Admissions

Don't worry too much if you don't have a perfect GPA, perfect standardized test scores, or if you don't have a million extracurriculars. Many girls I know at Wellesley didn't have a stellar academic performance, but were accepted. Just do your best in whatever you can, and write a good essay about why you want to attend! My essay was honestly about my love for Jamba Juice, Asian music, my friends, my fashion sense, and the quirks that my friends will make fun of me for--it showed my personality and wasn't overdone or boring to read (well, in my opinion and my friends' opinions) and I think it really made a different in the acceptance process. And this is from my own observations and others': Wellesley isn't incredibly hard to enter, the way Harvard, Princeton or MIT is, but honestly, it is one of the hardest colleges to graduate from with a good GPA because Wellesley women are so excellent we have to grade-deflate to make some sort of distinction between the good, the excellent, and the outstanding. I have friends at Harvard and they don't work nearly as hard as the average Wellesley women--we take our studies and extracurriculars a lot more seriously than they do. So don't worry too much about acceptance--it's not the hardest school to enter. :)

Wellesley is a demanding school and definitely attracts a certain kind of person; however, it also has produced the highest percentage of women in executive, high-ranking jobs. Make sure that your writing skills are up to par, as most non-science classes require a large amount of reading and writing. Talk to a current student at Wellesley, but be aware that there are many different attitudes about the school (quite a few which have to do with the fact that it is all-women). Lastly, give Wellesley a chance. A few years ago, I never would have pictured myself at a small, women's college outside of Boston, but now I would not attend anywhere else.

Wellesley students are smart, yeah, but most didn't get perfect scores on their SATs or have perfect 4.0 GPAs. What Wellesley cares about is that you have the passion to go after what you want and have a love of learning.
A lot of people ask about the all-girls component, to which I answer: it's not an all-girls school without men, it's an all-women college without boys (it's on a T-shirt). You get used to it very quickly. I can't exactly describe the vibe, but it really is different when there's a male in the room. Once in a while there are guys in the classes (since we can cross-register with Babson and MIT and they can come join us), but not often. I guess two main results I've seen from being surrounded by women is a feeling of siblinghood with my fellow students and a greater appreciation of what women are capable of--having female role-models doing things I'd only dreamed of has boosted my own self-confidence and gotten me to dream bigger.

Be yourself in your application! Wellesley will like you for who you are.
And of course, take demanding courses in high school, if only to ready yourself for the academic challenge which is to come.

Like previous students commented, don't be afraid to apply even if you don't meet the academic standards. I for one did not completely meet the standards, but I was still accepted. Having an interview with an alumni was beneficial, I think, because I was able to show my enthusiasm in person and talk more casually about myself, interests and goals.
Another tip is to think about what you would like to pursue. Even if you decide to come in undecided, you should do your homework on possible majors. Since Wellesley is a small school, the number of course offerings and majors are limited, especially for upper level language courses, so looking up majors and courses on the Wellesley website will be beneficial to see what is offered.

If you someday want to own your own business, practice, firm, or be your own boss, no other undergraduate program has the ability and success in preparing students to be more individual and self-sufficient as Wellesley. Wellesley builds confidence, adds to personality, and brings people together in wonderful, fascinating ways.

Don't let the all-girls environment scare you off!

Make sure that you express interest in the college and do not wait until the last minute to sort out finances with the college. Email with the admissions office and talk with current students.

If you're a person of color, make sure you are comfortable with their demographics. LOOK UP THE DEMOGRAPHICS. It plays a huge role in feeling represented at Wellesley.
Just because Wellesley isn't well known, it doesn't make it a bad school. It is amazing! Most professors genuinely care, and class sizes aren't bigger than maybe 30 students.
The college is beautiful!! but very small. Keep that in mind.

Wellesley likes to see some fire, some passion for learning. That is what will keep you afloat at this rigorous college. Take risks and challenge yourself. Engage with your teachers, coaches, and other adults to push yourself and think outside the box. Take classes and do extracurricular activities because you love them and you want to succeed at them-not because you feel like you are supposed to for a resume boost. Colleges like Wellesley appreciate authenticity.