Category: Jacqueline’s Blog Archive

Why Wellesley?

I’d like to use my post this week to reflect upon reasons why I am glad to have selected Wellesley. . .

As a California girl who hadn’t travelled to many parts of the U.S., or outside of it, EVER, I was looking for an adventure. I guess I believed that the farther from home I was, the more likely it would be that I’d encounter something different, something that would shake me, and make me uncomfortable in the best way that teaches me how to adapt to and then appreciate difference.

I still haven’t adapted to some things:

1. The cold New England weather

2. The inability to find a cafe/diner that is open 24 hours and close enough to campus for me to get to (this being for late night munchies and all-nighter study sessions alike…).

But there are some other, quite lovely, things that I really appreciate:

1. Living outside of the city. This is great because Wellesley provides the transportation necessary for me to immerse myself in urban life whenever I please…and to leave it when it becomes too overwhelming… (now if only I could fix that late night cafe part…;-) )

2. A beautiful campus. Even when the trees are barren and not enough snow has fallen to cover up the winter’s killing of everything lively, Wellesley’s campus has a sort of frozen grandeur to it that never fails to impress. And the spring is breathtaking- I have no idea how much money goes into maintaining the grounds at this time, but it’s got to be a lot…

3. Study abroad opportunities. Wellesley really took care of me when I studied abroad in Mexico and Spain. The Wellesley Spanish department programs in those countries are TOP NOTCH. Directors and staff care so much about their students and in Spain, when I faced a medical emergency, my program staff really supported me and helped me to feel safe. Later on, I received a Global Engagement Fellowship from the Center for Work and Service at Wellesley, which allowed me to stay longer in Spain and work there over the summer.

4. Wellesley tuition grants. Enough said, this is a great, great thing that transferred over to fund my studies abroad. I thank my donors every semester at a card writing event with the CWS.

I think the best thing that you can do when deciding on your school is to ask questions of the students who already went there and to get multiple opinions. I recommend reading a past post I wrote, about issues of diversity on college campuses, because that is one thing I did not think about when making my decision. I do not regret having chosen Wellesley though, because I have learned so much from the representatives and general members of our college’s multicultural orgs.

One thing I think a lot of you have a question about already, is the quality of our professors teaching here. I have had some very understanding, kind, and dedicated professors who extend office hours around student schedules to ensure that everyone understands class material, as well as some professors that literally goof around in class to the point of asking us about our romantic lives. I think it’s been a mixed bag, but I wouldn’t change my experience here and I’m glad I left my California element to experience it.

:-p

An Honest Post to Prospective Wellesley Students

“Oh Wellesley.”That’s a phrase I’ve said around campus since my first year. Whether you’re in a love it/leave it situation, remembering the good times or the challenging ones, Wellesley has a complicated place in my heart that I’m sure other universities occupy in other college students’ hearts.

Lately I’ve been taking advantage of the W Network and getting into contact with past alumnae who are now Speech Pathologists. They have been extremely responsive and nice, willing to offer advice about this chosen career path of mine and anything else I’ve wanted to know. And they always ask, “How’s Wellesley?” “Oh Wellesley,”I think to myself before replying.

I just finished my second week of my last spring semester at Wellesley before graduation and what I can say so far is that it is the same in some ways and that is both a good and a bad thing. Here’s an example to clarify my ambivalence: last Thursday, because I don’t get out of my Spanish seminar until 850pm, I rushed late into my MEZCLA meeting with the other members of the org’s political action committee. I discussed with them Wellesley’s history of diversity, specifically as that topic addresses Latinas on campus, our experiences.

We Latinas at Wellesley have all had different experiences. I cannot and will not glaze over those differences of what reality is for each individual but there are some facts to that history that I can share. One fact is that MEZCLA currently needs a space on campus. A space of our own.

Like any other college, and like any other college student experiences, no matter what school they select,there are stressors such as coursework/grad school/jobs/etc. that require a balancing de-stressor area where we can get our heads together. And Latinas specifically need a space where we can put our heads together to think of a way to combat the stressors affecting our community. Currently we are sharing a space on our campus with other students. We are working on getting that space of our own however. And until then, you as a potential student should know that truth just in case it is important to your decision.

I want you here (Latina or not), and that is why I share all of my positive experiences with you, posting descriptions and even photos. And if you are accepted, Wellesley wants you here too! But my greatest piece of advice is to ask the hard questions now. Think about what you need from your college.

Until then, MEZCLA has been my spiritual/social/political space. It’s a space that has been created by sound, vision, and other non-physical elements that don’t include a room or house of our own, as important as that is to us. My space is created by the voices of members welcoming me, the sight of our coming together to create change and all of the values that we together stand for.

City Weekend: My love for Allston and Cambridge

On the Peter Pan...

On our way to the city!

I love Allston and Cambridge for the usual bohemian reasons- great multicultural food, cozy cafes to study in, energetic college students, and record stores/music venues to catch a good (and affordable!) show. In the past weeks I helped my friend Natalia to set up the Wellesley Rummage Sale that the Office of Sustainability puts on every year. This year I got a rug, lanterns, a yoga mat, curtains, and a picture frame all under $10! But besides that, I have two jobs this semester and am taking an extra writing course for half credit just to brush up on my writing skills before I graduate. It’s lovely working as an assistant to the Director of the Slater International Center for International students, the Slater house being next to the lake and all. And my second job, babysitting for a nice family in West Natick, gets me on the train twice a week and off campus. But when all is accomplished and the weekend rolls around, my heart sets out to my two favorite nearby cities. This time I eagerly got on the Peter Pan bus (which is free on Fridays before 6) with my friend Natalia and we chatted about all the things we were going to do when we arrived to Cambridge. But I guess we were a bit more eager than our bodies would allow us to be because we snoozed off unknowingly and received this photo from our friend across the aisle! Cambridge ended up being really fun, where we went to our favorite record store, Weirdo Records, to listen to some albums and then to visit our friend who waitresses at Algiers, an arabic restaurant with delicious pastries.

front

The next day, I visited my cousin who is a B.U. student in Allston, and we went to a Mediterranean cafe. I had a delicious felafel  wrap and read a bit for my Writing 126 class. It was back on the bus from there, and to the start of another busy week…

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