Oh dear, now I'm jumping into a tangled subject area! Warning: My Wellesley experience is long behind me - I was a student there in the tumultuous and exciting (but now long-gone) early '70s. I've never been back for a reunion, and only once since then have I visited the campus, some time back in the '80s.

Long ago in a galaxy as far, far away as my Wellesley experience may seem to students currently contemplating attending Wellesley, there are some things I can share with you about the place that I suspect are still true and still relevant. One minor-but-telling tidbit: I still, 30 years later, read every issue of the alumni mag cover-to-cover. It's one of the best alumni publications I've ever seen - in fact, one of the best magazines of any kind that I receive - and the fact that it contains provocative and thought-inspiring articles that would be of interest to any thinking person, not merely alums, says a lot about the calibre of the institution and its grads. I won't go into the endless litany of distinguished Wellesley alumnae here; women who have attended Wellesley tend to make the fact known, and it speaks well for both the individuals and the institution that a degree from Wellesley is never just a little throw-away line in a bio somewhere. Wellesley alums are generally proud to be identified as such, whether on the international scene (Madame Chiang-Kai Shek, Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Cokie Roberts) or simply when general conversation in a gathering moves into the "and where did you go to college?" mode. Cynically speaking, it's a useful thing to be able to say.

So what would it be of value for a current college applicant and her parents to know about Wellesley College? Perhaps the first thing to know - and it's an important aspect of the school that I fervently hope will never change - is that if you are considering applying to Wellesley, the female pronoun is the one that applies to you. Wellesley's reputation as a women's college is incredibly strong - and, as far as I know, no one ever refers to Wellesley as a "girls' school". Wellesley has withstood many waves of pressure to "modernize" by going co-ed; I hope they never, ever give in to that pressure. Wellesley's identity as a women's college is the absolute bedrock of its reputation and its excellence.

"But What About the Social Life? Isn't an all-female environment weird & artificial?"
Going to Wellesley isn't about meeting boys. Nor is it about not meeting boys. It has very little to do with men, one way or the other. Back in my day, neither I nor anyone I knew had any difficulty meeting guys, or dating, or whatever... (Well, except for the dorm rules in those days, but I suspect those are long gone!) There are still buses that run on weekends (I don't know about during the week) to & from Harvard Square, if that's what you want to do. There are plenty of opportunities to meet guys - it's not a nunnery, after all. But in my experience, partying with Harvard & MIT guys had very little to do with the "Wellesley experience"; going to Wellesley is about many, many things, but socializing with men was not a big issue one way or the other. It's not that Wellesley women are hostile to men, or to involvement with men at whatever level of intimacy might apply; it's just that Wellesley students themselves, as individuals and as a community, have a rich and meaningful environment of their own.

If you are worried that "social life" at a strong women's college consists of girls sitting around in bathrobes painting their toe-nails and giggling about boyfriends, I suggest you spend a couple of nights in a Wellesley dorm. You might get a little of that sort of stuff, sometimes, but it's much more likely that you'll encounter young women immersed in their studies, involved in heated intellectual discussions, or sharing insights gleaned from a social or academic experience. Wellesley is a "talky" kind of place - it is, in this way, an intensely culturally female kind of place, and the students tend to be both bright and verbal. The conversation tends toward the intellectually abstract far more than towards the more stereotypical "girl talk" - a positive and interesting way to spend time, in my experience.

My years at the college were a time of intense intellectual, cultural, and social immersion in a non-male dominant society. And as a person intensely interested in a wide variety of things and people, I appreciated that environment, and value my opportunity to have experienced it. It's not something a woman gets much in the "real world", and yet it is in incredibly affirming and stimulating experience. Girls-growing-into-women need more of it, and I can't think of a better way to get it than at a solid, academically strong women's college.

"What are the students like? Isn't it a school for rich girls?"
The students tend to be of the "best and brightest" variety, strong academically and, perhaps more importantly, outstandingly self-confident. It is a community of "big fish from small ponds", or even from some pretty darn big academic ponds, students who were among the top few in their high schools across the country and around the world. If your notion of Wellesley is that it's full of rich snooty girls right out of fancy finishing schools, forget that right now! No sororities. No fancy off-campus apartments. When I was a student there, students couldn't even have cars till senior year. What it is rich in is smart people! That aspect of going to Wellesley can be intimidating, but for those for whom going there is the right choice, it is more often stimulating than scary. Immersion in this community of intelligent and articulate women will challenge you in just about every way, but it can nourish you as well, in a way I don't think can be had at most colleges - and almost certainly not in a coed environment.

"I could never afford to go there even if I got in - it's a fancy Ivy-League/Seven Sisters school!"
Because Wellesley is an old and well-established college, and because so many of its grads are highly successful women (and highly enthusiastic about their college!), the college's endowment is huge, and financial aid is more readily available for qualifying students than at many less prosperous colleges. I believe Wellesley still has a "needs-blind" admission policy; that is, applicants are evaluated and accepted without an eye to their financial status - in fact, without the admissions officers even being aware of an applicant's potential ability to pay (or not). If Wellesley wants you on the basis of your overall academic and applicant status, Wellesley will make it financially possible for you to go there. Yes, there are "rich girls" among the student body, but there are at least as many students from a huge variety of economic backgrounds. Being from a privileged background is not a hallmark of a modern Wellesley woman; being bright, alert, knowledge-seeking, articulate, self-competent, and intellectually demanding is.

