<p>As the title suggest, I'm interested in a comparison of academics at Smith, MHC, and Wellesley. I realize that, for the most part, anyone who answers this will only have indepth knowledge of one of these schools, so I'm cross-posing this at all three schools. However, I'd love to hear an assessment not only of your own school but also what you think of the other two, however biased that may be.</p>
<p>To get more specific: I'm interested primarily in the humanities, although I'm pretty undecided beyond that. Although I plan on trying a lot of different types of classes, if I had to guess, I'd say that at this point, I'll probably end up in the English and Poli Sci/Gov departments. I'm also interested in pursuing a language, although I'm not sure if I'll continue with my high school French or try something new.</p>
<p>I'd love to hear about specific departments, the rigor of your classes, accessibility of professors, and so on. What classes/professors have you particularly enjoyed or disliked? Have the majority of your classes/professors been good? Are there any cons to an education at any of theses institutions, any particular problems you've run into? I'm really interested in researching/working on projects with faculty members; I know Smith has some programs, like the Kahn Institute, that are set up to facilitate such interactions in your junior and senior year. Do MHC and Wellesley have anything similar?</p>
<p>Well, I should say to start out that I’ve never taken a class at Moho and I’ve never even visited Wellesley. </p>
<p>But you can’t go wrong with English or Government at Smith. I think they are among our strongest if not our very strongest humanities departments, both with large faculties, good programs, successful alums, and plenty of classes. I’m a Gov major, and my major classes are always the highlight of my semester. </p>
<p>One of the great things about Smith’s Gov department too is it’s Picker Semester in Washington program, which I participated in. A lot of colleges have similar programs, but Smith’s is one of the oldest and is really well set up for giving you the complete young professional experience in DC. You work full time, you take classes a couple of nights a week, you do research on your own, you don’t live in group housing but find your own lease (with Smith’s help), you have a lot of independence but also opportunities for group activities. Nothing has been as hugely influential on my life and my future as this program. </p>
<p>Smith also has a Semester at the Smithsonian program which is also excellent and special.</p>
<p>I’ve got to run right now and don’t have time for an extended post. I’ll give a longish positive review of the Gov department in a day or two. I’m very impressed with it. The one English lit class that D took was extremely good and I’ve heard very good things about that department as well. The Picker Semester in DC is a spectacular opportunity, assuming you make the most of it. You get 5+ months working in DC, compared to a normal semester or even a quarter.</p>
<p>Have you visited each campus as well? Academics are, of course, very important and having said that, my D visited all the schools she initially wanted to apply to and discovered (much to our relief because who wants to end up on a campus that isn’t a good fit?) that two of them weren’t even a consideration for her after experiencing the atmosphere. It really matters. My suggestion is to absolutely consider the academics, but don’t discount your own experience of the campus culture.</p>
<p>I agree completely with Patc. If you don’t feel comfortable on a particular campus, she won’t excel.</p>
<p>You can never predict which college a student will click with. The weather and the individual tour guide, two aspects that you have no control over, will sometimes push the student toward one or the other, so I recommend that you also sit in on classes at each. </p>
<p>The one advantage my D found at Smith (besides loving the rigor of the classes themselves) was the size: as one of the larger LACs, Smith offers a wider selection of courses so that students don’t feel the need to take courses off campus, although they certainly can.</p>