Smith vs. Wellesley vs. Bowdoin

UNYMom
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:03:24 +0000

I went to Wellesley and have several friends whose daughters are there. I know many people who went to Smith and one of my best friends lives locally (Deerfield) and knows a couple of people who work there. My former boss’s daughter graduated from Smith ca. 10 years ago. Don’t know nearly as much about Bowdoin, so will leave that one out.

Both are incredibly nurturing places that embrace introverts. The fact that almost everyone lives on campus and all 4 classes live together means that there is a great community feel in both places Food is probably better at Smith, but Wellesley food has gotten even better than when I was there. Neither place parties much, and both are “live and let live” sort of places.

Faculty are great at both schools. Staff is happier at Wellesley - maintenance, campus police, cooks, etc. are treated well at Wellesley, and it rubs off on the students’ experiences. I think it is still good at Smith, but administration is less flexible with staff at Smith.

The Town of Wellesley is incredibly boring compared to Northampton. It is an extremely wealthy town that couldn’t care less if the College was there or not. (Flip side is that you can get very lucrative babysitting jobs in town.) However, it is simple to get into Boston or Cambridge. Frequent buses between Wellesley and MIT and it is a short walk to the commuter rail station. Most students take the bus even if they are going to Boston, though, because it drops you off right by a subway station in Cambridge, and the commuter rail fees have skyrocketed. Some students party with Harvard or nearby Brandeis and Babson, but the main social partner is MIT, which has its obvious pluses and minuses. Unexpectedly to me, MIT has an amazing number of free cultural performances and events, which I continued to frequent after graduation.

Northhampton is much more fun, funky and affordable for college students than either Wellesley or Boston. It can be EXTREMELY PC (e.g. people judging you for eating honey), but I get the sense that the Smith campus, while liberal, is not crazy judgemental/ will never even talk to people who vote Republican the way the town is. The town’s small size is misleading. Northampton is the center of activity for the region, so there is a lot more going on there than you would think. Although Amherst has both UMASS and Amherst College, that town is much more sleepy once you get off campus.

I love the house system at Smith. I think it makes it feel much cozier than the traditional dorm system at Wellesley. However, I know it makes some people feel claustrophobic by their Junior or Senior year. Several people have recommended that you opt for a bigger house because most people stay in their same house for all 4 years, and it’s nice to have more people to mix it up with as you change and mature over the 4 years.

Both Wellesley and Smith are very LGBT friendly (I mean, c’mon, they are women’s colleges!) Smith has a more active LGBT community, though, in part because there is a very big and active community in larger Northampton. I believe the percentage of lesbians at Smith is higher, but take that with a grain of salt because the “Lesbian Until Graduation” phenomenon definitely happens on both campuses. (Always surprised at who is now married to a male when I go to reunions.) Sexual experimentation (not hooking up, but experimenting with orientation) is accepted on both campuses.

Coming from a low-income area, be prepared for a bit of culture shock at both schools. I know I experienced it! Because both schools have excellent financial aid, they are both socioeconomically diverse, but you will also meet many people who are richer than anyone you have every known! I came to realize that the rich kids aren’t snobby, they just have absolutely no idea what it is like to be poor or working class. Almost all the students were very nice, but there were just some discussions my first year that I couldn’t enter at all because I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. It gets better - one of the great things about going to a place like Smith or Wellesley is that you meet people from all walks of life.

I have a lot more I could say, but have said too much already. Both schools are great and are more similar than not, so go with the school where you get the vibe that fits you most or the one that gives you the most money.