I think the power of the wider Historically Women’s College/Seven Sisters alumnae/i network is an under-represented aspect to consider when making a decision like this. As a Smith grad you not only harness the incredible resources of the school specific network, but also the wider net of Wellesley, Barnard, MHC, Bryn Mawr, Vassar and other historically women’s college grads. There are tons of in person, LinkedIn, FB and other platform groups specific to this population.
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I agree with this. I would also add that I think 7 sisters, particularly Smith and Wellesley, have very, very strong name recognition that I think goes beyond that of the typical elite LAC. At least IMO.
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I am a novice at CC so didn’t see all these great replies until recently! Close to a final decision.
Would love to hear more about your daughter’s experience with the STRIDE program. Was it easy for her to select a research area that she was interested in? How many hours a week was she working on the research project…did it still allow her time for homework/classes/socializing? Where research hours during school hours, do they work around the student’s schedule? Anything else we should know? Thank you so much!
Thank you for this input…all very helpful!
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Great observations, will take this into consideration as she is finalizing her choice! Thank you!!
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Happy to answer your STRIDE questions! Yes–my daughter found several projects she would have been thrilled to work on. She was sent a list over the summer with all the available options and she got to rank her top five choices. She found out in late summer which project she had been selected for. Her research is with the school of education, which is not her primary area of focus–but the specific project tied into policy making and legislation which is right up her alley. The amount of time she spent on the project would vary over the course of the year, depending on what stage they were in. Her first few weeks were spent really focused on writing a grant proposal, which was an awesome way to jump right in. She had no problem making friends/being social or keeping up with classes. She had some meetings with her STRIDE professor during the class day, but much of the actual work was done outside of class hours. There are special events for STRIDE scholars that allow them to socialize and network, and they get to present their work during the Collaborations research symposium in the Spring.
This is great information, thank you so much for sharing your daughter’s experience with the STRIDE program. She was trying to connect with a current STRIDE scholar but it’s a busy time with the semester wrapping up so having this information is extremely helpful! It answered some of her lingering questions and moved Smith up to the top!!
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Thank you so much for sharing this! Sounds like your daughter had similar things to consider between the two schools. Good to know that there may be some questioning of the decision into the first semester but glad that the experiences and opportunities at Smith eclipsed those second thoughts. Agree, tough decisions for an 18 year old but sounds like your daughter has enthusiastically immersed herself into her life at Smith. We are hoping the same for our daughter! Appreciate your good wishes 