<p>Well, there are only five now, but I was wondering how Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley compare to each other. I know they all have excellent academics, so I was wondering about other things like school spirit, administration, location, etc. I already visited Barnard and Bryn Mawr and plan on visiting the rest of the MA colleges over the summer. :)</p>
<p>I would also like to know</p>
<p>Academically they’re all pretty comparable. You can split hairs and say that Wellesley is ranked higher than Smith which is ranked higher than Barnard, Bryn and Moho, but honestly they are all excellent institutions. (you said this, but I wanted to reiterate it)</p>
<p>Full disclaimer: I go to Smith, so I will mostly be knowledgable about Smith and Mount Holyoke. I considered Wellesley, but never applied. I didn’t look at Bryn or Barnard. If you want to know more about Smith, feel free to PM me</p>
<p>Here are a few things that set apart the schools:
Size and type:
Smith, Moho and Wellesley are all similarly sized (2200-3000) with Smith being largest. They have very small grad programs. Barnard, while similarly sized, does have the connection to Columbia, so you might have more grad students generally around. Bryn Mawr is by far the smallest (1200 I think?), but has a pretty decent sized graduate school program. </p>
<p>Location: Bryn Mawr and Wellesley are both outside of big cities (Philly and Boston). While the trip can be kind of long, you do have the option to go into the city. Smith is in its own decent sized town, Northampton, which is very fun and lively, but definitely not a city. Getting to Boston is definitely quite a trip. Mount Holyoke is a bit more isolated than Smith, as South Hadley is much quieter than Northampton. Barnard is obviously in New York City. Depending on what you prefer, one school would be a much better fit than the rest. On an urban to rural ranking, my guess is Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke.</p>
<p>Consortiums: Another thing to consider is consortiums. At Barnard, you can cross register at Columbia. I’ve heard this is a fairly easy process and obviously your commute would be non existent. At Smith and Mount Holyoke, you can take clases at Smith(or Mount Holyoke), Hampshire, Amherst or Umass. Depending on which campus you’re on, some are easier to commute to than others, but it’s a very easy registration process. At Wellesley, you can cross register at Olin, MIT, Babson, or Brandeis, but it’s a slightly more complicated process and a decent time commitment. At Bryn Mawr, you can register at Swarthmore or Haverford. I have no idea how feasible it is though</p>
<p>Campuses: They’re all gorgeous, although Barnard sticks out as it’s urban and Smithies live in beautiful old houses instead of dorms.</p>
<p>Stereotypes: Might as well get them out here. Note: STEREOTYPE. Doesn’t mean I think it’s true, just what I’ve heard. Negatives: Mount Holyoke is the “dumbest”. Smith is the hippie-est/gayest(I don’t think it’s negative but it’s a stereotype). Wellesley is stuck up. Bryn Mawr is super academically rigorous (Bryn Mawrtyrs). and Barnard is the back door to Columbia. Positives: Smith is the gayest, Bryn Mawr looks like Hogwarts, Wellesley is very driven, Barnard is a lot of fun. Mount HOlyoke girls are prettier than Smithies.</p>
<p>Each school has their own traditions. Hoop rolling, convocation, etc. </p>
<p>I hope this helps. It’s long and for that I’m sorry, but i wanted to cover a lot</p>
<p>I was a student at Mt. Holyoke back in the day, and I only took a couple of 5 college courses during my years there, which seemed fairly typical for most students in the consortium (except for the Hampshire students, who seemed to get around more).<br>
But I know about Bryn Mawr’s Bi-Co consortium from my DS’s experience at Haverford. It’s so seamless that students can take a class at either college (not only if it doesn’t exist at your own), many students major in a dept. at the other college, buses run so that one can take back to back classes at each campus, the departments are designed to compliment rather than duplicate each other, etc. He and all his friends took courses at both colleges. Swarthmore is more distant and Bryn Mawr/Haverford students don’t take so many classes there although it’s possible and the Tri-Co is very much a part of the social scene.</p>