Visit Report by advantagious (Member since August 02 2006 with 966 posts) Visit Date - April 2006
Visit to Wesleyan University in April 2006 by advantagious (Student, HS Class of 2007)
Visit Activities:
Information Session:
Yes - Not very impressed w/ info session--see long description below, but basically, I didn't think that they stated their academic mission well/appealingly (to me). Campus Tour:
Yes - Okay tour. Pretty long, b/c of 2 talkative tour guides. Saw a lot of the campus, hit all the highlights (library, dorms, science building, arts complex).
Wesleyan University Campus:
Appearance of Campus: 2 - Fair -
Not thrilled with it...not terrible, or anything, but kind of a boring/sometimes ugly mish-mash.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 3 - Good -
Some really nice buildings (library was cool), some really nasty buildings (one set of dorms that looke like cheap roadside motels where THOSE KIND of people do their business).
Dormitories: 3 - Good -
See above about one set. Another set was brand new, and nice/nicely maintained (if boring, but hey. It's a dorm). Okay dorms overall from what I saw.
Overall Campus Impression: 2 - Fair -
Not my favorite...just not that aesthetically pleasing. I know that all the guidebooks say it, but it's true--architectural mish-mash here. Campus felt pretty big, though, for the size of the sch
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 2 - Fair -
Okay...nothing to write home about. Relatively residential RIGHT by campus (lot of slightly rundown off campus student houses).
City/Town/Community: 2 - Fair -
Wasn't too keen on the town. Felt pretty small and indescript....how many ways can you say that you didn't really like something?
Campus Visit Notes for Wesleyan University:
Visit Description:
I guess I want to explain my issues with Wesleyan...if there was one school (there was actually more than one, but anyway) that I would say that I hated, it would be Wesleyan. But I hated it for very personal reasons--I have no doubts that it is a fine school that would be a good fit for many. Wesleyan was always a little bit of a tentative member of my college list...I read the Fiske's Guide description and was interested, but unsure. Though I am plenty liberal enough to rival the average Wesleyan student, I wouldn't describe myself as having an activist mindset--something that comes to mind when I think about Wesleyan. When I was there, they said that community service and theater were the main ec's amongst Wesleyan students--two things that I really am not particularly interested in.
In addition, I just didn't like how the campus looked or felt. I thought that overall the campus was one of the least attractive that I had seen (not without its charms...I felt that the library, which was on old (brick?) building with a glass addition on the back, was quite attractive/unique/cool). The "motel" dorms were REALLY unappealing--maybe I'm a bit spoiled, but all I could think of was ewwww....I'm going to pay this much money to live in THAT!!! Obviously, I know that there were other, perfectly nice dorms, which we also saw, but...I'll always remember those dorms!
Our dueling tour guides plain wore me out with their forced march around campus (I was really bored by the end) and their long-windedness. They were nice kids and all, but didn't seem like the kinds of kids that I would be close with...not my type, I guess. The death knell of our trip, however, was the info session. It was certainly well-attended (their admissions facilities were very attractive, I'll grant them that much), and the adcom was fine, but her presentation just didn't impress me. I guess I am more of a core curriculum kid, and I was turned off by just how little structure there was to the curriculum (a few optional distribution suggestions were the sum). It wasn't really the fact that there were no requirements that bothered me--it was the feeling that you could go to Wesleyan and only take English (or whatever) classes and no one would really try to point you in another direction (didn't talk about advising w/ regards to course selection at all). A plus: they had a senior there to answer questions and he was exceedingly well-spoken and thoughtful. He impressed me, and that does say something good about Wesleyan.
All in all, if you really really want an offbeat campus with strong theater interests and no one telling you what classes to take, and aesthetics don't rule your decisions, check out Wesleyan, which I am sure offers a fine education. But if not, it might not be the place for you, from my experience.
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Not thrilled with it...not terrible, or anything, but kind of a boring/sometimes ugly mish-mash.
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Some really nice buildings (library was cool), some really nasty buildings (one set of dorms that looke like cheap roadside motels where THOSE KIND of people do their business).