Wellesley College Top Questions

All my professors know my name, and most make it an effort to know it within the next few days. My favorite class would be either chemistry or German. My least favorite class would be calculus, just because I don't like math, but the professors are great. Most students probably study at least ten hours per week. Class participation is pretty common, and students in the same class would normally discuss the topics spoken about in lectures outside of class, sometimes for hours on end. Most students are not too competitive with each other; they are willing to help each other out, but there are some students that will do anything just to be the best in the class.

overall, the academics are amazing and I would only change the grade deflation policy

Academics are what makes Wellesley, Wellesley. You will have a lot of reading and writing and problem sets- it will stretch you intellectually like you cannot even imagine. Classes are small (especially as you take higher level courses) and the professors know you and most departments have some sort of weekly event (example- math tea on Wednesdays, lunch with professors every few weeks in Psych) where you can sit with professors and other people in your course or major. Wellesley students do carry intellectual conversations out of class. There are no classes held during lunch (the entire campus has a break from 12:30-1:20 every day and people generally meet up with friends or student orgs and it's amazing to see what everyone has done that day! You'll be surprised how many times you end up staying awake much longer than you anticipated because you got caught up in a discussion with your friend across the hall about her philosphy class. The Wellesley network is an amazing way to find a job- take advantage of the alums that want you to succeed! The Center for Work and service, which assists in career activities and post Wellesley education, provides services to you FOREVER, even after you graduate-- yo can even store letters of recommendation from professors there in case you ever need them!

The class sizes are small. Professors always know your name and encourage students to come to office hours. Wellesley students are extremely hard working. I feel like the college is trying to prove the rest of the world that just because we are an all-women's college, doesn't mean we still study etiquette and square dancing....we now have grade-deflation (unlike Harvard) and a rigorous curriculum to prove we mean business. Many girls take classes at MIT, Babson, and even at Harvard....99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} come back saying that they were easy compared to Wellesley. The intense academic atmosphere has caused the campus to be a stressful environment. Students are less likely to help one another (however, this could be due to the fact that most of my classes are filled with pre-med girls). I feel like Wellesley hires its faculty based only on their resume . It rarely matters if the indivual is a good teacher or not, if he or she has a Ph.D from an Ivy, MIT, or UC Berkeley, he or she is hired. I have had many bad teachers in the Chemistry department. Yes, they are brilliant, but my high school teachers are better at explaining concepts.

All profs know our names. They make it a point to know your name within the 1st week or so. It's really kinda creepy sometimes. Students are always studying and always have something to say during class. In most, if not all classes participation will be a large part of your grade. Students are very competitive and can end up studying and working all week long. Certain professors will invite your class for dinner at their house at the end of the year or will bring in snacks during class. Wellesley makes you take classes in all areas- it's more so that you can be a well rounded person- it even has a gym requirement.

As I said earlier academics at Wellesley are nothing less than amazing. Ive enjoyed every class I've taken till now. Some more than others, but I have no complaints. Professors here definitely get to know you by name. They are very generous with their office hours and get to know you personally. We even have some departments which choose to have dinner with their students in a less formal environment. Alot of professors even go as far as enviting their classes to their homes. Class participation at Wellesley is VERY common and intellectual conversations outside of class are even more common. Wellesley students definitely have to do alot of studying. As great as the classes can be, there is NO easy A at Wellesley. However, it depends on the student and her courses, but I cannot say that one can slack and make it at Wellesley. In addition, students here can be competitive. Like every other school there is always THAT girl that's trying to hog all the attention in class, already looking up law schools in her first year, and refuses to share her notes. Another thing about Wellesley is that its very "learning for its own sake". Its not very career oriented, and students learn to learn not to get a job. Although, again, there are exceptions.

I've loved almost all of my classes at Wellesley. All my professors have been really outstanding, and I have always felt motivated to come to class just because I don't want to miss what my professor will say that day. I would definitely say that Wellesley classes are geared toward learning for its own sake, but the topics are not so obscure that one could never hope to apply them in real life. Probably the most unusual class I've taken so far was a sociology course called Masculinities, in which we studied the different types of masculinities in society, the possible explanations for why the genders act the way they do, and the rapidly changing gender dynamics in today's society. I really enjoyed taking this class because I felt it was a great alternative to the typical women's studies classes, and it helped me to think beyond feminist propaganda about the actual situation in which the sexes find themselves now. It was taught by two male professors, an older one who wore bow ties and tweed jackets all the time, and a younger one who was kind of loud and liked to joke around a lot. It was very entertaining to watch them play off of each other. As for competition, yes, students are very competitive, but not in an overt way. There are just a lot of really bright girls at Wellesley who are very driven and eager to share what they know. Class participation is quite common, unless it's a lecture-style class.

the academics at wellesley are challenging, if not simply difficult, but the proffesors are there to get to know you, establish relationships, and push you. They will challenge you, and hard work is expected. But the proffesors do take personal interest in you-i was having a very hard time with my french class, and my teacher took me to the side and after repeatedly telling me to see the tutor, she took me to meet her after class and schedule weekly meetings. she also scheduled to meet with me once a week outside of class for one on one practice. I dont know if i would have passed the course without her. All of my teachers have shown that same kind of interest in their students. They have conference hours for visits, but if they are in their office they will take anyone regardless if its visiting hours. I have had teachers take groups of their students to lunch to get to know them, and every teacher makes an effort to know everyones names. we have small classes for that reason-to forge those relationships.

Good. Most classes are academically strong, while some are lacking. A lot of department politics, so sometimes you see really amazing professors (forced to) leave. Students brown nose a lot, professors eat it up. Students don't seem to study much together or help each other out so much. Academic requirements are burdensome.

Academics at Wellesley are probably the best part. Professors, in general, are caring, understanding and passionate. Students are passionate too, about academics and everything else. Every department has it's pros and cons. The best departments are probably Economics and Art History. The only problem I have found with academics is the prevelance of grade deflation. The policy is that in a 100 or 200 level class, the average must be no greater than a B+. This can become a problem because it forces students to compete with one another and forces the mentality that if everyone gets an A, nobody gets an A. Even though students might not want to compete, they may have to.