Lesley University

Date: Dec 16 2009
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
Lesley was the right choice for me for many reasons. I, myself, as well as lots of other people I know who attend this school really love it here. It fosters a certain type of environment. With the

Let's Wake Up the World

school motto, many of the people here have some kind of mission and see their educations here as helping them reach a higher purpose. You won't find many people here who are just hoping to get a regular job at a desk somewhere. Most people who go to this school aspire to be artists, educators, counselors, art therapists or other humanities-related career types. If that's for you - great. This might be your place. If you want to major in something like math, history, english, business, etc, this probably isn't the school for you. The emphasis is mostly on the aforementioned majors and the latter ones are generally done in conjunction with education.

There are lots of things you can find out about the programs and majors here by reading things online, but what you can't just find out on the school website is that people generally like it here a lot. I've talked to so many people who really hate the colleges they attend, but regarding my experiences and the people I've spoken with, students here are generally happy and feel as if they belong. Because it's a relatively small school, there's definitely a sense of community among the students. You get to know the people in your classes and in your dorm and it's generally pretty easy to make friends. There's lots of campus events like comedians, free movies every Saturday, and different organized dorm activities like tye-dying shirts and playing games. Aside from being able to easily get involved with things like this (along with different clubs and sports), you're not confined to seeing the same faces all the time. Cambridge is an awesome city. Harvard Square is right nearby, with plenty of stores, restaurants, etc. The Charles River is also a very short walk away. Not to mention, there's a T stop that's literally a 5 minute walk from the front door of my dorm that will take you out anywhere in Boston in a matter of minutes. There's always lots of fun things going on to do and see.

Lesley really gives students the opportunity to pursue what they want to do within the majors listed. There's so many specializations for majors, internship opportunities, and different classes to take. There's probably no better school to attend if you want to major in education, art therapy, or counseling. There's some really amazing professors and you're not just a number here. Class sizes are generally pretty small. (This year, so far, I had 2 classes with 15 students each and 2 with 30. I know others who have had classes with 10 or less students.) All the professors will get to know you by name and have time to meet with you personally if you need it.

On the downside, it's really expensive to come here. Although, for me, it's been worth it so far, that's definitely something you should take into consideration if you don't have the money to spend. Look into the scholarships, though! I have a friend who goes here and pays nearly nothing because he had severe need. I get 14k off my tuition yearly for having had a high GPA in high school.

Another downside is the ratio of guys to girls. I think it's about 1:8. It's not as completely terrible as it seems, especially since there are so many other schools around that guys from neighboring colleges are available to get out and make friends with, but it's still annoying sometimes. Many of the dorms are all-girl ones. If you're not into an overwhelming amount of estrogen, make sure you request a co-ed dorm if you plan to live on-campus and you won't notice it that much.

Also, a notably significant amount of people here fit a stereotype of the kind of liberal, vegetarian type of person. Not to mention the large number of gay people who attend the school. Pretty much everyone here is really accepting and cool with this type of thing, but if you're completely the opposite, you might be uncomfortable.

Overall, if you're interested in the humanities, want to get to know people but have the surroundings of a big city around you, want to make a difference, and can find a way to afford it, I highly suggest you consider applying to Lesley.