chatarata

i am attending wellesley in the fall and really love all it has to offer but am worried about being at a school where i may be a minority among many students whose families come from elite backrounds....at berkeley i felt at home with the layed back cali feel and felt like i could really feel like i was making a difference at one of the uc's since they are right in the heart of urban neighborhoods..but wellesley isnt a diverse city at all. although im sure the college's students come from lower socio-economic backrounds as well, i am not willing to risk such a great oppurtunity just to feel more 'connected' to my usual cali culture.
is there some naivete about making a difference in places like where i came from such as downtown los angeles, whereas the uc's are more rooted and able to understand it's problems at wellesley?

ringer05

It depends on how you want to make your difference. There are numerous volunteer activities hosted by student organizations ranging from grade-school literacy help to sustainable farming for the campus. The environmental groups (WEED, Environmental Studies classes), actually, are quite prominent on campus and frequently introduce new initiatives to the college community--grassroots efforts, if you'll pardon the pun.

Don't worry about your own socio-economic background in comparison to other students'. Roughly half of the campus is on some degree of financial aid, and it's easy to find other people from less affluent families if you're looking for that kind of support group. As someone who was on a lot of financial aid, I never felt uncomfortable, unwelcome, or even disadvantaged at Wellesley.

chatarata

cool, thats comforting.
how easy is it to get on the lake? haha.
the lake is beautiful but do you have to be in a water sport like rowing?

monv84

you can rent a kayak or u can rent a skull (a one person row boat) i dont know if it costs or not