<p>Hi elmtree (and monv84),</p>
<p>I was never a student at BC and only visited the campus a few times, so I'm not qualified to give an accurate comparison between the two schools. I'll just try to address some of the concerns about Wellesley that you have.</p>
<p>If by "school spirit," you mean the more traditional sports-oriented kind, then BC definitely out trumps Wellesley. BC has nationally recognized football and basketball teams that are Div. 1, with games that are televised. Wellesley's sports teams don't come anywhere near that. They just don't have anywhere near as big of a presence as the teams at a Div. 1 school like BC. Not to say that student's aren't passionate about their sports here if they're part of a team. But as part of school culture, Saturdays aren't centered around sports matches, like it is for football and basketball at BC, I'd imagine. However, Wellesley students certainly have a lot of "school spirit," in that they're very proud to be attending Wellesley, aren't afraid to say they're Wellesley students, and buy and wear lots of Wellesley gear.</p>
<p>In terms of meeting guys and dating, certainly it'll be much easier if you attend BC just based on the fact that as a coed campus, guys will be right there with you all the time. At Wellesley, if meeting guys is a priority for you, then it'll take more effort. There certainly will be opportunities, but that doesn't mean that it won't take effort on your part. For example, you should attend the events/mixers/parties/dances that attract off-campus students. You should join student organizations and groups. Guys aren't just going to fall into your lap. One thing that is very unlikely to happen is the random hookup with a guy. Wellesley has very few (if any?) casual, off the cuff, "hey-let's-just-get-some-beer-and-invite-people-over" parties where guys come over and within a few hours people are randomly hooking up with other people. Of course, you might randomly hook up with a guy that you meet at one of the bigger parties and take him back to your room, but you don't have to. I'm just saying that for the vast majority of the time, you get to meet guys on your own term, when you want to. And don't worry, many Wellesley women date. They're all meeting people somehow - it's not like our alumnae base is overwhelmed with a whole bunch of unmarried folks.</p>
<p>You say that you're concerned that the academics will be too much for you. Do you mean that you're afraid that they'll be too hard? Certainly they'll be challenging because the professors expect college level work, and high quality level work at that. But if you were accepted, then the Admission office must have seen evidence that you're quite capable of the work here. Wellesley might be the first time where you aren't the smartest student in the class and the first time where you're challenged not only by the professor, but by your peers as well. And thats OK. The great thing about Wellesley is that as challenging as the work is, the professors want to help and mentor you. Your peers want to help you. It's an incredibly supportive environment. Don't be afraid of the academics! Be excited to academically push yourself! As someone posted in another thread, the academic standards are higher (college vs. high school) and you might get lower grades than you're used to at first (again, college vs. high school), but that's not a reason to shy away from it.</p>
<p>In terms of accessibility to Boston, definitely BC will have much greater and easier access than Wellesley. BC is located right at a T stop, whereas Wellesley is definitely in the suburbs of Boston and you'll need to either take the bus or have a car to get into the city. There really is no comparison here. Again, it's a matter of what you're looking for in a college and what's important to you.</p>
<p>I have no idea on how gorgeous the girls at BC are, but thank god for Wellesley being a women's college and who cares what you look like in the morning when you're heading off to class and you just rolled out of bed and really, pajamas are the most comfortable clothes ever. Not to say that students don't know how to get all dolled up when they want to, but for everyday, comfort is key.</p>
<p>As for your interest in Economics, Wellesley's department is one of the best in the country. In fact, a fairly recent article named it number one amongst LAC in research output of faculty and students (see Bodenhorn (2003), “Economic Scholarship at Elite Liberal Arts Colleges,” Journal of Economic Education, vol. 34 no. 2, p. 341-359). And because Wellesley is an undergraduate institution, everything there is for you, without any grad students as an intermediary. Every year, the top Wall Street firms and I-banking companies come to recruit at Wellesley. If that's what you're interested in, the Wellesley alumnae network would be invaluable. </p>
<p>As to being reserved and a bit on the shy side, Wellesley isn't filled with homogeneous personalities of all outspoken and extroverted people who are pushy. But I think Wellesley can help people who are on the quieter side be more confident and willing to put themselves out there, especially for causes/issues they believe in. It's a very empowering community. I've definitely been in a situation where i've said to myself, "Dammit! You're a Wellesley woman! Just go and do it!"</p>
<p>Hope all this helps.</p>