My daughter wants to major in English. She is a writer, and wants to be surrounded by a lively, supportive writing community. Her other major interest is film. I know based on the website that Wes has a lot to offer for writers, and obviously the film department is phenomenal. I believe, based on our research, that Vassar is strong in these two areas as well. Does anyone have a good feel for the differences in the writing programs at these two schools? Also I noticed that Wes has a dorm specifically for students interested in writing, and that freshmen are able to request housing there. Any insight on this dorm?
The living arrangements for frosh and soph are reimagined and changed around somewhat from year to year, so I’m not sure what the format is now. Several years ago, my son requested and was placed on the “writing floor” (at the time a floor of Clark Hall) as a freshman and he LOVED it. He met his best friends, did activities, and really felt part of the community there – but not at all segregated. He went on to live in the writing house the next year, which he also loved. Many kids other than English majors do “writing” related housing (they just like writing) so the experience was not at all limited to English majors. If your D ends up at Wes (and my son has loved it there), I highly recommend the writing housing.
Thank you @pickwick1. Was your son an English/Creative Writing major? I Am trying to help my daughter by digging deeper, to find out which school has the more lively writing vibe, more activities, etc. So far it seems like there is more going on at Wes than at Vassar. She loves the Vassar campus, but I am beginning to wonder if Wes would be a better fit.
^^
Are you trying to decide which school to apply ED?
Trying to help my daughter decide which to apply to ED, if she can determine a true first choice. @crewdad
My Son started out as a creative writing major, moved to a literary theory major, and now is a double major with a language. No matter how sure your daughter thinks she is, most kids change their ideas on majors, careers, etc. as they grow and become intellectually and socially engaged and stimulated. And it is a beautiful thing to watch. Hey, that is what college (and certainly a college like Wes) is all about. Hence, I would not hang everything on the major. The ED decision is a really big one. My son was lucky. He just KNEW from the moment he walked onto Wes’ campus that it was the right place for him. I pressed him about throwing the dice and applying to Brown ED instead (a school high on his list at the time), but he said if he got into both, he’d prefer Wes, and what more can you say? He applied ED and got in. My point is, between Wes and Vassar she cannot go wrong academically and I just hope that one of these schools (or another) really jumps out at her so she can make a decision from a place of joy, not anxiety.
Agreeing with @pickwick1.
Vassar and Wes both have very strong ‘feels’ to them, so no matter how much you research, the visit is crucial. D2 sat in on a class and when she came out I knew that was the school she would pick. Any hint of doubt was gone when I collected her the next morning after an overnight in the dorm. There were other schools that were minorly ‘better’ according to her checklist of criteria, but none where she felt so much at home and so alive intellectually.
Thank you all for your ideas and guidance. We have visited both schools twice already, and seen both in session. The next step is for her to do overnights and see what she thinks. I’m working on getting her to expand her list and make sure she has some safeties she will be happy with as well. Love and agree with what you said about majors @pickwick1, she has many interests, and is considering philosophy, women’s studies, psychology and the social sciences in addition to English and writing. She loves to read, analyze, discuss and study. She hates intense competition. She wants a school with serious students who support each other. @collegemom3717 I agree that there may be ‘better’ places based on a checklist, but it is the overall feel of the place that matters most! The only requirement I have placed on this search is that I want her to consider schools that are truly LACs with strengths in many areas. I remember changing my major four times before formally declaring at the end of my sophomore year!
Just dug a little deeper into the Wes residential life pages on the school website. One indicates the writing house is open to freshmen and the other says there is a writing hall in Clark for freshmen, just as @pickwick1 said in an earlier post. Does anyone know which way it is being done for freshmen these days? My D is leaning heavily toward applying ED now. I like the idea of the hall as opposed to the house because she would still be with many other freshmen.
@apple23, just to throw a curve ball: the one thing about going straight into a writing hall is the self-selection may not help with your idea of encouraging to keep her options open. My D2 (not at Wes) has friend groups from her subject, from her hall and from her favorite EC. If you D goes straight into a writing hall, 2 - and possibly all 3!- of those groups could be pretty much the same people.
Just a thought to keep you own your toes- didn’t want it to all get too easy too fast!
This link mentions both the hall and the house and omits any mention of frosh applying for residence in the house:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/community/house.html
My sense is the Clark Hall accommodation may have removed the house option for first semester at least. As @pickwick1 has stated, this being Wesleyan, however, nothing is written in stone (pun semi-intentional) and YMMV.
Thanks @collegemom3717 I know what you are saying. That’s actually why I like the idea of the hall, which really means only one floor of the dorm. The rest of the dorm would be other first years with many different interests.
Assuming that the Clark writing floor is an option, do not be concerned for a moment that it will be too limiting. It really is wide open to anyone who writes anything and I rather doubt that most of the students on the floor are even English majors. My S made good friends who were Classics and Film majors, for example. Some people want to write scripts, some are interested in journalism, some poetry, some just want to write a good term paper. You get the idea. And of course it is just one floor so you are part of the Freshmen community that is “the dorms.” But no matter where she ends up, there will be a community. For example kids seems to want to avoid the Butterfield complex (probably because they are referred to as “the Butts”!), but the truth is most Frosh end up there and have a smashing time.
Yes I saw that @circuitrider. What confuses me is this link:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/reslife/ugrad_housing/frosh_reshall.html
It has the Writer’s Block at 156 High Street listed as an option for first year housing, and no mention of a writer’s hall on the link for Clark. I guess I won’t worry too much about it at this point. After all, she has to get in first, looking at housing options is way down the road! We will focus our energy on the admission process this fall!
Thank you @pickwick1, all your posts have been extremely helpful and have given us a good feeling for the possibilities at Wesleyan.
Oh, I know that house! I did my overnight there a gazillion years ago when it was still Delta Tau Delta. IMHO, we may be overlooking the forest for trees, a little bit. The real question isn’t writers versus non-writers but living with all first years versus living with mostly upper classmen? There are advantages to both.
I agree @circuitrider! It’s a decision she will have to make based on the options, if she gets in.