<p>I'm an international student looking at US colleges for 2007 entry....I've been looking at mostly liberal arts colleges and am wondering what your opinion is regarding their drinking,social culture ?? And if you have visited them what feeling/vibe did you get???? And overall how good are they?? </p>
<p>I'm looking for good educational reputation, good/reasonable soccer team (doesnt need to be champion, just competitive), either in a city or not too far away, and best of all a good atmosphere/vibe...</p>
<p>Colleges I'm looking at:
Williams
Smith
Wellesley
Gettysburg
Bryn Mawr</p>
<p>kiwi, you would get an excellent education at all of the schools on your list. They are quite different in selectivity (percentage of applicants accepted) and quite different in the percentage of internationals that they accept, especially those that are offered financial aid.</p>
<p>Williams is the one that I am most familar with. It has one of the best reputations for rigorous academics and excels in many areas of study science, math, social studies and humanities. </p>
<p>Varsity soccer is very strong and ultra competitive but there are lots of opportunities for intramural sports as well. </p>
<p>It is not in or near a major city, but rather is in a picturesque village surrounded by mountains. It gets a lot of snow.</p>
<p>The faculty is accessible and supportive. The students are bright, friendly and extroverted and most are involved in more than one activity: sports, art, music, drama, dance, politics etc. A fair amount of socializing -- including drinking -- goes on on campus (more than you would find at an all women's school) but non-drinkers or light drinkers are common and accepted. </p>
<p>If accepted, Williams offers generous need based aid to internationals; however acceptance rates for internationals are quite low.</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke has a large (relatively--for a small college)) international population. Not near a city but accessible to Boston by 2-hour bus trip. Friendly, open atmosphere --not much drinking on campus--women's college. Bryn Mawr seems more academically intense--easy access to Philadelphia. Both MHC and BM are outstanding academically--in terms of courses, professors. Both have an intimate, supportive atmosphere. I don't know anything about their soccer-sports facilities.</p>
<p>Don't know the soccer situation at Wellesley, but it fits your criteria otherwise quite well. Known for not having a drinking culture. Very accessible to Boston/Cambridge (I am an alum who spent mucho time in the city). Excellent academics, great opportunities for personal interaction with faculty, supportive (non cutthroat) academic atmosphere, beautiful campus. Vibrant activities on campus and in the city.</p>
<p>The schools you have listed really run the gamut in social life & vibe:</p>
<p>Williams- athletic, hearty, isolated, friendly, preppy, w/ lots of social life, drinking
Smith- all female, in a town and among 4 other colleges, less drinking, very supportive learning enviornment, quieter
Wellesley- similar to Smith but more academic intensity; not right next door to other schools
Gettysburg- more typical college party atmposphere with significant drinking, preppy. Sim to Williams but larger and at much a less intense academic level.
Bryn Mawr- quiet and studious enviornment, but right next door to Haverford and close to Swarthmore for more social options</p>
<p>The womens' colleges have a very different feel from preppy/athletic schools. What sort of environment are you after?</p>
<p>Addendum to SBmom's info (if she will accept a "friendly amendment"): while Wellesley is not "right next door" to other schools (altho Babson is in the same town) it has cross-registration with MIT and much social etc. intermixing among a large contingent of Boston area schools.</p>
<p>Academically, they are all first rate, with Gettysburg perhaps a bit below the others.</p>
<p>Besides generally fine academics, Williams is world famous for art history, and is really extraordinary in astronomy/astrophysics, and math (for a liberal arts college). Smith and Wellesley both have excellent art history and studio art departments. Williams and Smith both have excellent music departments. with Smith's extended by the 5-College Consortium. Smith and Wellesley are renowned for their foreign language programs and study abroad (especially European) - Williams is admitted very weak on that score. Bryn Mawr is also strong in languages, and has a reputation in classics (and a graduate program in same.) Oh - for female engineers, Smith is the place.</p>
<p>Culturally, there are some signficant differences, some stemming from location, some from student bodies. The Williams student body (and to a lesser extent Wellesley) are on the whole very well-heeled, with (in the case of Williams) significantly fewer than half the students receiving financial aid, and relatively few from lower income groups. Smith has its share of well-heeled students, but has the highest percentage of students from low-income groups. The differences in drinking behavior between the women's colleges and Williams and Gettysburg would be at the extreme end of the liberal arts college continuum. Sports are very big at Williams, somewhat at Gettysburg, and very, very much more subdued at the women's colleges (though rowing and field hockey and equestrianism can be big.)</p>
<p>I've spent time on all 5 campuses, and they are all beautiful. If you like rural beautiful, Williams is absolutely stunning, especially in winter (though isolated and very cold! or at least it was for me.) If you like to ski, this is the place! Bryn Mawr reminds me of Harry Potter. Smith is architectually eclectic - the campus design was by a single individual (Olmstead) but also by design, residences were built to blend into the surrounding neighborhoods, and new buildings are built to current tastes as they arise. Wellesley is magnificent, and more integrated in architectural design. Gettysburg is virtually in the shadow of the battlefield, and the redbrick and cupola is quintessentially American.</p>
<p>You'll get a great education at any of them.</p>
<p>(continued). Their locations lend themselves to very different weekend cultures. At Williams, every thing is self-contained. Spectator sports are big. There is no town to speak of; it really is far from city life, especially in winter. School spirit runs high. This is true to a lesser extent at Gettysburg - there is a real town there, but it mostly caters to Civil War tourists. Smith is in the middle of a very arty, happening town - 9 bookstores, cafes, art galleries, restaurants, folk clubs, local academy of music, etc., and free bus to the other colleges in the 5-college system. Since Northampton is the largest town around there, it is more often a destination for folks from the other colleges. My impression of Wellesley is that it empties out on weekends. It is in an upscale 'burb, but within relatively easy reach (40 minutes) of Boston, a great student city, which is where many students go. Bryn Mawr is quiet, though within 30-minute or so reach of Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Wow!! Thanks for all your help everyone!! I knew I would get lots of good info from the parents!!!</p>
<p>Wellesly is my reach, and my favourite!!! And Gettysburg is my safety as I think I have a better chance of getting in there than the others (though with college nothing is certain, as we all know!!) I'm pretty good at adapting to new environments and areas, but I loooooove schools with old buildings, I dont know why, I just do, maybe cause they provide a sense of history and tradition...so Wellesley and BM look pretty good for that!!</p>
<p>Thanks again for your help, and if anyone else has any info/replies it will be much appreciated!!!</p>