"This is the place where I can go out to Boston on weekends, or have a pajama party in the hallway with Cary Grant movies and whoever happens to walk by. The women here are smart, intellectual, and completely lack the cattiness often associated with our gender."
- Ally

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FAVORITE COURSE: As much as I love my major, I would have to say the best class I’ve taken at Wellesley was a history class. It was aptly named: Alexander the Great, Philosopher King or Psychopath (HIST 229/329). Though it was also the most challenging course I took here, each class period was entertaining and intriguing. Our professor took us on an intellectual journey through ancient Macedonia, introducing us to each of the key players and moments. By the end of the course, I had watched Alexander charge into battle and leap over city walls; I quibbled with his generals and understood the symbols with which he surrounded himself. It was a course like no other, and well worth the mental boot camp that came with it.

YOUR PERSPECTIVES ON ACADEMICS: What I love best about academics at Wellesley is the breadth. Each semester, I try to select a complement of courses that will keep me entertained and teach me things I have never had the opportunity to learn before and never will again. Though my major is political science, and my interests are squarely in the social sciences and humanities, each semester I can snack on a wide variety of math and science courses.

Thus, I’ve taken intro classes in calculus, astronomy, horticulture, statistics, and even physics. Some of those courses I took in high school and hated; others I had always been scared to try out, but at Wellesley, I found it easy to indulge my intellectual curiosity. In all of the courses, even those I began with strong doubts, I caught the enthusiasm of the professors and easily learned material that had previously tormented me or that I’d never heard of before. Sure, everyone talks about Einstein, but now I can tell you exactly what all his theories mean as well. Especially for someone such as me who is interested in politics, it is crucial to have at least an exposure to many different fields and different people, and I am very thankful that Wellesley gave me that opportunity.

RESEARCH/INTERNSHIPS: I’m doing a senior thesis; I also participated last summer in the Wellesley in Washington program, an internship program run by the Political Science Department (though open to all) in the nation’s capital. About 20 students worked in a variety of fields in and around D.C. I worked at the Brookings Institution, an objective think tank. Specifically, I assisted leading academics in researching judicial nomination reform, the economic viability of alternative energy sources, and economic insecurity. I am considering pursuing academic research as a career, so this program was a wonderful opportunity to gain exposure that I wouldn’t otherwise have had.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT WELLESLEY (OR A WOMEN’S COLLEGE): I find it best not to generalize about women’s colleges, since each one has a distinctive personality. At Wellesley, the women’s college atmosphere leads to a relaxed social life that I find very accepting. There is a supportive and understanding place for you here regardless of your political creed, social preferences, sexual orientation, academic interests, or odd quirks.

This is the place where I can go out to Boston on weekends, or have a pajama party in the hallway with Cary Grant movies and whoever happens to walk by. The women here are smart, intellectual, and completely lack the cattiness often associated with our gender. Regardless of whether or not I agree with a fellow Wellesley woman, or even like her, I know I can trust her to be there for me and respect me. Wellesley can be summed up with the phrase “Live and let live,” but over the years I’ve come to think Wellesley’s personal version is better stated as “Live and help thrive.”

DREAM JOB: This is a very scary question to ask a second-semester senior. I don’t know what I want to do, but I know I want to be in D.C., and I have a lot of confidence in the Center for Work and Service and my professors to help me figure it out.

FUN FACT: I have a beta fish named Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, and I'm a member of the Wellesley Equestrian Team, Committee on Political and Legislative Action, and the Debate Team.