<p>I recently got accepted into two of my top choices, Wesleyan and Columbia. As May 1st quickly approaches, I still have no idea which school I'm going to choose... I'm leaning towards Wesleyan because of the liberal attitude there, but, can't seem to let go of the idea that Columbia is an IVY (!!! - shock horror, my family will murder me if I turn down an ivy) and its in NYC, and it's pretty liberal as well. Academically, should I trade Wesleyan for an ivy league?</p>
<p>There are a lot of contrasts between the two which may or may not mitigate the Ivy deficit. Firstly, if you don’t mind having your freshman and much of your sophomore year filled with required courses, that takes care of a major knock against Columbia. Wesleyan’s is pretty close to being an open curriculum. OTOH - and this is much harder to ignore - the two communities could not be more different. Yes, both are very liberal. But, once you step outside the Columbia campus (which is actually much smaller in feeling than Wesleyan’s) the real community is the upper West Side of Manhattan. Some people like the electricity and buzz of an urban neighbourhood; others may feel it distracts from campus spirit. Wesleyan has a definite “bubble” aspect to it which will either be appealing to you or will drive you nuts. Wesleyan’s main strength is that it is small enough to be a rather congenial community, but large enough that you are always meeting new people.
Hope this helps.</p>
<p>You aren’t at Wes fest? Did you visit both? I have a young friend there now at wes fest with a similar decision, but the money situation likely makes it a little easier decision. Don’t worry about picking a college just so your family can have bragging rights. Think about the educational experience, not just the liberal attitude thing. Which will you like better?</p>
<p>I haven’t actually had enough time/money to visit both schools! I’ve also got English A-Levels coming up in a few weeks so any chance of seeing them soon before May is pretty much out of the question. I’ve lived in both London and Singapore, both buzzing cities, and I guess the buzz is similar to New York. I’m kinda hoping to slow down a little and get the full all-american college campus experience, and that’s why I’m leaning towards Wesleyan - like you said, it’s not too small but not too big either. I just can’t really seem to let go of the prestige that comes with the Columbia name, or any Ivy for that matter.</p>
<p>I am also thinking of majoring in art history or photography or film, and undoubtedly, Wesleyan is much better for this. </p>
<p>Having thought this through, I think that Wesleyan is the right school for me. I don’t think I would cope well with being confined to doing certain subjects (eg sciences like chem/bio/phys) for the core curriculum. Now I just have to click that Wesleyan confirm button… Wish my luck! </p>
<p>Thank you so much for the advice, really helped me think it through properly!</p>
<p>Wesleyan is also a very prestigious college. The “Ivy League” is an athletic conference, and there are many very prestigious and well-respected colleges outside of the conference. If you think Wesleyan is the best fit for you, go there.</p>
<p>Just want to make a note, though, that the Core doesn’t really “confine” you to certain subjects. The idea is to give students a foundation of Western liberal thought - the classics, as it were, that citizens of a free world should read. You’ll be exposed to the same ideas in some format no matter where you go; Columbia just happens to standardize them. But we read a lot of the same books/writers/thinkers through the gen eds at my college. There are two science courses in the Core - Frontiers of Science (a seminar that rotates through several scientific fields) and a science course of your choice (which can include environmental science or psychology). Wesleyan also has a general education curriculum [url=<a href=“https://www.wesleyan.edu/registrar/academic_regulations/general_education_expectations.html]here[/url”>https://www.wesleyan.edu/registrar/academic_regulations/general_education_expectations.html]here[/url</a>], although it’s unclear whether they require it or just strongly recommend it.</p>