Urgent: Wellesley v. Scripps

cottonwoolmoment
Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:08:56 +0000

Hello!
I was wondering if anyone could help me with a predicament I am in with choosing colleges. I am currently torn between Scripps (of the Claremont Colleges) and Wellesley. In short one school has the lifestyle, sense of home, and consortium that I strongly desire (Scripps) and one school has the renown, the incredible academics, and the life-long connections that I need (Wellesley).

Allow me to brief you. I plan on majoring in English, Creative Writing, or Film and Media Studies. I am also very interested in traditional photography. I visited both schools. I fell in love with Scripp’s location, its proximity to coed schools (and amazing schools in terms of academic oppurtunities), and even the food. However, I left feeling a bit disappointed with what I had heard about the fields which I am interested in going into (as in there is no real creative writing program at Scripps). When I visited Wellesley I also loved the campus (though I found it to be less soothing and home-like than Scripps) but was struck by a sense of isolation and profound stress (and everything I’ve read about Wellesley notes the extreme stress-levels (and believe me I’m no stranger to stress)). This was disheartening until…I attended a few classes. I loved them. The professors knew students names, discussions were lively, and the material was fascinating. (Admittedly, I only got to attend one class at Scripps and it was not in my intended area).

I am at a loss and I sincerely hope that someone can help me. Is Wellesley really so unbearable? Do you feel isolated? Are the amazing academics and people worth the sacrifice in lifestyle (I know this may sound silly, but I mean it on an emotional level). Please help me with some perspective any advice would be so appreciated!
I feel as though by choosing between these schools I am choosing between quality of life and academics.
Help would be greatly appreciated, even at this, the nth hour (I have to choose by tomorrow evening!)
Thank you!