Bryn Mawr vs. Smith vs. Mount Holyoke vs. Vassar

<p>How do these colleges compare? How rigorous are the academics? What are the students like? Is it a close-knit environment or more independent? Any differences you can think of would be great! c: Thank you.</p>

<p>All four are academically rigorous. </p>

<p>Smith & Holyoke are all female, but part of a 5-college consortium; Bryn Mawr is also all female, and part of a different, 3-college consortium. Vassar is co-ed and is not part of a consortium. </p>

<p>Bryn Mawr is the closest to urban; Smith and Holyoke the farthest and Vassar is in between.</p>

<p>You might find u<em>n</em>i<em>g</em>o* useful for getting a feel for the colleges, but really you should visit them and see which suits you- you can sit in on a class and/or overnight in a dorm at all of them. </p>

<p>My D visited all 4 and applied to Smith and Holyoke (and Wellesley). She preferred the environments at Smith and Mount Holyoke, and most especially Mount Holyoke. Here is a copy of a reply I made (about MHC) in another thread recently that might be useful:</p>

<p>She fell totally in love with the campus: she said it looks like Hogwarts. The library reading room is this soaring gothic space with angels holding books carved into the rafters. At the beautiful gothic church building, the main space is completely non-denominational, and there is a side chapel which holds niches for a wide variety of religions and spiritual practices, from various Eastern religions to paganism and earth goddesses. She really liked that inclusiveness.</p>

<p>The professors seem really super engaged and excited about teaching. They are very accessible. Here is an anecdote from my daughter’s experience: She had been reading about the professors and was really excited about one particular Bio professor who seemed to have a very similar passion for bio -from a naturalist/evolutionary/field observation viewpoint- as herself. She hoped to one day be able to take a class with him. She was thrilled when she got into his Bio 101 class. Then she found out he was also her freshman academic advisor. The first day of class, they hung out for a while after class discussing the evolution of Trilliums and her passion and theories about specific insects. They have already been talking about internships for the summer in her field. He gave her the keys to the locked biology lab rooms where the upperclassmen do their entomology research. She spends a lot of her free time in there, looking at slides of insects prepared by students in the 1800’s. Looking back on my own college experience, this just seems so wonderful and lucky. She has immediately connected with a professor who shares her passion, is more than willing to spend time with her, and is already helping her pursue her career path. WOW.</p>

<p>As intparent mentioned, the general vibe is one of very serious academics, but in a collaborative, supportive environment (rather than competitive or cut-throat as it can sometimes feel at some peer colleges.) The thing my daughter commented on the most was the level of engagement and passion she felt from the students. My daughter is the kind of kid who thrives on intense philosphical or academic conversations with her peers. She wants to be surrounded by people who are really passionate about something and she can learn about it from them, and who will respect her intense passions. At some of the colleges we visited, like Connecticut College, she came away feeling like the student body was just a lot more “meh”. Like many kids were just there because it was expected of them and didn’t really CARE that much about being there. At Mount Holyoke, she said it feels like everyone really wants to be there, and really wants to learn and be involved.</p>

<p>The atmosphere is VERY welcoming and supportive. At Accepted Students weekend, I met many families whose students were doing the rounds comparing MHC with other schools they’d gotten into, like Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Skidmore, Amherst, etc. I just kept hearing again and again from people how the atmosphere at MHC was so wonderful, and how so many of the kids just felt like, “these are my people!” I think it’s something that stands out if you visit during school term and especially if you sit in on a couple of classes and stay overnight.</p>

<p>There is a lot of community/school spirit, but in a very different way than you expect at colleges typically. (My D was kind of anti-school-spirit at her high school, not into the sports scene, and definitely not interested in a college with Greek life… but she is really loving the Mount Holyoke spirit.) For example, each class has a color and mythological creature. Class of 2018 is the Red Pegasus. 2019 will be the Yellow Sphinx. At convocation they all wore their colors in the outdoor amphitheatre. It was beautiful. Other traditions: M&Cs (milk and cookies) every schoolnight there is a study break in the dorms with some snacks beginning with M and C. Mountain Day. On a random day in the fall chosen by the President, the belltower will ring announcing an unexpected break from classes for a day: outdoor activities culminate with being served ice cream at the top of the mountain.</p>

<p>They also just instituted a program where EVERY student gets funding for an internship (so they can take unpaid/low paid if they want) after their sophomore year.</p>

<p>There is a large international contingent (I think around 26%?) My daughter met many international women on the accepted students facebook page, and requested a girl from Uzbekistan, who she became friends with that way, as her roommate.</p>

<p>The dorms rooms are amazing! See my post on the Mount Holyoke forum.</p>

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<p>I agree with collegemom3717: all 4 of these schools have excellent academics and I really think it comes down to “fit”. You should definitely visit (while school is in session!) sit in on classes, and spend the night. It’s easy to arrange back-to-back visits at Smith and MHC since they are 25 minutes away from each other (and there is a free bus you can take between.) Vassar is a couple of hours away. But these schools, for all their similarities, really do have different “vibes” and I hope you’ll be able to visit them!</p>

<p>I agree that they’re all great schools and that a lot of the difference comes down to fit. However, they do have differences in their programs that may or may not matter to you. For example, Smith is the only one with an engineering program. Bryn Mawr is smaller than the others and offers fewer majors (even including consortium majors). While all four schools support study abroad, Smith, MHC, and Vassar all have their own study abroad programs.</p>

