Middletown, CT: The first college that I visited on my college tour last summer was Wesleyan University. During my visit we passed through rather quickly but it captured my attention. I was not all that impressed by the town that seemed rather small and uninviting.

This fall I returned for my interview and to re-evaluate and compare it to the others I had seen. As I climbed the stairs to the admissions office, I was stopped by another prospective student and her mother and asked for directions. I interpreted this as a good-luck sign. The admissions office seemed warm and welcoming, not as overwhelming as other schools had been. The receptionist, a senior from Wesleyan - not the normal everyday secretary - was very polite and willing to answer my questions. While I waited for my interview, I looked at the wall display describing the senior interviewers. They were amazing individuals with diverse backgrounds and exceptional goals.

The interview was relaxed and very informative and the interviewer seemed genuine, coherent, and mature. When my interview was over, my parents and I walked through the campus observing the friendly students and professors who greeted us.

Finally it was time for the tour which confirmed undoubtedly my view of Wesleyan. We had an amazing tour guide who was very funny and had a lot of personality. The tour guides at Wesleyan volunteer to do tours, so they don't seem rehearsed. The tour guide held nothing back, telling amusing stories about students, professors, experiments, and the Dean. When it was time for her to show us a dorm room, she simply asked the nearest student to show us his. The other people on the tour found this very amusing, unfortunately his roommate did not.

I was very impressed with the drama department and the fact that they perform a different production each week. Although at first I thought that there would not be enough activities in the small town, I was soon overwhelmed by the amount of interesting activities offered. The school's facilities are very impressive for a college of this size and class sizes are small. My fear of indecision was calmed when the tour guide stated that she held a double major in English and Physics. The students who we passed all seemed very different, confirming the description of Wesleyan as the "Diversity University." I have never been on such an honest, informative, fun, and entertaining tour. The Wesleyan students all seemed very open and the school inviting. f




Reviewed in 1996