Wesleyan University Top Questions

The school has only 3,000 people, which may seem great your first year but which quickly loses its charm. The town is poor and hostile to Wes. It's sort of like living in the Green Zone in Baghdad. On the upside, everything that is happening happens on campus. There's pretty good house parties open to everyone and the frats do their part in providing free beer and dark halls for groping and grinding. Public safety is annoying and the Middletown cops generally hate Wes students. In fact, P-safe mostly functions to lightly punish students and keep them away from real cops. Sports are abysmal but decently supported. The soccer team is pretty good. In short, the social scene is interesting but limited and quickly gets old in later years.

Let's face it: the kids here are smart, the professors here are intellectual hothouses waiting to be accommodated. Things you may not know: the kids here are incredibly diverse in terms of interests and activities - some of which you never knew existed. But that does not mean you shouldn't try it out. Wesleyan is somewhat despairingly located in the heart of Middletown, which I like to think of as "in-the-middle-of-nowhere"town, although other enterprising students prefer to conceive it as "in-the-middle-of-New-York-and-Boston"town. After the first week, you may never bother to visit mainstreet again, because everything happens on campus, 24/7, if you are willing to launch yourself out there and discover it for yourself. Wesleyan also seems to thrive on keywords such as "diversity" and "multiculturalism" and "individuality" etc, as if we held the torch to an alternative world paradigm. Laugh you may (as I once did), but the funniest thing about the equation is ... it works! Where else can you rehearse your Chinese in Chinese house, trot over to Russian house for a Communist party, slide over to film-house to catch the explicit films of your grandmothers' era, swing to the '92 theater to catch a student-made play about diaspora and finish the night learning Jewish traditional dance? There is an immense amount of school pride at Wesleyan, a deep-seated sense of belonging that will remain forever unintelligable to anyone who has not bludgeoned through this eccentric and exciting college atmosphere for 4 years.

Wesleyan is an amazing community that fosters growth both in and out of the classroom. Students are passionate about what they do, and equally passionate about enjoying themselves and relaxing. This balance is refreshing in an elite unversity, as students help one another get through work without burning out. There are a number of outlets for interests and many different ways to get involved. The best indications of the Wesleyan aura are all-campus events such as WesFest and Spring Fling, where the whole campus congregates on Foss Hill and enjoys the day together. In these settings, all of the different types of students are represented and united in the celebration.

The best thing about Wesleyan is the people! I know everyone says that about their school, but I can't stress enough how awesome everyone is. At the beginning of the year when I was meeting people for the first time, I was awed by how interesting everyone was. There's a reason why someone picks Wesleyan (and why Wesleyan picks someone), and it creates a community of people who just love their school! I would change the layout of the new dining center (the architectural layout). The tray conveyor belt / trash station is pretty dysfunctional. Wesleyan is the perfect size! Everywhere I go I see a friend, but at the same time, I'm always meeting new people and if I want to have some me-time, there's plenty of places to go. We spend most of our time on campus because Middletown's only attractions are its restaurants (there are actually a few really good ones!). People (this is a generalization) from the east coast and west coast and those who have applied to any liberal arts school react really positively, like "oh wow! that's great! I've heard such wonderful things," when I tell them I go to Wesleyan. People from the middle of the country (again a large generalization) sometimes haven't head of it and think I'm talking about Wellesley. Wesleyan's administration is usually pretty responsive to us. The biggest recent controversy has been over Middletown's police force overreacting to a party at the end of the year. School pride is great in the sense that we all LOVE our school, but one thing I would like to see changed is the low attendance rate at athletic games. What's unusual about Wes is how much we all love our school! One thing I'll remember best from last year is my birthday weekend. An a capella group sang happy birthday to me, and then my friends set up a campus-wide scavenger hunt for me that eventually led me to snacks and then to a friends room where we spent the rest of the night together hanging out. So much fun.

School size is good. The best thing is the campus and the abundance of music, arts, film and so on which translates into a very creative student body. The worst thing about wesleyan is residential life, and some of the arrogance and cliqueishness you find on campus, despite an overall friendly student body.

