<p>I am a current freshman at Wellesley and I am having a very hard time adjusting to the intense environment. I have heard that Wellesley is not a place that you love at first, but instead a place that you grow to love. I was wondering if other Wellesley students/alumni had any insight into making Wellesley feel more comfortable. Thank you!</p>
<p>Are you part of any organizations? I think it helps to have something to focus on other than classes. Also, I like doing volunteer work, because it’s distracting and lets me focus on other people. I work at Woodrow Wilson Elementary a couple days a week through the Center for Work and Service, and I really like it there. That might be something to look into.</p>
<p>Transitioning into any college is difficult – for many people, it’s your first time away from home and the friends you’ve grown up with, your first time meeting new people with all different backgrounds and experiences, etc. Wellesley is no different.</p>
<p>Suggestion for you – go out and explore. Join some student organizations. Join your House Council (bonus that you get to meet people in your residence hall too). Volunteer through a student org or through the CWS mentioned above. Get a part-time on-campus job (I personally loved mine and my fellow student co-workers became some of my best friends at Wellesley). </p>
<p>Beyond that, do something you wouldn’t normally do. Take a class in a department you’ve never considered before (Sociology? Art History? Africana Studies? Geology?). Go to a Society party. Go to an off-campus event/party with some other first-years from your hall.</p>
<p>There’s always ways to get involved, but you have to put yourself out there too. Staying in your room or the library all day won’t give you lots of opportunities to meet other people. (This is not directly at you – just a general statement of what I’ve seen people, including myself, go through!)</p>
<p>Ditto what the others said – make sure that you take time to enjoy the experience. I’ve been out of Wellesley for about 10 years now, and I don’t remember what grades I earned or the feedback I got on particular papers or presentations (sometimes I can’t remember all of the classes I took!). What I do remember are the hysterically funny, silly, wonderful experiences that I had on a club sport team, the meaningful and genuine conversations that I had with two of my favorite professors whom I’m still in touch with, the nights spent talking and debating and arguing and brainstorming incredible ideas about anything and everything with some close friends over some Hoop nachos. These people are my colleagues and collaborators now and it’s amazing to me that I have so many passionate, confident, talented friends in so many fields that I can call on whenever I need advice or a connection.</p>
<p>Getting involved helped (I was a bit of a recluse my first semester), and in all honesty what helped the most was moving on to a new group of friends. Initially I hung out with the people I met in my FYM group and who lived on my floor. They were lovely, but a couple were a bit too high pressure for my tastes. I found myself taking classes (ahem, phys107) that didn’t really thrill me because I felt like I needed to “keep up with the Joneses.” In my second semester I started making friends with people who were more laid-back and funny, and more focused on the experience and the learning than the number on the transcript, and that’s when I really felt like I’d found my place. Once I felt more secure I started trying and enjoying more things – different departments, new sports, new food, optional lectures, trips-- and it snowballed until I felt like a whole new person. I think I changed more than my friends who went to other colleges and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world.</p>
<p>I’ve since gone to graduate school, worked in several fields, and volunteered at a lot of places. You’ll find intense environments everywhere, and people who don’t always mesh with you, and you’ll struggle to adapt to new situations. Learning how to change the way you react to this and find your personal balance is such an important skill, and I think it’s why my Wellesley friends and I have been so successful and happy. :)</p>
<p>But in the short term, enjoy your break, relax and rest up, and go back to campus ready to meet some new people and try something totally different. I hope you have some amazing classes lined up for the spring!</p>
<p>Ahhh, HOOP NACHOS with some of my favorite favorite people. Such good memories!!! <3</p>
<p>And I also took Physics 107 (and a few more physics courses) when I thought I wanted to be a physics major. Difficult courses for me, but what I loved about Wellesley was that professors encouraged me to take those courses – at least in the physics department, professors didn’t look at a single homework score or exam grade and tell me to drop their class. Instead, they saw that I was trying and that I was interested in a subject I despised in high school. From those courses, I gained a great group of study buddies – some definitely better at physics than others, but everyone was willing to help each other on the homework, preparing for exams, and just hanging out at all hours of the day. </p>
<p>(Sorry, I kind of hijacked this thread…)</p>
<p>Hi IvyRed,</p>
<p>I think the thought of possibly transferring probably crosses the mind of a lot of first years. Wellesley10 above mentioned many of the reasons why. I think it would be good to really understand why you’re feeling like Wellesley is not a good fit for you. You mention the “intense environment.” Are you referring to the academics? Do you think you’re over your head in your classes? If so, don’t be afraid to take advantage of the academic help that the school offers. I think sometimes students feel there is some sort of “stigma” against seeking academic help - like, “I got into Wellesley so I must be smart. Therefore if I can’t seek help or I won’t be considered smart.” This is silly! Also, don’t poo poo the study breaks that the ATPs give in the res halls. I remember thinking, “My study skills are fine!” but then went to one of the ATP lead workshops and thought, “Crap! I wish I had these tips earlier!”</p>
<p>If you’re referring to the intensity of the student body, then I will just echo Mirapolis’ comments about branching out socially. Yes, as a first year, especially your first semester, most people have friends because of geography (who’s in my hall/res hall/FYM) than necessarily by interest or commonality. You have to decide whether or not the first people you initially meet on campus during Orientation and the first few weeks are people you actually want to be friends with or just friends of convenience. </p>
<p>Or are you referring to the intense environment as one that is more academically driven and not socially driven? I think this is a little trickier because either you have to be willing to accept the off campus Boston/Cambridge social scene to be enough for you, or perhaps transfer to a school where the student body is not as academically focused.</p>
<p>I have a friend who was quite miserable her first semester at Wellesley and was considering transferring out. The academics were quite a jump for her, she auditioned for but didn’t get into one of the a capella groups, her roommate wasn’t very friendly, and just in general didn’t have a group of friends to hang out with. Second semester, she joined a club sport with no experience whatsoever and fell in love with the team and the sport. Joining that club sport was the catalysis to turning around her Wellesley experience. </p>
<p>Don’t give up hope yet. I also recommend having conversations with your FYM or Dean or First year faculty adviser about any of your concerns. They want to help you!</p>
<p>Ha! I just re-read my post above. I meant go to the APT study break in the res halls, not the ATP. This is what you get from a Bio major. Though maybe the little energy bursts of ATPs wouldn’t be such a bad thing!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses! I have joined House Council and I have been volunteering at the Child Study Center on campus. I think that I have been having a hard time adjusting to the fact that the environment is so academically focused. I have done well in my classes and I have enjoyed my professors. However, I have found it difficult to enjoy myself at the college as it is a high-pressure environment.</p>
<p>Dear ivryredcorgi,</p>
<p>Wellesley may not ultimately be for you, but I urge you to give it a chance. I hated it my first year (back in the dark ages when shoulder pads were big and Reagan was president) and wanted to transfer. My parents encouraged me to go back for first semester sophomore year and if I still hated it, I could transfer. Well, I loved it my sophomore year. It was so much better. I was used to the culture and environment, I had my friends and activities, and I hit the ground running.</p>
<p>My D is a current first-year and I advised her to get really involved in campus activities right from the start, something I did not do. I think it has made a big difference in her first-year experience. Unlike me, she is happy at Wellesley as a first-year. The classes are hard. Her first-semester grades were not what she was accustomed to in high school. She is participating in a club sport, and it has really helped her make friends and blow off steam (and she wasn’t athletic in high school either). Don’t just do earnest and worthy stuff like House Council. Do some fun stuff too. Find some folks with whom you can be silly.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>