Wellesley College, undergraduate women's college covering 500 acres (200 hectares) in Wellesley, Mass., about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of Boston. Highlights of the campus include a high-technology science center, an observatory, a greenhouse, a botanical garden, and an academic art museum. Wellesley, founded in 1870, ranks among the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. Enrollment consists of roughly 2,400 students, drawn from across the United States and several foreign countries. The college accepts only about half of the applicants. All accepted students ranked in the top quarter or better of their high school class, most in the top tenth. Most students choose to live in campus housing. The academic calendar is divided into semesters. Virtually all of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. The faculty contains relatively equal numbers of male and female instructors. Wellesley focuses on the liberal arts and sciences. In addition to traditional disciplines, the college offers area and ethnic studies, many foreign languages, and an array of interdisciplinary studies such as cognitive science and classical civilization. Graduation requirements include courses in writing, humanities, social science, natural science, physical education, a foreign language, and multiculturalism. All freshmen complete an interdisciplinary seminar. An honor system lets students take unsupervised finals at anytime during exam week. Interested students may cross-register at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Many Wellesley students complete five-year programs whereby they spend the first three years of study at Wellesley and the last two at MIT. An hourly shuttle links the two campuses. Semester- or year-long study opportunities also exist at various distinguished private colleges, including other women's colleges. More than a quarter of the junior class studies abroad. Between 30 and 40 percent of Wellesley students pursue advanced studies directly after graduation. Extracurricular activities at the college include academic societies, minority students' clubs, musical and theatrical groups, and a campus radio station. Varsity sports teams compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Traditions include a campus sing-along called Flower Sunday and a hoop-rolling contest among seniors in their graduation robes. |