Wesleyan is comprised of just under 3000 upper middle class to upper class kids who all did well in high school which gives it a very homogenous feel in certain respects. However, for the type of person who would consider going to Wesleyan this is probably a good thing.

To make a Big topic 'small', or at least manageable: Middletown itself offers many restaurants (diversity on an easy level) and proximity to both Boston and New York, extremely useful reference centers for every study's concern, be it the MoMA or the offices of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. As to what directly affects campus life, the Wesleyan administration continues to have shortfalls and also accomplishments, though most of these, be it either new building plans or other top-dollar agendas, lies largely outside of student hands. To my knowledge, students can affect mostly everyday policies, though overarching rules of conduct or regulation seem near-impossible beasts to tame. So when one hears that Wesleyan has a particularly active student involvement, keep in mind the scope of what students can and cannot do at most universities, though the students themselves may very well try for more. A great plus to the politically charged atmosphere already existing in and around campus.

The campus is lovely and I think it's been a nice size for me. Middletown is pretty crappy, although the restaurants are great and there's a movie theater. Transportation to the outside world is hard to arrange, and we mostly spend time on campus. There's always something going on, and there's always so much to choose from that your experience can be very individualized and personally directed.

at 4 or 5 thousand undergrads, Wesleyan's not too big or too small. it's small enough that you can walk from one side of campus to the other within 15 minutes, but not too small that you get sick of the same places or the same people. even if you feel that you see too many of the same faces too often, that's really only within your own dorm or classes. there are still hundreds of kids that you've never seen before. Middletown isn't the greatest college town ever, but it is able to provide restaurants, a movie theater, laser tag, and other shops that are a basic necessity. the food on campus is pretty good and there's a good variety of food between dining halls.

Large enough to have a community without getting claustrophobic. Students work really hard and have a lot of fun. Wonderful housing because by your junior year you are in apts on campus or houses, which means kitchens and living space with people you like. It also means that the party scene is great because people have places to congregate without needing frats. Lot of great music...salsa, funk, rock, folk, jazz...at parties which makes weekends interesting. Lots of trips to ponds, beaches, new york. Middletown gets old quickly, but you can find your own way to deal with that. Lots of great classes with amazing professors if you search them out.

Middletown is a really cute little town, with a real-live Main Street. Lots of good restaurants, cute shops, etc. It's about 25 minutes from New Haven, so if the town feels too cloistering, a bigger place is just a short trip away. The alumni body is composed of some really stellar people, which speaks really well of the undergraduate experience, I think. There's something about being here that causes you to question everything you think you know. It can be humbling, but it forces total self-reflexivity, and brings out the most honest, healthy parts of a person. While this isn't for everyone, those seeking to become the most authentic self they can be thrive here. While the university is a little less known than some larger schools, those in the know are very impressed when I tell then where I studied. The place has a fantastic reputation, and it lives up to it.

Wesleyan is what you want it to be. you can choose classes and activities that make it incredibly challenging, almost crazy, but really interesting. At the same time, it can be a funhouse with very little to do, and amazingly laid-back student body. Most people i know have both aspects. Wesleyan students work hard and play hard, and really have such a level of intellectual production that is unrivaled, in my mind. It's the right size, and it is full of people who are really talented and interesting. Having been to other universities (and mind you, being a university and not a college becomes important later on) i was appalled at how...uninteresting all the students were. now, i am not going to name names, and comparing wesleyan to other places is not the point, but you won't find bland, pompous kids at Wes. Or complete stoners who can't think for themselves. nobody here is completely one stereotype, although i've found some at other places. Somebody told me once that you learn the most from your peers, and if that's true, Wesleyan is the place to be. And if it turns out that you actually really learn from your professors, the student-teacher relationships here are phenomenally good, and the professors are so exciting and invested in helping you learn what you want them to teach you. I've learned so much in just two years, i feel ready to do so many different things with my life. the best part is, i haven't been pushed into a corner, with only one thing to do for the rest of my life. that really is the best part of a liberal arts education. Wesleyan gives you the chance to pursue that, while being really enjoyable.

