showtunesguy89

Let me know if any of you have questions about student life at Wesleyan or Wesleyan in general. I'd be glad to answer them, whether you're trying to figure out more about it in applying as a rising senior or whether you've just gotten in.

AvantTao

What to you, makes Wesleyan unique and special?

ethician

Is safety an issue in Middletown?

livemylife

How is the music department?
Does it feel like a community?

lasermouse9

Do you any experiences with the philosophy department? If so, what are your impressions of the staff and curriculum?

jarsilver

if you applied for financial aid and were RD, how did wesleyan's package compare to other schools you got into?

showtunesguy89

AvantTao: To me, what makes Wesleyan unique and special is its diverse and bright, motivated student body. I've met all different kinds of people here whom I have gotten along with very well and have learned so much from. For example, one of my friends is sweet, spunky vegan from Virginia who loves to play guitar and sing. Another one of my friends is a Lacrosse player from New Jersey. The students put their all into what they do, whether that be practicing playing the piano for endless hours or reading several volumes of Latin text. If you're worried about fitting in or about competitiveness, don't be. You'll always find someone at Wesleyan who you can associate with. The students (especially me) are always willing to help each other out in classes and contribute to each other's learning rather than pushing forth the idea of beating out the rest. Wesleyan's student life is definitely vibrant with activity, and that helps to foster the students' growth in so many more ways than one. The students are intelligent, hard-working, friendly, and fun--all at the same time. Maybe it seems like I'm exaggerating what I'm saying, but this really is how I see Wesleyan.

ethician: Quite honestly, safety *can* be an issue in Middletown, but Wesleyan's Public Safety deals with it effectively so that as few students as possible are harmed. In short, don't worry about safety at Wesleyan. I've gone into Middletown many times, and have felt very safe. If you're ever worried about traveling alone at night, you can use "The Ride" until 4 AM to transport you around campus. If anything ever happens, there is a campus-wide notification system in which Dean Whaley, Dean of the College, lets all of the students know which areas to avoid. However, this seldomly happens. Public Safety also notifies students of any wary suspicious activity around campus, should that ever occur. Public Safety is on-call 24 hours, 7 days a week. Wesleyan is certainly looking out for your safety unconditionally.

livemylife: I've only taken one class with the Music Department (Concert Choir), but from the people whom I've talked to and the professors that I've met, the music community at Wesleyan is quit close-knit and personalized--so, yes, it definitely does feel like a community. The students are definitely engaged in what they do, and the music department is very good. One of my friends has played the piano for many years, and now is learning how to play the organ. He absolutely loves it.

lasermouse9: I haven't had any experiences with the Philosophy Department, but from what I've heard, the courses are very engaging in their discussions and that student participation is definitely encouraged. I'll ask about the staff and curriculum once I get back on Sunday, and then, I'll get back to you with some information and some students you can contact.

jarsilver: I did apply for Financial Aid and was RD. The package was definitely great and made attending affordable (especially considering that it's now the 13th or so most expensive institution in the country). In comparison to Carnegie Mellon, it was much better. In comparison to Vassar, it was about equal. It wasn't as good as Connecticut College, which offered me a full-ride, but (unfortunately), it wasn't my first choice anyway. All of the rest also offered me more aid than Wesleyan did, but they weren't my top choices.

livemylife

I meant to ask if Wes as a whole felt like a community. Sorry! lol

showtunesguy89

livemylife: Sorry about that, LOL! Wesleyan as a whole does feel like a community. At times (I have to be brutally honest), it's rather uncomfortable for me, since I'm a big city boy and I prefer to have my own group of friends in a larger community where everyone doesn't know me. That's just me personally, though. People knowing you at Wesleyan certainly isn't a bad thing.

andalusia

Do parties really end at 1 AM? I was reading about the 'dance party' in the WesFst itinerary and I was like, "Ahhhh, that's when I leave my house!" I'm from South Florida and from what I hear, the North functions on a completely different clock.

Is there any scene outside of the college (musical, academic, rave culture, punk, whatever, etc.)?

Also, is Wesleyan as "white" and "suburban pretentious" as the reputation it seems to have?

Ha, my questions probably sound really shallow, but this isn't the kind of stuff I can read in the brochures...

showtunesguy89

The parties actually tend to end at 2 AM, though some go later than that. That's a bit different from my partying schedule also, as I occasionally go out to clubs in NYC and stay out past 4 AM (luckily, my mum doesn't read this, LOL). Anyways, the North/Northeast definitely has the party in its game.

Regarding a scene outside of campus, there *is* a bit of a music bit at Javapalooza in Middletown, though I honestly have to say that I wouldn't consider that my kind of music scene (I have a very particular kind of taste in music). You'll definitely find a lot of scenes within campus, but I honestly have to say that if you're outside of campus, you'll have to look. I haven't explored 'em yet. I'm sure there are some in Middletown that I haven't recognized exist. In short, I'm not exactly sure what scenes exist outside of campus in Middletown, but I'm sure they do exist.

Wesleyan isn't "white" and "suburban pretentious". In fact, it's quite the opposite. I don't know how to describe it, but it's more diverse and much less pretentious than its reputation might suggest. Wesleyan's "feel" as a school in terms of student body and attitude is definitely nothing like my high school, which I would describe as "white" and "suburban pretentious" (of course, there's nothing wrong with "white"). Wesleyan is, in my opinion, "ethnically diverse" and "close-knit and friendly".

(z)

Are there any decent record stores in, or near, Middletown? (Totally serious question.)

flying_pig319

I was going to ask about the music department too! Thanks.

And @LaserMouse: My father is a philosophy professor in a very highly-ranked department, and since I'm considering going into philosophy, we both looked at the department together online and he definitely approved. I mean, it's a small school, so it's hard to cover every specialty to an ideal extent, but in the context of liberal arts colleges he though it was great -- better than at every school I looked at except for Reed, pretty much. He was very happy that there were people doing all sorts of things (ethics, metaphysics/epistemology, phil of science, etc etc) and was impressed by the professors and where they earned their degrees. I have also heard from a parent and her son (a frosh at Wes who will go into philosophy) who have asked around, and they've heard that Wesleyan's philosophy department is very well-respected. It's also given the best building on campus, pretty much -- a national historic landmark!
You can go onto WesMaps and look at the courses that are currently offered, if you'd like

Ealgian

Oooh, showtunesguy, thanks for volunteering to answer questions!

In your personal experience, have you ever had a class where the professor forcefully/extensively addressed political issues unrelated to the subject material?

I am what you might label a moderate with some liberal leanings, but what I love about the program I'm in at my HS is that everyone's political opinion is permitted and critiqued. Some books I have read and documentaries I have watched have made me very wary of college administrations where it is obvious that students are unfortunately punished for disagreeing with the professor.

Are most humanities-type classes ingest-and-regurgitate or are ideas divergent from that of the professor okay?

lasermouse9

Wow, f_pig, very insightful. thanks!