Wellesley vs Northwestern

WCASParent
Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:27:41 +0000

Congratulations on having gotten into two such wonderful schools.
They are both first rate and therefore each would be an excellent choice, but the schools are very different in nature.
Because my spouse and I love LACs, we showed our daughter all of the top ones in the region: Williams, Amherst, Wellesley, Middlebury, Swarthmore, Haverford, Colgate, etc. She decided rather quickly that this was just not for her. She wanted a larger school (not too large - she rejected Cornell and larger schools as being way too big for her taste) that had great academics, Div 1 sports (the “rah rah” factor), Greek life (just in case she wanted to try it), and proximity to a great city.
After a tour of Wellesley, she also decided that an all girls school was not for her.
Ultimately, she picked Northwestern, and I cannot conceive of her having made a better choice for herself. It is a wonderful school in just about every respect. She has graduated and still glows when she talks about her four years there.
But, of course, when you pick a mid-sized or larger school (NU has about 8000 undergrads), you lose the intimacy of a LAC.
I really think that the only way for you to decide is to visit to both schools, attend a class or two at each, eat in the dining halls, and possibly stay overnight.
You should then pick the school that just feels right to you, and which you think offers the best environment for academic and personal growth for YOU PERSONALLY.
Good luck. As they say, having to make a decision like this is a high class problem!