Wellesley vs. Other LACs (esp. Barnard)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

<p>Hi, I haven't done a whole lot of research on Wellesley, but I got an award from the Wellesley alumni society in my area and now I'm looking to apply there, Barnard, and Pomona. I just want to know the different "vibe" you get at Wellesley versus other LACs or women's colleges. Essentially, what really sets it apart?</p>

<p>Also, I'm interested in Biology, modern language, and ethnic studies and looking to eventually go into med school...how are these departments and programs at Wellesley and how well does it prepare you for med school and the MCATs? How hard is it to have a GPA over 3.5?</p>

2

<p>The stereotypical Wellesley student would probably be described as driven and goal-oriented. I think of Wellesley as somewhat less touchy-feely than some other LACs that I visited, which I think/thought of as a good thing; uncharitable characterizations might call it "cold", but as you could probably imagine I don't agree with that. People tend to put pressure on themselves--I would not describe Wellesley as an academically laid-back place (not true for everyone, of course!). That said, Wellesley isn't all work and seriousness, by a long shot, and there really is a wonderful community of support and understanding. I won't speculate as to what Barnard is like; I'm sure the people on the Barnard board could give a better description by orders of magnitude. </p>

<p>There are lots of pre-med students at Wellesley, but I'm not one of them, so I'll leave that question to someone else. As far as how difficult it is to get a 3.5 plus GPA, I would say it is relatively difficult, in general. The median GPA is around a B+, 3.33, so I'd put a 3.5 at around the top third of the distribution chart. So clearly not impossible, but as you can imagine, being in the top third at Wellesley doesn't just occur because you're smart--there's some real work involved (there's some real work involved to gain a GPA a lot lower than that, to be honest!).</p>

3

<p>I've actually never visited any other women's college.</p>

<p>Lots of Wellesley students go on to Med School, so Wellesley is just fine for premed. I wasn't a premed, and don't have numbers or stats other than the fact that I know Wellesley students who are now in med school.</p>

<p>All my info about Barnard is thirdhand, I know it's supposedly better than Wellesley for creative writing and arts, but I don't know anything about Bio or modern languages.</p>

<p>As for modern languages, Wellesley offers French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Hindi/Urdu, Swahili, Arabic and Italian. I have experience with the French and German depts, and would say that satisfaction varies by department.</p>

4

<p>Speaking as a parent who has visited both schools and who has known kids at both schools (in other words, no in-depth knowledge, just impressions):</p>

<p>1.) There are darn few male students that you will run into on a typical day at Wellesley. A few Wellesley students cross-reg to take a class at MIT, but that is not typical, therefore I assume that at the end of the day, most Wellesley students do not see/interact with/study with male peers much at all during their college years. </p>

<p>At Barnard, you are much more likely to see Columbia students in some of your Barnard classes, and to regularly take Columbia classes yourself. Also, the campuses are side-by-side, many club, social and sport activities are 'integrated' - in short, I don't think the environment is even close to being as single-sex.</p>

<p>2) I got the impression that a lot of Wellesley weekend social life consists of going to Boston, or going to parties at other area schools, etc. </p>

<p>A lot of Barnard weekend social life seems to be doing whatever young adults do in NYC with a bunch of Barnard/Columbia friends. </p>

<p>3) Barnard has some unique/strong programs: dance, art history, music cross-reg with MSM (maybe more? I'm sure I don't know about all of them)</p>

<p>Wellesley looks to have a very strong science/bio/premed program.</p>

5

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most Wellesley students do not see/interact with/study with male peers much at all during their college years.

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<p>Hmmm I wouldn't say at all....it depends on the person. Sure you have to get off campus, but that doesn't mean that you won't ever see guys. Some Olin/Babson guys take classes at Wellesley, but I mostly see guys off campus.</p>

<p>
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2) I got the impression that a lot of Wellesley weekend social life consists of going to Boston, or going to parties at other area schools, etc.

