Wendy Wellesley

We Won!

2005-08-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

The Washington Monthly put Wellesley first in its ranking of colleges by community service and socioeconomic diversity.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0509.collegeguide.html

A few excerpts:

When it comes to social mobility, for instance, Harvard has about the lowest percentage of Pell Grant recipients in its student body of any school in the country. By comparison, Columbia, whose institutional ambitions and prestige are similar to Harvard's, has twice as many lower-income students as its counterpart on the Charles River; Cornell has nearly three times the number. Public universities provide some equally interesting data: Both Indiana University and the University of Virginia are the most elite public institutions in states with populations of roughly similar wealth, yet the percentage of IU students who are Pell Grant recipients is nearly twice that of UVa.

On research, as well, the results are interesting. The big state schools finished somewhat higher than we had expected, and the super-elite schools (the Cal Techs and Harvards) fell somewhat lower. Even so, we were caught off-guard by some of the top finishers, including University of California's San Diego campus. UCSD is not normally considered among the elite UC campuses—UCLA and UC-Berkeley have that distinction—much less top-tier national schools. But it has quietly rounded up a formidable team of scholars. Nine Nobelists are on faculty at UCSD (Dartmouth, by comparison, has none), and the National Research Council recently ranked its Oceanography, Neurosciences, Physiology, and Bioengineering departments either first or second in the country. This concentration of talent translates into direct benefits for the surrounding community: Forty percent of the companies in San Diego's biotech corridor are spin-offs of research based at UCSD. These accomplishments landed UCSD in the sixth slot for research grants, and eighth on our overall rankings.

Perhaps the most striking data, however, is found in national service. Our measures here were simple: whether a school devotes a significant part of its federal work study funding to placing students in community service jobs (as the original work study law intended); the percentage of students enrolled in ROTC; and the percentage of graduates currently enrolled in the Peace Corps. All schools, large and small, are capable of excelling in these areas. In fact, we found that while some very small and nationally unknown schools have made an aggressive commitment to national service, most of the highest ranking U.S. News schools have not. The University of Portland, for example, finishes third in national service while Harvard lingers down at #75. Harvard obviously has far more resources than the University of Portland, and there's no question that it could match Portland's remarkable performance on service, if it chose to make a similar commitment to emphasizing that value among its students....

The U.S. News rankings, and others like them, have had an impact. A growing body of reporting and scholarship shows that the criteria these guides use have sent administrators scurrying to increase the amount of money given by their alumni or the SAT scores of their incoming freshman in order to improve their score. Such measures have arguably very little impact on how well a school serves its student body, but as schools compete for students, every little thing—including rising or dropping two spots on a list—counts.

Imagine, then, what would happen if thousands of schools were suddenly motivated to try to boost their scores on The Washington Monthly College Rankings. They'd start enrolling greater numbers of low-income students and putting great effort into ensuring that these students graduate. They'd encourage more of their students to join the Peace Corps or the military. They'd intensify their focus on producing more Ph.D. graduates in science and engineering. And as a result, we all would benefit from a wealthier, freer, more vibrant, and democratic country.

Women who will...be inadequate

2005-08-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

[Ed. Note: This is an old entry from a personal online Journal. I've added friends' comments at the bottom and cleaned up the grammar]

There is a banner on every street lamp on Wellesley's campus declaring us as "women who will make a difference in the world", followed by a brief biography of an amazing Wellesley alumna. Federal judge and national bridge champion; biochemist and tennis pro; politician and champion baker. Two Wellesley grads have won Rhodes Scholarships in two years. These women are incredible and deserve public honors.

But where does that leave the rest of us?

Today I realized that I probably won't win the Rhodes. It always seemed like a natural thing I was supposed to do: go to Wellesley, win the Rhodes, D.Phil in PPE, Chicago law, SCOTUS clerk, professorship. It fell nicely into the plan. But I'm not going to get first-year honors. Varsity athletics are out of the question. It's unlikely that I'll found a community-altering organization.

The greatest thing I did today was make an omelet.

As we are constantly being reminded to excel, a word to my average sisters: It's ok. Really. Earlier today I panicked because I thought, 'no matter how hard I work, I'm never going to be good enough. I'm just not that talented.' Had I been misled all along? Or was it my fault, my misjudgment?

