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Academic scholarship and the expectation of success |
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| Associate Professor of French Jim Petterson reflects with students on their experiences in Wintersession in Paris, where they focused on French poets of the late 19th and 20th centuries. | ||
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Wellesley College provides one of the best and most comprehensive educational experiences a woman can have, in an atmosphere where women thrive and excel. Expectations are high; there is a culture of achievement and academic scholarship. Women are expected to succeed. As students in an undergraduate college, they have all the attention of the faculty and benefit from the vast resources available to them — small, interactive classes, scientific equipment often found only in graduate schools, pre-law and premedical advising, numerous internships, research opportunities, study abroad programs, an art museum, and an observatory right on campus. |
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| "I
thought going to a women's college would be a really neat way to spend
four years, in the company of women who are smart, passionate, and
opinionated. Wellesley has fostered my intellectual and personal growth,
a quality I looked for most when considering where to attend college.
This is the only time in my life when I will be able to live in this
sort of environment: when I can be in a place whose sole purpose is
to educate women and give them every opportunity to start an organization
based on their interests, to allow them to study whatever it is they
find appealing, and to realize that women shouldn't have limitations
on what they hope for in their lives."
Violette '06 |
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| "As
smart women, we have a responsibility to teach others. Wellesley has
reinforced that in me. I love to study here and am so happy when I
see all of my peers with the same rigorous standards, at the same
time having a lot of fun in their friendships. Wellesley gives women
the chance to be the dominant speakers and thinkers in the classroom,
in the labs, and in the larger community. Wellesley is intense intellectually
and forces us as students to figure out our role in the world, no
matter what our nationality and background. The whole experience of
Wellesley is what makes it so special: professors care about what
is happening in our lives, students really want to learn from one
another and are good to one another, and the administration wants
to give us every chance to succeed. The environment is such a good
place to challenge yourself." Laure-Anne '05 |
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| "Wellesley
is the type of place that will enable me to save the world; it already
has on a certain level. It helps foster your passions and beliefs
and provides a bridge between your crazy thoughts and serious aspirations.
It helps you make your ideas and plans tangible." Lorena '02 |
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Julia '05, Tiffany '05, and Simran '05 offer varying perspectives (below) on what they consider to be a key component of the Wellesley experience. |
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This
year's been amazing. Wellesley's exactly the sort of environment I
can prosper in. I feel so fortunate to have found a community of such
commitment and conviction. I feel that my friends and peers here understand
that college shouldn't be simply a bridge between adolescence and
adulthood, between dependence and independence, but should be a place
that helps us fill out new dimensions of identity.
Julia '05 |
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| "Professors
at Wellesley are extremely affable and erudite; they're extremely
well versed in their field of study. They obviously want you to succeed,
and they're very welcoming. I pop into my favorite professors' offices
whenever I have a question or want to drop something off; they never
turn me away; their doors are always open. That is really important
to me." Tiffany '05 |
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| "Wellesley
has a way of inducing passion in you. The passion drives you - you
only have four years and you want to do everything! And because almost
100 percent of the students live on campus, most activities or events
you want to pursue - meetings, parties, lectures-are only a few minutes
away, so you can do a whole lot more!" Simran '05 |
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| Wellesley faculty in their academic regalia gather to participate in the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2003. |
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"Wellesley
has been a huge influence in molding my 'mission.' I have received
tremendous amounts of financial and institutional support from the
College, which made it possible to have the multitude of enriching
curricular and extracurricular experiences that I have had. I really
feel that I am emerging after four years having grown intellectually,
personally, and in spirit. I would like to thank Wellesley for the
major role she played in making me realize and develop my personal
and professional aspirations, as well as equipping me with the passion,
conscientiousness, and confidence with which to achieve them."
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| "I
participated in an Internship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics in Cambridge, where I researched the common beliefs and
misconceptions about the universe. Inspired by this experience and
combining my love of astronomy and the theatre, I wrote, produced,
and directed a children's theater production with an educational twist
for my senior thesis. Entitled 'The Case of the Missing Matter,' it's
a creative musical focused on a 10-year-old girl searching for the
'missing matter,' the 90 percent of the universe that remains unknown
to us." Erika '01 |
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| "I
can't emphasize how much a small, single-sex, liberal arts college
like Wellesley has to offer. Small classes, outstanding academics,
incredible access to faculty, supportive environment, endless leadership
opportunities. I could go on and on. But I finally figured out that
in fact there is only one thing that a large, coed university has
that we don't have - football!"
Theresa '01 |
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| "You
feel comfortable contributing in class - even if you're wrong. There
is intense academic competition; and there are not many distractions.
I've had the ultimate college experience. Time has flown by. It has
been the best experience. Being involved in student organizations
has added so much. I definitely used Wellesley College to its utmost."
Lola '01 |
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Office of Admission
admission@wellesley.edu
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| Above: Comfortable state-of-the-art chairs in the newly renovated Clapp Library offer the best in ergonomic comfort as well as convenient electronic access for laptops. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| "Every
year I have some absolutely remarkable students, as smart, hardworking,
and committed as you can find anywhere. I learn from them. I sometimes
have an impact on them. And some become wonderfully close friends.
Craig Murphy M. Margaret Ball Professor of International Relations and Professor of Political Science |
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| "We
want our students to make a difference. They provide a collaborative
energy that can be essential to creation. I often conduct an exercise
in which I have students finish each other's work. At most colleges
I couldn't do that. But Wellesley students are willing to take
the risk of giving up ownership in order to come up with something
potentially exciting." Phyllis McGibbon Associate Professor of Art |
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| "I
keep up with 90 percent of my research students. I sent a birthday
card to a student this week, and she reminded me it's been 30
years since we first met." Mary Mennes Allen Jean Glasscock Professor of Biological Sciences |
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| Above: In the fall, two Wellesley English professors held a "Battle of the Bards" debate to try to settle the question, "Shakespeare vs. Chaucer: Who is More Important?" Students at this electrifying, standing-room-only event expressed their zealous loyalty to one of the two bards and enjoyed a reception in the English Department following the debate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