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<p>Again, this depends on the student. Some students do like to go off campus and find parties, but there are some students who like to go to concerts or events on campus. Wellesley has something going on every night, which is kind of aggravating because I can't attend everything.</p>

6

<p>The sciences are very strong at Barnard, though it doesn't have that rep. At one time, half the US female doctors were Barnard educated.</p>

<p>I am not sure about languages, but you always have the Columbia catalogue to choose from as well. I would imagine that the language program is strong, and languages are a graduation requirement.</p>

<p>I can't compare because I am not really familiar with Wellesley.</p>

7

<p>I am taking two languages right now at Wellesley: Russian and Japanese. The Russian department is very strong, and I really love the class. I also really enjoy my Japanese class. However, the languages at Wellesley are very intensive. There are quizzes and homework assignments almost everyday, and a lot of the times you have to meet outside of class with professors (mostly for my Japanese class). In general, though, it is not recommended to take two beginning languages. I have also heard good things about the other departments, except for Hindu, I think.</p>

8

<p>i'm having the same dilemma lol</p>

9

<p>Since the LAC schools you've listed are comparable academically, I think one of the most important and often overlooked factors you should consider is the location of the college.
Pomona - I don't know much about this LAC, but I know it's in California. Already you've got a drastically different vibe from the East Coast (at least that's what my roommate from California says. ;) </p>

<p>Wellesley - We're in the suburbs about 45 mins - 1hr away from Boston. Boston is a lovely city. It's got plenty of cafes, small museums, historical spots, and students from tons of campuses. Wellesley’s different. It's very very quiet here. Things close early. Some days (cold days) the most activity I see outdoors is the squirrels running around. We call it “the Wellesley bubble:” it’s really cozy but can feel stultifying at times.
As a student, you can definitely take advantage of events held by other campuses (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, blahblah) but if you want to focus on your studies or things happening on campus, that's fine too. </p>

<p>Just a warning: the weather can really suck in New England.</p>

<p>Barnard - NYC. I absolutely love NYC, but it can be disorienting at first, to say the least. Of course there are pros and cons to be located right smack dab in the (best) city (in the world), but one con most relevant to me is the fact that it offers so many/too many things in the city. I'm at Wellesley, a quiet campus, and yet I feel like there are so many concerts, culture shows, Jane Austen movie nights, zoomba classes, lectures, etc. that I want to attend! At NYC, I'd be so overwhelmed with choices. Not only do you want to make friends within your campus, you'd want to explore and take advantage of what NYC has to offer - and it has A LOT to offer (internships, museums, concerts, famous premieres, yummy restaurants), which isn't a bad thing. I think, however, that you'll need to be an excellent prioritizer.</p>

<p>Oh another note - Nightlife is kind of lame in Boston compared by NYC. </p>

<p>Hope that helps…</p>

10

<p>I didn't see that you had also applied to Pomona! My Russian professor actually graduated from Pomona, and he's always talking about how awesome California is.</p>

<p>I actually applied ED to Pomona and was deferred, and then rejected. I chose Wellesley as my next choice, but I'm actually really glad that I chose Wellesley instead of Pomona. I think the Boston location is so much more interesting, looking back it would have seemed that Claremont would have been kind of boring/suffocating after a while. Wellesley also seems to have more opportunities involving the alumni network and classes (with Pomona you can take classes at Scripps/Pitzer/Harvey Mudd, but at Wellesley you can take classes at MIT/Harvard/Babson sooo....). I would definitely get the idea that Pomona is a lot more chill than Wellesley, the student population (that I at least saw) was very laid back while Wellesley students seem more type A/artsy/determined.</p>

11

<p>I was vacillating between Wellesley and Barnard for my E/D school. Basically what decided me in favor of Wellesley was the campus. There were a lot of other factors that came into play such as Wellesley's much more prestigious academics, but the main thing was the "feel" of the campus. Barnard barely has a campus and the layering of building upon building made me feel claustrophobic. So there you go.</p>