Wesleyan is amazing. There's a lot of academic freedom, social opportunities, brilliant peers and engaging professors. If you're interested in a giant sports school, this is probably not the place; athletic students but not the types to bust out the kegs at 10am and tailgate a football game. There is more to do than I ever have time for: lectures, protests, conferences, shows, plays, movies, concerts, etcetera. Middletown is not a hub of excitement, but Wesleyan definately compensates.

Most people do not know where Wesleyan is or anything about it. Middletown, where Wesleyan is located, is a fantastic town. There are numerous ethnic restaurants, and a very socio-economically diverse population. Middletown is also large and close enough to provide anything that a student would want. Wesleyan does feel small at times though.

The size is perfect. You can both be invisible when you want or run into tons of people you know by accident. I used to attend a larger university and I was a bit worried Wes would be too small to ever be anonymous, but that is not the case. For me it is the perfect balance. People who are in touch with the set of small, elite liberal-arts colleges in the Northeast will react positively when you tell them you go to Wesleyan. The rest of the world will either think you said Wellesley, and wonder why you go to an all-girls school (this is funniest when you're a guy), or think you mean Ohio-Wesleyan. You will get over this, because there is a lot of school pride, which I love. We suck at sports but nobody minds - most people here love this place and are proud of it, in all its quirkiness. Middletown seems to suck at first, but that's only because campus is such a bubble. A beautiful bubble, to be sure, but still a bubble. There are actually some interesting things to do and see in Middletown, but it's not a college town by any means, and it shuts down early. Town/school relations are mediocre at best. Connecticut sucks if you like the outdoors, but I'm from Vermont so perhaps I have high standards. We're only a couple hours from New York City and there is a school-run bus that operates on weekends. The food is really good. We just got a new food provider and (having previously attended the University of Vermont) I can tell you that is significantly better than most college food. Still, there are issues. The workers are kind of getting shafted, and the company is still figuring out how to provide what the student-body wants. They aren't very efficient at running the dining halls, either. So you may have to wait in line occasionally, be annoyed by how far you have to carry your tray, be really annoyed at the take-out system, be really really annoyed that it is absurdly difficult to find food on campus between 8 and 10 PM, but at least when you do find it it'll be tasty as hell.

Wesleyan has one of the most varied student bodies of any campus I visited, no matter what your interests, you are sure to find some group of students which are equally, if not more, passionate about simular topics.

Most people think that I go to Wellesley when I tell them I go to Wesleyan.

Wes is not very integrated into Middletown. Sure, students live off-campus, and there are some good, cheap restaurants on Main St., but Wes is basically insulated in a small corner of the city. It's got a great reputation that goes along with the Wesleyan name, though, and the student body is smart and articulate. Opinions are also very critical of the university itself: students look at the administration with the same eye as the current Presidency.

I am constantly surprised by my peers at Wesleyan. It would not be unusual here, for example, for me to watch a standout football player star in a play. People here rarely have one talent, or one interest. Athletes take dance, people are friends with people you may not expect them to hang out with. There is a little of everything here--every type of person--and for the most part, people get along unbelievably well.

The best thing about Wesleyan is that they are very welcoming when you come to the school. It was very easy to make the adjustment into the small community (just about 2700), and I felt right at home. Everything happens on campus, and Middletown has nothing to offer except for a couple decent restaurants. If you actually want to go somewhere real, you'd need to head to NY or Boston (both about 2 hour drives). The Wesleyan administration was disappointing for the most part. I entered the school thinking that I would be a film major, but the cut-throat elitist kids turned me off (that's the only major that you have to get a B+ in order to declare the major, and getting a B+ is no easy feat when they are trying to weed kids out). After dropping the major, I had begun my own company and wanted to take business courses. Wesleyan has none to offer, and futhermore they refused to give me credit to take the courses at another university, claiming: "Since we don't have a business department, there's no way we can evaluate the course" Of course it was no problem for them to evaluate me taking Steel Band and hitting a cowbell twice a week...

Wesleyan is a great place for education, but its location is not supreme. Most people focus on academics or on-campus activities, so the surrounding areas aren't that important. When people do leave campus, they go to New York. This makes an isolated community with warped morals and social standards.

