My daughter has an opportunity to go to Smith College. It is probably the best ranked college she could get into for academics. We have visited the town and walked the campus, which were very nice, but have not really experienced what it is like to attend there. I have to be honest, I am having some reservations after reading many negative critiques online. It sounds as though it can be a pretty hostile environment if you are not far left in you political leanings, and also that the percentage of students who identify as lesbians or bisexual may significantly higher than you would suspect from school marketing, I have read as high as 50%. To each their own. But I’m wondering if my daughter will be overwhelmed and feeling under siege if she comes from a more conservative upbringing. Would Mount Holyoke have a discernibly different culture than Smith?
My daughter applied to Smith but ended up at a different women’s college (not MoHo). In her research she found that Smith is probably not as strident as its reputation but the student body seems more vocal, intense, and left-leaning politically than at Mount Holyoke. Your daughter would find lesbian, bisexual, and possibly trans classmates at both campuses. Mount Holyoke has a very significant population of international students and that seems to contribute to it being a more balanced place with many different kinds of students. It seems like a kind place.
If you’re pursuing merit scholarships, they are more generous at MoHo!
You might want to post your message in the Mount Holyoke forum to get input from parents who have sent their daughters there.
Finally, if your daughter is being recruited for athletics at Smith, much of her social experience will be shaped by her team mates. She might want to reach out to them to see if they’re compatible. Or maybe they could answer her questions about campus climate.
Thank you for that feedback. She has been recruited for sports at both. She has done zoom calls with would-be teammates at Smith and seemed to get along pretty well. I think your suggestion is a good one that she try to drill down a little deeper with team members on each of the teams for candor regarding what daily and social life on campus is like.
If she is not comfortable with lgbtq+ students she should work ASAP on becoming educated and comfortable with them as other human beings, and there will be many who identify that way in any college she goes to, as well as in post college life. But yes there will be many at Smith, but there will be plenty of straight women as well.
She has gay friends, has had gay coaches. I’m sure she is accepting. But I read a 2018 survey of Wellesley students – likely comparable to Smith – wherein 58.5% self-identified as queer. I don’t think all of the applicants, and parents of applicants, to these women’s colleges are aware of just how dominant the lgbq communities are. Rather, you are sold the 5 School Consortium, UMass, the bus, etc., and I find it a bit of a misleading omission. I’m not going to beat a dead horse. It sounds like an amazing school with wonderful resources and lots of bright students. Just not everyone’s cup of tea.
From what I’ve seen of my kids’ friends - straight, lesbian, and women transitioning to men - have chosen to go to women’s colleges, including Smith. I do think that the young woman would do better networking on social media, rather than CC, to find out what the atmosphere is like at Smith, regarding straight and non-left wing women feeling comfortable
I know three women who graduated from Smith. All identify as straight. All are very open-minded. All three absolutely loved their experience at Smith.
I have a first year D at Smith and understand your concern. I am from the Midwest where there isn’t a strong culture of single-sex education and where the reputations of the Seven Sisters aren’t as prolific. I have learned that it is more stereotype than reality. Smith is a top 20 LAC and those that are familiar with a Smith education and Smith grads don’t perceive the school as leftist.
The women that I met at orientation were broadly representative as any group of students at any New England college (minus the men). The biggest common characteristic was how academically focused they all appear. My “highly accomplished” D is rather average compared to her roommates and orientation peers-which is exactly what I’m paying for. Smith prides itself on being a very caring and supportive community that exists to develop women to compete in a men’s world. I feel very comfortable that the culture of acceptance will enhance her education (and maybe chill her out a bit).
The alumni network (and school support through the endowment) are amazing. I would seek out Smithies near you and ask about the school’s reputation and how it impacted their learning, job search and networking.