Colleges Around Boston

Introduction

There are more than a quarter million students in the Boston area, 100,000 male and 150,000 female. The following list provides terse coverage of local schools. Wellesley College has a special relationship with MIT, and is discussed in greater detail at the end of the section.

Smaller Colleges


College Name Location Phone Number
Babson College Wellesley 235-1200
Bentley College Waltham 891-2000
Berklee College of Music Boston 266-1400
Boston Architectural Center Boston 536-3170
Boston Conservatory of Music Boston 536-6340
Bunker Hill Community College Watertown 228-2000
Burdett School Boston 859-1900
Curry College Milton 333-0500
Eastern Nazarene College Boston 773-6350
Fisher College Boston 236-8800
Katherine Gibbs School Boston 578-7150
Lasell Junior College for Women Newton 243-2000
Massachusetts College of Art Boston 731-2340
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy Boston 732-2800
Mt. Ida College Newton 928-4500
New England Conservatory of Music Boston 262-1120
Pine Manor College Chestnut Hill 731-7000
Regis College Weston 893-1820
Suffolk University Boston 573-8000
Wentworth Institute of Technology Roxbury 442-9010
Wheelock College Boston 734-5200

Boston College

(14,000 students) Located at Chestnut Hill near Newton, Boston College is a large Catholic university and 68% of the undergraduates live on campus. (552-8000).

Boston University

(25,000 students) Boston University's campus extends along the Back Bay, across the Charles River from MIT. It offers both graduate and undergraduate courses in all fields, and draws students from across the nation and around the world. It is a private institution with Methodist ancestry. 50% of the students live on campus, and most of the rest are scattered throughout Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge. A cross registration program exists between BU and MIT. (353-2000)

Brandeis University

(3500 undergraduates) Brandeis is located in Waltham and offers both graduate and undergraduate liberal arts courses. 75% of the students live on campus and most of the rest live in either Waltham or Cambridge. Brandeis has a very large Jewish student population. It is located at the end of the #70 Bus line from Central Square (736-2000).

Emerson College

(1600 undergraduates) Emerson College is located on Beacon Street between Arlington and Clarendon Streets. It is a specialized, private school concentrating in communication (speech, drama, mass communication, education). Freshmen and sophomores (45% of the student body) live on campus (262-2010).

Emmanuel College

(700 undergraduates) Emmanuel is a Catholic liberal arts college. 60% of the students live on campus (400 The Fenway, Boston, 277-9340).

Harvard University

(21,000 students) Probably the most renowned university in Harvard Square. Harvard offers graduate and undergraduate education in virtually every field. The student body comes from all over the world. Radcliffe College is the women's division of Harvard, sharing all classes, dorms, and activities. Harvard is located 2 miles up Mass. Ave. from MIT, and most students live on or near the campus. Maps of Harvard are available at the Information Center. (495-1000)

Lesley College

(1400 women students) Lesley is a private teachers' college located right behind Harvard Law School. Eighty percent of the women live on campus. (868-9600).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(10000 students) A small technical school, located in Cambridge along the banks of the Charles River. Graduate and undergraduate education polarized around science and technology. Said to have the largest percentage of foreign students (18%) in the country (253-1000).

Northeastern University

(12000 students) Northeastern offers the usual range of courses. 46% of students live on campus (320-8000).

Simmons College

(2300 women students) Simmons is a compromise between a liberal arts and a professional school, and specializes in the sciences. Eighty percent of the undergraduates live on campus. The school is convenient to Kenmore Square and the Gardner and Fine Arts museums (521-2000).

Tufts University

(6500 students) Tufts University is located on Walnut Hill in Medford and maintains a medical and dental school on Harrison Ave. in Boston. It is a private institution offering the usual range of curricula. 92% of the undergraduates live on campus. Jackson College is the women's coordinate of Tufts. MIT has a cross-registration program with Tufts. You can travel by bus from Harvard Sq. or Lechmere (628-5000).

University of Massachusetts, Boston Campus

(7000 students) This state college offers a liberal arts undergraduate program. No residential facilities (929-7000).

