Hello! I am a junior in high school currently interested in gaining more information regarding attending a women’s college. I personally feel it would be a really great fit for me. However, I need to know which women’s college. I know each of them have their own identities and suit the needs of students differently.
Academically, I am in the top 20% of a small public high school in Connecticut. My SAT score is a 1420 (760 W, 660 M) and I have a 4.11 weighted gpa/3.8 weighted. I am an honor roll student. I have taken 3 AP courses (AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, and AP Language and Composition) and intend to take 3 more before I graduate (AP Computer Science A, AP Calc BC, and AP Bio). I finished four years of science in two years and two years of spanish in one year. I have taken Latin as an additional language and honors level math for 3 years, english for two years, and history for one year. I am interested in studying Computer Science with a minor in Environmental Science/Studies, but I would appreciate a school where I can study a lot of different subjects and change my major fairly easily if I find something else I want to study.
I am very heavily involved in my school’s extra curricular programs. I am a student ambassador, student senator for STEM/Business, president of peace club, a senior project coordinator, president of an academic competition team, student representative, former class officer, writer for the paper, and member of the anti-gun violence committee as well as others I am likely forgetting (my town in currently in a state of emergency due to tornadoes that went through our area this past week so my mind is a little scattered). I am also a member of our local volunteer corps and volunteer as a data analyst for the high school basketball team. In the past, I have worked with an international activist camp in marketing and camper relations.
Geographically, I would like to stay on the east coast because I am very family-oriented. I would not consider going too far south of Washington DC for personal health reasons.
I would like a safe campus with an active student body. I can party, but it’s not something I enjoy weekend after weekend.
Thank you to anyone willing to help! I am quite uneducated on the topic and have appreciated reading these threads. I visited Simmons in Boston and really appreciated the scholarship offerings. However, I am not sure about their academics and success within their CS department. This is the school that really sparked my interest in attending a women’s college.
You would probably be a competitive applicant at any of these schools. They would probably all meet your needs academically.
Obvious differences in setting. Mt Holyoke, for example, is in a relatively rural area near Amherst MA; you can bring your horse to school with you. Smith is in Northampton, a funky small town near Amherst that many people find attractive. Barnard is in Manhattan, so about as urban as it gets. Bryn Mawr and Wellesley are suburban but within an easy train ride of Philadelphia and Boston respectively.
Also differences in relationships to coed schools. Bryn Mawr has very close ties to Haverford (which is within walking distance), and more distantly to Swarthmore and Penn. Mt Holyoke and Smith are in the “5-College Consortium” with Amherst College, UMass, and Hampshire; interaction by free local bus. Barnard is across the street from Columbia. Wellesley has ties to schools in the Boston area, including cross-registration with MIT.
You might want to apply to all of these schools. You should visit them if possible.
You might also consider Vassar (upstate NY), which was formerly a women’s college and peer of the schools listed above. Vassar is now coed, but still predominantly female in enrollment. Skidmore (also upstate NY) and Connecticut College are also former women’s colleges in the Northeast; they are slightly less selective than Vassar.
Current US News rankings, in “National Liberal Arts Colleges” list, of Northeastern women’s colleges or former women’s colleges listed above:
3 (tie) Wellesley
12 (tie) Smith
12 (tie) Vassar
26 (tie) Barnard
32 Bryn Mawr
36 (tie) Mt Holyoke
41 (tie) Skidmore
46 (tie) Connecticut College
I wouldn’t take the rankings too seriously, but I think it’s fair to say that the chances of admission generally decrease as you rise up through this list. Wellesley, for example, is a tough admit for everyone.
Your chances would likely be enhanced at any of these schools if you applied via Early Admission (ED). They probably all have two ED rounds, so you could actually pick out two schools as ED choices.
Of the list above, Barnard is definitely the most competitive admissions-wise.
Vassar isn’t that lopsided in terms of male/female ratio. 56% female/44% male. Similar for Conn College and Skidmore. Despite once being women’s colleges, they are very much coed institutions these days. It’s been almost 50 years since they transitioned to coed colleges.
The current Vassar CDS (Section C1) shows 245 male freshmen and 380 female freshmen enrolled for Fall 2017, for a ratio of 39/61, or about 3 women for every 2 men.
