Visit Report by sf606508 (Member since January 13 2008 with 115 posts) Visit Date - April 2008
Visit to Wesleyan University in April 2008 by sf606508 (Student, HS Class of 2008)
Visit Activities:
Information Session:
Yes - Informative, although a bit heavy on the "here our students learn to question authority" thing. One wonders if that is the reason one's folks pay 50,000$ a year, to learn to challenge a Campus Tour:
Yes - Eclectic, some nice architecture; library was very nice and has a sense of history.
Nonetheless, the fact the school is among the poorer of top LAC's shows very clearly.
Parts of the campus, it
Wesleyan University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good -
Nice, liberal, somewhat idealistic kids, who tend to be somewhat overly introspective.
Although level of sartorial presentation are conspicuously lesser than at Amherst or Bowdoin
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 4 - Very Good -
Enthusiastic staff; again, a bit too heavy on the "question authority" thing. For me at least it gave me the chills to hear a 50-year-old man talk about why we need to challenge authority. J
Appearance of Campus: 2 - Fair -
Again, the shortage of money shows.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 1 - Poor -
Some housing on campus fringe are really run down and sort of embarrassing for a top college.
Dormitories: 2 - Fair -
They are good, except this is again a top college; one would expect more than just plain vanilla concrete structures that are somewhat spacious and well kept-up
Security/Safety: 1 - Poor -
Middletown is a poor town, and Wesleyan is located right in the middle of it;
The fact that it is a completely open campus does not help.
Overall Campus Impression: 3 - Good -
The campus is not bad.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 1 - Poor -
There is a rental town-home complex a block away from campus and also a community revitalisation office.
What else needs one say?
City/Town/Community: 1 - Poor -
It is not a wealthy town.
That sort of sums it up. The grittiness is not for everyone.
Campus Visit Notes for Wesleyan University:
Visit Description:
If you expect every cent of your $50,000 a year to pay off in terms of living quarters and nice neighborhoods, you can pretty much forget this college.
But if you are a liberal, and you are idealistic, this might just be the school for you.
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
They didn't have sashimi in the local Japanese restaurant, at least not as a regular item. I had to order it off-menu.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
Don't really think "local attractions" applies here.
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Nice, liberal, somewhat idealistic kids, who tend to be somewhat overly introspective.
Although level of sartorial presentation are conspicuously lesser than at Amherst or Bowdoin
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Again, the shortage of money shows.
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Some housing on campus fringe are really run down and sort of embarrassing for a top college.
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The campus is not bad.