Wellesley College Top Questions

As mentioned, the professors get to know you on a personal level, especially within the major. You have a high likeliness of taking multiple courses with the same professors and they personally guide you into developing a real understanding of the field. Personally, I have gotten to know many professors in my department and have become very close with almost all of them. Some professors (like my advisor) take their students out to get coffee, to eat meals together, and even cook at their house for their students. It's a wonderful environment to learn. Of course, it must be noted that Wellesley has a very rigorous curriculum and any student thinking about applying and attending Wellesley could be ready to stretch their brains in ways they have never before. Class participation is key since the classes can go as small as 6 students. This means that every students is given a prominent voice at every class, and also means that attendance is an important part of our grade. Students are very competitive, some more than others depending on the major.

The academics is truly amazing. Professors not only know my name, but they do care! I can easily make an appointment with any professor, or go to his or her office hours, even if she doesn't teach me. Some professors you can even get to know them on a personal basis. I am a prospective architecture major, and I find all the professors in the art and architecture department are so charming. Each one has particular characteristics and they are all marvelous in their courses. Class participation is common, because most of the classes are small. But I also enjoy lectures, which normally have 20 to 30 people. Students study really hard here. I mean, really hard. But they are all very smart! You get to know really wonderful people here. Last semester I took introduction drawing class with Daniela, and she is the most charming professor I've ever met! She does not teach, but she INSPIRES you to draw. At the end of the semester, I found that I have grasped most of the drawing techniques and know how to draw from the inside and what it means to be an artist. Other professors are also amazing. It is a small liberal arts college, but you will be amazed at its abundant academic resources and the diverse courses that it provides. Because it is near Boston, students usually get wonderful internship and jobs. The courses are mostly for its own sake, but students care about internships and jobs so much that it is almost a peer pressure that you get an internship over the summer, even if you are just a first-year...

The professors are highly touted at Wellesley, and for good reason. They care so sincerely about their students, and the tiny class sizes make it almost impossible to not become close with most of your professors. This is NOT a sit-in-the-back-of-the-lecture-hall type school. Classes are engaging, and there is generally a lot expected of students. As a moderate-conservative in ideology, I am almost scared to venture into the Women's and Gender Studies department (one that is quite popular here). My political theory class was very liberally slanted, and it made me dislike the department, although it is mostly the doing of the student body and less of the professors. My favorite departments are French and Theater. French is a fairly large department, and the opportunities to study abroad are amazing (one program in particular sends about 30 students a semester to Aix-en-Provence, France). The theater department is really tiny, but I know of many students ranging from seasoned professionals to complete newcomers who love the intimacy of the department. The professors almost always care and are there to help you. There are a lot of academic requirements; in fact one of the few schools left who has so many. Personally, I didn't think skimping out of my lab requirement by taking Geosciences will be that helpful in the grand scheme of things, but I do love that there is some structure and it forces you to look at departments you'd never usually consider. Education is DEFINITELY geared toward learning, however I think many people really reap the benefits of that through the means of getting great jobs as well.

Professors usually know students' names by the second week of classes. Classes are small -- the smallest class I've had so far is 10 people, the largest 30 -- and not only do professors know your name, but a trend towards class discussion (especially in the social sciences and humanities) ensures that you often get to know your classmates fairly well too. There is a stereotype that Wellesley students (the most hardcore of us are called "Wendy Wellesleys") are cutthroat with regard to competition, but I have yet to encounter this. Classmates are friendly, approachable and helpful. If you miss a class, you can ask a complete stranger and she'll give you her notes. Like at any educational institution -- including both high schools and colleges -- there are a range of study habits outside of the classroom, where some students never leave their rooms while others have inhumanly active social lives. Classes at Wellesley are definitely demanding, but if you learn time management there's no reason why you shouldn't have lots of free time for Netflix, parties and friends. I'm double-majoring in history and biology, both of which are fantastic departments at Wellesley. I shopped around a lot before settling on these majors (throughout my first three semesters I considered majors in philosophy, political science, Spanish, English, and biochemistry), but Wellesley's flexible graduation requirements enabled me to try out lots of departments without falling behind. My favourite class to date is a history course I took on Alexander the Great, which detailed the life and death of the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen -- the class was awesome and the professor who teaches it is now my major advisor. Next year I want to spend a semester biology (especially genetics) in Dublin.

People care about ideas and are committed to their causes at Wellesley. You are likely to vehemently discuss Foucault and Butler in the dining hall before having a whipped cream fight with your friends. There is an emphasis on originality in your scholarship and research. Women aren't afraid to be smart and a lot of people have a real love of learning. I found people much more interesting and intellectually curious at Wellesley than at law school. The distribution requirements are not onerous, so you have a good deal of discretion in selecting your classes. Both the classes and the school itself are the right size, which is to say pretty small. You are not anonymous here.

The class sizes are generally small. Some classes, like writing classes and seminars, have a cap at fifteen students. I don't think I've ever been in a class where the professor didn't know my name (and I don't speak that often) and they are really good about going the extra mile for students, giving extensions (it's kind of an unwritten rule that you don't ask unless you really need it, so they are generally not denied), extending office hours, meeting on weekends, sometimes inviting classes to their house for dinner. Flying under the radar is not easy at Wellesley, but I suppose it could be done. Competition at Wellesley is not really blatant, but some students always need that A, and will study as much as possible in order to do it. Mostly it's a competition with oneself. And studying depends on the person; the sciences are pretty hard, as well as economics, but I myself don't study very often. Unfortunately, the academics are more geared towards getting a job, meeting the requirements, etc. than towards learning for the sake of learning, with a few exceptions. The creative writing department is amazing, as is the history department; think further, deeper, ask more questions is to be found in some classes, but I would recommend these departments for sure.

Wellesley admits girls who upon entry may not be quite at the level academically of students entering the ivys (harvard, princeton, yale), however after spending four years at wellesley, girls here come out at the level or above their ivy educated peers.

Professors come to Wellesley because they want to get to know their students. The classes are small, and barely any of them have TAs. Instructors are mostly friendly and approachable, and they practically beg their students to come to office hours. Whether or not you come to office hours, the professor will know you by name and major within a few weeks. Wellesley is both politically charged and socially conscious; you'll find a lot of people debating with each other outside of class. While academics matter to students, they don't war with each other for grades. A lot of people tutor one subject or another, and overall classmates support each other. The education at Wellesley is geared toward learning for its own sake, and celebrating the benefits of a liberal arts curriculum. Recruiters come to Wellesley from top professional schools and companies because they know Wellesley produces smart, talented, exceptional workers.

Profs are outstanding, classes stimulating. Small classes, lecture style. Fundamentally, I chose to attend Wellesley because of the intimate learning environment. I have not been disappointed.

Academics at Wellesley are very rigorous; classes are not easy. But, the Wellesley faculty is so approachable and friendly and helpful that if there were a problem in terms of not understanding something, they'd be the first to help in the classroom and outside in office hours or even in the student center. They are willing to assist you in any way you need help, within reason. Classes are small which provide a very intimate learning environment where professors know their students' names and classmates know each others' names. The sciences are very strong at this particular college and it has turned out a disproportionately large number of women scientists. This being said, I am a humanities person and I feel the social sciences are equally, if not stronger, than the hard sciences. My favorite classes have included Art Histories, Political Sciences, South Asian Studies, Spanish, and Economics. I feel that Wellesley's academic requirements are reasonable, and truly encapsulate the essence of a liberal arts college. This institution really stresses the well rounded individual who has taken courses in a wide variety of subjects.