Smith vs. Wellesley vs. Bowdoin

ameliapondss
Fri, 01 Apr 2016 05:07:56 +0000

I’m a current first year at Smith who ended up with a similar dilemma a year ago. I know next-to-nothing about Bowdoin, but I was accepted to both Wellesley and Smith, so I can (kinda?) speak to their differences. I am super biased towards Smith, but both are amazing schools! Congrats to you!

I genuinely didn’t expect to be accepted to Wellesley, and its reputation/prestige was definitely hard to pass up. The campus is super gorgeous, but it felt very isolated to me. I know students there, and they say transportation to Boston/Cambridge is not as easy as it seems. Wellesley is very close geographically to the urban center of Boston, but it takes a while to get there via bus (Boston area traffic doesn’t help!). However, if being near a big city is important to you, that could sway you towards Wells. Boston is ~2 hours and NYC ~3 hours (by car/bus) from Smith.

Smith, while about half an hour from Hartford, CT, feels decently rural to me (I’m from Chicago, so it feels very small/nature-y out in Western Mass!). The suburb near Wellesley isn’t very exciting or eccentric, but in terms of Smith, however, Northampton is the PERFECT college town (and isn’t too small): a famous ice cream mecca, tattoo parlors, every cuisine imaginable, adorable bookstores, oodles of quirky shops, and some basic necessities like Starbucks, CVS, etc.
It also takes about 20-40 minutes by free (!!) bus to get to the other four colleges in the consortium, with UMass being a big destination for those yearning for the environment of a typical big university every once in a while. On weekends, the other colleges are mostly destinations for those seeking parties, which is reeeeally not a Smith thing. Drinking/party culture is very small (or at least quiet) here.
Smith’s campus is also beautiful, and the mix of architectural styles makes for a more eclectic blend than Wellesley’s cohesive, pristine, Gothic style. You can see mountains in every direction at Smith, which is a big deal for me, a corn-surrounded Midwesterner.

I was also nervous about being too stressed out at Wellesley, which turned me towards Smith. Academics at Smith are incredibly challenging, but the open curriculum means students take classes they really want to be in, and that means you can tailor academics to fit your style/interests, which alleviated some of my stress! It’s easy to double major due to the open curriculum here (ex: Music & Engineering, Art & Physics, Biology & Museums Concentration, Psych & English – I’ve heard them all!). Smithies take academics seriously (finals week is intense, as I imagine it would be at Wells too), but students here know how to relax as well. I have anxiety (and lean towards introversion) and I’m very glad I chose Smith over Wellesley in regards to stress.

Regarding extracurriculars, I’m a member of Smith’s orchestra and choir, even though I’m not a music major, and I know people with all types of interests who participate in music/performance here. We also have a very laid-back Irish/Scottish/Celtic ensemble (if you want to continue playing the fiddle at Smith). A perk of the Five College Consortium is the multitude of ensembles you can join as a Smith student in the Valley, in case Smith’s music dept. isn’t your style! And tons of Smithies are in orgs, ranging from political groups (Smith/Northampton are SUPERsuperSuper liberal) to a cappella to knitting and everything in between.

Overall, I think the general feel of Wellesley leans towards the more pre-professional, while Smith is more laid-back (& crunchy). Also, while I can’t attest to Wellesley in this aspect, the LGBTQA community at Smith is extremely prominent and very accepting. Everyone is welcome, regardless of sexual orientation/gender identity (ex: an instinct of Smithies – and many professors encourage this – is to introduce themselves with their pronouns).

Sorry, this was long & rambly; if you have any more questions let me know! I am a blogger for http://smithbysmithies.■■■■■■■■■■ if you want more insight specifically into Smith.
All three schools are great choices! I’m biased towards women’s colleges (seriously, the environment is so healthy, warm, and safe here, and I barely notice the absence of boys – plus they are often around campus taking classes or otherwise accessible due to the consortium). Good luck on your decision!