Welcome to the siblinghood, Class of 2023! Everyone of you accomplished something impressive by getting here. “Oh, except for me, the admissions office probably just made a mistake when they admitted me–” No! I work for admissions and they’re awesome! They admitted you for a reason!
You’re here to learn a little more about this college, right? Okay, welcome. Here’s some stuff you should know. I’ll probably publish a part two next week, so stay tuned. (Also, I couldn’t think of a good image for this one, so enjoy a picture of our campus goslings.)
-Making some friends might take a while. When people talk about college retrospectively, they often make it sound like they instantly bonded with their roommate, found their favorite club, and/or met an enormous group of lifelong friends. In reality, it may take some time before you find your crew, and that’s okay! Give it some time.
-Bring some sort of lamp. Quite a few dorms just have one big overhead light, which can be a little harsh. Having a floor lamp is nice if it’s late and you want to get some work done without something fluorescent in your face.
-You’ll want to join a lot of clubs. It’s hard to tell from the outside what a student organization will be like. Sign up for a lot of stuff, try it all out, and don’t be afraid to drop things when you realize that you’re overscheduled (no one will be mad–just remember to send an email confirming you’re dropping out and you’re fine). If you don’t find something you love, try again next semester. Sometimes it’s the stuff you just sign up for on a whim or because your friends are involved that winds up being the most fun. We have over a hundred clubs–you’ll find something.
-Knock out your least favorite distribution requirement first semester. We have “shadow grading,” meaning your first semester grades won’t count while you’re still adjusting to college. People will tell you that you should use this time to take cool, interesting, challenging classes that are outside your comfort zone, and you should absolutely do that. But also definitely get rid of that lab requirement or whatever your personal bugaboo is.
-On the same note, knock out your PE requirement first year as well. There are several classes reserved for first years and they’re specifically geared toward helping students adjust to college life. Also, you’ll probably have more time first year than any other year, so it’s a good time to get it done.
-If you want to do a summer internship, start applying in January and definitely watch for the email that tells you about applying for funding. Not a fun one, but something I wish I had known.
-Don’t feel like you can’t apply for things just because you’re a first year. I felt like a lot of things–internships, leadership positions, advanced classes–were just for older students, but lots of first years really benefit from them.
-Bates, Freeman, Stone Davis, Dower, and McAfee are closest to the Science Center and the town of Wellesley, and were built more recently than the other dorms. Severance, Tower, Lake House, and Claflin are closest to the Academic Quad, overlook the lake, and are the most “historic” of the dorms. Pomeroy, Beebe, Munger, Schafer, and Cazenove are closest to the Sports Center and generally centrally located to everything. All the dorm clusters have a nearby dining hall.
-Okay, I’ll have more stuff to share next week. See you then!