Last Day of Wellesley Classes

Hello everyone :).

… Guess what? It’s the end of senior year. I—this is tremendously weird for me. What brought it home for me wasn’t the end of Wellesley classes on Friday (because I still have classes at MIT next week), the impending date of Commencement (I still have finals before then!), all of the wrapping-up activities currently taking place (these occur at the end of every semester, and I love them dearly but they don’t spell looming doom), but rather the news that I have to stop blogging at the end of May. I have to stop blogging. I’m trying to think of any other constants I have had over the years—but this is it. I’ve been blogging every week since Orientation of first year, through the summers and Wintersession, never with more than a three week break. My activities have changed, my friends have changed, my academics have changed—but I’ve always been the Class of 2015 blogger for the Admissions Office. This, amusingly, fills me with the greatest sense of mourning than anything else so far—mostly, we seniors seem excited to head off to whatever we’re doing next, and it’s hard to miss the sense of familiarity and comfort on campus when you’re still living it. Lucy, my blogger boss, and again one of the most consistent adults in my life (ha, I’m an adult now. Ha!) has been planning a gift for me since the fall: she is going to make me a book of all my posts :). Sabrina, a senior who I met first year on the swim team and still reads my posts for her work in the Admissions Office, told me way back then that I write how I talk—or as I consider it, I write how I think. I feel like those people who have read my blog from the beginning—like Lucy, like Sabrina, others—know me almost as well as my friends do. So there you have it—Monica’s saddest thing about leaving college: missing the reflections of being at this wonderful school, of reliving all of the things-that-seem-insignificant-until-you-think-about-them through writing :).

Something that occurs to me when rereading that last paragraph is the fact that there are a surprising amount of things that haven’t changed throughout college. The details were utterly unpredictable, of course, but the broad strokes are the same. I read and exercise for fun. I write, somehow. I came in knowing I wanted to be a science major, and ended up a science major. I came in thinking I wanted to be a professor, and though I went through some serious re-contemplation of this idea once I understood more about the profession, I’m still coming out of college wanting to be a professor. I’m still friends with swim team people and Chem 120 people. My friends are high achievers and mostly introverts. My focus has always been on academics, my relationship with my parents and sisters hasn’t unduly shifted. I used to contemplate personality a lot, and how my first grade teacher said that who you are in first grade often reflects who you are as an adult. That still seems insane to me, but one of the things I have appreciated most about the passage of my time here is that I no longer hear the word “potential.” “Potential” was always this loaded term that meant that I had better work HARD to live up to it. But my friends and I have settled around our goals now, haven’t actually had to transform ourselves to match this abstract “potential”—and it’s just such a relief to me to have just done what I do, just lived college life, and somehow I don’t have to worry about this anymore. There’s always so much worry when I’m actually in the throws of something, but I’m so lucky in that one of the lessons Wellesley has instilled in me is that if we work hard, something will work out.

But these are all contemplations from being a senior. Because I’m separated from the mindset of first coming to college, I asked the two prospective students (now incoming students!) who had emailed me about their Spring Open Campus experiences. I was blown away by how they both immediately had such a deep appreciation and a grasp of the college’s qualities. I am amazed by the resonance I felt in the descriptions—so much of what drew them to Wellesley was what called me four years ago, and those same traits remain so largely true having lived the experience.

First, from Kanika:

“I would love to provide my opinion of Spring Open Campus– I am really happy to say that SOC was what clinched the decision for me :). If I am completely honest, in the beginning I was a bit nervous regarding Wellesley because it was an all girls school and I have had a primarily co-ed education so far. However, as soon as I entered the campus and talked to a few people (the first one being you :)), my anxiety regarding the all girls aspect completely vanished. I got to see a part of Wellesley that could not be shown through brochures. An openness and sensitivity to all different issues and conversations was there, as well as a feeling that I was being welcomed. At no point did I feel that I was being looked down on for being a prospective student, and everyone that I talked to was more than happy to help and talk about how their experience was. One of the best parts of this experience is that you are immersed into student life and get to see some of the subtleties that can only be experienced by staying on campus.”

