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Wesleyan is now accepting applications for participation in the Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship Program. Twenty-two (22) qualified young men and women will be selected, two (2) from each of eleven countries and regions – The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The chosen applicants will join 2,700 other Wesleyan undergraduates from throughout the United States and nearly 50 countries for study with an outstanding teaching and research faculty in the sciences and mathematics, the arts, the humanities, and the social and behavioral sciences.

This program is made possible by Wesleyan University and the Freeman Foundation, which aims to improve understanding and to strengthen ties between the United States and the countries and regions of the Pacific Rim.

Entry into the Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship Program is highly competitive: only two students will be selected annually from each country or region. The scholarship covers costs for tuition, room, and board for four years, and one-time transportation to and from the United States.

Wesleyan University is located in Middletown, Connecticut, halfway between New York and Boston in the historic and colorful New England region of the northeastern United States. It is a private, nonsectarian, liberal arts and sciences institution founded in 1831. A number of early Wesleyan graduates were influential educators and ministers in Asian countries, and the modern Wesleyan has formal ties to several prominent universities in Asia. The campus is home to a diverse population of 2,700 undergraduate students, equally divided between men and women, approximately 28 percent of whom are of African, Asian, or Hispanic descent, and nearly 160 students from foreign countries.

Approximately 190 graduate students, a number of whom are from Asian countries, are pursuing advanced degrees, principally in the sciences, mathematics, and music.

Wesleyan provides instruction in 44 major fields of study. Unlike some university systems abroad, in which students focus on one academic field, most American universities are based on a curricular tradition of liberal arts and sciences, in which breadth and depth of study are deemed equally important. At Wesleyan, the major programs of study involve one-third to one-half of a student’s course work, with the remaining time devoted to exploration of a variety of fields through which a student may broaden his or her background and understanding. More than 900 courses are offered, in which interdisciplinary pursuits are encouraged and an international perspective is fundamental.

Wesleyan graduates go on in high numbers to the best graduate and professional schools in the United States and to successful careers in engineering, business, law, medicine, education, politics, international relations, social service, and the arts. The primary purpose of study at Wesleyan, however, is not to provide vocational training in a specific area. The objectives of a Wesleyan education include the development of self-educating men and women who have mastered a major field, have learned to think critically, are cognizant of the variety of human experience, and have acquired the habits of imaginative and disciplined minds.

The liberal arts at Wesleyan are founded on an atmosphere of freedom, small college traditions, faculty resources, and student diversity. The University provides the facilities and opportunities of a research university while retaining the emphasis on teaching and the intimacy of a small college. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, enabling the faculty to provide direct and particular attention to undergraduate education. Wesleyan’s more than 300 teacher-scholars believe that scholarly research and active teaching are mutually reinforcing. The University’s curriculum is unusually flexible, and students work closely with a faculty advisor in planning all programs and majors.

CAMPUS VOICES

Freeman Asian Scholars at Wesleyan find that their experiences are varied and challenging. Here are some thoughts expressed by recent graduates as they reflected upon their time at Wesleyan.

Student Life

Many undergraduates cite the University’s relatively small size as a source of satisfaction with campus life. The community is small enough so that the individual may feel at home, yet large enough to provide a rich variety of activities and acquaintances.

Life can be very full for undergraduates. Outside the classroom, they may select from more than 200 different student organizations that range in interest from theatrical productions to environmental activism, from the Wesleyan Argus newspaper and the debate club to Ultimate Frisbee, from the Asians for Community Empowerment to West African drumming or a chamber music group. The University’s state-of-the-art athletic center encourages students to participate in athletics, either in one of 18 varsity sports or at the intramural level. Parties and social gatherings are held at student residences, at the campus center, at fraternity houses, and at restaurants in Middletown. Bringing the wider world closer, prominent scholars, artists, musicians, actors, and dancers come to the campus regularly, and the weekly campus calendar features a continuous program of concerts, plays, films, and lectures.

