Wesleyan University Top Questions

I've taken classes at a bunch of universities, and Wesleyan has some terrific and accessible professors. Wesleyan is definitely geared towards learning for its own sake, there is really much less of a pre-professional feel to school than at other colleges. I enjoyed the low student/professor ratio, and I really did learn a lot in my time here. I don't spend time with professors outside of class, but I've been able to meet with professors and have conversations with them whenever I want to, something that is truly remarkable.

Wesleyan students work their butts off. But they are the types that fool you into thinking they are not working at all. A laissez-faire attitude is consistently backed up by countless hours in the library everyday. The professors here, at least in the history department, expect a lot. They are scholar/teachers, (with an emphasis on teacher), and derive much of their pleasure from seeing students work hard and succeed. You can get A's, but you will put in the work to get them. Professors are easily accessible, and most often they leave their office doors open even outside of ususal office hours.

There's little more you could ask for in Wesleyan's academic atmosphere. Professors are generally both great teachers and scholars and most of them seem to genuinely care about getting to know and help their students. Some departments could use a little more funding or a few extra professors, but there are really no weak departments. Outside the classroom, intellectual conversations are definitely commonplace, students truly enjoy talking about what they have learned or want to learn, it's a very intellectual atmosphere.

It's Wesleyan. The classes are run by awesome professors who know their shit and know they know their shit.

for the most part, i really enjoy wesleyan academics. as a liberal arts school, they stress pursuing many different areas of study. i find it essential because it allows exposure to many different perspectives and raises questions otherwise never considered. however, as a science pre-med student, i am also left plenty of room to pursue serious science courses and fulfill requirements for grad school. i think i love about wesleyan is while students are intellectual and creative, they are rarely looking to advertise it. some conversations or class discussions may seem intimiating at times, they serve to motivate students to pursue greater knowledge of the topics rather than feeling overwhelmed or competitive in the academic environment. while certain individuals may be competitive, it is rare to find much tension within the classroom and between friends. people tend me more much more helpful than competitive when it comes to classes. the teacher-student relationship is completely available and can be as initimate as the student desires. i emailed some professors weekly about articles and class discussions, while some professors i spoke to once or twice per semester. it all comes down to how much interaction you would like to have with your prof. while some complaints revolve around not recieving an education geared toward a specific profession, i think that wesleyan teaches the essential skills in approaching problems and situations that will lead to innovative, exceptional skills in any work situation. however, this is too something to be pursued from studies. a student walks away with as much as they look to learn. the same goes for experience outside the class setting.

Academics are challenging. Students work hard, and the majority of them are incredibly smart. People aren't overly competitive for grades, but there's a little bit of peer pressure to study. Like, "everyone else is studying so hard for this test, I guess I should too". Still, its easy to find a good balance between academics, athletics, clubs or jobs, and a full social life. Intro classes can be up to 150 or 200 students, but most of my classes had about 25-35 students. This makes class participation easier, but it can also make it more difficult to get the classes you want. I got pretty lucky with course selection, but I have a few friends who were disappointed with their courses. After my freshman year, I've really learned to value my education, not my grades. Professors are, for the most part, very approachable, and many of them really make an effort to get to know their students.

Wesleyan is very challenging academically, but it is anything but competitive. Cooperation and study groups are the norm, and I've never heard of anyone trying to hold someone else back, or even complain that someone else did better. Academics are a big part of students' lives, and intellectual issues will often make their way into even the most idle conversations. At the beginning of each semester, as I get to know my new professors, I realize yet again what an amazing wealth of knowledge and expertise we have at Wesleyan. I have liked almost all of the professors I've had, and stop to say hi or chat with them when I see them outside of class. I've found almost all of them to be really committed to us as students, and it is clear that they respect us and value our opinions, incorporating student participation even into large lecture classes. One of the only negative experiences I've had with a professor was with someone who was very nice, and who I was told was a great teacher in other classes, but in the particular class I was taking simply didn't know the material well enough to teach it effectively. My major, the College of Letters, is a program that combines literature, history and philosophy with a focus on the European cultural tradition. This means reading a lot of dead white men, but in the process you gain an in-depth understanding of the intellectual and cultural traditions on which Western society has been founded. You also still have plenty of time to balance the cultural bias by taking other classes in African-American history, Animal Behavior, or Javanese Gamelan, if you want to. The core of the COL, and its greatest asset, I think, is the discussion-based colloquium that you take every semester with all the other students in your class year. Over time, you build up a sort of intellectual community that it is difficult to find anywhere else.

Wesleyan's academics are wonderful. As a junior I was easily able to get into classes with 7, 11, and 12 people. This close interaction with professors is invaluable. I feel like a lot of my professors really know me, and are excited to see me learn and grow. People's excitement about their classes often goes way beyond the classrooms, and I have not experienced any significant competition with my other students.

One thing I can say for Wesleyan students is that we're not competitive. The professors want you to do well, just as much as the other students. Almost all of my professors knew my name (most classes even freshman year are small), and were available outside of class during office hours for help. Though most students work hard and classes can take a lot of your time if you want them too, most find a healthy balance between work and fun. And because there are only "expectations" rather than distribution requirements, students are free to experiment with a variety of classes.

The Psychology department is the second largest department at Wesleyan, and it is by far the least staffed. If you want to be in Psychology, go to Swarthmore. Seriously, you wont get any research time, there are no courses to take, and there is no way to specialize in anything.