At this point we would all snap at Kanika; it’s an occasional thing that Wellesley students do to show support :). She captured two extremely important parts of the Wellesley experience:  An openness and sensitivity to different issues and conversations, and a feeling that I was being welcomed. I’ll let those statements speak for themselves, because they really encapsulate what I find most special about the Wellesley experience.

Kanika also mentioned the anxiety of being at an all-girls school—or as students say once they’ve been introduced to the slight changes in culture and language here—an all-womens’ school. And as I tell people when they ask: first of all, you really don’t notice it at all after the first week. Even when I’m coming back and forth from Wellesley and MIT, I never get back to Wellesley and see an “absence” of men—I’m actually surprised whenever I do see men on campus, since I have set expectations for both places. Second of all, being at an all-womens’ college is awesome. Expectations are important, and I know I perform based both on my mentors and my peers. Half of the faculty is female at Wellesley, and almost all of my peers are—and that’s going to be true no matter what the class is.

Second, from Rebecca. I had met Kanika and brought her to the hip-hop show I was attending that night, but I only know Rebecca through email. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to meet her :).

“Thank you so much for reaching out to me!

I had an amazing time on campus – I was really impressed with the facilities and I got along really well with the other prospies.  In fact, I’ve decided that I’m going to commit to Wellesley and will be there next fall!

A few thoughts on campus –

I LOVE the lanterns! They are so iconic and unique to Wellesley and they make me smile –  I also love that the Vineyard Vines tote bag that is sold in the bookstore has a lantern pattern along the top 🙂

Something that distinguished Wellesley from other campuses is the excitement and camaraderie that I felt with the current students.  During the department fairs and any other large gathering of prospies it seemed that every current Wellesley student who walked by came over and asked if we were prospies, asked what we were up to, and wished us the best for our visit and college decision.  It truly made Wellesley feel like home and was quite a different experience from other campuses I’ve visited where there is very little interaction with current students, much less excited greetings from them.

The food was really fantastic as well.  There were little unique aspects of the cafeterias that stood out to me (for example the fruit infused water in the Lulu dining area).  These cafeterias seem to go beyond the typical pizza and salad bar that can be found at any school, and it really made Wellesley feel more like home!

Next, I felt as though every single student was an advocate for Wellesley.  Sitting down at a table in the science center could lead to a ten minute conversation with a current student about why they love Wellesley and why we would too.  It was clear that each individual had found their niche and genuinely enjoyed their school.  It was the sort of promotion that would be expected of paid admissions employees at other schools, but at Wellesley it came as genuine love and advocacy for the school, and it came from almost all of the students.

The night that I stayed over the current students were making signs for the Boston Marathon in the basement of Munger and we were invited to join! My friend Kate and I had so much fun with the current student making signs, and while we were doing this there were some girls in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies and bringing them around to people who had had a bad day. (They also brought some down to sign making :).) I love that each of the dorms has a kitchen in it so that freshly baked cookies and home-cooked meals are always a possibility.  While this may not be a great thing in terms of the Freshman 15, chocolate chip cookies are definitely a comfort food so I’m excited that students have these kitchens at our disposal.

Finally I sat in on the number theory class and was excited about the small intimate environment where the professor had really formed a relationship with each student.  As a general comment on smaller class sizes and invested professors, I feel that it forces each student to take more accountability and personal responsibility for their work, rather than the large classrooms at other universities where one can simply fade into the shadows of the back row in the lecture hall.

Thank you so much again for all of your guidance in this decision making process.  It’s been a really tough decision, but I couldn’t be more excited to end up at Wellesley and I’m really enthusiastic about what my next four years will be like.”

… Right? Right. Then I decided that I hadn’t had enough, so I emailed her again.

“Hi Monica!

I’d love to comment on the all-women aspect of Wellesley!

