Vassar, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College, or Connecticut College for Political Science

Compare College Acceptances
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I got accepted into a variety of schools, and Vassar, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College, and Connecticut College are my top choices, with Bryn Mawr and Vassar being particular favorites (though I have not visited Smith or CC yet).

I want to study political science and maybe minor in gender and sexuality studies and/or philosophy. I want to work for a NGO or in the government/politics. I am particularly interested in political theory.

I value good academics, small class sizes, knowing professors well, small school, and a sense of community. I am not interested in parties, and though I have not experienced it before, I really like the idea of not being around too many cis men students.

I really love Bryn Mawr and how it’s a gender diverse woman’s college. I really felt at home when I visited, and the campus is breathtaking. The community and traditions seem wonderful (I love them) and unlike any other college I looked into, and it also has a lot of opportunities through the consortium. They have general requirements (including PE ones (which I don’t love), but they seem pretty flexible. It is also not too far from home.

Vassar has more prestige with its name, which is nice since I want to go into politics, and I do want to go to a place that takes academics seriously. It has a lot of political science professors and interesting talks, and the open curriculum is a plus. They do have a non-cis man dorm (Strong), so maybe that’s similar to a women’s college experience. It is a bit farther from home for me though. Also, it has had a problem recently with the administration responding to student activism poorly (a problem I did not see with BMC). The campus was very college-y: big and brick, it has some wonderful buildings, like the library, and it had students practicing outside (I’m not athletic, so this was a negative for me because I don’t really want to be somewhere that emphasizes athletics).

I’m really torn, and maybe visiting the other two will change my mind, but even before visiting Vassar and Bryn Mawr they were my favorites.

Any and all comments are welcome. I know they’re great schools and I’ll be happy at any, but I really want to feel good about my decision, so any information/opinions would help.

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Vassar alum here. Both are excellent choices. Vassar’s campus is beautiful. college-y?? Not heard that as a descriptor :). and Sports are not the huge focus. Excellent alum network too. Poli Sci is a strong dept. even though it’s been co-ed for decades it has an ongoing commitment to women and women’s’ education. Any cost differential or cost concerns?

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Congrats on your acceptances and what great choices to have!

Between Vassar and Bryn Mawr, I agree that Vassar is more “prestigious” and admit that would be a draw for me. One other factor you didn’t mention…IMO Bryn Mawr is in a more vibrant neighborhood with coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants etc. Vassar has a little bit but Bryn Mawr has more. And it has train with easy access to even more restaurants and shopping and walking around stuff in Ardmore and, a few stops further into Philly. Not sure if that’s important to you but just thought to mention it.

My sense from visiting CC is it has a little more focus on sports and a little more “preppy/greek” feel to it, at least compared to Vassar and Bryn Mawr.

Good luck with your choice!

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I agree that Vassar is generally seen as more “prestigious,” and I’ll admit that’s a factor that appeals to me. One thing you didn’t mention, though—Bryn Mawr is located in a more vibrant neighborhood, in my opinion. There are more coffee shops, bookstores, and restaurants nearby. Vassar has some of that too, but Bryn Mawr feels a bit livelier. Plus, the train gives you easy access to even more in Ardmore and, with a few more stops, into Philadelphia. Not sure if that matters to you, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

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I hope you are planning to visit Smith and look forward to you reporting back. It may be the one that hits the “sweet spot” for you. Wonderful choices for you. :tada:

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For a deep understanding of modern political theory, a foundation in ancient philosophy would be advisable. For this latter aspect, consider available offerings in classics and philosophy when comparing your choices.

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Conn is my kid’s top choice, and the preppy image it once had is now outdated. Also, they have no fraternities/sororities, so zero Greek life. That being said, Vassar was my kid’s top choice, but they did not get in. They would go there in a heartbeat.

