Amherst v. Wellesley

aangel42
Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:34:38 +0000

I strongly disagree with bonanza - that is an incredibly inaccurate judgment based on one person’s opinion.

Since both are the same in terms of prestige, I would suggest picking the one whose academics suit you more and which offer more opportunities. In terms of recruitment, Wellesley would undoubtedly present the better opportunities (due to location, reputation, and the fact that it’s an all-womens college and employers know that Wellesley women are strong, confident, and intelligent), and it has an INCREDIBLY strong Economics department. The tie-up with MIT would prove advantageous and it has a gorgeous campus. Proximity to Harvard and MIT would help socially (and thus you can discount your social life concerns, since it might even be better at Wellesley than Amherst due to this reason) and not to mention you’d get undivided attention from professors and a much better overall experience at Wellesley due to the fact that it’s all-women and due to small class settings, and you’d be able to grow and flourish as a young woman. You’ll always have the chance to go to a co-ed school, but you’ll never again have the chance to go to a women’s school. Don’t forget the fact that Econ at Wellesley is incredibly competitive too and so it has a great reputation with employers due to that reason as well. Lots and lots of Wellesley women go on to work on Wall Street and internship opportunities are also really great because the Center for Work and Service does an excellent job with helping people get the opportunities they want. The Economics department and Econ faculty at Wellesley is absolutely stellar (not to mention amazing programs in all the other things you’re interested in!) and I strongly believe that the proximity to MIT (one of the best Econ departments in the nation and where tons of exciting research is happening all the time) will not only help academically, but also in terms of future opportunities (also the case with Harvard), e.g. for postgraduate study, research opportunities, networking, etc. Recruitment and study abroad at Wellesley are both top-notch! TONS of Wellesley women go to Harvard Business School and Harvard law school, and some 90% end up getting a postgraduate (master’s) degree and so the opportunities are pretty much insane, since this beats statistics for many Ivies too! The alumni network is also INCREDIBLY strong and tight-knit, which also contributes to better recruitment opportunities and a sense of sisterhood which will be life-long. Food at Wellesley is also supposed to be really great, and it’s widely known to have “dorms like palaces.” What more need I say?!

Let us know what you decide I’d be really interested to see which way your decision ends up going!