Wes' Prestige as recognized by oher colleges

ishuku
Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:04:48 +0000

I just wanted to pop in here to say one thing: I’m a first-generation Asian female who just graduated from Wesleyan and now I work at Harvard. Every single research assistant and technician in my division graduated from a NESCAC (Middlebury, Williams, Oberlin, Amherst, and, of course, Wesleyan). I also turned down an Ivy to go to Wesleyan, which my parents weren’t thrilled about, but they ended up just telling people, “Oh, she got into an Ivy, but turned it down”. Ha!

I loved Wesleyan, but if it isn’t for you, then by all means, don’t go. But don’t rule it out just because it’s not Harvard or Stanford. Ultimately, please don’t base your decision on the name recognition of the university. Visit the schools, talk to students, go to a class, and evaluate your choice based on academics, student life, or whatever else is important to you. But remember, no name on a diploma is worth spending four years in a place that will make you miserable. The less happy you are at a school, the less motivated you will be to succeed and the more you’re shortchanging yourself. Also, remember that name recognition in the eyes of the general public can be very, very different from name recognition in the field that you want to go into!