Class of '10 profile

Momwaitingfornew
Wed, 02 Aug 2006 06:29:30 +0000

Smith, and the other women’s colleges, gained this year and probably last from HYPS’s record applications and the fact that it is once again more difficult for a woman than for a man to gain entry into the top schools. Most of the women I know who are going to a women’s college had an Ivy as a first choice, but were rejected. The interesting thing is that they chose a women’s college over other excellent but co-ed opportunities.

The women’s colleges are doing a wonderful job of promoting the opportunties that await their students, and, as a result, women who might have otherwise attended a comparably ranked LAC are chosing Smith or Wellesley or one of the other all-women’s schools.

On the basis of student body alone, Smith would probably be higher ranked than it is right now. Its high acceptance rate and its lower SATs for its disadvantaged students brings it down in the eyes of the statistics minded. Such numerical analysis fails to acknowledge that the disadvantaged students are extremely bright and ambitious and that they bring enormous benefits to the school. Just because they had a subpar education prior to coming to Smith, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t among the best. As for the acceptance rate, the quality of the student body says it all. How many schools wouldn’t accept those women?