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You’re right I went back to my notes from our visit and our tour guide said (as you note) there is NO greek life…definitely remembered that wrong. Looking at my notes it was the tour guide herself who characterized it as preppy (!) and said “even though there is no greek life, a lot of us are in athletics and the teams host the parties”. My child is artsy and was super impressed with the art program there. I think they said there are 12 seniors, so it’s a small-ish group. The art students we spoke to said they don’t attend the athletic team parties. I know every students take can be different but that’s what we were told. My artsy kid liked it a lot but ultimately decided not to apply because she wanted more of a walkable neighborhood with shops and restaurants. But the campus is SOOO beautiful!

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“Artsy” and “crunchy granola” have been used to describe Vassar students. FWIW

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Reading between the lines, it sounds like you really like BMC best, and I don’t really think there’s much - or any - difference in terms of ranking/quality for those in the know.

Having said that, you would probably be well-served to look at Smith. Definitely a different vibe from BMC, but it hits a lot of the same notes.

Conn has the greatest mix of students but as you seem to be gravitating to certain parts of the mix, you can find more of that in the other 3.

Academically, you can’t miss with any of these.

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I think you just listed fantastic colleges - all of them forgetting the rank.

All will position you to work for an NGO or government (if it’s hiring) - but you will have to do the leg work.

All will have strong academics and allow you to know professors well. You can see class sizes of each in the CDS Section I3.

For example, Vassar’s most common class size is 10-19. 311 of 685 hit that size with only one over 30-39.

At BM, it’s similar - 168 of 358 classes have 10-19. They have 14 classes over 39. And they have Haverford nearby (and Swat and Penn).

Of course, one never knows which classes those sizes impact, etc.

Prestige is great - but it doesn’t pay the bills and you have to be somewhere for four years, day after day. My kid interned for our state and for a prominent think tank in DC and went to a regional public. So I trust, with persistence, you can make an impact at any of these schools which will bring you career success.

You might also look into their Washington DC offerings - if interested.

Vassar seems to run through American or GW. BM talks about transfer credit from others so it likely runs through American like many schools.

Smith has a Smithsonian Semester in DC which might interest you - linked below.

It’s hard to tell what Conn College has.

Find the place you want to spend four years, day after day - that’s most important. Note that many in fields of interest to you require further education, whether law or something else. So you have to budget for that as well.

Congrats on such fine admissions and best of luck.

Smithsonian Internship Program

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@CJ1314 you can actually fairly easily get specific information about which classes are the large ones at the schools you are considering. I would encourage you to post on the pages of those specific colleges to get information from people with firsthand knowledge rather than to post a generic post about all of the school schools where you will get general opinions that may, or may not have firsthand knowledge. For example, it is most likely, unless something has very recently changed, that the one large class at Vassar, as it has been known for this to be this for years and years, is the intro to art history class. If you want to know the large class for the other schools you are considering, I would encourage you to go to their college page on cc and ask from people who have firsthand knowledge of the classes and class size.

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Also of potential interest for the OP would be the Jean Picker Semester in Washington Program at Smith:

The Jean Picker Semester-in-Washington Program is a first-semester program open to Smith junior and senior government majors and to other Smith juniors and seniors with appropriate background in the social sciences. It provides students with an opportunity to study processes by which public policy is made and implemented at the national level. Students typically reside in Washington from the month of June preceding the fall semester through December.

The program is directed by a member of the Smith College faculty who is responsible for selecting the interns and assisting them in obtaining placement in appropriate offices in Washington, and directing the independent research project through tutorial sessions. The seminar is conducted by an adjunct professor in Washington.

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My D22 had Smith as a final choice when she was making her decision (she didn’t apply to the others on your list). She was also interested in political science at the time. She did some research into Bryn Mawr but she preferred Smitb.

I think you’ll find that the things you value at Bryn Mawr will also be present at Smith (strong traditions, small classes, close professor relationships, a rigorous academic environment, strong alumni networks). A couple of other things stood out to her about Smith that kept it in the running—namely, the residential houses that were more like homes than dorms and the proximity to Northampton, with its charming coffee shops, bookstores and music venues (one of her favorite musicians was playing there when we visited—it attracts a good music scene). The open curriculum at Smith was also interesting to her—something you noted about Vassar.

