Wellesley vs. Smith, Wellesley vs. Swarthmore

ecape
Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:00:27 +0000

Fulbright means almost nothing about academic rigor. Fulbright is mostly about creativity. And to a certain extent, I absolutely believe fit is most important in choosing a college. However, academic prowess and opportunities can be a part of fit. Smith is less selective than any of the other top-25 LACs. I absolutely hate intellectual snobbery and linear ranking systems, but I do have to suggest there may be some correlation between strength of a college application and how hard a student chose to work in high school. Having been a student at Smith for a year I feel I would rather be at a somewhat more academically intense institution, but to each her own. To be specific, I have polled my Smith friends and we all agree that the majority of students at Smith don’t do all their reading and homework, which I found frustrating. I do not know how this compares to other “top” colleges. Wellesley can afford to spend a lot more on faculty costs/student, which may or may not translate into additional differences in the classroom. My majors were Biology and Political Science. For what it is worth, there are many very friendly, socially aware people at Smith.

Also, I feel I should at that there are certain areas where Smith is very strong for a LAC. Dance, Chemistry, Philosophy, for instance.