Wellesley College, MA

University highlight as contributed by Adina Badea, class of 2011 at Wellesley College, and featured in the Undergraduate Newsletter, May 2010 issue (available here).

Wellesley College: For women who will make a difference in the world
Wellesley College is an excellent undergraduate institution for women, with the goal of providing a comprehensive educational experience in an environment where students can thrive and excel.
Wellesley College is constantly ranked among the top five liberal arts colleges in the U.S. Currently it ranks 4th in the nation, according to USNews.com, and its purpose as a liberal arts college is to offer a well-rounded education to women who have high personal, intellectual, and professional expectations. The Humanities departments are among the strongest in the country; the Physical and Life Sciences departments are also very strong, continuing the tradition started when Wellesley was one of the first liberal arts colleges to establish a separate computer science department and computer science major. Wellesley offers 53 departmental and interdepartmental majors with the option of self-designing one's major. It also gives its students the opportunity of taking classes at MIT, Babson College, the Olin College of Engineering, and Brandeis University by cross registration.
Keeping true to its goal of offering women coming from various environments comprehensive access to education, Wellesley College is part of the Davis Scholars Program, which I personally find very interesting.
It is a program that allows women over the age of 24, who, for various reasons, had to interrupt their undergraduate training, to finish their BA degree. This devotion to helping women acquire an education in spite of any family-related responsibilities was one of the first things that made me realize Wellesley was special.
The diversity of the student body is also remarkable, Wellesley ranking as the third most diverse college in the country. There are approximately 2,300 traditional age students and approximately 70 Davis Scholars, out of which 8% are international and represent over 80 countries. 56% of students received financial aid in 2008-2009, with an average grant award of over $32,000 (out of approx. $51,000 estimated expenses for one year), which totaled well over $35 million in grant aid awarded that year.
Students can apply for admission at Wellesley College through the U.S. Common Application system. The acceptance rate for the class of 2013 was of 35%, the average SAT scores being Math 683, Verbal 689, and Writing 693.
Another reason that makes Wellesley a valuable institution is that close student-professor relationships are favored. Professors get to know their students from the very first week of class, and all students are assigned an academic advisor. Thanks to my close relationship to my professors, I managed to start doing research my freshman year, something that not a lot of first-years get to do. Furthermore, if a student proves to be enthusiastic and ambitious about her goals, she can be awarded stipends for internships/ research that in other colleges are reserved for upperclassmen.

In terms of social life, the Boston area is very active socially, especially given the multitude of colleges and universities in the region: Wellesley College, Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis College, Olin College of Engineering, Babson, Tufts University, Northeastern University, Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. The distance from Boston I believe is perfect: Wellesley is about 30-40 minutes away from the city, so not too far (students can definitely go whenever they have spare time) and not too close either (one wouldn't feel tempted to go down town if they knew they had a lot of work to do). And the campus is absolutely gorgeous! Each season has its own charm! When I came back from winter session I felt recharged with positive energy only by walking around campus.
A last reason for which I find Wellesley the best choice is the tight international students community. The Slater International Student Center feels like a second home and is the place international students visit most frequently in their first weeks here. The people here are always willing to help new students deal with the cultural shock, and the upperclasswomen become true models for the first-years. As for the friendships one makes during international orientation, I can honestly tell you that they are the strongest, deepest and most long-lasting. The Wellesley experience of an international student starts with the feeling that she knows nothing about the world, followed by the discovery of many wonders from all across the globe, brought on campus by ambitious women who most of the time had to fight against gender and social prejudices to get where they are.