[Ed. Note: the following are comments from friends]

I think we all feel that way at some point -- especially here were the drive to excel is being thrust down our throats daily.
I, however, will continue to dwell with you in the realm of the average. (It's where all of the cool people hang out)

I am sure the omelet you made exceeded all expectations. You also learned how to knit. This means that if all else fails, you can marry a movie star and knit ugly shit for ugly dogs and his movie star friends will buy them for too much money and then you have just succeeded in swindling people out of their money and that is what you would be doing in any other successful job anyway. Therefore, you have reached your goal in making loads of money. They don't call me a logician for nothing. I love you.

THAT girl

2005-08-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

By your second week at Wellesley, you will have heard of her, maybe even encountered her.

Your fear is justified.

She will disrupt your classes with pointless questions, she will hog office hours, she will complain about her A-. You can spot her in the middle of the front row, taking color-coded notes or (horrors!) using a laptop. She's mastered sweatpant chic and occasionally dresses up for class. Sometimes, she'll wear a power suit -- white blouse, 2 button jacket, shiny black Banana Republic pants -- around campus, because she has an interview with MorganStanley about that i-banking internship.

Not all That Girls major in economics, but an unhealthy concentration of them do. The competition for the plum job with the big firm in Manhattan is so intense that these girls will have perfectly polished resumes before taking their first freshman class.

The same attitude applies to the pre-meds, who by default are That Girls. Think i-banking competition is bad? The AMA caps enrollment at medical schools despite our growing and ageing population that requires more medical care.

Pre-Med That Girls turn introductory science lectures into discussion classes. They want enough face time with the prof so he'll remember her in 3 years when she needs a recommendation. Exceptional Pre-Med That Girls major in something creative and interdisciplinary, like Biochemistry or Medical Ethics, to show the Admissions Committee that they're well-rounded.

The Pre-Med phenomenon is not unique to Wellesley, but our overtly pre-professional culture is. The Pre-Law students are the perfect example: if you're not applying to Harvard Law School, if you haven't take two LSAT prep courses, if you never want to be a corporate lawyer -- what are you doing in this club? This is a club for people who want to be serious lawyers, not for freaks about eminent domain. You're unwelcome.

Luckily, Pre-Law requirements aren't as strict as pre-med ones, so there are fewer concentrations of Pre-Law That Girls in any given class.

Finally, an anomaly: the Art History That Girl.

An anomaly because she rejects the competition and pre-professionalism of her counterparts and turns her disenchanted attitude into elitism. She enjoys all-black clothing, square glasses, and scoffing at classmates' comments in discussion. She refers to a ham sandwich as 'cutting edge, non-facadal sculpture' and calls you a Republican for disagreeing. Yes, Republican is a dirty insult. Better to be a hussy or a crackwhore than a Republican.

That Girl: You'll know her when you see and your life will never be the same.

Levels of Professorship

2005-08-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

A guide to the Wellesley faculty totem pole, based on income.

VISITING INSTRUCTOR/LECTURER: Enough for a 'Wellesley Sweater' from J. Crew.

VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: Enough to buy a new bike for Allston-Wellesley commute.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: Enough to pay for bike's parking spot.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: Enough to develop an income/status complex: can pay bills, but no respect from senior faculty. Nicknamed "AssProf".

PROFESSOR: With tenure, who cares about salary?

ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP: Enough to live in the town of Wellesley.

Wendy's Resume

2005-08-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

Wendy Wellesley

Objective: To join a dynamic team experiencing rapid growth in key market segments.

EDUCATION

Wellesley College, Class of 2006
Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and American Studies

Academic Research on Liver Function
Tested the liver's response to different stimulants, including grain, potato, grape, agave, and juniper berry - based liquids. Presented findings at the pre-game proceedings of the Harvard-Yale football match.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Squirrel Caretaker: Ensured the health and well-being of Wellesley's diverse squirrel population. Developed an optimal habitat for Sciuridae through regular feeding of excess Schnieder food and by creating housing around Pendleton Quad.

Health Mentor: Encouraged peers to improve their health by sleeping more. Held nap-times throughout the day. Led by example.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND JOBS

High-tech Networking: Established and maintained an active Facebook account to contact other students and young professionals. Constantly updated personal information using the site's WYSIWYG interface.

Electronic Communications: Utilized latest information technology to permit defined users to instantly contact me or know my whereabouts through a continually-changing 'away message'.

Security Guard, Davis Museum: Studied the College's de Kooning and my Biology textbook on an alternating basis. Special training in pen confiscation.