Wellesley College

Date: Jun 24 2004
Major: Language - French/Spanish/etc. (This Major's Salary over time)
I cannot say enough wonderful things about Wellesley College. In my opinion, you would be hard-pressed as a woman to find a better education elsewhere. Wellesley exceeded my expectations in nearly every respect. The overwhelming majority of my courses had fewer than 20 students; one course I took even had 4 students. Of course the small class sizes mean that you will have to work hard, as professors will know whether you are doing the work. However, do not let this deter you- the pay off is well worth the effort. The amount of personal attention you will receive from professors at Wellesley simply cannot be matched at other universities. Moreover, the professors truly care about the students and their intellectual growth. They are very accessible and are always willing to find time even outside of office hours to meet with you. I developed close relationships with a number of my professors. The small class sizes ensure that there is a great degree of class discussion. You will not spend four years at Wellesley listening to professors lecture, since class discussion is an integral part of courses. I feel that I benefited tremendously from the class discussions I had with other students. The students are very intelligent and offer unique insights and perspectives that enhance your understanding of the course material.

One of the most striking and valuable things about Wellesley is the diverse student body. Although students at Wellesley tend to have similar political values (i.e. most tend to be liberals or Democrats), there is a great deal of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity.

As for the campus itself, it is breathtakingly beautiful. One of my favorite activities as a student was walking the 2.5 miles around Lake Waban. In the Spring, you can even take out sailboats or canoes from the Boathouse. The Sports Center has an indoor pool, sauna, treadmills, elliptical machines, weight room, track, tennis courts, squash courts, etc.

The dorms are beautiful- most rooms have hardwood polished floors and some even have views of the Lake. First years (the word "freshmen" is not used at Wellesley) live in doubles with the occasional triple room, as do sophomores, but sophomores may obtain single rooms if they sign up to be Resident Advisors. Nearly all juniors and seniors have single rooms. Campus housing is basically guaranteed all four years and 99% of the students live on campus. Everyone is on the same mealplan- meals are unlimited, as is the ice cream (watch out for the First Year Fifteen). In general, the food is very good for college standards. There is a vegetarian/kosher dining hall. Most dorms have their own dining halls, so you can often go down to breakfast in your pajamas.

The town of Wellesley does not offer much for college students other than the Gap and a Starbuck's. However, the college provides a free shuttle bus to MIT in Boston during the week (Wellesley has cross registration with MIT), and on weekends, the bus costs $1.75 and stops at Harvard, MIT and Boston University. Most students study during the week and go into Boston on the weekends.

As a recent graduate of Wellesley, I truly appreciate the value of the alumnae network. For its size, many would say that Wellesley has one of the best alumnae networks in the U.S. Needless to say, I got my first job out of Wellesley through a connection I had with a Wellesley alum.