"Isn't it a really "hard" school?"
Yup. It's pretty demanding.

I can say it this way: it's not easy to be a Wellesley student - it's much plummier to have graduated from Wellesley than to be in the process of getting there, still mired in the days of deadlines and papers and exams. The students tend to be academically competitive. That's because they are the best of the best. I've read a review or two here on Epinions that speak of "cut-throat competition", and such things as refusing to share class notes. I never experienced such nastiness. Yes, Wellesley women tend to be high achievers, and they work hard, and yes, it's absolutely no place for a student who likes to slouch around and just slide by - you really can't do it there! (And believe me, I know whereof I speak on this one - I tried! All it got me was sick!) But, at least in my own experience of the school, the "competitiveness" has almost nothing to do with beating out the other guy, or willingness to go to any lengths to get a high grade. It is, rather, what I think of as the real spirit of learning and education - the true desire to learn all you can, to expand the horizons of your mind by pushing ever farther against the borders of what you know, and to constantly test and share what you are discovering.

So is it a "tough" school? Yes, without question. Is it a nasty environment for learning - "catty", as another reviewer here put it? No, absolutely not - very much the opposite, in my own experience and that of my Wellesley friends.

"Oh dear, what else can I say without sounding like a gushing old bat who's forgotten what it was really like?"
More details - dorms, campus, all that stuff? Well, there's no doubt in anybody's mind that Wellesley has one of the most beautiful campuses anywhere. Gorgeous expanses of "groundscaping", hills, trails, a sizeable lake, an arboretum, an awesome greenhouse, and buildings like medieval castles. We used to refer to it as being "under the Crystal Dome". There are some newer buildings, too, but I'm not really familiar with them. I'm sure, though, that they are done with taste and elegance and sensitivity, because those things are important at Wellesley. The dorms really are like castles, with parquet wood floors, luxurious carvings on massive mantelpieces, weighty gold-framed portraits of dignified founders and scholars, and pleasant ritual traditions like weekly afternoon teas served by the housemother and obligatory dress-up dinners. I can't say if such traditions still continue, but I suspect that much remains of the aura of dignity and grace.

Location, location, location: Wellesley is located a few miles outside of Boston, the center of the universe as far as the East Coast education community is concerned. When I was there, it wsn't as easy to get to Boston as you really might have thought or wished; the "T" (MTA, Boston's subway/bus/streetcar system) only went as far as Riverside, and buses from there to Wellesley were erratic and scantily-scheduled. But I bet it's a whole lot easier by now. And there were regularly-scheduled buses between Wellesley & MIT, but they were a bit full of nerds for my taste; again, I bet that's been improved since then. Boston is a great place to be near - but not necessarily in - as a college student. Lots-o-culture. Lots-o-people. Lots-o-music. All of which equals lots-o-distractions! The town of Wellesley itself is a nice college-and-rich-people town, with the usual nice little stores within very easy walking distance. In my day, the big treat was to walk to Bailey's (a Boston-based ice cream parlor) for a hot fudge sundae, but that's probably too quaint for todays' students, and saying it makes me sound like I'm old now.

Alcohol & other "substances" on campus: Again, I'm not too up-to-date on the current situation. Wellesley has never been known as a big party school, that's for sure! Whatever minor little experiments we may have conducted were kind of nerdish and low-key and we kept it among our own little group of friends, so there wasn't much drinking or other stuff going on "out & about". I'd be willing to bet that hasn't changed that much - it's just not that kind of place. If you're a girl whose idea of Saturday night is to drink a lot, hook up with some cool guy, and pass out, Wellesley may just not be the ideal place for you.

One thing I can say that I'm sure is still true is that at Wellesley, the well-being of every student matters, and the students know that they are cared for. Life is not all beer and skittles at college - any college - but at Wellesley, people care when you are going through a rough time. It's never been a place where an individual can get lost. There are things about life at college that are tough, and bad things that happen, and all sorts of crises that will arise, but at Wellesley a student can always find a caring and concerned ear, and usually some sound advice as well. Now that my own kids are well-launched in their own college careers, I am far more aware as a parent than I ever was as a student that this is not the case everywhere. It's important!

"So is Wellesley for me?"
Not if you're a shallow, dopey kind of woman who just wants a good time, a busy social life, and a college degree with a minimum of effort. Not if you don't really care passionately about what you are studying - or at least want to be studying something you care passionately about. Not if the idea of being in a women's environment bothers you. Not if you want to be in the middle of a big, bustling, active city - but maybe it might be if you want to be near a really exciting small city whose main business is education.

Don't worry about not being rich enough, or snooty enough, or about not having gone to a fancy prep school, or not having been brought up knowing which fork to use (although you may learn while you're there). Don't worry that you'll find a women's college "boring" or "stifling" - Wellesley will only be those things if you are those things! If you were so inclined, you could worry about being bright enough, or articulate enough, or motivated enough for true excellence; odds are, though, that if Wellesley accepts you, you are.

Wellesley is one of the possibly rare places where an intelligent woman who means business when she talks about getting her education can learn and grow and thrive and truly experience the meaning of "education". A Wellesley education will draw out your best, and maybe poke at some of your weaker points too; it's a place where a woman can learn and grow and really soar. And, yeah, it's great to be able to say you went there, after it's all over!



Recommended: Yes