niightingale

I fell in love with Wellesley's legacy and prestige, and it had been my first choice for a very long time. In all honesty, I had never heard of Smith before until I started researching the Seven Sister Schools. Would admissions officers or alumnae be offended by this?

randomcoolzip

They might find it amusing. I doubt they'd be offended.

You would presumably follow the Wellesley --> Smith idea with positive stuff about why you found Smith attractive once you discovered its existence.

niightingale

haha why do you say amusing ?

CarolynB

As a parent of a first-year, my first reaction would be it's fine. People have to start somewhere to educate themselves about what are the Seven Sisters (both Vassar and Radcliffe are co-ed/gone). Sure, there is rivalry among them but there is also a sisterhood as well. You don't have to answer this if you don't want, but as a result of this research you've done, do you feel that Smith is a better fit for you than, say, Wellesley or another women's college or have you expanded your interest into a number of women's colleges?

sciencegal

I basically said exactly that at my interview -- so I hope it's okay!

I described how I hadn't really considered the possibility of a women's college until after I visited Wellesley and now I find myself very attached to the idea of attending a women's college. Then, I segwayed (right word?) into how much I liked Smith, sort of with the angle that it was a better school for me, and went through my reasons.

randomcoolzip

Perhaps the right word is "refreshing," rather than "amusing". Admissions folks spend their days reading applications in which anxious high school seniors try to say what they think the admissions committee wants to hear. A little candor, combined with evidence that you have thought carefully about what you want in a college, could help your cause. Think of the "why Smith" question as an opportunity to show them both the quality of your mind and your sense of humor.

eg1

I think you mean segued.

mythmom

I think the little rivalry the "sisters" experience would probably make this a point in your favor.

SmithieandProud

I think it's fine to say that your love for Wellesley really opened your eyes to the possibility of women's colleges, but I would make sure to mention at least one specific reason why you're attracted to Smith. They may be put off if they think that you're only considering Smith as a back-up for Wellesley, and will want to see that you've put at least a little thought into why Smith is a good fit for you as well.

TheDad

My D went the opposite direction: Smith opened her up to applying to Wellesley, sight unseen, as well as Barnard, sight seen.

niightingale

i don't mean to be distasteful, but i've always been under the impression that smith is a much easier college to get into than wellesley. i just dont want to make it seem like i'm settling for smith because it's a safer bet than acceptance into wellesley.

do smithies recognize that wellesley is ranked above it? or do they believe that they are better (as all alumni do) in "other" aspects, and is better in "different" ways?

mythmom

I think it is very plausible that you would want to attend Smith for itself, not because the admissions might be a shade easier.

Many women would prefer Smith. Many would prefer Wellesley. I don't think you have to worry about that.

borgin

Smith may (technically) be easier to get into because it has a larger population overall (and more available slots each year). Wellesley may also get a lot more applications due to its proximity to Boston. But the overall selectivity is about the same for both and both have the same academic caliber.

Some of us just don't think the U.S. News rankings are as important as U.S. News would like us to think. And I hadn't even heard of Wellesley before I saw the movie Mona Lisa Smile my senior year of high school, after I had already applied to Smith. I was very happy to have chosen Smith, and the biased comments I heard about Wellesley from other Smithies (and the roommate I had from Wellesley one summer) confirmed that Smith was the better college for me.

randomcoolzip

One can drive oneself crazy with rankings. A good cure, if you have the time, is Stephen Jay Gould's classic book "The Mismeasure of Man", which takes on the issue of intelligence testing and the fallacies inherent in trying to rank people on an absolute linear scale from "dumb" to "smart". He points out that just because you can compute a number doesn't mean you have measured something "real".

Smith and Wellesley are both great schools, and any bright young woman fortunate enough to get admitted to either of them should jump at the chance (in the completely objective opinion of the proud father of a first-year Smithie!) Take a good look at both of them, visit them both if you can, talk to students, professors, and alumnae. Consider the differences in their physical environments (Wellesley is somewhat secluded on what was once a great suburban estate by a lake, Smith is smack in the middle of the town of Northampton). Consider the intangibles: what's the community like, how do the schools present themselves to you. Apply to both, because if you don't get into one you might get into the other. And then if you do get into both, prepare for some real headscratching!

TheDad

My D was admitted to both and went to Smith with never a second thought. Smith was a better fit for her in at least 2-3 dimensions. I do have a soft spot in my heart for Wellesley because their "likely" letter took some pressure off at the high-anxiety time of waiting for admissions results. D's first words were, "Oh good, I don't have to go to <name of safety>."