<p>Hello!
I was wondering if anyone could help me with a predicament I am in with choosing colleges. I am currently torn between Scripps (of the Claremont Colleges) and Wellesley. In short one school has the lifestyle, sense of home, and consortium that I strongly desire (Scripps) and one school has the renown, the incredible academics, and the life-long connections that I need (Wellesley).</p>
<p>Allow me to brief you. I plan on majoring in English, Creative Writing, or Film and Media Studies. I am also very interested in traditional photography. I visited both schools. I fell in love with Scripps location, its proximity to coed schools (and amazing schools in terms of academic oppurtunities), and even the food. However, I left feeling a bit disappointed with what I had heard about the fields which I am interested in going into (as in there is no real creative writing program at Scripps). When I visited Wellesley I also loved the campus (though I found it to be less soothing and home-like than Scripps) but was struck by a sense of isolation and profound stress (and everything Ive read about Wellesley notes the extreme stress-levels (and believe me Im no stranger to stress)). This was disheartening until
I attended a few classes. I loved them. The professors knew students names, discussions were lively, and the material was fascinating. (Admittedly, I only got to attend one class at Scripps and it was not in my intended area). </p>
<p>I am at a loss and I sincerely hope that someone can help me. Is Wellesley really so unbearable? Do you feel isolated? Are the amazing academics and people worth the sacrifice in lifestyle (I know this may sound silly, but I mean it on an emotional level). Please help me with some perspective any advice would be so appreciated!
I feel as though by choosing between these schools I am choosing between quality of life and academics.
Help would be greatly appreciated, even at this, the nth hour (I have to choose by tomorrow evening!)
Thank you!</p>
<p>You sound just like me, and I applied to both schools and committed to wellesley! join…us…
well to tell the truth I was waitlisted at scripps but that was only because my supplementary writing was too formal and boring–didn’t adequately show my personality or desire to attend scripps. :)</p>
<p>today I was extremely stressed out about the fact that I was going to wellesley, but I’m feeling all right now. i’m excited that you’re an admit who sounds normal in that you don’t seem to be the very serious nerd type. although i don’t know you too well, i think it would be cool to have you in my freshman class. scripps is great too though. sorry if i’m not much help! i’m dreading the living-on-the-east-coast part (i’m from california) but i know i’ll be changed forever if i stay at wellesley all four years. and believe me, i’d prefer to not have to transfer.
i think it’s important to ask your family and friends where they see you or where they want you to go. it helped me.</p>
<p>If you plan on majoring in English, from what I’ve heard, Wellesley is clearly a better choice. If you’d like to concentrate in Film and Media, you will get access to Pitzer’s course offerings in this area at Scripps. Wellesley is definitely not a nursery school, like someone mentioned on another thread, but neither is the real world. Sacrifice in lifestyle? I do not think my child has experienced any. My daughter found a circle of friends at Wellesley, met and befriended new people at other local colleges, went to many parties and concerts in Boston… You can definitely have “quality life” at Wellesley. 
The final decision will be up to you. You can’t go wrong with either school. Go with your gut feeling, don’t look back and don’t regret your decision. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>I’m a junior at Wellesley and I have to say, your question is “wellesley so unbearable” does not even begin to fit into my experience. I absolutely love Wellesley- not just the academics and connections but the students, the professors, the traditions, the campus. Sure, there is a high stress level, but that’s what you get when you put 2400 type A students on a campus together. But it also makes for (in my opinion) one of the most empowering undergrad experiences you could have. These women are brilliant and passionate and dedicated and the discussions in and out of class are fascinating. The professors genuinely love thier students and their subjects. Reading this forum, it makes me sad that Wellesley comes off as lonely isolated place. The friends I met at Wellesley are like my sisters and I know that we will be friends for the rest of our lives, and I can’t tell you how many people I talk to at Wellesley who say the same thing. And for what it’s worth, I talk to my high school friends who went to other schools and they do not have the same things to say. The sisterhood at Wellesley is just overwhelming- all you have to do is go to one Alumane reunion weekend to see that you are joining a community of women who band together for the rest of their lives. I went to reunion last summer and watching the classes of the 1940s march in the parade cheering for Wellesley and their class brough tears to my eyes. So many of the alums came up to me and gave me big hugs and were just dying to know everything about current student life. So, lonely? Not at all in my expericne.
And isolated? Please! We are just one bus ride away from one of the most student friendly cities in the country! The student life in Boston is beyond vibrant- the concerts, the parties, the food, and the culture are outstanding.
Your decision ultimately has to be your gut feeling about the school. Scripps sounds like a lovely place but I can tell you that the idea that everyone at Wellesley is miserable and stressed is so incredibly wrong. And just a word of advice- if you do decide to come to Wellesley, whenever you get stressed, all you have to do is take a walk around the lake and you’ll feel incredibly serene and peaceful!
Please message me if you have any more questions! I love to talk about Wellesley!</p>
<p>p.s. I just realized that you had to make your decision by today! But if you did decide to go to Wellesley, message me if you have further questions! And if you decided on Scripps- have a wonderful experience! It looks like a beautiful place!</p>
<p>I was deciding between Wellesley and Scripps going into college, too! I chose Wellesley. Like you, I really enjoyed Scripp’s location (sunny California) but, being from the West Coast, I thought that the East coast would be a little more exciting. Also, Wellesley has far more opportunities than Scripps. I would say that it’s the opposite – I would have felt isolated at Scripps, at Wellesley I feel much more connected to the outside world. I heard a lot about the “Claremont Bubble”, students stay on campus. At Wellesley I am constantly going to MIT, Harvard, or elsewhere in Boston. I love it. Wellesley has an amazingly supportive community, my classes are amazing, and I feel like I’m going to be ready to take on the world after I graduate.</p>
<p>Good luck on your choice!</p>