Listening to Lesley

One can literally hear the buzz of college life. Boasting such big name schools as Boston College, Boston University and M.I.T., Boston is College City. The buzz extends all the way into the neighboring city of Cambridge, of course, where Harvard sits arrogantly along the banks of the Charles. But only a bit beyond Harvard Square, a little further down Mass Ave., just past Harvard Law School is an almost outlandishly quiet locale. It’s called Lesley University.

More than a few Harvard students have told the tale of how they confusedly stumbled onto the grounds of Lesley College, perhaps of how they at first mistook the fully female student body as some peculiar extension of the law school. But many more have never even heard of the institution. Details about this women’s college remain a quiet mystery. And yet the Lesley girls are eager to break the silence. There are a few things that they think people should know about them. At the top of the list: that they exist.

On and Off Campus

Founded as a professional school for women in 1909, Lesley University has maintained its mission to provide equal educational opportunities to people who historically are denied higher educations. It has since developed into an institution comprised of six colleges, including the Art Institute of Boston, the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Management, and the School of Undergraduate Studies, which consists of both the Adult Baccalaureate College and the Women’s College.

Situated directly across from Harvard Law School, the women’s college stands as a traditional continuation of the university’s foundation. According to Paul Kaross, the school’s vice president of public affairs, “Lesley has a very strong national reputation, particularly in the education field.” Says sophomore Kat McGrath: “With an education major from Lesley, you’re guaranteed to get a good job.”

By preparing men and women for professional careers in education, human services, management and the arts, Lesley’s main priority is to improve life for people in the social world. But apparently, that priority only applies off-campus. Students at the women’s college complain of a complete lack of a Lesley social world. Says McGrath: “Program-wise I love it. But student life sucks.”

Lesley girls laugh at the suggestion of on-campus parties. “You don’t go to a women’s college for parties,” states McGrath. For a night on the town, students usually opt to get out of town. Of the 550 undergraduates, most choose to either party with friends at colleges in Boston, or to spend their weekends at home. For the minority who do stay on campus, Saturday nights remain low-key. “It’s always quiet when you need quiet,” says Jackie O’Neill, who is starting her first year at Lesley. “You can always go out and find something, but it’s not always worth the trouble,” she says. For transfer student Sara Camacho, a sophomore, this was quite a change from the consistently loud and lively social scene at George Washington University. “Thank god for my best friend at Northeastern,” Camacho says.

Hot Harvard Guys?

Lesley students know that theirs is anything but a typical college experience. “It took me a while to get acclimated,” says O’Neill. “Especially when I talked to my friends at other colleges about how they’re going to parties and rushing sororities, it felt like a completely different college experience.” Says her classmate Angela Wright: “We have to take the T to go somewhere to a party or just to see the opposite sex.” It might seem that they have one obvious alternative: Lesley students could simply cross the street over to Harvard. However: “We don’t hear a lot about what’s going on at Harvard,” explains Wright. Some of the Lesley girls do admit to wishing that they had more of a relationship with Harvard, particularly with its male population. According to McGrath, “there are a lot of hot Harvard guys.”

The administration realizes that proximity does not equal a relationship. Other than Lesley’s use of the Harvard University Health Services, the two schools have no formal affiliation. “We’re fairly self-contained,” states Kaross. For Wright, such independence does not produce entirely positive results. “I don’t think that Harvard students even know about us,” she says. “I was at a party with some Harvard guys, and when I said that I go to Lesley they said: ‘Where?’” The question is not uncommon to Lesley students. “Whenever we mention where we go to school, no one knows. Then you say that it’s right next to Harvard, and they say: ‘Oh,’” Wright continues.

According to Kaross, the school does not feel overshadowed by Harvard’s big name. “Lesley knows who it is and what it is about,” he claims. “We tend to attract a diverse student body.” O’Neill continues, “The students are very different here. There are people with very different beliefs and backgrounds.” Following her classmate’s statement, Wright adds “And gender preferences.” Lesley’s students would like to make it clear that contrary to stereotypical views of women’s colleges, the college is not about lesbianism. Says McGrath: “There’s a little of everything here. Something that we all have in common is dedication and open-mindedness. The catty ones don’t make it here. The general population doesn’t want to hear it.”

However, the general population at Lesley does want to be heard. “We just want Harvard students to know that there’s an all-girls school next to them,” says Wright.