<p>Right now I'm having a sort of love affair (read: triangle) with these three schools. I've visited all of them, and have found different aspects about each school to be appealing to what I want to do. I'm looking to get a good liberal arts education, primarily, but I'm also interested in advertising/business. I know lib. arts schools may not be the best for that, but I'm not going to school as a pre-professional/hey I'm gonna get a job right out of college!! type deal. I'm really interested in the music industry, but that's what graduate school is for, I suppose.</p>
<p>So, I want to hear your thoughts about either your experiences with any of the three schools, or how I should go about my decision based upon my interests. All I know is I am extremely lost right now and I could use some input that is not from my parents (who are obviously pushing for Smith, and gee, bias much?). </p>
<p>Hi Kate,
I can speak with some firsthand knowledge of Skidmore. My D spent her freshmen year there & while she did well & did not hate it, she did transfer after a year. She initially enrolled as a studio arts major but then decided to change majors & she also wanted a larger school in a warmer part of the country (even though she is used to the cold because we are from NE). She thought the winters were worse at Skidmore than in MA. She also realized that Skidmore was too artsy, hippyish for her. Another complaint was that while some classes were challenging, others were not. She got the impression a lot of the students there were not serious about their studies. She still keeps in touch with her freshmen year roommate whom she had a lot in common with. I would say the major reasons she initially chose Skidmore was for their highly regarded studio arts major, the lovely campus and Saratoga Springs, which she loved. </p>
<p>I am from the Northampton area, and I love Northampton, which is probably similar to Saratoga Springs. Academically, I think that Smith College would be a better choice than Skidmore, as long as you don't mind an all-women's college, which my daughters were not interested in. </p>
<p>I don't know much about Bard except that it does have the liberal/artsy reputation that Skidmore has, as well as Wesleyan (I think). My D had a high school friend who went to Bard & I know they took the train together to NYC one weekend. I think he went to NYC quite frequently from Bard.</p>
<p>I hope this helps. Choosing a college is an important decision & I am sure you want a college that would be the right fit for you as well as academically challenging.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Bard is a bit more artsy than Skidmore (my brother went there for 2 years then transferred to Skidmore) and if you are interested in advertising and business, Skidmore has a solid business program. I don't know anything about Smith College or its programs so I can't be of any help with that. good luck!</p>
<p>I disagree with kwoo. If you want to take some business courses, anyway. Skidmore has one of the best business programs (especially for a liberal arts college) and i have many friends who have gone into advertising from with a degree from skidmore. </p>
<p>Smith and Bard are also excellent schools and if you decided against a business route they'd also be very tempting.</p>