<p>I love the idea of going to a women's college and am planning to apply to Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Smith this year. I live in the Midwest, though, and it's pretty much impossible for me to be able to visit each one (I do want to apply for Smith's Women of Distinction program). So while I know it's impossible to really tell without going on campus myself, I'm curious about the general vibe of each school, or what the social and academic atmosphere is like. From browsing other CC forums, this is the impression I've gotten thus far:</p>
<p>Smith - most "in-your-face" nonconformist and liberal, super politically correct, and serious students</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr - not as liberal as Smith, but maybe more so than Mount Holyoke; students very proud of the amount they study and most likely to boast about pulling all-nighters or something</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke - can't find as much about MHC, but most laidback of the three; not at all to say students here are not as serious as at Smith or BMC, but general attitude is less...competitive? stressed?</p>
<p>Thoughts? Corrections? Corroboration? I find all three colleges appealing and just want more info on what distinguishes them from teach other. More on Mount Holyoke in particular.
(Sorry, I'm NOT looking for pros and cons on academic offerings or Five-College vs. BiCo/TriCo or housing or whatnot, just the campus "feel," I guess.)</p>
<p>As a Bryn Mawr alum ('05), I would say your reading of Bryn Mawr seems pretty spot-on. Nice work!</p>
<p>Beyond the very rigorous academics, obsessive studying, and liberal (but not as liberal as Smith!) politics, I think there are some other things that set the “vibe” of Bryn Mawr apart. </p>
<p>One, I think it’s easier to do your own thing, if you’re not into the whole tiny all women’s college social scene for four years. There are some people who love that scene, and that’s great, but there are others who party at Swat or Villanova or in Philly. So the social scene (although it’s nothing to write home about) is not as homogenous as you might expect. </p>
<p>Hey I actually I am also deciding between each of those. Before visiting Smith, I had the impression that it was extremely liberal and a feeding ground for counter-culture nonconformists. After visiting and seeing the students I had a completely different impression. Although there were some strong notes of counter culture, it was actually fairly conservative (not in the political sense) and very erudite. The campus isn’t consistent in it architecture (the foundress believed that each building should represent the time in which it was built), but it has character. It also is pretty contained for the amount of building/houses it utilizes and resides in a fantastic college town. Before I visited Mt. Holyoke, I thought that it was the quieter of the three just because they haven’t had much publicity and don’t really show any of their students online (the other two have I think better videos on YouTube). When I visited, it was so incredibly liberal and very much into the counter culture (barefoot, bra-less; no judgement just what it is) and the girls were very rowdy-yelling and running around. The campus was pretty, although a good amount of the buildings are very 60s/70s looking and rough. The area is suburban and nice. I haven’t visited Bryn Mawr yet. Right now, I see it as being pretty quiet. It’s very small and it’s campus, although gorgeous, doesn’t have too many facilities and buildings. Recently, I have discovered that because of BMC’s tiny size, they outsource some classes (even in basic subjects) to their partner schools Haverford and Swarthmore, which you have to take a shuttle to get to. That might be a deal breaker for me. </p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions, I live in MA and will be visited more. :)</p>
<p>I find your use of the word “out-sourcing” very interesting. Due to the exceptional consortium of which Bryn Mawr is a part, students have the opportunity to register for any of the 5,000 classes cross listed between Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore, and U Penn. Rather than investing in the creation of identical departments at each school, the consortium ensures that collaboration between colleges is amplified by concertizing exceptionally strong departments from which all students can learn. That’s why there are certain departments that are offered only at Haverford (e.g. Religion, Astronomy, and Music) and others are offered exclusively at Bryn Mawr (e.g. Creative Writing, Geology, and Theater). As I said before, it is in everyone’s best interest to consolidate departments that offer exceptional resources and opportunities so that students may have academic and social lives that span more than one campus. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the departments (particularly between Bryn Mawr and Haverford) emphasize different facets of the field. For example, Bio majors can find microbiology classes at Haverford while Bryn Mawr offers more classes on the macro side of the spectrum. </p>
<p>Lastly, Bryn Mawr is ranked #1 on Princeton review’s listing of “Dorms Like Palaces.” The campus in incredibly beautiful, and I’d recommend you visit if you have the opportunity. Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>Re life at MHC, check the MHC page on this website and other posts on this page for more information.</p>
<p>Regarding MHC’s traditions, there are quite a few, and MHC, I think, was the first Women’s College to have them, although I am sure others will disagree. Many at MHC think it is Hogwarts, due to the class colors tradition and the look of the library and other buildings (the class color flags are actually hanging in the library):</p>