For all full-time and part-time undergraduates (Section A1), the ratio was a bit more even for Fall 2017, at 960 men and 1,393 women, for a ratio of 41/59. But that’s still close to 3 women for every 2 men.
@CatLover20 You might want to start by looking at the class offerings in CS at each of the schools listed by Corbett. Also look at the number of CS majors at the school. Then look at the opportunities to take additional class at allied campuses. Do the same with the other potential majors that interest you.
Wellesley has strong name recognition, an incredible alumni network and a gorgeous campus in the upscale town of Wellesley. They do have Grade deflation and the culture can be a bit more competitive than at some of the other women’s colleges.
Smith has an engineering department which brings added diversity to a women’s liberal arts college. It’s also well-known for rigorous academics and a strong alumni network.
Bryn Mawr has the closest proximity to a co-ed college and you’re likely to see more men without having to leave campus. The campus is spectacularly beautiful, with the dorm rooms being especially luxurious with fireplaces and wood paneled walls.
I don’t know a lot about the others except to say people seem really impressed when they visit Mt Holyoke, and Barnard apparently has smaller, NYC-sized dorm rooms.
I would visit all of those schools. They have very different feels, IMO. Of those, Smith and Wellesley (maybe Bryn Mawr, too) have the fewest core requirements. Smith has a completely open curriculum and you could very easily double major or switch majors. Barnard has the most.
ALL schools are having issues with hiring enough computer science professors to meet demand. Check into not only the offerings at each school, but how difficult it is to get into the classes they DO offer. That will take more digging but it’s important to know.
These are all good schools. Depends on what you want for location. If you are open to the city, I would definately consider Barnard as one of your reaches! Wellesley is pretty isolated although some consider its location near Boston to be a positive – I do not because it really isn’t as quick/easy as some say and so is more of a weekend thing. Vassar, same thing, trips to NYC are a weekend thing but it might be a good reach choice too. Smith is pretty unique and you should look closely at the student profile to see if it would be a good fit, absolutely top notch academics. My favorite of all the women’s colleges (match) is Mount Holyoke. If you are open to co-ed, my D is a Math/CS major at Skidmore where they are quickly climbing the ranks and building their STEM departments. Enough high level classes was a concern for my D but she has been able to get all the classes she thought were pivotal for her upcoming job/graduate school search – that said, it isn’t Harvey Mudd. FWIW, Simmons is a good school in a great city but definately an academic safety for your stats, not that that is a bad thing and depending on your budget might provide the merit you need.
My daughter is C.S major at Bryn Mawr and has done very well. She is also learning the value of networking with alumni for support. Having attended a state school myself, that has been a strong benefit I observed which is probably evident in other women’s colleges.
If you haven’t done so yet, I would get my hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) and read up on the schools. You should be able to find the books in your guidance office or a library.
You should look at the course catalogs for the colleges you are considering (can be found online typically) to get a better sense of what the class offerings are in your areas of interest.
I’d also strongly encourage you to visit the schools. We saw a number of LACs with my D and really felt each one had a particular “vibe.”
Several of the women’s colleges have free apps, so that makes it easier to apply to multiple ones. You didn’t mention finances. They all tend to have good need based financial aid, but check the net price calculators to see what each school would likely offer your family.
If you are looking for merit, Mount Holyoke offers the largest award of up to free tuition. Smith goes up to half tuition plus a guaranteed paid research position for your first two years called STRIDE. Brynn Mawr offers up to about half tuition as well. Wellesley and Barnard do not offer merit.
People are right - each school has a different vibe. But they all offer an excellent education, great resources, and beautiful (but varied) campuses.
As a complement to @happy1’s good advice to consult the printed college guides and online course catalogs, also note that many schools today, including the 5 remaining 7 sisters being discussed here, have tumblr blogs and video channels with great content, often produced by or at least featuring students. Smith, for example, has brief, recent video tours of all their residential houses. Bryn Mawr has a terrific admissions blog on tumblr, Wellesley and Barnard both have extensive youtube channels. These can’t replace a campus visit or a careful look through the course catalog, but they flesh out your impressions and help figure out fit.