Colleges Like Wesleyan

Colleges & Universities Wesleyan University
1

I recently got rejected from Wesleyan, and while I’m not incredibly heartbroken and I realize it is not the end of the world, there are lots of aspects of Wes I will miss. I was wondering if there are colleges that offer some or all of the following things offered at Wes:

•W2 theatre - student run and taken seriously, 20 productions a semester, super easy to be apart of theatre even if u aren’t a theatre major, accepting of people of theatre experience ranges
•Active in social justice
•Great reputation – known for rigor and is somewhat prestigious
•Support (at least seemingly) for people of color and the POC program houses etc.
•Intersectional feminist take on social justice – I want support as a woman of color and as a queer person!
•Liberal/left leaning
•Availability of jobs on campus
•Motivated students

•Nice/good hearted community
•Quirky
•Intellectual
•Educated
•Still pretty white but not SUPER white
•Seemingly respectful relationship between girls and boys
•Seemingly accepting/willingness to be accepting of trans students and supporting them
•Seems quite aware of mental health and the importance of it and I know Wes offers 10 free therapy sessions a year

•Music scene
•Passionate professors
•Supportive - I was told that even though Wes is competitive to get into, it is a supportive environment amongst students and it’s not like people are wishing failure on you…they want to help you

Other things I look for in colleges: although I do like liberal or left leaning, rational debate to support opinions and not all likeminded people so a presence of conservative opinions where they can speak out, close relationships between students and faculty, politically active, empowering, active clubs and community in general – I don’t want to go to a school where people only talk about how stressed they are over classes, study abroad opportunities, open minded, I do prefer cities or at least near cities to rural places where you can only hike…suburban isn’t too bad, but again, I’d like a city-esque experience, school spirit, close community, engagement outside of the community so it’s not just a bubble, concerts, internship opportunities around, creative, home-esque, supportive of learning differences

Not opposed to women’s colleges either, but I would prefer co-Ed.

Of course i know there is no college that has all of these – not even Wesleyan did…but these are the things that are important to me.

My grades aren’t horrible, they are pretty good, but they could definitely be better (and not to be that kid but I don’t think they reflect my intelligence well). My SAT scores are definitely not great either. I think the strong suits of my app are my activities, recommendations, and essay (in that order).

Thanks for reading…Please list a range of schools in terms of how selective they are (and no schools that are even more selective than Wesleyan) :slight_smile:

2

Oh also I’m South Asian and I come from a Muslim family so like a presence of that is important to me because I come from a hella white town :confused:

3

maybe look at sarah lawrence.

4

Check out Bryn Mawr and Vassar. I particularly like BMC for you. Its Quaker roots remain visible in its commitment to inclusion and to what seems to matter to you.

1 Like
5

If you’re looking in the east, I am guessing this won’t appeal to you, but Whitman College I believe meets all but your “citi-esque” requirement. As one particularly enthusiastic and CC omnipresent parent of a now former Whittie will be very quick to point out, while Walla Walla is out there, the town itself is not just some outpost, but a nice mid-size town with a lot to offer. It it not, however, anything resembling urban, if that’s what you mean by “citi-esque”.

It’s a great school that I think hits a lot of your preferences.

6

Oberlin sounds like the perfect fit for you! Still a very good school but definitely not as competitive as Wes.

7

Or if you’re looking to go West… Occidental College or Scripps College are great options. Scripps is particularly cool. It’s all women and not as competitive as the other Claremont Consortium schools.

8

Vassar. Still hard to get into but easier than Wes.Very similar in many respects, especially many of those you highlighted.

Good luck.

9

^I think Vassar and Wes are peers in terms of admission difficulty. Vassar is a very hard school to get into.

10

Hey OP! I’m actually currently a Wesleyan sophomore and some of the schools listed here, I also applied to and some (Bryn Mawr) I got into. I’m also queer. Some things about me that may or may not help with understanding my perspective are that I am queer (lesbian + nonbinary transgender), first-generation college, low-income, homeless, born female, and disabled. I’m also white, but came from a primarily POC background so Wesleyan is a very different place for me.

I’d say some schools I’ve heard of that might provide more in the ways of CAPS (counseling and psychological services), would be other NESCAC schools, like UConn or Amherst or Williams. Wesleyan is currently dealing with a lot of strains on CAPS.

As for meeting more POC, I’d say look into schools’ work with their communities and what kind of communities they create. Are there clubs for POC? Are there theme houses? Wesleyan does have these and while the POC community is strong, I imagine there are similar communities at other schools.

As for the LGBTQIA+, I’d say college is generally a more open space. I’d look into of course womens colleges as I did before and see if any of those really fit you. I actually was accepted to 4 women’s colleges and could find myself at almost all of them. The only one I don’t recommend is Wellesley as I have a friend who went there and left due to the lack of visibility for black women.

Also, check out test optional school lists! Test-optional can be really useful if you don’t trust test scores or feel yours don’t really reflect you.

11

What about hampshire? Lawrence u?

In west: Chapman

12

I would say Chapman is nothing at all like Wesleyan … the schools share little in common, and instead can be described best by their contrasting qualities. Academically they are in different leagues altogether.

In the West, the closest thing to Wesleyan outside of Pomona/CMC would be Whitman or Reed. LAC choices in the West are simply a fraction of what’s available in the northeast and mid-atlantic.

13

Chapman is fairly conservative, although it’s known for arts too.

I need to voice that Vassar actually may be harder than Wesleyan to get into . … not easy by any measure.

maybe look at Muhlenberg, Ithaca, and Skidmore.

Also SUNY Purchase

But I think Sarah Lawrence might be perfect for you. Best of luck.

14

“I need to voice that Vassar actually may be harder than Wesleyan to get into . … not easy by any measure.”

No, not easy by any measure. I think whether one is harder than the other may be better described as something that ebbs and flows with the admissions cycles.

As a NESCAC school, Wesleyan probably recruits athletes more vigorously than does Vassar, a school which limits the relative importance of its sports programs.

Vassar is certainly nobody’s backup, that’s for sure.

You’re right … Chapman does have the performing arts overlap, but that would be about it in terms of comparability to Wes.

Good call on Muhlenberg and Ithaca, but depending on what the OP means by “not great” when referencing her grades, Skidmore may be a reach.

15

By USNWR standards, Vassar would be more selective than Wesleyan:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1927631-relative-selectivity-by-u-s-news-selectivity-rank.html#latest

16

17

@wesleyan97 : Wouldn’t numerical factors (standardized scoring, etc.) relate significantly to comparative selectivity?

18

For “comparative selectivity” I’d probably look first at the percent admitted ~27% for Vassar and under 18% for Wesleyan this year. Identical ACTs. Wesleyan has higher SATs by 20 or 30 points (though the school is test option for admissions, all students have to submit test scores before beginning classes)

19

optional*

20

You put your finger on the difference - Wesleyan has a test option, while Vassar does not, which has the effect of pumping both the applications and the average test numbers up a bit. Nevertheless, IMHO, Vassar and Wesleyan are peers. The distinctions are small.