Birthdays and Why Wellesleys

Good morning readers!

Hope all is well! I survived my crazy week, plus today’s my birthday, so I’m suitably delighted :).  Moreover, I even had a pre-birthday celebration, since Alice bought me cake and earrings last night! I took the remains to the Science Center, and there were many shenanigans that went on there….

I have even more great pictures from last week :). After Ruhlman Conference, which went very well for Yiing and I, I was dragged into a walk around the lake with the Conway lab. I told Kaitlin I had lots of work to do, but we went anyway, and it was great. The weather here has been gorgeous, and I learned all sorts of new things about Wellesley’s history along with other science gossip. The range of conversation topics within each of my group of friends is amusing :).

Then on Saturday, I went to my first Conway lab party! Rosa grilled burgers and vegetables for us, and I had a wonderful time just hanging out. We didn’t even talk about lab stuff until about 10:30pm, which I’m told is a new record :). I didn’t get any work done of course, but the surprising thing is that most people don’t work 10 hours on Saturday. I was reminded of this when I was able to spend time with some of the recruits last week (hello, Gabi and Emily!) and I had to reflect on the fact that there aren’t actually that many of us who work the schedule I do. So no fear, prospective students, you can make whatever you like of the Wellesley experience! (I like working all the time though, so don’t mind me :)).

And that makes a good segue into this week’s main topic: come to Wellesley, prospies! I hope you all had a great time at Spring Open Campus :). May 1^st is decision day, so I wish you the best of luck in your choice. Remember though that as long as you’re happy with your decision, you’ll have a great time wherever you go. This has been one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from Wellesley: so long as the grass isn’t greener somewhere else, opportunities and once-in-a-lifetime experiences will arise through every path you take.

All right, back to the beginning. I originally chose Wellesley for four reasons, in the following order: academics and specifically professors, community, swimming, and research. Though the order might be switched a bit now (the primary drama in my life is the perpetual contest between swimming and research for my attention), these are the reasons why I came, and the reasons why I love it here. Though you’ve heard me wax poetic about all of these before, reiteration of the good things in life can never go awry :).

First, academics. Let me tell you: I have never heard a Wellesley student complain about not being challenged enough. We are all very good students, driven and persevering and hard-working, so much so that when applying for any positions on campus, these traits are taken as a given. And we’re in a community where we have one-on-one access to professors and each other, so we are always being pushed to learn and achieve our very best. I live off that edge—being surrounded by people smarter than I am, and working just as hard or harder—and it’s my favorite aspect of the Wellesley community. There are many academic niches here besides science, my abode, but wherever you find your place, there will be people who are going to make a difference in the world.

First and a half, professors. When it came down to the last two weeks before college decisions, I was choosing between a larger university of 14,000 and Wellesley. In the end, I went to an introductory-level biology class in both schools, and decided to choose Wellesley almost immediately after. The university class had 400 students. The Wellesley class had 25. The difference in being able to talk to professors about questions you have from class, future planning, research, etc., versus barely see them on a stage, is tremendous. The difference also in the professors, who came to a teaching school because they love interacting with students, is also essential. Unlike many of my other friends, I have never been taught by a post-doc, and I would not lightly give up access to the very accomplished mentors that Wellesley offers.

Second, community! I walked on this campus as a prospie and stayed with two students, and by the second day called my parents informing them this was where I was going. Something I value highly is when peers are welcoming, and Wellesley students were welcoming from the moment I stepped on campus. Everyone was involved in so many activities, happy that this was their place, energized, warm, generous. I loved the attitude, the bright interest, all of the friends, the campus, the fact that everyone wanted to share all the best that Wellesley had to offer. Wellesley is a unique school, and we’re all here for a reason. The women who chose to come are the women who are here to stay.

Third, swimming :). As I mentioned, I was choosing between a larger university where I wouldn’t have been able to swim, and Wellesley, where I was a recruit. I have always defined myself as an athlete; however, it is only here where I’ve discovered that I truly do love the sport, and more importantly, the people. The team has been my support group and community of friends since first year. My best friends are swimmers, and every time I get out of the pool I’m happier than when I dove in. Almost every student on campus is part of a group where they feel, more than they ever have before, that they belong.

Finally, research. When I came to Wellesley, I thought I might like to be a science professor, so I looked for the availability of research positions. I had no idea then the significance research would take on in my life :). My research professor is Bevil Conway, and I progressed to the point where I call him “Bevil” long ago, though I try to keep it professional on the blog. But I definitely talk about Bevil to my friends, to the point where Ika once swam an entire set with not a song in her head, but me just repeating “Bevil” over and over again. Ah, my life is occasionally ridiculous. But anecdote aside, I think that this is actually my most unique Wellesley experience. That I am able to work in a lab, as a sophomore, under a professor who is highly engaged with me, with whom I am also in a class where there are only eight students, while almost entirely running my own project: it is astounding. There are very few institutions that offer this kind of one-on-one mentoring coupled with publishable-worthy research and the independence I have. I had barely a conception of how invaluable this opportunity was when I came—and I still don’t understand the full magnitude of it—but it is something that Wellesley should be shouting from the rooftops, because for budding scientists, it is the best experience that one can be offered.

That’s what I have, readers :). As always, I would love if someone would drop me a question or a comment! I’m also not sure how long I’ll be blogging for the rest of this year (we only have a week and a half of school left!) but I’ll definitely let you know next week. Hope you all have a marvelous day, and let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to hear about my experience :).

Monica