Wellesley College

Wellesley College is about fifteen miles from MIT, straight out the Mass. Pike., a small (2,500) women's liberal arts school. After spending time by the Charles, it is very refreshing to see grass, trees, hills, a lake, and the silence that comes from having much space between you and the nearest car. (OK, you can't actually see the silence, but it's there nonetheless.) There's a large bell tower that can be climbed on weekdays - see the Information Bureau, Green Hall, at Wellesley - from which a wonderful view of the countryside and the Boston skyline can be seen.
There are other attractions as well:
Wellesley is officially linked with MIT by the MIT-Wellesley cross-registration program, so that classes and athletic programs are open to MIT students. There are other ways to get involved in Wellesley activities but you have to be enterprising: they usually aren't well publicized here. There are opportunities to live on the campus for a term (or sometimes a year) along with other exchange students, mostly from MIT. Check with the Exchange Office at either school for more information. Beware: if you are a man you will be called a co-ed!
Getting There Although it is 15 miles from Cambridge, Wellesley is not hard to reach. A free bus service is part of the cross-registration program, and runs approximately once an hour, Monday through Friday. Bus schedules are available in 7-104, the MIT Exchange Office (x3-1668). In addition, there is a bus sponsored by the Wellesley Senate that runs on Friday nights and all day Saturday and Sunday. Schedules and tickets are available at Schneider Center at Wellesley ($2.00 each) and at the 24-Hour Coffeehouse at MIT. If you have to resort to the MBTA, the Green Line goes to Woodland, the nearest T-stop to Wellesley, with a $10.00 taxi ride from Woodland to Wellesley.
Lake Waban
There is a fairly large lake on the campus. Popular activities include walking along the perimeter, swimming, and boating. In late spring and early fall there is a lifeguard on duty at the beach by the boathouse. There are also canoes, sailboats, and windsurfing boards for free rental. A Wellesley Small Craft Permit, MIT sailing card, or an equivalent (like a WSI certificate) are needed to rent the boats; canoes are available with a Wellesley or MIT Swimming Certificate. Call the boathouse (MIT x187-2025) for more information.
Green Growing Things
Wellesley is full of real green vegetation -- it is certainly a refreshing sight. Especially in early spring and late fall the campus is full of flowering trees and multi-colored foliage. There is an extensive Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which includes a spring, winding stream, and Paramecium pond, plus all kinds of labeled exotic trees and shrubs, and lots of flowers.
Whitin Observatory
The Observatory is located on a hill behind the Science Center. It is equipped with 6", 12", and 24" telescopes, as well as an astronomy library. For use of the facilities call the Observatory at x187-2726.
Jewett Arts Center
Jewett, which forms one side of the Academic Quad, houses the Arts and Music Departments. In the Art building are studios, study rooms, the Art Library, and a sculpture court on the second floor. The Music building has practice and listening rooms, the Music Library, and Jewett Auditorium. Connecting the two halves is the Wellesley College Museum. Admission is free and exhibits change every month or two. Call the Art Office (x187-2043) for more information.
Music
For those interested in singing, there are several opportunities for MIT women and men. The Wellesley College Choir and the more selective Toons are open to women who want to try out, and the Toons is also open to MIT men. There are other groups on campus, most notably the Wellesley Widows and the Tupelos, both of which sing a capella and give a variety of performances. The Music Office (x187-2077) is the place to call for more information and to find out whom to get in touch with if you want to try out for any of the groups. Also, black women who are interested in singing can find out about Wellesley's Ethos Choir by contacting the Black Students' Association in Harambee House (x187-2133).
If you are interested in chamber music, call x187-2077 for information about the Chamber Music Society. Additionally, the Carillon Guild on campus is always interested in students who want to learn how to play the carillon in the Great Tower above Green Hall. Call the Music Office for more information.
Theater Performances are put on by Shakespeare House, and by the Wellesley College Theater in Alumnae Hall. Call Nora Hussey, the head of the Theater Department, at x187-2029 for more information.
Radio
WZLY (640 AM) is Wellesley's all-student radio station, located in Schneider Center. Those interested in broadcasting or working there should call the station for details. Shows are usually two hours long, and the subject is up to the broadcaster (subject to approval).
Schneider
One of the oldest and most interesting buildings on Wellesley's campus, Billings Hall has been expanded and renovated and now fronts Schneider College Center. It is the main stop for the MIT-Wellesley Exchange Bus and contains study areas, lounges, meeting rooms, "Cafe Hoop" (a small coffee house), the InfoBox, a candy shop, and a convenience store. It also has a snack bar with grill and limited deli and various student and College organizations. There are live bands every Thursday night, and often on Saturdays.
Near Schneider is Harambee House, a social and cultural center for Black students. Contact Wynn Holme (x187-2133) for more information. Also, near Schneider are TZE and ZA, the pseudo-sororities nominally devoted to the Arts, but infamous for their parties.
General Information
For further information on almost anything at Wellesley, including students' telephone numbers and information on activities and events, call the student-staffed InfoBox at x187-2670. You can also call the Info Bureau at x187-2387, open Monday to Friday, 9 to 4:30, on the second floor of Green Hall.