Anyway, I think you have terrific choices and it will really come down to fit and vibe.

(In case you were curious, my D22 went a totally different direction in the end and picked UCLA, where she is having a fantastic time)

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Congrats on great choices! My oldest graduated from Bryn Mawr last spring, my BIL went to Vassar, and we looked there for my DS25 too. I loved it there. Bryn Mawr has all of the things you mentioned but it also has more variety of classes with the tri-co with Haverford and Swat (Penn too). My oldest did classes at Haverford too and really enjoyed them. The traditions at BMC are amazing - Lantern Night, May Day, ■■■ week - so much fun. My oldest is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and felt very connected there. Great diverse community. We live close to Philly and it’s such a great city - easy trip on the train to the city for lots to do, especially in your major. The PE req is not bad. My oldest did The Yoga of Poetry as one of her PE classes :wink: Good luck!

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Thank you everyone for contributing! I have visited Conn and Smith now, and though both were lovely, I didn’t feel as connected to them as I do to Vassar and Bryn Mawr. I have not committed anywhere yet, but I am leaning towards Vassar. I still have the concerns I mentioned previously, but the classes and clubs offered really appeal to me. I know I would love and be happy at either of these schools, which makes the decision even harder. I think I love the community and traditions of BMC, but I prefer the academics of Vassar. I am still looking into both schools, so other comments are still appreciated. I’ll keep updating as my decision process progresses!

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Are you familiar with the 12 college exchange? You can spend a year on one of the participating college campuses if that is of interest to you. Again as a Vassar alum I am biased, but you would get an incredible education and opportunities there. Twelve College Exchange – Dean of Studies

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Late to the party, but I wanted to just chime in to suggest I do not think the institutional “prestige” of Vassar should really be a major consideration. Institutional prestige does not really carry over to individuals in any simple way, and I think usually how you actually do is much more important than where exactly you go.

And then Bryn Mawr has lots of opportunities to do interesting things, including because of its consortium relationships with Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn.

So I am confident if you thrived at Bryn Mawr, you would not really be lacking anything you could get at Vassar.

Or vice versa. But it sounds to me like overall you can really see yourself thriving at Bryn Mawr. And I would personally suggest at least carefully considering the possible benefits of choosing a college where you do in fact really thrive.

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My D26 and I recently visited Vassar, Haverford and several. I can’t say too much about BM since we didn’t visit, but I know the Haverford tour guide admitted that BM has great food and the Haverford students try to go there for meals. I know a couple of sisters who went to BM. One loved it and then attended an Ivy league law school. The other found it a bit too stifling and wished she went to a bigger school - but is now at an Ivy League MBA program after working at some really good companies. My point in mentioning the Ivies is you’ll have great opportunities - as good as any school you’re considering - afterwards.

One thing about the BM/Haverford/Penn/Swat consortium is that BM and Haverford (Bi-Co) students take advantage of course offerings between themselves because of close proximity. It seemed much fewer student take a class at Penn/Swat because of their further distance.

We thought Vassar’s campus was the prettiest we saw. It is remote though and not as easy to get to as Haverford but that makes the community more tight knit. I think our tour guide said the biggest class on campus was like 60 students for Bio 101 - which was the smallest" biggest class" of any of the small LACs we visited. It’s also the most expensive of the schools we saw. I’m quite certain that when travel and personal spending costs are included, it will be over $100k. You won’t be able to waive out of the health insurance requirement unless your insurer covers a doctor in Poughkeepsie.

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Just echoing this point. The BiCo relationship between Bryn Mawr and Haverford seems way more used by most students than the other relationships. To the point they have a lot of coordination on course offerings and such.

Bryn Mawr does have some potentially cool combined degree programs with Penn, however none of them seem like an immediate fit for the OP. Still, interests often evolve in college.

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