<p>I was accepted as an Ada, but am still deciding between Smith and Mt. Holyoke for the fall. Any input would be great. I am entering as a junior and will major in Biological Sciences.</p>
<p>Jinka, how do the two schools compare with financial aid, if you received any? </p>
<p>There are better qualified people to respond specifically about biology, but Smith has a very strong science program. I know that Mount Holyoke used to be strong in sciences, but I’m not sure about that now. If you want to go into research and continue with graduate work, Smith has an excellent reputation. You might want to check other posts here about biology; there’s a recent one about pre-med.</p>
<p>For the summer between your junior and senior year at Smith, you would be able to use Praxis (currently $2000) to be paid for an unpaid internship; every student at Smith has this opportunity. My understanding (from another CC poster) is that students at Mount Holyoke have to apply competitively for payment for an internship, so it’s not a done deal. I just looked at their website and it’s not entirely clear, so you might ask them.</p>
<p>Thanks, CarolynB. My financial aid package for both is practically identical (slightly higher for Smith, but a longer commute for me so that makes them neck and neck costwise).</p>
<p>I am leaning towards Smith, mostly because of the core requirements and required minor at Smith. Because I’m entering as a junior, I have a limited number of credits left to take and need most of them to fulfill the major requirements alone. The Praxis internship you mentioned is also another incentive.</p>
<p>Initially, Mt. Holyoke made a better impression on me. But, the more I look into it, Smith is certainly emerging as a better fit for me personally. I will be visiting both campuses one final time next week before accepting an offer. Both schools are quite exceptional: I can’t really go too wrong, either way.</p>