peacefulmom

We visited Wesleyan recently and were struck by the luxuriously gorgeous facilities and what appears to be the depth of intellectual discovery and pureness of education offered to the students at this school. My concern, however, is that this environment is so far from the "real world" and that its country club like facilities and isolation conflict with its desire to be a liberal diverse community. Can such a community exist in this setting? How do Wes students stay real on a daily basis in this environment? How do they connect to the community outside of farming land for crops, which seems so contrived to me. We did like it, but can't seem to make sense of how one can learn in such what appears to be a "bubble" world. Thanks for your thoughts!

johnwesley

Don't let the louche suroundings fool you; Middletown itself acts as a dose of reality. Parties (the noisy kind) rarely continue past midnight due to complaints from residents. The Middletown Police Department (MPD) zeroes in on even the most innocent gatherings on streets and public sidewalks. And, of course there is the issue of low-level, nuiisance crime, the kind that afflicts any densely populated urban area, to keep you on your toes; you have to pay attention to your surroundings, especially after dark.

I think Wesleyan and Middletown are a unique combination of reality and idealism and it's reflected in the student housing system which allows for measured independence as you gain familiarity with the community; you'll learn soon after arriving that the phrase, "Party on Fountain!" is both a cry and a cheer.

froshdad

Any residential college is a bubble, of course, and an elite liberal arts school even more so. That's not bad -- for most people these years will be their only true insulation from the real world as adults, a chance to explore and develop their intellect, their beliefs and their social lives. At the same time, many LACs, including Wesleyan, engage their students in the issues of the day and the needs of their surrounding communities. As johnwesley indicates, Middletown is not the kind of precious, fussy or squeaky clean town that lives outside the gates of some colleges (the kind of ritzy villages that turned off my now-Wes-going son.) Middletown has many charms, but during his time there a Wes student is easily reminded that not everyone in America gets handed the good life for nothing.

Crazy4thislife

As a current student I can assure you taht I never feel like I'm livin at a country club. lol When I read your message I literally laughed out loud for a little while. I mean any school, especially during the summer, is gonna look it's tip top b/c there's no one on it. Come back and have a visit during the year, let your son or daughter do an overnight and then see if you feel we're so sheltered from the "real world." Wes has no gates, which was one of the reasons I picked it. There's no insulation from Middletown which can be a good thing when it comes to Main street, we're not couped up on capmus, and a bad thing when it comes to the North end and sometimes Traverse Square, there have been shootings amongst the residents. We're still apart of it all and unfortunately the death of Johanna by the crazy stalker is proof. This is not meant to scare you, but make you realize that this school, like mayn others in the same non-urban setting, are still apart of the real world. College itself is a "bubble," but I wouldn't say Wesleyan is one. We, as students, are quite aware of our surroundings as well as the political, economic, and social climate of our nation as well as the world, and that's why we call ourselves liberals.

jarsilver

county club-like facilities? you've been to other liberal arts colleges, right?

my impression was that compared to similar schools the campus is much more integrated with the town. as insulated as the Wes culture is there's also a concerted effort to be involved in the community. as others have said Middletown is not really "cute" or "quaint" like how other college towns are often described, but neither is it a complete dump where no one ever goes.

peacefulmom

Did any of the students posting here consider schools in major cities? If not, can you explain your reasoning for wanting a non-city school. I am comparing Wesleyan not to other NESCAC schools, but rather schools such as Tufts/BC/Georgetown that are located near/in the city. Also, are the majority of students from upper middle class families? Thanks!

Crazy4thislife

I, myself, coming from a city, did not necessarily want to be right in the heart of one. I wanted to still be able to go out to eat when I felt like it, but not be surrounded by all the hustle and bustle of afull blown city.

I am not from an upper middle class family, and I can safely say a good percentage of my friends aren't either.

Not to be mean, but your comments, peacefulmom, aren't leaving me quite so peaceful.

mythmom

I have nothing to do with Wes except for admiration for the school.

I had one child go to school in NYC (Barnard) and one is will return to his rural environment in September (Williams.) Each got what s/he needed from their respective environments. Both were just attracted to very different environments.

I don't think Williams was any more of a bubble than Barnard, though a different bubble. D may have been exposed to more in the city, but it was a fantasy that she could afford to live there. She can't find a job to support her to have the lifestyle she had as a college student.

