<p>I’m always somewhat amused by the “prestige” conversations. Where I live, neither has ANY prestige to speak of. If people know of them, it is usually from tv or movie portrayals, or someone’s great aunt. I’m bet the majority of folks I know, given the word “Wellesley” on a piece of paper, would struggle to pronounce it. And Smith? sounds like a cough drop of recent memory.</p>
<p>The graduate schools know them, the law schools know them. They both have great alumnae networks (I think Smith’s is a bit larger.) In art history? The art “mafia” comes from Williams! (Yes, Smith has a better “college” art museum, but it doesn’t have the Clark Art Institute, so who are we kidding? Oberlin’s museum is laughable compared with the Clark.) (No one has heard of Williams either.) </p>
<p>And after you’ve had your first job, your undergrad school will come up for about 10-15 seconds in a hiring conversation, and then it will be “what have you done recently, and what can you do for me now?” </p>
<p>This is of course a college board and so these are the sorts of things we discuss, but it’s amazing to me how unimportant the “prestige” conversation is in the real world. (And if you want some networking opportunities where I live, the best choice by far is Brigham Young.)</p>
<p>What counts is where you will feel comfortable, and challenged.</p>