Presenting a review of Wesleyan University , Middletown, CT has to include some mention of the “little three”. Along with Williams College and Amherst College in nearby Massachusetts, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT was a member of the what was once the “Triangular League” and later the “Little Three” formed to provide reasonable intercollegiate athletic competition among like schools. While Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT is the most frequently overlooked or forgotten of the original “Little Three” it share a common reputation in New England and beyond for providing excellent academics but with a hefty price tag attached.
Which Wesleyan Is This Anyway. In 1831 a group of Methodist clergymen and local Middletown,CT residents pooled their efforts and their funds to establish Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. The school itself was named to honor John Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church. Even though the school had a Methodist bent it was formed as primarily a liberal arts college. Wesleyan University formally broke its ties with the Methodist Church in 1937 but continue its active interest in service to others.
Wesleyan’s academic leaders were forward looking in their approach to education. Wesleyan was one of the first institutions of higher learning to dedicate a building on campus to scientific study. Wesleyan took a liberal stance on civil rights and also experimented in the 19th century with permitting women to enter the college on an equal footing with men.
Today when people speak of Wesleyan University they have to further clarify their remarks, because in the United States today there are more than a dozen Wesleyan Colleges or Universities around the country. While Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT is the oldest and probably the best known there are others that sprung up in far flung locations all named for John Wesley.
Specialties. Wesleyan University offers a compromise between the very small, person oriented liberal arts school and the large, research driven university. Wesleyan is small enough to allow plenty of give and take between students and professors but it is also a school large enough to support some meaningful graduate and research programs
Wesleyan has a solid line up of subject areas from which to choose and more than 40 possible majors leading toward a bachelors degree. There are however some areas that are standouts at Wesleyan university. Music and drama programs are strong on this Connecticut campus but perhaps even better known and highly regarded are the science programs that Wesleyan offers undergraduates.
Wesleyan students benefit from lots of academic choices and they also enjoy the benefits of a 9:1 student to faculty ratio in the classroom. What also enriches the learning process at Wesleyan is the great diversity of students who attend Wesleyan University. Any review of Wesleyan University needs to account for the fact that 26% of the students at Wesleyan are students of color. Wesleyan offers a special scholarship program for Asian scholars annually bringing 22 outstanding Asian students to the campus.
Student Activities Due to its size and orientation, Wesleyan participates in NCAA Division 3 intercollegiate sports. It competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference where it encounters schools of comparable size and inclinations. While Division 3 involves non-scholarship athletes, the competition is still intense and the rivalries enjoyable . In all some 700 students compete in intercollegiate athletics.
If sports don’t interest you, not to worry. There are some 200 organizations for you to consider. Groups as different as martial arts and group dance find space and time to operate on the Wesleyan campus. The number of organizations at Wesleyan is not limited by statute or tradition but only by areas of expressed student interest. If you and your friends have an idea for a student organization or club you can become organizations number 2001.
Getting In. Anyone who is reviewing Wesleyan University will become aware of how very difficult it truly is to gain admission to Wesleyan University. Those admitted are fairly evenly divided, male and female. But out of all who apply, only 27% will receive a letter of acceptance. The competition to get in to this liberal arts college is keen each year. Students thinking of applying here should know that a full 70% of those who attend Wesleyan University are students who were in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.
There are many excellent schools in New England, some like Boston College, Brown or MIT have strong reputations and are well known. Wesleyan University flies below the radar but if you take time to review Wesleyan University you may be surprised at the quality of school that you will find.