For most students who are not completely working their way through school, college is a bubble. Choose your color.

I think that's okay.

Weskid

I agree with Mythmom that to some extend college is always a bubble. But as those bubbles go, I don't think Wes is THAT much of a bubble.

Well, on a practical level, there are lots of ways to get involved in the Middletown community outside of the farm. There are clubs/programs that set Wes students up to tutor kids after school and SAT prep. There's a club that sends Wes kids to prisons to teach classes. People get jobs in town, they volunteer, etc.

Also, Wes is not as isolated as it may seem. It's an open campus that bleeds into the community. While Wes is generally safe, people get plenty of reality checks in terms of how to operate in a less-that-idyllic environment. You don't go back to low-rise at three in the morning alone, you don't antagonize the cops, etc.

Also, Wes students in general tend to be really connected to/passionate about various causes in the outside world. From feeding the homeless in Middletown to stopping genocide in Darfur, there is a club and a body of students who care about it. So it's easy to stay involved if you care, and even if you aren't involved in many clubs, it's hard NOT to at least hear about these kinds of things.

Also, I originally thought I wanted to go to a college in a city (NYC especially), but then decided that as much as I like cities (I'm from one), I'd rather have a college experience where things were focused on the campus and campus life, as opposed to going off into the city to party. I agree with Mythmom that generally either way you'll be living a kind of life that doesn't really exist outside of the world of college, and in the end I decided that the campus experience was the flavor I preferred.

johnwesley

I realize this a serious issue (racial profiling) but I couldn't help LOL when I read that a Harvard professor had violated "the cardinal rule of avoiding arrest", so soon after Weskid's street-wise advice:
Analysis: Scholar?s arrest is racial signpost - Race & ethnicity- msnbc.com

gibby

We just got back from Wesleyan and had a very disconcerting experience. We arrived an hour-and-a-half early for a 12 noon tour on Saturday morning, August 8th. So, we walked through the campus to downtown Middletown. We were surprised to see quite a few stores shuttered and empty; there was a policeman standing on the sidewalk watching over 20-30 people who were loitering on the sidewalks. Now, we're from NYC, but we really did not feel at all comfortable -- and this was in the middle of the day! My son, who rides the subway at 9 PM, was so turned-off by what we saw, we left the school without taking the tour. Compared to other colleges we've visited this summer -- Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, UPenn, Yale, Dartmouth Princeton, BU, MIT, Harvard -- "Middletown is not the kind of precious, fussy or squeaky clean town that lives outside the gates of some colleges." Downtown Middletown is the reason my son will not be applying to Wesleyan.

smartalic34

I'm very sorry to hear about your experience... while Middletown is no "precious, fussy or squeaky clean town that lives outside the gates of some colleges" by any strecth of the imagination. Main Street has tons of great restaurants and is normally quite safe. The same can't be said for all parts of Middletown, but Main Street, where Wes students go most often, usually is quite fine.

Also keep in mind that most students stay on campus and don't venture into town too often, except to go to Rite Aid or out to eat. What you experienced is not the norm by any means (at least from my experiences). I only wish you had stayed for the tour, at least.

gibby

Thanks smartalic. My wife and I wanted to stay around for the tour, but we could tell that my son had already made up his mind. I'm glad to hear what we experienced was not the norm. That being said, Middletown was by-far the most 'run-down' college town we've visited this summer -- a very sad situation for the university.

Weskid

<-- I wouldn't say that Middletown is any more run down than the bad parts of New Haven (Yale).

In general, I agree with smartalic that what you saw was not the norm (at least for the parts of the Middletown that Wes students are likely to go to just for fun), and is not something I'd expect from New Yorkers. But hey, if it made your son uncomfortable, that's understandable. (I personally was more put off by some of the perfectly manicured, super-quaint college towns I visited--different strokes ).

Anyway, your/your son's reaction/experience, though a bit out of the norm is still less surprising to me than the OP's reaction.

gibby

^ We recently walked the streets surrounding Yale and did not encounter anything like what we saw this morning in Middletown. (BTW: I've lived in NYC for 32 years and what we saw in Middletown today reminded me of the Bowery in 1978.)