Class of '10 profile

roadlesstraveled
Wed, 02 Aug 2006 21:39:05 +0000

“If wealthy, prestigious colleges are increasingly serving the nation’s privileged elite, then Allison Bellew is not the type of student you would expect to find on the campus of one of those institutions.
She spent most of her childhood in foster care in Southern California and attended a public school in Los Angeles where more than two-thirds of the students qualified for the federal school-lunch program.
Ms. Bellew wanted a place totally different from where she grew up. That search led her here, to the hills of western Massachusetts, to what has become in some ways a haven for financially needy students like her: Smith College.”

http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i36/36a01401.htm

This information from the otherwise great article is not totally correct.

“Help From the Endowment
Smith tells prospective students that it is committed to meeting the full financial need of each admitted student. The college’s ability to enroll so many low-income students is surprising given that it considers a student’s financial need in admissions decisions.”

According to admission officers I have talked with, aid is not considered until after 95% of admission decisions are reached and those admitted students’ financial aid need can be ascertained. Many yrs, aid is not a factor in admission decisions

“Some admission decisions may include an assessment of the student’s level of need. These need-sensitive evaluations affect approximately 5 percent of all applicants.”