In the spirit of Thanksgiving (only 2 days to go until Turkey Day!:)) I’ll mention the Top Five things I am thankful for with regard to Wellesley College:
(1) Dedicated faculty and staff. The faculty is reputable yet available. Indeed, though 98% of our professors hold the highest degree in their field, they are willing to get to know us and hold a minimum of 2 hours of “office hours” a week. That is a reason we voted them The Best Professors in America in 2011! The staff is equally dedicated and available to help us live and learn in a clean and safe environment. I will never forget and am very grateful for the many men and women who came to work during the Hurricane Sandy alert to make sure that we had food.
(2) The Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs. The Albright Institute is one of the reasons why I’m at Wellesley and not at one of the other schools where I was accepted. I thank Secretary Albright for her dedication to Wellesley and her willingness to help train the next generation of experts on global affairs. I am beyond ecstatic to be an Albright Fellow and really look forward to Wintersession 2013!
(3) Alums and the W Network. Continuing on the last point, I’d like to point out that all our alums are amazing… Thanks to our generous alums, current students can participate in funded summer internships, funded volunteer work during spring break, and we can apply to Wellesley-only fellowships.
(4) The name, the brand, the status, the recognition – Wellesley. Truth be told, it’s awesome to get smiles and appreciative nods when I wear my Wellesley sweatshirts or carry my Wellesley bag around. People read “Wellesley” and automatically think of all the amazingly smart and talented women who graduated from this institution. When they do, I can almost guarantee that they picture me as a woman who will also go on to do great things and who will make a difference in the world. Moments like that make working hard and stressing out about my GPA, sleeping late and frantically researching summer internships as I juggle GRE prep, driving lessons and everything else totally worth it. I know that there’s a bright future ahead of me and that’s why I persevere.
(5) A beautiful campus in a small town just outside of a large cosmopolitan city. We’re in Wellesley but then… not really. When I tell people abroad where I go to school, I say “Boston” because it’s a city known all around the world and we’re lucky to live so close to it. I often tell the people on my tours that I get to live two lives – while I appreciate that I can study in a small town away from the hustle and bustle of Boston 5-6 days a week, I also enjoy being able to get into Boston when I want to relax, watch a movie, party or hang out with my friends at other colleges.
Why are you applying to Wellesley? Can you make a Top Five?
I encourage you to make a Top Five (or Top Three) for each school that you are applying to because that list will help you determine the schools that you really want.
Happy Turkey Day!
