ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE
DAVIS STUDENTS:

"Wellesley will change your life. The Davis Degree Program offers everything you missed at age 18, plus a comprehensive support system and the encouragement of the Wellesley community. You will grow in knowledge, confidence, friendships, and life experience. It's the opportunity of a lifetime."
Ashley Hubbard

NEXT DAVIS SCHOLAR PROFILE >

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE DAVIS DEGREE PROGRAM?
I have been a professional ballet dancer for the last decade. I started dancing when I was two years old and made the decision to be a ballerina when I was 12. I understood that to perform at the level I hoped to I would need to put my education on hold. I devised a plan to graduate from high school in three years, and I moved to London to attend The English National Ballet School at age 16. After several years, I moved back to the States and began my professional career. I occasionally attended college classes. but the trick was to pick classes that met early in the morning before rehearsal or late in the evening on a day when we weren’t performing. Though I have always tried to be involved and interact with the world around me, my passion was performing on stage. After touring around the world, being promoted to a soloist, and performing hundreds of ballets I was ready to pick up where I had left off at the age of 16. For me, The Davis Degree Program felt tailor-made. Wellesley acknowledged and appreciated that I had followed an unconventional path. They also saw that the skills and attributes I had been honing for the last decade – drive, focus, and perseverance – could be applied at Wellesley.

WHAT IS THE DAVIS SCHOLAR COMMUNITY LIKE?
The Davis Scholar community is a collection of bright, motivated women who come from all types of backgrounds, lifestyles, experiences, and locations. The common unifier is that all the women are sharing the same goal of a Wellesley degree. The passion for learning and the opportunity to do so at Wellesley is a strong enough bond to unite the Davis community and provide incredible friendships, conversations, and support.

Though my situation is unique it seems to me that most Davis Scholars have equally unique situations. Many women have long commutes, children or grandchildren to care for, or outside jobs they maintain. The Davis Scholar community and the Wellesley community have been incredibly helpful in my life/work balance. My first semester at Wellesley, I danced and performed for eight weeks at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. I arranged a modified schedule, and with my professors’ support, commuted between Wellesley and Washington, D.C., flying home once a week to attend classes and flying back the next evening in time to perform. Though this certainly couldn’t be maintained for more than a few weeks at a time, it was the best of both worlds for me. I continued performing and I had my Wellesley academic career. In the fall, my fiancé Jamie proposed on stage at The Kennedy Center. Next semester it’s wedding planning and Wellesley.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT WELLESLEY?
I like to think of the support systems at Wellesley as a giant safety net under a tight rope performer. Being a student is rigorous, and there are nerve-wracking days, classes, and exams. Wellesley offers support for Davis Scholars in all areas of our lives. The academic support is vast, and seeking help is encouraged. I spend countless hours with professors, study groups, and tutors. I enjoy working with traditional-age students, especially providing and receiving feedback. The academic support includes how to research a paper, how to use the library, how to write all types of papers, how to use a computer; the list is endless. There are also myriad support systems for physical health, mental health, and financial stability. CE House (for Davis Scholars) is always stocked with food, coffee and tea, friendly faces, computers, a copy machine, and a bed.

Being a Davis Scholar is the best gift I have ever given to myself. I am immersed in a stimulating, exciting environment, constantly learning and being challenged, all while having the wholehearted support of every Wellesley professor and a comprehensive support system that caters to a more mature student’s needs. Professors at Wellesley are accessible and supportive, and classes are engaging and entertaining. I have experienced classes with live opera singers, observation of children and babies, lectures from professors who wrote the textbook, fascinating guest speakers, Disney movies to documentaries, and even professor-baked brownies.

After only one year and five classes at Wellesley, I can definitively say that Wellesley has changed my life. My experience at Wellesley has been an incredible blend of intellectual stimulation, fascinating teaching, wonderful learning experiences, and friendships. As a very nervous first-year student arriving at Wellesley, I found a world of bright, interesting women who all participated in class discussions, offered help and support, and embraced my age difference. My time here has increased my confidence exponentially and taught me to look at the world in a new way.