<p>^^^ That’s why I like the liberal arts model of education.</p>
<p>One of the most brilliant people I’ve ever known was a hard-core scientist, top of his field, and yet he could converse in depth on topics ranging from literature (both classic and contemporary) to history to politics to . . . you name it. A monk could walk up to him, and they’d find common ground in minutes. Of course, this guy was unusual. </p>
<p>A physician has to be a little like this as well. She has to be able to relate to patients no matter their background. That doesn’t mean that you have to major in philosophy to be a good doctor, only that a good doctor will probably have a wide range of interests, just because that’s the type of profession it is. </p>
<p>To return to the original question: niightingale, you have a good chance of getting into Smith. And the education is superb. My D had a chance this past summer to use her science education at a research opportunity at Princeton. Although she did not have the high tech lab experience going into it that the Princeton students did, her knowledge of the subject matter matched theirs. In fact, she was better prepared than many to know how to act like a graduate student.</p>