I love Wesleyan almost irrationally so at this point. The school is a perfect size, in a location that's close to any major destination in the North East, and filled with a student body of incredibly smart, creative, and open people. Wesleyan has a massive amount of activism on campus, which is manifested through protests, music and art shows, and general student interest in current affairs.

Wesleyan is a school full of truly engaged students. Students are very progressive, politically involved and active in a whole variety of extracurricular activities including the arts (particularly film), comedy, theater, and many, many others. Students are also an extremely intellectual group, meaning they are very intellectually engaged outside of the classroom. Classes are small, and for the most part Wesleyan students are extremely happy at the school.

Wesleyan is a great place. It's small, which I liked, so it's easy to know most people if you try. How do people react when I tell them I go (went) to Wesleyan? "What's Wesleyan? Isn't that an all-girls school?" School pride: not so much. We all like(d) Wes, but not in a paint-your-face-and-cheer type of way. Although the fight song was always fun. Most frequent student complains: "The administration is not understanding enough of our diversity, diversity, diversity." Middletown is OK, but getting better.

If you are plannng on going to a liberal arts university, Wesleyan will expose you to views and populations that are present but less vocal and listened to at other institutions.

Wesleyan may be too small. It was just right for me. It's large enough that by Junior year, everyone looks familiar but you don't really know who they are. There is nothing really to do in town. But its okay because there are literally a panoply of options on campus. There are art shows and guerilla theatre, visiting artists and musicians, secret tomb parties, frat keggers, blue-grass open mikes and dorm parties. And, of course, house parties. Wesleyan's residential housing for upper classmen is a tremendous financial burden on the university and one of the reasons for its lower than its peers budget. So it makes good financial sense that they are gradually divesting themselves of the blocks of houses they own. The unfortunate aspect of this is what a tremendously unique and wonderful thing the neighborhoods of students living in houses is. To sit on your porch and eat cerael and chat with people as they make their way to morning classes is one of my favorite memories. Sleeping in my hammock on the back porch. The administration gets a bad rap. In reality they are among the most receptive and committed around. Unfortunately, Wesleyan students have a tremendous sense of entitlement and a deep commitment to being responsible for their surrounding (at least when it is convenient and fun) So they whine a tremendous amount and nothing the administration ever does is good enough for the vocal minority of rabble rousers. For most of us, I think we view the administration the way we view all bureacracies. Slow and at times inefficient. This aside, they truly care and work very hard. I think they have a hard job and get shit on a lot for trying to do it right.

I like the size of Wesleyan. You get to know a lot of the people in your class, but you still meet new people all the time. Middletown has its charms, but most of the fun you have at Wesleyan is created by the students and stays on campus. House/dorm parties are the most common. The campus has a big hill and field in the center of campus where kids go to hang out. It's awesome when the weather's nice. The Wesleyan administration is okay, but they try to make Wesleyan into just another top East-Coast liberal arts school. They could do a better job of letting Wesleyan be its unique, open-minded self.

Wes is a great size. As a senior I have yet to be bored with the people here - I'm forever meeting new and interesting students on campus while running into old friends everywhere. While there's no big football team and less athletic pride in the general population than at other schools, there is a tremendous amount school pride.

Wesleyan is the perfect size: you are able to meet a significant portion of the student body, you don't feel anonymous at all, yet you still meet new people from your class year the last week of senior year. I sometimes wish that Wesleyan were a bit more known across the country (it's irritating when people mix it up with Wellesley for example). I think the students are passionate about many things, but are able to be silly and not take everything too seriously. I got a wonderful education at Wes, and had so much fun throughout.... it was the perfect mix of work and play, which is what I think college is all about.

