Wellesley Wellesley College College
ADMISSION REPORT FALL 2020
Applicant & School Counselor Updates Suspension of Standardized Testing Requirement
Suspension of Regular Decision with Early Evaluation
Wellesley has temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year applicants submit SAT or ACT scores given the fact that many high school students are unable to sit for standardized tests due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means testing will be optional for first-year applicants applying to the College for entry in the fall of 2021. If an applicant wishes to have their standardized test scores considered as one component of their application, we will consider those scores in a nuanced and contextual way alongside all other application credentials. If applicants choose not to submit standardized test scores, we will evaluate their application in a nuanced and contextual way without scores. Our holistic, committee-based application review process gives us the flexibility to evaluate each applicant’s academic and extracurricular accomplishments within individual context.
Wellesley has also temporarily suspended the Regular Decision with Early Evaluation option for first-year applicants to the College for entry in the fall of 2021 in light of the change to our standardized testing requirement and an understanding that many secondary schools have changed coursework and grading for their students. We believe this will allow us to provide a more in-depth, equitable, and consistent application review process to all Regular Decision applicants, enabling us to review all Regular Decision applications synchronously and over a longer period of time.
Change of Regular Decision Deadline to January 8 Since the Office of Admission will require more time to consider all Regular Decision applications, we have changed the Regular Decision deadline to January 8 (previously January 15) so that we can continue to thoughtfully review all Regular Decision applications and release admission decisions in a timely manner.
NOVEMBER 1 EARLY DECISION I
Virtual Interviews with Alumnae Representatives The Office of Admission is pleased to offer students the opportunity to chat with an alumnae volunteer through a virtual interview. While we will no longer offer on-campus interviews conducted by admission staff members or students, our alumnae interviews will allow students the chance to share their passions and accomplishments and to hear more about the Wellesley experience and the powerful Wellesley alumnae network. Students can request an interview prior to submitting their application by visiting: www.wellesley.edu/admission/ inyourarea#interview.
JANUARY 1 EARLY DECISION II
JANUARY 8 REGULAR DECISION
WELLESLEY COLLEGE CLASS OF 2024 PROFILE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
CLASS SNAPSHOT 6,627
Applicants
1,343
Admitted (20%)
580
Enrolling (43%)
44
New England
States represented + District of Columbia Guam, & Puerto Rico
29
Nations of citizenship
51%
Students of color, including two or more races
SECONDARY SCHOOL TYPE
20%
Pacific & Mountain
23%
Public and Charter
62%
South
19%
Independent
28%
Mid-Atlantic
15%
Religious Homeschools
9% 1%
Central International & Americans Abroad
9% 14%
MEAN TEST SCORES
STATES REPRESENTED By location of high school; 44 states + DC, Guam, & Puerto Rico. Top states represented:
Statistics updated 9.22.2020
Race/Ethnicity: African American/Black
7%
Top Ten Percent:
CITIZENSHIPS REPRESENTED
Latina/Hispanic
17%
Native American
<1%
29 nations of citizenship represented by non-U.S. citizens.
Pacific Islander
<1%
Top countries of citizenship represented:
Other/Not reported
1%
White/Caucasian
34%
International Citizens
14%
Students who come from a home where at least one language other than English is spoken
46%
Neither parent has a four-year college degree. Percent of entering class:
19%
58%
Creativity Emotional Intelligence Empathy Engagement in Society Independence Intellectual Attributes Motivation Openness to New Experiences
ALUMNAE RELATIVES Alumnae relatives include mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, or sisters. 11%
ACCEPTANCE INFORMATION BY ENTRANCE PLAN APPLIED ACCEPTED Total
RECEIVING AID Percent of entering class receiving financial aid award containing grant aid:
China Canada South Korea India Mexico
Percent of entering class:
FIRST GENERATION
85%
TOP NON-COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTES
22%
5%
721 32
(Of the 34% who were ranked)
Asian American
Two or more races
710
HIGH SCHOOL RANK
California Massachusetts New York Texas New Jersey
DEMOGRAPHICS
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Math ACT Composite
PERCENTAGE
6,627
1,343
20%
Early Decision I & II
649
253
39%
Deferred from Early Decision
219
18
8%
5,978
1,072
18%
Regular Decision
New Virtual Visit Opportunities Given the particular challenges that planning a college search during a pandemic presents, the Office of Admission is striving to provide a variety of different opportunities for students to learn more about Wellesley College. đ&#x;&#x201C;&#x161; Live Information Sessions: Offered each Tuesday evening, students can hear from an admission counselor and current student during our 45-minute information session. Topics covered include the first-year experience, classroom dynamics, research opportunities, internships, study abroad, the benefits of attending a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college, and the admission and financial aid process. đ&#x;&#x2019;Ź Live Student-to-Student Chats: If prospective applicants would like to learn more about Wellesley directly from a current student, we invite them to join one of our weekly, live student-to-student chats lead by our current Wellesley Student Assistants on Thursdays.
đ&#x;&#x2019;Ş AMPLIFY Wellesleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leadership Series: Students wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss our cost-free online series especially for high school juniors and seniors that will center around amplifying their voice, empowering change, and redefining leadership. đ&#x;&#x2018;&#x; Video and Virtual Tours: Students can watch a video tour of Wellesley, guided by current students, to get a better sense of what our 500-acre campus has to offer. Additionally, we will be launching a virtual, 360 Google campus tour this fall so that students can navigate through our campus buildings and newly renovated spaces to get a taste of what visiting campus is really like.
