My daughter has an interest in Smith but I find myself put off by its lack of diversity. I’m liberal but probably a 6 or 7 of 10 on a scale and Smith seems like a 9+++. On College Pulse they show a 55:1 ratio of liberals to conservatives on campus. Most campuses are in the 4 to 5 to 1 ratio. My sense is that going to Smith would be as conforming as going to Liberty- maybe not in the free speech rights but in the peer pressure to conform. Opening 85 to 90k a year on an echo chamber seems distressful. Would welcome any thoughts
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Curious why you are asking since your other thread indicates the choice is Fordham/ UConn/Rochester?
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Am I being narrow minded?
Yes
But it’s really a moot point if you’re unwilling or unable to pay the full cost if attendance given that your daughter has more affordable options.
And if you are willing to pay full freight, you’re not the one going to college
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So according to Nlche, which to be sure only has a very small sample size of 10, 1 respondent identified as Moderate, 5 as Liberal, 4 as Very Liberal. This accords with my own personal sense, which is that in fact modern-US-style “conservatives” are going to be extremely rare at Smith. But there will not in fact only be very-liberals, but some milder liberals and moderates as well. However, the very-liberals may make up most of the more vocal/activist students.
Should you be concerned about that? Well, if I was a politically-active modern-US conservative and wanted a significant number of like-minded people in my college community–yes, I would then be concerned.
In fact, I’d actually be concerned about a lot of small, secular, highly selective LACs. I think many such SLACs lack any sort of critical mass of such students–not that they are formally excluded, but they just don’t attract many percentage-wise, and at a small college that can actually mean very few individuals. So I think often for students who want a substantial college community of active, modern-US conservatives, they are going to need to either look at bigger undergrad programs or maybe religious or otherwise ideological SLACs.
But if I was not very political then I would not be too concerned as a moderate or mild liberal or indeed mild conservative, because you really don’t have to get too involved in all that if you don’t want to. Political activities will be going on, some students will be vocal in classes and such, but it is not like they are going to force you to do the same.
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What has changed since yesterday when Smith wasn’t mentioned…
And yes, I think you are being narrow minded. This should be your daughter’s choice, and if Smith ends up being affordable and she chooses it, I hope you will support her choice. It’s a great college.
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Yep, brought that up in the first post/response to the OP! Why ask this if it’s not an option?? Especially when the answer is clear.
Since the other post mentions a son and this one a daughter I’m guessing they’re two different children?
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Thought it said s/he? 
Were you okay with your daughter applying to Smith? Were there discussions about was and wasn’t acceptable to you, the parent, financially or otherwise? If so, and you can comfortably afford Smith, and if it’s her top choice, is the concern about liberalism her concern?
I don’t understand this comment. Smith is all about individuality.
My D has a good friend who attended one of the top 5 LACs in the nation. While there, the student transitioned to the opposite sex. The father was enraged and blamed the school. The mother just wanted her child to be happy. When the mom asked my opinion, I stated what was almost certainly true: the child felt comfortable enough in the environment to be who they truly were. The school did not make the child transgendered.
I don’t think any of the schools mentioned in this thread are particularly conformist, but yes, Smith is probably less conformist than the others. Why is that?
Think about the type of women who attend Smith: intelligent, individualistic, dynamic, enthusiastic. These are women who get noticed. Is your daughter someone who will make a difference? The Who’s Who of Smith is eye-opening: Smith College Notable Alums
Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Betty Friedan attended Smith. And absolutely, there are notable alumni from all the other colleges too, but I think it’s fair to say that if your daughter is the kind of person Smith wants, she will almost certainly thrive there. She will probably decide which ideas she embraces and which ones she rejects. It won’t be the school doing that, it will be her and the people she meets.
She will likely find similar types of people at the bigger schools, but I assure you she is very unlikely to get the same type of class experience and professor and peer contact that she will get from the start at Smith. Don’t underestimate just how impactful that can be. (Yes, I know there can be small classes at other colleges too, but the LAC environment is very undergraduate focused in a way universities are not.)
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two children- one headed this year- one in the future
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IMO it is not a factor BUT college choice is a personal decision so if D is not comfortable with the vibe/personality of Smith (or an other school for that matter) then move on. Plenty of excellent options out there.
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Oh, It looked like the OP was responding about someone elses’s son
OP stated there are two children. This post regards the younger D.
I read “my student” as being the OPs child but moderators can confirm.
Are you going to persuade her not to go if she really wants to?
My wife has relatives who went to Smith (including her grandmother) and is very familiar with the school. When we first started the college process, wife was hoping D24 would be interested in colleges/universities with more political diversity and a wide range of viewpoints that reflects our society. D24 never seriously considered the school so it never really came up.
However, if she had really wanted to attend and had a strong passion for Smith, we would have supported it and not persuaded her to go somewhere else.
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I went to a school that had just recently changed from single sex to co-ed just before I arrived (Vassar). Like-minded is NOT how I would describe my classmates. We were encouraged to think critically, to challenge, to explore, to question. The description back then was “Vassar college is not unique; every Vassar student is”. Most likely very true as well at Smith, and with the 5 College consortium there are additional students who also think their own way. It’s great opportunity for your kid. Embrace it.
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It seems like you are posting this for your daughter who hasn’t applied yet- I agree you should only let your child apply to schools you’re okay with them attending should it be affordable, but what are the chances she gets into Smith anyway? I personally would tell my daughter to apply and we’ll go from there (I also do not see the difference politically between Smith and any other SLAC). Then again, I’m a child myself with no kids.
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No, you are not narrow-minded–just dealing with reality.
OP: I think that you are very level headed & reasonable with respect to your concern. (Love the analogy !)
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Well, you don’t have to pay 85-90K/yr for any school. But I do think that if the school meets her academic needs and equips her for her future, and you are willing to pay for it, it does seem a bit odd to say, “Not THAT one! It’s too liberal!”
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I don’t think you’re being narrow minded at all. To me, diversity of thought is much more important than any other kind of diversity. I’d want my child to go somewhere that has open minded, healthy debate and opinions. If a school was 90% + full of students that thought just one way, that would be a no go. I don’t know anything about Smith. Maybe it’s not a very political school. If so it wouldn’t really matter but I feel like nowadays so many schools do revolve around politics.
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I’m gathering that I’m one of the few (or only) here who has concerns that if 98% of the students at a school have a similar view of the world it is likely to lead to group think- that’s true whether it’s far right or far left. It’s also true even if the instruction is open-minded and focused on critical thinking rather than a specific viewpoint. I wouldn’t be keen on paying 100s of 1000s $ on my child going to a far right school or far left. Smith ratio of liberals to conservatives is 55:1, that’s not a healthy recipe for education- even if there are a lot of famous people who went there.
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