Wellesley vs. Georgetown

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

I recently applied to Wellesley and Georgetown as a potential transfer student for sophomore year and was wondering what people think about each school!

A little about me:

  • I’m currently pursuing a Political Science and Public Policy double major with a minor in Peace and Justice Studies.
  • I’m particularly interested in social justice issues.
  • I went to a small, academically rigorous all girls high school and loved it.
  • Big factors for me are: an academically rigorous program, an accessible city, a community feeling, and students who are academically motivated (all of which I feel like I don’t have at my current college). Not to the extent where individuals are pushing others down to get ahead, but where people feel confident in their abilities and want to do the best they can, while simultaneously supporting their classmates.
  • I don’t particularly care for the party scene, but I want to have some kind of social life (I’m more of a low-key person… Like house parties and such rather than raves). Academic lectures and access to cultural events would be great (granted I feel like thats accessible in both Boston and D.C. and particularly at both colleges.)

Wellesley

  • I absolutely loved the Wellesley vibe when I visited. Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming and it had an intellectual buzz to it, reminding me of my high school.
  • I love the idea of women supporting and empowering other women. The way I see it, I have the rest of my life to work with men and from what I’ve heard, Wellesley students venture to Harvard and MIT pretty frequently.
  • Academically rigorous (3rd in LAC)
  • Huge focus on diversity
  • Albright Institute
  • Has a gorgeous campus
  • Alumni network

Questions

  • Is deflation a huge issue in terms of GPA and moving onto grad or law school?
  • How many classes do ppl typically take each semester?

Georgetown

  • I liked it when I visited and love the opportunities it offers
  • Amazing political science program
  • Access to incredible internship opportunities (being in D.C. and Gtown connections)
  • Focus on social justice
  • Academically rigorous (but from what I’ve heard… not as rigorous as Wellesley)
  • Kennedy Institute of Ethics (I was on my high school’s Ethics Bowl team and loved it)
  • Name recognition

Questions

  • How many classes do ppl typically take each semester?
2

I say this with the caveat that I went to Wellesley and loved it: Why not Wellesley for undergrad and then Georgetown for grad school? At Wellesley, you’ll get personalized attention from professors and benefit from small classes. It sounds like you really clicked with Wellesley, and you enjoyed high school in a similar environment. You’ll get an excellent education that will prepare you well for law school. I loved my time there and can’t recommend it enough.

To answer your questions…

  1. No, it’s not. Many, many Wellesley grads go on to top law schools. An explanation of the deflation policy is also included with every transcript you send. In addition to this, there’s a law school advisor at Wellesley who can help guide you through the process.

  2. The typical course load is four classes per semester. They’re worth more credit hours, though. (One unit at Wellesley = 4 credit hours elsewhere.)

I hope this helps! Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk further. I also transferred to Wellesley, so let me know if you have any questions about the process in general.

3

Thank you so much! This is really helpful ¨̮

What was your transfer experience like?

4

It was an overall positive experience, and I never regretted transferring. The tough part was what you’ll probably encounter everywhere, which is that most people make their closest friends freshman year. The social scene was a little tougher to navigate as a result, and if I could do it over, I would make a concentrated effort to join a few organizations quickly and get to know people.

Other than that, though, it was great. My professors were very welcoming and reached out to me when they heard I was a transfer student. I got a fantastic education.