A Rigid, Robot-Making Machine

Introduction
When applying to college, I thought that a small college environment where I would get maximum attention from professors, and an optimal level of class discussion, would be perfect for me. I also wanted to go to a competitive school. Much of this IS true about Wellesley. We do have relatively small classes, and definitely a very intense and competitive atmosphere. However, only come here if you're the kind of girl who hones her resume to perfection and grinds down to perfect As. Perfectionists who have high stress thresholds are perfect for Wellesley. Anyone seeking something more interesting, dynamic, or inspiring should go elsewhere. Anyone looking for an easy ride should go elsewhere too.

Campus Life and Social Life
There are quite a few clubs on campus, and they seem to break down to a few general types: culture clubs which mostly just host events and parties and whatnot, sports/dance/music clubs, and a few "geeky" clubs. Our a capella groups are supposedly quite well-known.

On weekends, most girls herd off to MIT for the frat parties. It's around an hour-long journey to get to the city, which can get very exhausting. The town of Wellesley itself is a total bore, and getting around nearby without a car is difficult.
Wellesley parties mostly involve old, sketchy, balding men and hormonal boys who only want one thing. Avoid as much as possible. Advertisement
Academics
The economics department here is probably the strongest. Most professors are pretty decent, and there are no TAs. Most classes feel like small-lecture style, with 30 to 40 students. In terms of the academics, it's definitely very solid, but uninspiring. The system here is rigid, and most professors seem pretty happy if you just learn what they teach you, and regurgitate. Grading and requirements are all set out so clearly and rigidly that it's often hard to find room to really do something wild or intellectually fresh. You'll learn what you need to know, and the workload can get so insane that you will barely have any time or energy for anything else, but you won't feel intellectually stimulated, nor will you learn or be encouraged to think outside the box.

Student Body
The student body is very competitive and very intense. Most people work very hard and care a lot about their grades. People get involved in tons of activities and there's a lot of volunteer work going around. At the same time, there are scarily ignorant people who think or act like they are very worldly and cosmopolitan, who actually have minimal understanding of people outside their immediate socio-economic and ethnic group. Some people end up saying frighteningly insensitive things.

In Closing...
People come out of Wellesley with polished resumes, lots of knowledge, and very high stress tolerance. But considering the number of people who take years off to recuperate mentally, and considering that the environment, while stressful, is not the intellectually-charged and creativity-encouraging atmosphere that I know I wanted to have in college, think very carefully if this is the college for you!