While I didn’t choose Wellesley because it is an all-women’s college, there are many aspects of Wellesley that result from this unique attribute that I have come to look forward to and appreciate after deciding on Wellesley.  For example, I am excited about the traditions that take place on campus, and I can’t wait to be a member of a community where a very personal mentoring program exists (big sister/little sister).  Some may speculate that a female college would spark frequent drama and conflict, and while I haven’t actually been a Wellesley student yet, the sense that I got from SOC and the feedback I’ve gotten from current students indicate that Wellesley is not an all girl’s college, but rather an all women’s college, and as such, students work together to push and empower each other, not tear each other down.  Additionally, Wellesley has several partnerships that connect students with other local schools, both socially and academically that I look forward to taking advantage of.  As a result of these connections and the many outreach/service projects that Wellesley students can take part in, the theory that Wellesley women won’t see a boy for four years seems to be considerably misguided.  Wellesley appears to foster a lively sisterhood where camaraderie and an accepting environment (no boys in class means that occasionally wearing sweat pants and a sweatshirt to class is acceptable) help to bring out the best in each individual and push them to perform at their highest level.  In a predominantly patriarchal society, it’s such a breath of fresh air to step into an environment where the abilities and ideas of women are always respected and highly valued.  From hearing staff refer to Wellesley juniors and seniors as “upperclasswomen” without hesitation, to hearing the common phrase “to each his own” changed to “to each her own” in everyday colloquial speech between students on campus, the all-women environment is truly conducive to comfortable growth where women need not feel they’re constantly required to prove and validate their abilities as females, and can instead focus on their studies.  I’ve read about these positive effects in several articles about Wellesley and have heard about them from many current students, but I can’t wait to experience them first hand.  Being a student at Wellesley seems to be a unique and fantastic opportunity for both personal and academic growth, and I look forward to being a part of the all-women’s environment that many have said was a crucial and “transformative” part of their undergraduate education.

Thanks so much!

Rebecca”

… Yup. I was put into contact with Rebecca by Chelsea, a first year who was in my Dance Basics P.E. class and who works as a tour guide for the Admissions Office. Rebecca was asking about cross-registering at MIT since she wants to do engineering, so Chelsea emailed me with her name. One thing I am continually amazed by is how well-spoken Wellesley students are (which I discovered early on at the student conferences Tanner and Ruhlman) but then I realized that this eloquence generally tends to appear outside science majors :). Really, though, what is this response. SNAPS TO REBECCA.

And with that, I’ll wrap up this blog post with some pictures. It’d been a fun week—I participated in Step Singing yesterday, one of Wellesley’s oldest traditions (finally got the Alma Mater song almost memorized, yes!), and also went to the Admissions end-of-semester party, which was fun as always. My friend Fiona, who I met on our Wintersession trip to Nicaragua, had her junior violin recital, which I attended yesterday. However, the biggest event this week was senior prank night. Every year I post pictures from when the seniors decorate every building on campus the night before the last day of classes. This year, it was our turn :). I’ll relate what my friend Tiffany did that night, since it’s much more impressive than mine: from 4-5:30pm, drive to Party City and pick up supplies, plus delays. From 5:30-8pm: attend the Athlete Scholar Banquet and Senior Reception. From 8-10pm: decorate the Sports Center, which included posters, making a boat, and setting up a treasure hunt for Wellesley’s swim coach (Tiffany’s a captain of the swim team). From 10pm-11pm: participate in Wellesley’s drag show. From 11-12pm: decorate the Spanish department (Tiffany’s a Spanish major). From 12:30pm to 3am: help decorate the Science Center (Tiffany’s pre-med and was helping out a friend.) From 3am-4am: finish up the Spanish department, quickly redo something in the Sports Center. 4am-5am: clean up Science Center. 5-5:15am: attempt to put the last edits on her anthropology paper due at 9:50am. 5:15am-6:30am: short nap because that wasn’t working. 6:30-9:50am: finish up the anthropology paper. 9:50-11am: class.

She was telling me this, and my response was a very coherent: “uh, what?” And then I accused her: “I bet you were happy during all of this too.” And she totally was, because that’s the kind of person Tiffany is. It’s funny, with friends—because sometimes you find people who are exactly like you in some respect, and it is beautiful and you feel understood and it’s one of the best feelings. And then you have friends who are different from you, and who you admire the heck out of, because I definitely could not have pulled that schedule. The next morning, I pulled up the timestamps of the Facebook threads and the emails I got from way too early in the morning and just sat there and admired everyone who made this thing come together. (I worked from 3pm-11pm and then peaced out.) And some of the people who were there when the sun rose were my good friends: I’m just so fortunate to know these people, to be friends with these people, Wellesley women who will get things done.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and see you next week, readers :).

Monica