visited the campus twice once at WesFest all of the kids I met were really interesting people with so many facets. They also were cool kids who knew how to have a great time. I don't know where the OP gets his/her info or negative slant but I can't wait to get to campus. I think that from what I've researched Wes is on the threshold of an even more exciting growth with the new president and a good plan for financial endowment improvement.</p>
