Just wondering if any one has any input on the student athlete experience at Wesleyan. I am very aware of the academic rigor that Wesleyan exemplifies but also wondering about the social component? Many of the NESCACschools seem to have a reputation of all work and no play. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Wesleyan is fortunate to have a distinctive performing arts community and is one of the only NESCAC schools where athletes do not dominate the party scene (Connecticut College is probably the other one.) At Wesleyan, anyone with a house can throw a party and the campus is dotted with 150 college-owned houses. What that means, as a practical matter, is that even when the main athletic houses (Deke, Beta and Psi U) are under some kind of sanction - as Deke currently is - some other part of campus will attempt to fill in the void (though, not always successfully):
http://wesleyanargus.com/2015/11/09/better-safe-than-sorry/
Here’s an update on the party situation at Wesleyan which has been exacerbated of late due to several large venues losing their residential status.
http://wesleyanargus.com/2019/03/01/reslife-touts-success-following-wood-frame-town-hall/
Wesleyan has stepped up its game in athletics of late and is competing with the historically jocky schools in the NESCAC, like Midd and Williams, generally across the board. But for years, Wes had the rep of not caring about sports, and there’s still a little element to that. Just my opinion. It’s not a rah rah school, though sporting events are well attended and it’s not a place that’s hostile to sports either. It’s just another element of campus, no more or less pronounced than any other.
That said, it takes careful time management to be an athlete at Wes. NESCAC sports are competitive. You can’t just skip practice every time you have to study for an exam. You can, of course, but it’s not something to be cavalier about.
In four years, my D has had one kind of “rub” situation with her coach. It occurred around the time she needed to prepare for a particularly challenging physics class. The coach wanted to wrap up practice about an hour before the test, and my D had to advocate for herself and make clear she wasn’t just going to shower up and run over and take a multi-hour exam. It was fine. She’s a four year letterman. It all worked out but there have been moments. You have to be good at time management.
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