COVID-19 FAQs (full list: wellesley.edu/admission/counselors) When should a student consider not submitting test scores? We leave it to counselors to talk to students about whether or not they should submit testing to Wellesley. In general, we expect that students with testing that reflects either strong mastery of the test or strong mastery of the test in relation to the average test scores for their graduating class may wish to submit test scores as one among many factors that demonstrate their success in their secondary school environment. How will your reading process change without testing? What application materials will be given more weight? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still evaluating how to review applications this year. We are investing in more reader training and ongoing assessments to calibrate our reader ratings and evaluations. How will these policies impact international students? Will you still require English proficiency testing? We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require English proficiency testing, but we strongly recommend that international students whose native language is not English, and who have been studying in English-based curriculum for fewer than five years, take one of our approved English proficiency exams. See our FAQ for International applicants and English proficiency exams. Have expectations for recommendation letters changed? Our expectations for recommendation letters remain the same. Whenever possible we encourage writers to reference specific examples of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engagement or exceptionalism in learning or living in her school or larger community. Will it help students to send additional materials? Wellesley does not require or recommend that students send materials beyond those required to apply. Students with arts interests and talents may choose to submit an optional arts submission for evaluation by a Wellesley faculty member. Students with other interests and talents may choose to send materials demonstrating those attributes. We recommend that students limit any
additional submissions to no more than 1-2 pages, as readers are unable to spend significant time reviewing non-required materials. How have deferrals impacted your space for the Class of 2025? Wellesley limited the number of deferred spaces from the Class of 2024 to the Class of 2025. We have not deferred an unusually high number of students, so we anticipate that admission to Wellesley will be comparable for the Class of 2025 as it was for the Class of 2024, assuming that the number of submitted applications remains comparable. How will you consider P/F grades and limited extracurricular activities due to COVID? The Office of Admission will consider P/F grades and extracurricular activities in the context of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school and home environment and options for grading and activities within their school. P/F grades or limited extracurricular activities will not work against a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application. We encourage students who experienced changes in grading or access to activities to use the community disruption/COVID-19 questions in the Common, QuestBridge and Coalition Apps to explain any of these circumstances in brief detail. What will â&#x20AC;&#x153;demonstrated interestâ&#x20AC;? look like for your institution this cycle? We want students to make informed decisions about applying to and enrolling at Wellesley, and realize that students get to know us in a variety of ways, both through and beyond the offerings of the Admission Office. While we do keep track of who has taken advantage of programming and offerings through our office, this does not impact admission decisions. Our tracking is more to measure our own effectiveness in reaching students than anything else.
Wellesley in the News: Community Lends Its Voice to Issues of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice College and the Black Lives Matter Movement: How to Find a School That Values Diversity and Antiracist Policies In an August 25 Money article, author Milika Mitra examines how the Black Lives Matters movement has encouraged students to critically examine how colleges and universities demonstrate their commitment to supporting students of color, beyond just touting institutional statistics. Wellesley fi rst-year, Laura Gonzalez, states in the article that seeing women of color in top leadership positions at Wellesley College was a determining factor in her college decision making process.
Dean of Admission & Financial Aid Joy St. John
Director of Admission Jessica Ricker
Associate Director of Marketing & Communication Deanna Doughty
Associate Director Lauren Kudisch
Associate Director Milena Mareva ’01
Associate Director Eliana Waite
Associate Director Anna L. Young
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communication Billy Burke
Assistant Director Claire Devlin ‘18
Assistant Director Jordan Peterson
Assistant Director Jake Sisco
Assistant Director Marissa Sterrett
“Seeing women of color as the leaders and representatives of my school felt empowering.” —Laura Gonzalez ‘24 Read Mitra’s full article, featuring Gonzalez, in Money. Pictures of Themselves: The 2020 College Essays on Money Each year, The New York Times publishes an article containing four students’ college application essays that focus on money, work, or social class. This year, Kaya Cerecedes-Crosby, a firstyear Wellesley student, had her essay selected for inclusion. Kaya’s skillfully crafted essay, which weaves her passion for crocheting into a story of overcoming adversity and family dynamics to actualize her inner strength, is poignant and moving. “Mother up at twilight to start her day, breath released in freezing clouds as she milks the goats and feeds the chickens, never disappointing the hungry mouths that depend on her.” —Kaya Cerecedes-Crosby ‘24 Read Cerecedes-Crosby’s college essay, and three other selected essays, in The New York Times. Athletes Are Finished Playing America’s Rigged Game Michael P. Jeffries, dean of academic affairs and a professor of American studies at Wellesley College, and the author of three books on race and American culture, examines how athletes across the nation have banded together, forming strength in numbers, to follow in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaepernick to change society. “[NBA players] tearfully and publicly grieved the loss of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others. They saw that constitutional rights don’t exist unless we practice them, that economic disruption gets results. They saw protesters of all backgrounds undaunted by tear gas and white supremacist militias. They saw again that Black life, dignity and sanity hang in the balance, and democracy hangs with them.” —Michael P. Jeff ries Read Jeffries’ August 28 Op-Ed in The New York Times.
Assistant Director Elkie Vandenbeemt
Office of Admission 781-283-2270 admission@wellesley.edu wellesley.edu/admission