I love that the student body is as eclectic as it is. There is truly no stereotypical student. Everyone is welcome and accepted. There can tend to be some segretation between athletes and non-athletes on campus. As an athlete, I find myself hanging out with other athletes the majority of the time, which can make Wes feel a lot smaller than it actually is. But once you branch out, you realize that there are a lot of cool people to meet. When I tell others that I go to Wesleyan, they are either impressed, know nothing about Wesleyan, or think that I go to Wellesley in Mass. Middletown is definitely not a college town, but there isn't really any need for a college town because everything happens on campus, and there is always a ton to do on campus. The most frequent student complaints are about housing. Housing for Sophmores can be really great or really crappy. It's based on lottery numbers, so if you get a bad number, you could end up in a dorm, or house that isn't too great. Spring Fling is one of the most fun times at Wes. It's the day after classes end and a couple of bands come to perform. Basically, the entire student body is on Foss Hill the entire day, and it's absolutely amazing.

(I'm going by questions here, not sentence fluidity) The best thing about Wesleyan is the the diversity of people - I have not been to a school with the range of personalities, interests and skills that I have found at Wesleyan. The school is the perfect size, and I will always stand by that. There are few enough people that when I walk around I see plenty of people I recognize, but at the same time plenty of people I have never met. It makes the party scene a lot more fun. When I tell people I go to Wesleyan, most people say, "isn't that where Hillary Clinton went?" and then I have to correct them. Honestly the outside reaction usually isn't that enthusiastic unless they are from the NESCAC or go to an elite school somewhere... which most people don't. That is pretty frustrating. I spend most of my time in Olin, my room, and the fitness center... all three are pretty great. Middletown isn't really a "college town" but it functions for all practical reasons. It's biggest draw for Wes students is the bar scene on Wednesday nights, restaurants, and the Rite Aid. I have no opinion of the Wes Administration, I don't know them well, but I suppose on the surface they have been nice and accomodating.

This is sort of abstract, but I would like to see more community at Wesleyan, as in school-wide community. There is plenty of it within the various groups, but there isn't a general communal sense, which I think comes from the surplus of (sometimes desperate) individualism on campus. Coming from a high school with a total of 400 students, Wesleyan has been the perfect size for me: small enough that I've not felt lost in the crowd or unable to connect with professors because of huge class sizes, but also big enough that by the end of senior year, there are still people in my class year who I have never seen before. Peoples' reactions are totally dependent on geography and demographics: if I'm in my small hometown in California, most people have never heard of it, but some people confuse it with Wellesley; if I'm on the East Coast, most people will have heard of it, but the chances are higher that they'll think it's Wellesley. If people do know the school, invariably they'll say "Oh, what a great school." but I think that's a pretty generic response when talking about small liberal arts colleges. With that also often comes the judgment about how much it costs to go here, which is not totally unwarranted. This year, I spend the majority of my time in the library, at the gym for cross country or track practice, in the film screening room, at the places on campus where they sell food, or in my or my friends' senior woodframe houses. College town? I don't really think so, though Wesleyan is trying its damndest to gentrify or "revive" Middletown, which has been in an economic slump for a long time. Main Street is full of restaurants and coffee shops, and has definitely become more boozhie (or however you spell the slang for "bourgeois") since I was a freshman. But there still aren't any legit music venues and unless you're hungry or want to see a movie or need to buy some booze from the liquor store or vitamins from the drug store, you're outta luck. The administration seems a little disconnected from the student body, try as they might to bridge the gap. There's a ridiculous amount of bureaucracy. But we've got this new young President Roth, who seems to be trying to turn things around...we'll see how that goes. The biggest controversy by far this year has been the new dining service. There have been issues with the food and with the service, which is pretty much just the fallout of breaking peoples' habits. But most importantly, there have been huge issues between the food service workers union and the dining service company. Benefits and hours have been cut, there have been unwarranted firings, and the general manager is pretty much a pariah among the food service workers and much of the student body. Workers and students have rallied to the cause, and I think things may be getting better, but they aren't totally resolved, either. School pride? No. At least not in the pep rally sense. People are quick both to criticize Wes from within and to defend it from without. From what I gather, Wesleyan is a pretty unusual place as far as small liberal arts colleges go. But that also may be inflated by hype and self-importance. One thing that is unusual and very very cool is that the majority of seniors get to live in real woodframe houses owned by the University. The downside is that pretty much everyone has to live in university housing all four years. Oh, and everyone, even seniors, is required to be on a meal plan, which is pretty much highway robbery. Wesleyan students love to complain. Pick your issue.

