How to Write the Wellesley Admissions Essay

 Wellesley Excerpt

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing

According to Wellesley admissions (via their website):

The Wellesley-specific essay asks you to respond to the following topic: When choosing a college, you are choosing an intellectual community and a place where you believe that you can live, learn, and flourish. We know that there are more than 100 reasons to choose Wellesley, but it's a good place to start. Visit the Wellesley 100 and select two items that attract, inspire, or celebrate what you would bring to our community. Have fun! Use this opportunity to reflect personally on what items appeal to you most and why. Please limit your response to two thoughtful paragraphs (minimum 250 words, maximum 400 words).

READ: Wellesley 100

Check out Wellesley’s specific advice for writing your essays. 

5 steps toward a painless, possibly joyful application

In history, students were successful when it was clear they did their research.  Wellesley’s hyper-specific take on the “why” essay has included the URL (The Wellesley 100- posted above) that you need to pore over.  Students chose reasons that resonated with them the most and had a story to tell.  They argued for WHY they mattered to them and were specific in detail. If your reason relates to a personal experience, share an anecdote. Students were able to paint a picture of themselves on Wellesley’s campus and what they’ll bring to campus with them. 

Supplemental Essay Example:

Frequenting the Wellesley 100, there is a duo that resonates with me most: how the residential experience is like a “fuzzy sweater” and how this university encourages students to study abroad. From its rich academic tapestry to a campus abuzz with happy events, Wellesley is where I belong. On a Wellesley campus tour, an ambassador told me about an alumnus who followed her on the highway because of her bumper sticker simply to say hi. I thought, “I need to be part of this.” Coming from a boarding school, my dorm is a cozy second home. From late-night movies to helping our dorm parents, I seek this familiar feeling in college. Just like at St. Paul’s, where faculty and friends are supportive, and I return the sentiment, at Wellesley this same trustworthiness exists. All Wellesley dorms have their own charm. Only French is spoken in the French House and Beebe Hall has a pirate flag, for instance! Along with events like cookouts, I can become a part of the dorm’s homey fabric. I am a single child who always wanted a sibling, so living with others like this will be very formative for me. I will never struggle to define who I am at Wellesley because there’s a space for all. Whether it’s playing piano and percussion in the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, dressing up in Mongolian costumes in the Culture Shows, writing fiction in my leisure time, running 5k’s, or simply traversing its 500-acre campus, Wellesley is in my fuzziest dreams, and I can't picture myself waking up without it.

Another aspect that is super important is the study abroad program. Growing up in Mongolia and traveling through China have shaped in me a sense of cultural adventure. I love interacting with a country’s citizens, which is why I want to major in International Relations. As an enthusiastic wildlife conservationist and volunteer, Iceland is a dream destination for its glaciers, Northern Lights, volcanos, and Gyrfalcons. The idea of seeing Iceland someday is amazing. I would love to be an exchange student at the University of Akureyri, immersing myself in those differences. Isn’t that the best way to understand International Relations? Along with support from faculty and fellow young women, Boston is where job opportunities await, so my future dreams will expand. Wellesley is the first college I visited - and it’s still my No. 1 school. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else!

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing