Wellesley College - Health & Safety

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

On the whole, Wellesley students feel very comfortable on campus, largely due to the efforts of campus police. The bells system is under fire from those who say it’s unnecessary—it's a system left over from before the dorms were locked, but now they are—and those who argue that it is not strict enough—bells coverage can be spotty. The Horizontal-Vertical rule is supposed to keep unescorted guests from roaming from floor to floor, and while stray men are usually rounded up quickly, female guests can move without problems. Occasionally, a rash of thefts occurs, but serious crime is almost unheard of.

But many students wonder whether serious crime genuinely never happens on campus or if the administration excels at keeping things quiet. Wellesley has always seemed very safe, but there are enough stories to realize that problems may not always be acknowledged. This is detrimental because Wellesley can seem so idyllic that some students think nothing of wandering around the arboretum with headphones on in the middle of the night. Though Wellesley is very safe, prudence should not be abandoned just because you are inside the Wellesley bubble.

Free Profile Tools

Do I Stand A Chance?

Calculate YOUR chances of admission at every school CP covers!

__%

Personality Match

Calculate YOUR personality match with every school CP covers!

__%

What'll It Cost Me?

Estimate your out-of-pocket costs at every school CP covers!

$__,___

Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

I feel safe on campus. However, I... I feel safe on campus. However, I do have problems with how the escort vans aren’t very dependable. 12345 Health & Safety Report

Anonymous says:

Campus Po is great. I cannot... Campus Po is great. I cannot stress enough how awesome they are. They really do care about us students and will pay for a cab if you are stranded somewhere by the Senate bus without money; though, you do have to pay the bill later. 12345 Health & Safety Report

Anonymous says:

I feel completely safe on campus.... I feel completely safe on campus. Campus Po is fabulous, and most people are pretty aware of what’s going on around them. There are some minor issues every year—a theft or vandalism—but nothing that makes me feel it is unsafe to walk to the library at 10:30 p.m. We did have a scare this past year, but it seems to have had little to do with campus security. 12345 Health & Safety Report

Anonymous says:

Wellesley is known as the... Wellesley is known as the ‘Wellesley bubble,’ and I truly feel like I live in a place that is almost impenetrable to the outside world. While walking through the campus, I almost always feel safe, whether it is at four in the afternoon or two in the morning. Of course, when I’m up at the observatory where there are no lights at night (for good reason), two in the morning can make one want to walk home a bit fast. 12345 Health & Safety Report

Anonymous says:

The campus always feels extremely... The campus always feels extremely safe. It’s very enclosed, fairly well lit, and campus police goes above and beyond. There is an escort van and Campus Po will pick you up any time of night to give you a ride back to your dorm. 12345 Health & Safety Report

Did You Know?

A Wellesley One Card (student, faculty, or staff ID) is necessary to get into the dorms, and underclasswomen spend from a half hour to an hour a week “sitting bells.” This means that students sit at the bells desk, located in each dorm’s front hall, and check IDs as people come in.

Wellesley’s Honor Code is supposed to ensure that students don’t cheat or steal; it is debatably effective (last year there were a rash of package thefts from the bells desk), but most students leave their doors unlocked all four years with no problems. Be warned, though, occasionally you’ll find your bottle of Pantene gone from its shelf in the hall bathroom.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Jean Kim
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: English

Fun Fact: Jean has every Simon and Garfunkel song on her iTunes.

Contributing Author Internship

College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally recognized company, gain tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college. Read more about the internship.