I absolutely loved Wesleyan. The best thing was the other students - passionate, brilliant, wildly creative, and totally impressive, but by and large so much more down to earth and fun than kids I've met at, say, Ivy League schools, who I often (not always, of course) found to be more uptight, self-important, etc. Middletown is cute and nice, but people don't spend that much time there, which I didn't mind at all. There's more amazing stuff happening on campus than you could ever actually attend anyways, and if you want, you can always go to NYC for a weekend. Wesleyan controversies typically revolve around identity politics (race/class/gender/sexuality). That stuff gets really, really intense on campus. Wesleyan is super progressive on gender and sexuality issues (by the end of freshman year, nobody I knew even believed in gender any more). It's definitely a bit of a bubble, but I thought it was great. There's tons of pride about Wesleyan being weird and radical. Under the past president (Bennett), there was also a pretty widespread impression that Wesleyan's administration was actively trying to mainstream-ify the character of the student body, supposedly for financial reasons (activists and artists don't make a very strong alumni donor base), but I've heard that the new president (a Wes alum himself) appears to have a stronger commitment to keeping Wesleyan unique, diverse, etc.

Size: good. Academics: probably fine. Who really knows. Reputation: largely undeserved. Financial Aid: great. Best part of Wesleyan: Middletown, CT. It's a gem of a town with an amazing laser tag arena. Least appreciated part of Wesleyan: Middletown, CT. Most of the students (and especially their parents) look down their noses at it. Biggest controversy: ban on chalking. No, really. Remember what I wrote about political activism on campus? Wesleyan administration: bloated, inefficient, opaque, unresponsive, unilateralist, paternalistic. In other words, typical. But damn, they sure do pay their RAs well. Biggest surprise: the students' parents are effing RICH.

"Ohio Wesleyan? Illinois Wesleyan? Oh is that the all girls school in massachusetts? Senator Clinton went there right?" No. Wesleyan Univeristy, in Connecticut. "Oh hmmm. Interesting."

I think the best thing about wesleyan is its size. It's just small enough that i recognize a lot of faces, and most of my friends no each other from random places. AT the same time, it's big enough that there are still a lot of people i don't know, and random hookups can be relatively not awkward.

It is a very small school but I love it that way. Middletown has a few bars to go to which is much better than some of the colleges I've seen. The one thing I would change is that there is no real rivalry between the frats and there are no soroities.

the best thing is really the amount of amazingly talented and wonderful people. it's cheezy but it's really true that there are just so many "good people" here. size-wise it felt just right freshman year and now as a senior it feels way too small. freshman year i was only friends with people from my dorm in the nics and then sophomore year i met a lot more and those are the people im still friends with today (and several from freshman year but mostly soph year). so what id change is: id make social groups much less isolated and cliquey. i sort of assumed everyone would come together senior and be friends- which has happened to some extent.. but id really like to see it happen even more by the spring. there is definitely a lot of school pride in some groups of friends, though anyone who does have major qualms with the school is not afraid to voice those. that's fair and i agree with many qualms (expensive tuition, dining system, etc) but sometimes i wish people would think about the bigger issues in the world outside the bubble.

I think it is about right though we are more like a research university than a liberal arts college, especially having graduate students changes the student body dynamics and some aspects of student life.

1. The best thing about Wesleyan is the academic situation. There are so many different courses in various departments. People can truly learn about anything they want at this university. 2. One thing I would change would definitely be the number of parties on campus. Personally, I'm not one to just sit about and do nothing on a Saturday night so more dance parties or things of that nature would be appreciated. 3. Most people are not aware of Wesleyan so their reaction is usually, "Oh, how's the all-girls thing working out for you?" 4. The student body is definitely the most unusual thing about Wesleyan. This campus is full of the most wonderfully idiosyncratic people you will ever meet in your life, which is great. Also, there are tons of little traditions that just demonstrate how open and awesome the school is. There is a day where everyone sits in the library in their underpants as tour groups walk by. During orientation, there is Foss Cross, for which one cross dresses and has a generally awesome time dancing. 5. I think some of the most frequent student complaints come when people make road generalizations on a subject. One professor gave a lecture in which he made many statements such as: "I'm quite sure all of you in this room and on this campus..." Wesleyan is not a school at which someone can make a broad statement of this nature and get away with it.