<p>My daughter visited all four of them, as well as the other seven sisters and others. Vassar didn’t click with her. She liked MHC but didn’t feel it was as good a fit for her. She applied to Smith and Bryn Mawr, as well as Wellesley and other colleges. She went to overnight revisits at Smith and Bryn Mawr (she was admitted to Wellesley but didn’t like it as much as those two), and decided that Smith was the best match. She really liked the emphasis on both academics and non-academic activities, the friendly, non-competitive environment, the enthusiasm and school spirit of the student body, and the social environment. The latter was important to her since she’s rather quiet and shy, but likes to have a lot of friends (and she has made an amazing number of friends at Smith). She also was attracted by the house system; there are 40 houses and 10 dining rooms which provide a more intimate living environment than at most colleges.</p>

<p>Students at Smith tend to cram in as many activities as they can. For example, in addition to her focus on schoolwork, she’s been doing research since her first year, competing in a club sport, volunteering for the school, doing fun activities with her house, and hanging out with various friends. She likes the fact that you can have a lot of fun without partying or drinking.</p>

<p>@ToriV99‌ - all are great schools -and different. D applied to and was accepted at BMC, Smith, MHC. I think you will find comparable academic rigor. D is a freshman at BMC and began her extracurricular activities before school even began! She lives in a castle with dorm mates she adores, was assigned her personal dean to shepherd her through academic decisions and can catch the train from Main Line to city in 20 minutes. I second photodad’s comment about having fun without partying or drinking. As a parent, I would have been happy with any of the 3. Ultimately, her school visits helped her decide. I hope you have the chance to do the same, even if the visit is after acceptance.</p>

<p>Sounds like alot of students applied to the 7 sister schools as D will be in the next few weeks. On her list is Smith, Moho, Vassar, Wellesley. She is now taking another look at BMC and Oberlin. For those of you who were accepted at several of the schools, would you mind commenting on the financial aid packages you received? From what I gather, Smith is not very generous, while MoHo might be? I am aware of the 100% need met but as we know, each school define the need. I’m trying to get D to cut the list a little and honestly, she likes them all almost equally so it’ll be about the package. Did anyone find a large difference in offers?</p>

<p>The financial aid packages are going to vary, of course, depending on your income level. I believe MHC gives the most merit aid, so high-stats students who come from a more well-off family usually receive a better package there. On the other hand, very low-income students may get a better package at Wellesley, where they may not ask her to take out as much in federally subsidized loans and/or work-study. I don’t think it’s possible to make a blanket statement of “X school gives the best financial aid”. it’s very individual. Have you run the NPCs for each school?</p>

<p>Yes, but the NPC does us no good…unmarried bio parents, both now married, custodial parent a small business owner…You are right, the packages are very individual but some schools are known for better aid than others. I wasn’t looking for particulars, just simply “we applied to A, B, and C and C offered a much better package”. As of right now, the only one D does not have on her list is BMC, but she may be adding it. </p>

<p>Well it certainly doesn’t hurt to cast a wide net, especially given your specific financial situation. Each school is going to use its own unique formulae for the non-custodial and small business situations. And since I believe MHC, Smith, Wellesley and BMCs all have no application fee, adding another school just means another essay.</p>

<p>NEPatsGirl, your best bet is to complete the CSS profile ASAP. Noncustodial dad needs to pony up his info as well. The sooner you get him on board the better. All CSS school use basic data from the CSS to determine your need. Some just have more $$$ to give.<br>
Both my Daughters applied to many of same schools. MHC was the only “sister” that received an app from our house. D1 liked everylthing about MHC (and could live with all female thing). We are a family of limited means and all our income is generated by our small business. MHC awarded a nice package and D1 happily attends.<br>
D2 (with the better stats) was wait listed at pretty much every need aware school.<br>
At this point, I wouldn’t limit your list. Maybe add some schools known for good aid which are less selective. </p>

<p>If aid is a concern I advise applying to as many colleges as possible as offers can really differ. My daughter applied to several of the seven sisters. She was accepted at Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke. Wait listed at Smith. We found MHC’s overall financial package much better than Bryn Mawr’s. Both included merit and aid. We appealed to Bryn Mawr and they said there was a miscalculation but it took weeks to get the new aid offer and it didn’t arrive until late in April with commitment decisions due by students May 1. Would still have cost more than MHC. For that and some other reasons daughter decided to attend Mount Holyoke. (Curiously during the wait list period Smith updated our FAFSA which we thought indicated they were checking to see what she could pay as sometimes full pay can tip a wait list decision.) Daughter feels like she ended up at the best place for her- as many students ultimately do…</p>

<p>CSS profile and NCP already completed for an EA school (Dickinson) and we’ll update of course when hard figures come in. My income and bio dad’s/wife is pretty much set and easy to figure out. My husband’s on the other hand wa a soft estimate but it looks like I’m within a couple thousand dollars (yeah, I do the books, ugg).</p>

<p>But, why does having the CSS and NCP done early make any difference as long as it is available for deadline of each school? I’m fairly certain that it isn’t going to make a difference and there’s no way for us to tell how it will affect FA right? So far, D is applying to all but one “sister school”…BMC. I guess I was trying to figure out if she should add it to her list and what other schools she should probably add.</p>

<p>Many of the css schools are “need aware” meaning your ability to pay is factored into the decision. I think this is the reason my high stats second d was wait listed at so many schools. With two at school we have big need. </p>

<p>The sooner you submit the complete package the sooner the school can review. I would not wait until the deadline. Ea is also critical, but thise due dates probably passed. </p>

<p>They are all amazing schools, with beautiful campuses. The seven sisters, in my opionion, blow other liberal arts colleges away. Smith and Bryn Mawr are the most STEM and pre med oriented of the colleges. Barnard and Wellsley are the most difficult to get into, MHC is the easiest. Barnard and Bryn Mawr have the more urban vibe and have coed colleges across the street. Wellsley, Smith, and Mount Holyoke are more open to “alternative” sexual orientations. </p>