<p>A graduate of another women’s college, and we know students at Amherst, so a few points to chime in on.</p>
<p>Barnard strikes me as the best of both worlds, as a premier women’s college with access to the undergraduate opportunities at Columbia. If you were excited about school in NYC, and embracing that future, I’m not sure that admission to Amherst should push you off that track. Barnard and Columbia have a very different campus culture than Amherst. You might spend some time reading the Amherst student paper, and comments, as there has been a lot of controversy lately over the trustees’ decision to ban fraternities entirely (they were underground before, but allowed – now they are banned entirely). </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision, there is no “right” decision, just one based on what fits best for you. </p>