Wesleyan has an awesome environment. It's large enough to offer a good selection of courses, have plenty of diversity and interesting people to meet, and host enough activities to keep me busy. It's small enough that I run into people I know all the time. Many people have not heard of Wesleyan, or convince it with Wellesley. Luckily, those people are not employers, most of whom know Wesleyan. While on campus, I spend a lot of time in friends' rooms. I feel fortunate to have a dozen or so friends on my hall alone! Middletown, CT, is not the most appealing town. It does have enough good restaurants, a movie theater, and a drug store, though. Wesleyan's administration is trying to improve our reputation by making things "more normal". The problem is that most of the students came here because of how different and wonderful the environment is. Changing that seems foolish.

Going to Wesleyan, like going to most small liberal arts schools, is basically a surreality removed from the woes of normal human existence that your parents finance. Everything is sort of dreamy and wonderful, the campus is compact and beautiful and people seldom leave it (Middletown sucks), public safety seldom hassles you, and the weekends/weeks are not void of debauchery. One nice thing about Wesleyan is the ivy league quality of education (classes, teachers, facilities) without an air of stuffy academia. Students work hard and are intelligent but most are more than willing to kick back and get down like a good heathen.

I love the people at Wesleyan. so, so, so many people I've met here are just incredibly, genuinely nice and fascinating--tons of great conversations on every topic imaginable. I think the school isn't too small (especially compared with other liberal arts schools), but at least for me, I tend to get stuck in a couple of groups. Even though I see lots of people every day who I don't know, once you get into your little niche it's kind of harder to branch out, though I do have a few different groups I hang out with, so it's not terribly cliquey or anything like that. Middletown is not the greatest place on Earth, though the food is good...and if you don't have a car it's a pain in the ass to get anywhere. I haven't figured out the bus system, cabs are ridiculously expensive, and both the airport and the train station are far away (though if you take a shuttle from Meriden to New Haven, that's only about 10 minutes away). controversies? well, Roth is being kind of a dick about the whole Zonker Harris day thing (we have to change the name, which is a BIG DEAL among Westcovians), though that's a little underground. also, chalking? what the hell? when I say I go to Wesleyan, people still think I mean Wellsley, or Ohio Wesleyan or some shit like that. unless they know what they're talking about, in which case they think that that's pretty cool.

The best thing about Wesleyan is the student body. The school feels a little small at times. When I tell people I go to Wesleyan they usually don't know what school I'm talking about. The relationship with Middletown can be very tense, some students work in the community, but many don't seem to care and often speak negatively of "townies." The Wesleyan administration is usually helpful, but for such a small school there can be quite a bit of red tape.

Wesleyan sucks. Unless you love to protest retarded causes, are "confused" about your "sexuality", believe that people should live in the dark and not take warm showers to prevent "climate change", love talking about "social constructs", want to take classes about reproduction that involve interpretive dance . . . do not come because you will be completely out of place. I never imagined there could be a place where normal people are discriminated against! For all its claims about valuing diversity, Wesleyan has absolutely no tolerance for conservatives.

From a big picture standpoint, the best thing about Wes are the students. If you want to be around the most amazing, intellectual people with unreal stories, this is your school. If I could change anything, it'd be the weather - winter in CT lasts from November through end of March although the weather in the Northeast sucks in general during the winter, anyway. As for size, it's on the small end but I really like this because unlike other larger schools you CAN run into people you know all the time. At the same time, I'm steal realizing there are so many people I've never seen before. Middletown is alright. It's not the best college town but it's got some nice restaurants and everything to fufill basic needs (including lazer tag). It's about an hour and a half to both NYC and Boston which is nice. I'd say we have school pride in the way of loving our school. Everyone gets excited to hear the fight song. When it comes to school spirit through sports events, it could be better but it's getting there.

