<p>So, I got admitted to Wesleyan and BC as a transfer from Bard College. Nows the hard part; what do I do?</p>
<p>I want to go into psychopharmacology, so I'd like to major in some combination of Neuroscience and Chemistry. At Bard I'm doing a double major in Chemistry and Psychology (focus in Neuroscience) with alot of Biology supplementing. At Wesleyan, I talked to the Neuroscience head and he said I could easily double major in Neuroscience and Chemistry, and there is a 5-year program for a MS in Neuroscience where the fifth year is free. At BC, I applied as Chemistry and hope to double with Psychology.</p>
<p>I'm on $29K worth of scholarship at Bard, and haven't got packages from BC and Wes. I'm waiting to hear back from Brandeis also.</p>
<p>Bard is a little socially awkward, which is a huge turn off. Also, I don't like the area in terms of being a college town. However, I've been given huge research opportunities here.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is an awesome school for both Neuroscience and Chemistry, and I really like the campus and the feel of the school when I visited. BC's social life is exactly what I'm looking for, but it might be lacking the academic, liberal arts feel that I really enjoy at Bard. Plus, four of my friends go to BC, and alot of my friends go to school in Boston.</p>
<p>What else should I consider? Are BC and Wesleyan equivalent in terms of academics, and are they considered more rigorous/higher quality than Bard? This will be a big decision for me, and I really need some help.</p>
<p>I'd say leaving Bard for Wesleyan is a pretty equilateral move, but if you don't like the LAC environment, you should definitely go to BC instead.</p>
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I'd say leaving Bard for Wesleyan is a pretty equilateral move,
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<p>I wouldn't. Wesleyan University is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country with a very substantial per student endowment. Academically, Wesleyan would be the clear choice here.</p>
<p>BC is obviously a different kind of school (heavily Catholic, DIV I sports, etc.) so each person would have to make his or her own choice on how to prioritize the aspects of college life.</p>
<p>No. I don't want to take anything away from BC. It has DIV I sports, a great location, and a lot going for it. I do not, however, think it compares academically to Wesleyan. Like I said, Wesleyan is one of the top academic schools in the country.</p>
<p>I'd say BC and Wesleyan are more or less equivalent academically... if you're transferring, ask yourself WHY? Then go to the school that gives you the best answer. Ultimately, you have decide what is best for YOU, regardless of what rankings, other posters (including myself), etc. say.</p>
<p>On academic reputation, Wesleyan is the best of your options. However, I'm always a bit suspicious of schools pushing what they offer in science (I know Bard is trying to attract more science oriented kids), when the bulk of the student body (like Bard) is more the "social alternative" sort. IMO Wesleyan is like Bard, only a step above in prestige.
In contrast to another poster, I think Wesleyan has a weak endowment for an LAC of its rank, and not about to get stronger. Go back to the "social alternative" students it graduates.</p>
<p>A small fraction of Amherst and Williams endowments, per student.
$1.9 billion (W) and $1.7 billion (A) with smaller and much smaller student bodies, respectively.</p>
<p>and, it took a threatened Congressional investigation to get them to actually put it to some good use, like no-loan financial aid for the middle class.</p>
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I'm always a bit suspicious of schools pushing what they offer in science (I know Bard is trying to attract more science oriented kids), when the bulk of the student body (like Bard) is more the "social alternative" sort. IMO Wesleyan is like Bard, only a step above in prestige.
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<p>A) Wesleyan has (from what I've heard from friends at Bard), a lot more social diversity than Bard, and is not as uniformly socially alternative.</p>
<p>B) Wesleyan isn’t pushing a science program that we’ve just started developing, or anything (which, as I understand it, is what Bard is doing, which is good for them, but it takes a while to get any program going strong). Wesleyan has science gradate programs — they are very small (which means there is a LOT of research opportunities), and I’m not going to claim they are the greatest grad programs in the world, or anything, but I think that certainly speaks to the commitment Wes has and will continue to have to science. Wes attracts as many nerds as “social alternative” types…and besides, who says the socially alternative can’t also do science!?</p>
<p>Weskid raises a good point. Wesleyan spends its endowment to support NSF funded research, young faculty research in the humanities and a scholarly press; there have been AT LEAST three NIH lifetime professional achievement awards granted to Wesleyan scientists over the last forty-five years, a rarity for a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>I don't begrudge Amherst and Williams their large endowments, but, they use them in quite different ways, like pumping up their faculty/student ratios by hiring lots of new Ph.Ds. Some things play well with the editors of USNews and other things like student research, diversity and faculty publishing -- don't.</p>
<p>To the OP, you clearly have had some discontent at Bard, otherwise would not have gone through the transfer application process. You sound a bit uncertain about transferring at this point. Are you now happier than you were when you applied, and want to stick it out at Bard? If so, great. If you still want to transfer, then I think you should consider the academic departments, the specific faculty within, and the courses offered at BC and at Wesleyan in your field. You are further along in your college path and have defined your academic interests. You need to choose the school that best meets these interests. In terms of social life, you have more friends at BC but Wesleyan is the sort of college where students are inclusive and welcoming. You will make friends there, if you decide to attend. Wesleyan has a very high rate of students going on to PhD programs, compared to BC, and i believe it is viewed by grad programs as a bit higher in academics. But I think your main consideration should be the specifics of the major/ coursework/ and academic opportunities at the two schools.</p>
<p>"Some things play well with the editors of USNews and other things like student research, diversity and faculty publishing -- don't."</p>
<p>If you are suggesting that Williams and Amherst are not committed to diversity I would like to see the numbers that prove that. As need blind schools they also back up their aims with hard cash with over 50% of students receiving financial aid. As to a whether NIH research is something to brag about that would be a long discussion. Academic institutions are the breeding ground for new pharma ideas. Generally the most they get for it is small patent rights with the bulk of the money (if the product sells) going to the private equity firms and big pharma companies. I have met a number of Wesleyan students at Little Three events and have found them to be impressive individuals. Of the three choices in the op, Wesleyan is the top pick.</p>
<p>I've grown to not mind the alternative kids. I'm a bit of a hippy myself, and Bard has grown on me (I even wear Wayfarers, because I'm obviously a super hipster). I just want a good academic experience, because right now I feel that the future is what is really important.</p>
<p>I'm sure I'll make friends. I'm one the most sociable people you'll meet (The weird thing is, I don't know why people like me. They just do), so I know I'll do fine. And one of my friends at Bard is transfering to Wesleyan next semester, so I wouldn't be alone to begin with.</p>
<p>I think I'm going to go with Wesleyan, pending on my financial aid. Any other comments would be appreciated.</p>
<p>icantfindaname - I'm not suggesting that the Little Three (Amherst Williams ands Wesleyan) are not committed as a whole to diversity. I am suggesting that it was Wesleyan that was leading the pack back when Mel Elfin and his henchmen in designing the USNews ranking system, repeatedly refused to make diversity one of its indicators while repeatedly emphasizing other heuristics like % of faculty with Ph.Ds (not many musicians and dancers had Ph.Ds at the time, though that may have changed), and a peer assessment component that really did nothing more than ratify decades of lagging indicators.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong. Anyone even faintly interested in Wesleyan would be well-advised to consider Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, other NESCAC colleges, and Swarthmore and Haverford as well.</p>
<p>Class Sizes – Better Summary Measures than USNWR? discussion thread</p>
<p>I'd like to think that hiring more Ph.D's has something to do with the growing interest in defining educational quality by class size. One seemingly universal truth in education is that the smaller the class, whether at an underfunded urban high school, or an elite LAC at Walden Pond, the better the prospect for learning. However, it takes a lot of money.</p>