Wesleyan Vs. Colgate Vs. Others. Please help me decide.

<p>Anyone know about the alumni network for wesleyan?</p>

<p>Penn State and Wes aren't even in the same league. I'd go for Wes. Rochester is a good choice too, though you may find more grade mongers there than would be to your liking.</p>

<p>Only reason PSU is in the running is due to the Schreyer Honors College which appears to be a wonderful program that boasts almost a 100% acceptance rate to (some) grad school for all students that apply.
Yeah, rochester would have more GPA mongers wouldn't it, hmm...</p>

<p>my son liked Shreyer too and he's submitting the deposit tomorrow. He also thought he would hate Penn State and ended up very impressed the honors program after he visited. He had the same experience as you - all the kids said the program was awesome. The dorms were great and the kids were smart but very down to earth and friendly. He's a business major and Smeal is ranked in the top 20 business schools. It's also a great deal, especially for those in state.
By the way, we have a friend who's son goes to Wesleyan and he likes it. Although we do hear reports that the campus if very liberal and open (read Gatekeepers for an eye opening account of one girls visit).<br>
Good luck!</p>

<p>I read the gatekeepers and I liked the book. It didn't change my view of the school at all. Wesleyan has superb academics and it's good to note that the campus is that open as well. I'm visiting next week, then I will make my final decision. I'm paying around the same for Colgate and Penn state, while wesleyan costs a little more and lafayette a little less. My parents feel that the added name factor of wesleyan will be good, yet if I don't like it they won't hold me to anything. I've visited wes before and i'm going again just to make sure it's as awesome as I remember it :-)</p>

<p>Congrats on your son getting into the SHC, it's a tough program to get into. A lot of students in HS's in my area were rejected and they were at or near the top of their grade (around rank 3 of over 700!).</p>

<p>Thanks! He was initially upset with his results- rejected at Cornell :( but he seems to be happy with SHC now (chose over lehigh, wake forest, and univ of richmond).
Have fun at Wes. Sounds like you can't go wrong no matter what school you choose.</p>

<p>Heh, thanks. I got rejected from Cornell too :-)
I wasn't too upset, fate does things for a reason. I was upset about getting deferred and then waitlisted by UChicago. I think they have a more grad school oriented program, I'd rather go there for grad school. I think a LAC is a better idea for Ugrad.</p>

<p>What do you guys think of the pros and cons of Wesleyan and Lafayette?</p>

<p>Weselyan has an open curriculum</p>

<p>Anyone else?
Please and thank you :-)</p>

<p>100% Wesleyan. Best reputation. Great culture, students that are smart AND work together (non-competitive), major push towards science now, very funky and fun, unpretentious. Close to either NYC or Boston for roadtrips. On-campus research. Need I say more?</p>

<p>And BTW, the naked dorm thing is a myth. Ain't no such thing. However, if you'd be offended by occasional naked runs to protest somethingorother, or off-beat things like cross-dressing parties, don't go. If that amuses you, go.</p>

<p>Having gone to Colgate, I would probably pick it again over Wesleyan. I didn't know much about Wesleyan at the time. While I get the impression that the culture of Lafayette is more similar to Colgate than Wesleyan, I think that Wesleyan is a fair amount more respected than Lafayette in terms of job placement, grad schools and general image that unless Wes was less than an adequate fit for you would choose it over Lafayette.</p>

<p>What was your time there like?
How do you think your degree has helped you after graduation?
What are you doing, if you don't mind my asking?
What's the intellectual atmosphere like on campus, like how often do students actually converse about their work when they're not studying?
Be honest :-)</p>

<p>I've been hearing so much about Wesleyan lately, is the school improving it's reputation or something? I really never used to hear people mention it. Is it an all girls school or is it co-ed?</p>

<p>It's co-ed (often confused with Wellesley which is all-girls.) People who like the general idea of LACs but would like them just a little bit bigger are slowly getting turned on to Wesleyan. Also, to Vassar, Colgate, and Oberlin.</p>

<p>Haha, I think it's funny how it's still confused with Wellesley and the other 1000 schools with the wesleyan name in them...
It's so annoying sometimes. Wait, is that hoody for Ohio/Virginia/Nebraska/etc Wesleyan?
Ack!</p>

<p>My Wesleyan DD got so tired of correcting people that when she was just having passing conversations with strangers she finally started gritting her teeth and saying "Ok, I go to Wellesley." lol</p>

<p>To the other comment above, I don't know if Wes is getting more press now. It certainly was well-known and well-regarded years ago when I was a student (not at Wes). Maybe it's getting better at distinguishing itself from the other LACs (especially its "Little Ivy" brethren Amherst and Williams) as a little bigger, a little hipper, a lot less preppy... More hip/less prep was important to my non-east coast daughter.</p>

<p>I'm east coast, but the number of preppy/jocky students at laff and colgate was frightening.
Don't get me wrong I love those two schools and their academics are superb, but I felt I wouldn't fit in right there. I don't want to have to find a niche of peopl within a school I want to be in my niche at wes.</p>

<p>My DD has a keen radar for prep elitism. Can't stand it. She used this radar on tours. Wes won by a landslide. She applied ED and has been verrry pleased for the last 2 years. Good luck.</p>

<p>I'm goin to wes!!!
Actually I sent my deposit in on saturday.
The only woes I've been having are because Lafayette gave me such a good finaid package and such awesome perks, but wesleyan was where my heart was.
The class of 2010 is awesome, I already have friends at wes, how many kids can say that about their college?</p>