Residential Life

All Wesleyan students are guaranteed housing on campus for the full four years. They may choose among several options for housing and dining, and more than 90 percent of them live on or within one block of the campus. First-year students generally live in one of several residence hall complexes and take their meals at McConaughy Dining Hall. After the first year, Wesleyan offers a variety of housing options, including apartment complexes, furnished houses, and small rental houses. Membership in the dining plan is required for all four years, which allows students to eat in the many on-campus facilities as well as to buy food at the campus grocery store and cook their own meals.

The Freeman Foundation

The first Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholars enrolled at Wesleyan in September of 1995. The Freeman Foundation, sponsor of the Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship Program, was established in 1994 through the bequest of Mansfield Freeman, a businessman, benefactor, scholar, and longtime resident in Asia who was a member of the Wesleyan University Class of 1916. Mr. Freeman was an insurance executive and one of the original founders of what is now the American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The New York–based Freeman Foundation, which established the Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship Program in memory of Mansfield Freeman, is administered primarily by the Freeman family; its charitable efforts are directed mainly toward bettering relationships and understanding between the United States and the countries of East Asia. This program’s goal is for Freeman Asian Scholars to become leaders in their home countries.
Freeman Scholars

Applicants for the academic year beginning in late August must have completed their secondary schooling* (high school) by then and must be citizens or permanent residents of one of these eleven countries or regions: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, or Vietnam. Preference will be given to those currently living in one of these eleven countries or regions and to those who would otherwise be unable to study in the United States. Individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or who are permanent U.S. residents are not eligible. Students who must fulfill a military service requirement may apply in their final year of school but waiting until the year in which one can enroll is preferable.

Admission to Wesleyan and the selection process for Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholars is extremely competitive. Selection criteria include academic achievement; intellectual curiosity; a high level of discipline and commitment; strong personal qualities; extracurricular involvement, especially community service; and English language ability.
Freeman Asian Scholars are expected to return to their home countries upon completion of their degrees. (We understand that some students may wish to continue their education with graduate studies in the United States, which would be at their own expense.)

Successful applicants will be notified by April 1, except in Japan, where they will be notified by March 1. Alternates also will be chosen in the event that any of those initially selected are unable to accept the offer. Wesleyan will provide the necessary forms for obtaining an F-1 student visa to the United States.

REQUIRED TESTING

To qualify, applicants must take the SAT I: Reasoning Test of the College Board. (Applicants from the People’s Republic of China, where the SAT is not available, are exempt from this requirement.) Non-native speakers of English also must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or alternatively, for the first time this year, we will accept the results from IELTS (International English Language Testing System) in place of the TOEFL. Students should receive a score that demonstrates sufficient proficiency in the English language to function well in a highly demanding academic environment. A score close to 600 on the paper-based TOEFL or 250 on the computer-based TOEFL, or a “7” on the IELTS, would be evidence of adequate English language ability. These examinations must be taken by January 1. All examinations are administered on several dates, with a registration deadline approximately six weeks before the exam. Please be sure to list Wesleyan University (undergraduate) as an official score recipient.

More information is available on the Internet, http://www.toefl.org or by telephoning (609) 771-7100 in Princeton, New Jersey. You will also need to register for the SAT I, and information about this examination may be available at the places listed above. The easiest way to register for the SAT I is via the Internet: www.collegeboard.com.

APPLICATION

Interested students also must submit a written application that includes background information, two essays, a secondary school/junior college transcript, recommendations from two teachers and one counselor, a peer reference, and results of any standardized national examinations administered during the secondary school/junior college years. Officials from Wesleyan and the Freeman Foundation will travel to Asia and conduct interviews of finalists in their home countries in February or March. All application materials are to be postmarked no later than January 1. (For students in the Philippines, we recommend mailing your application earlier or using a courier service.) Applications are available from secondary schools/junior colleges and from the AIG offices listed.

You may also write to Dean Terri Overton at toverton@wesleyan.edu to request the special Freeman application forms. The application for the Freeman Asian Scholarship is different from the Common Application and it is not available on-line. You should not submit the Common Application.

Wesleyan alumni in the eleven countries and regions, as well as local AIG offices, can provide further information to students interested in applying. They also will be pleased to assist applicants in forwarding application materials to Wesleyan.