<p>Yes I’d say that’s a pretty good evaluation of the schools, but I can’t really speak about Bryn Mawr as I’ve never been and know very little about it.</p>
<p>Smith’s is very accurate, even though you really wouldn’t be able to tell that just from a day or so there. As a whole they’re much more (liberally!) vocal than Mount Holyoke students and are probably going to be a little more “in your face” about being at Smith and an all-women’s college. That’s not a bad thing at all, it’s just what I’ve noticed. I also tend to believe Smith women feel more comfortable being less stereotypically feminine, and again that’s not all of the Smith women because I know some very girly students there. I also know some very conservative students there. I’m talking majority.</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke definitely has a justified “prep school” image. It’s one of the most preppy schools I’ve ever seen in terms of the way people dress and look. Although there are many foreign students and varied races/religions/lifestyles at all of the Sisters, MHC can sometimes seem and appear to be quite homogenous. MHC’s campus, in my opinion, is lovelier than Smith’s but on the downside the dorms are just dorms with a lack of community where Smith has an amazing and tight-knit house system. MHC is also more rural, where you can walk across the street to a coffee shop but that’s just about the extent of shopping/life in South Hadley, whereas Smith is in Northampton and it’s definitely more bustling (…and sometimes sketchy, not going to lie).</p>
<p>I’m a Mount Holyoke student contemplating a transfer to Smith but I really like and respect both schools. I hope I didn’t inadvertently hurt anyone’s feelings or anything. Good luck applying!!!</p>
<p>Well said Shooting Star! From this Dad’s view of both schools (D was accepted to both, but goes to Smith), you nailed it pretty well --without making any blanket “everybody is this way” statements. Very smart. Either school is going to benefit from you being a Star of their class! Hope you get your wish and are at Smith soon. All that shopping in Northampton could be a problem though…</p>
<p>I will just comment on Smith because that’s where I have the experience. I did visit Bryn Mawr and did not get a favorable impression, but I think I just got the rotten luck of not having a good guide or a good day to visit. On another day, with another guide, I probably would have felt differently. Anyway, I chose Smith. </p>
<p>I don’t know if I would categorize Smith as super politically correct, but I also think how much political correctness you find tolerable (or even whether you categorize something as being politically correct or not) depends a lot on the environment you’re coming from. Some environments that some people find totally comfortable are oppressively politically correct to others. I will say though that a favorite phrase Smithies jokingly use when discussing our behavior is “I have opinions about your opinions!” Meaning that we do like to discuss, debate, argue, stake out claims, etc etc etc. There’s no premise so pat at Smith that it’s not worth being picked over. Sometimes that’s the greatest thing ever, other times it can be too exhausting. Smithies are overall very intense, and whatever their passion is (politics, art, theatre, science, engineering, ancient Greek, women’s equality, scoring the best hipster outfit from the thriftshop), they’ll pursue it full throttle. Again, most of the time, it’s totally awesome. Some of the time, it’s challenging. </p>
<p>I would agree that Smithies are by and larger very comfortable being less stereotypically feminine. I don’t know if it’s more or less than at other colleges, but I really appreciated that at Smith you could kind of dress as you liked. Many, though not all, dispensed with makeup unless they were going out. Ditto for heels, shaving your legs, etc. Again, not all, but many. In terms of dress: There are students who look like they stepped out of the pages of a J. Crew catalogue, there are students who look like they came out of the pages of the Menswear J. Crew catalogue, there’s just a lot of freedom to be and explore. But campus fashions and mores move overtime. When I started as a first year (Mid 00’s), people dressed very slouchy. Pajamas and sweatshirts were normal. By the time I graduated, the prevailing campus style was much more dressed up and put together. People would “dress” for class the way people in previous generations might “dress” for dinner, putting on their sharpest outfit in their own particular style. I imagine that may have changed again in the years since I’ve been there.</p>
<p>I graduated from MHC several years ago and I absolutely loved it. I can’t speak much about Bryn Mawr, but I did take classes at Smith while at MHC (one of the five-college perks). The biggest difference between MHC and Smith is location, and really, I think it’s best if you’re able to visit the campuses and talk to current students. When I was at MHC, I thought it was more liberal than Smith was, but that is something that may change over time so it’s best to stop by the campuses yourself and see which one you feel more “at home” in.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is your major and what you’d like to study or activities you’d like to be involved in. I’m sure some campuses have strengths over others. MHC is known for the sciences and has amazing connections in the science world, though I was a social science woman and was very happy with my education.</p>
<p>All three schools are academically rigorous and have excellent reputations and it just comes down to personal taste and where you would feel most comfortable!</p>