Wesleyan is lot more open to ideas of the non traditional/ the non status quo than other Universities and I think that that is a positive. I would make Wesleyan larger and I would have Wesleyan be in possession of a larger endowment so that the many students who can not go here anymore because of financial reasons or who have graduate school loans because of Wesleyan's poor finaid could actually successful attend and graduate from Wesleyan

Easily the best thing about Wes is the student body. I made friends at Wesleyan whom I expect will remain central figures in my life for a very long time. They are unique, passionate, and fascinating, and will, in many cases, teach you as much as the professors will. When I was there, there wasn't a main hang-out area on campus, outside of the hill, which only functioned in warm weather. Now, however, the Usdan campus center is supposed to be pretty excellent. Middletown definitely fits the "what college town" description, as there was very little to do off campus unless you were willing to drive a bit. There are efforts to improve that, but there's quite a way left to go. The most frequent student complaints are everything. The student body as a whole is generally angry about something, often loud about it, and usually wrong. However, one ultimately realizes that the outcry is merely coming from an extremely vocal minority, and it's probably best to ignore them.

So far, I think Wesleyan is a pretty incredible place, but I've also definitely come to learn that any college is going to be what you make of it. Most people I know are really happy, and those who aren't probably would be if they experimented with new things--that's what I did. I love, love, love the cultural activities that are always going on--the Film Series is AMAZING, there are always great art exhibits, the lecturers brought to campus are great, etc. Sometimes I think Wes is a little too small; other times I think it's a little too big. I guess what I'm saying is the size is actually just right--I know a lot of people already, but there are always new faces, too. I have friends at smaller schools who already know EVERYONE on campus. When I tell people I go to Wesleyan they are either really impressed or think I'm going to Wellesley, an all-women's school. One thing I'd change about Wesleyan is the new campus center. It's very nice and everything, but it looks really corporate and sterile. I thought Wesleyan would be a little funkier and cozier, but our new campus center is all black and white. The only color is a kind of tacky "Diversity" painting in the basement. Middletown is OK as far as "college towns" go. Everything you need is on campus--you'll rarely be bored. But Middletown has great restaurants. Tuscany Grill is really lovely, as is Typhoon. There's also lazer tag (which I hear is really fun) and a big movie theater all within walking distance. I'd say there's a good deal of school pride--they teach you the fight song on the first day of orientation, and you hear it every so often at random places. It's pretty cool to have that kind of pride and community. Most complaints I hear are about the new campus center being poorly designed and the food service being kind of bad food-quality-wise and unfair to its employees/the labor union. My favorite places on campus are Olin--6 floors of stacks and lots of places to study. I like to go to the top floor, where there are windows that look out onto Foss Hill. Foss Hill is also a great place to hang out (in the warmer months!). I have a lot of amazing memories from the beginning of the school year, hanging out on Foss Hill late at night. Some of the prettiest buildings, I think, are Alpha Delt (a coed society) and the Center for East Asian Studies. I also love the Center for Film Studies--it has an incredible screening room. The administration isn't bad. Our new president, Michael Roth, is pretty much a celebrity among students. A Roth-sighting is an exciting event.

The thing I love most about Wes is the huge variety of people here. No matter what type of people you're looking to meet and hang out with, I promise you they are here somewhere. Personally I find the size of the school to be perfect- not so small that I already know everyone's life story, but small enough that I can recognize and say hi to some of the people walking around campus. When people who know colleges hear that I go to Wesleyan, they are generally pretty impressed. When people that don't know much about colleges hear where I go, they generally ask me if it's the women's college where Hillary Clinton went. Middletown is actually pretty nice- it has some really great restaurants, a movie theater, some stores, and some cheaper cafes and places to eat as well. I love going in for dinner once in a while. The small town girl in me is afraid to go there by myself or at night, but you really shouldn't go anywhere by yourself anyways. I've personally never had any problems with the Wesleyan administration. They seem to be pretty genuinely concerned about their students, and if you make the extra effort to contact them with problems, I've found that they'll work with you to help solve them.