hello everyone! i was recently accepted to reed, smith, and grinnell college. i’m currently deciding between these three and am still waiting to hear back from schools i was waitlisted to (middlebury, vassar, welseyan, and wellesley.) i have yet to visit these schools, and financial aid has only been determined for smith. in the meantime, i’m making potential decisions based on the experiences of other current/former students and my own research. i will be visiting them all this month, and expect that the first visit will definitely give me a better idea of which one i should choose.
i am an asian female from southern california. i’m not sure what exactly i’d like to major in, but i’m definitely leaning towards political science or history, (i’m also interested in anthropology, sociology, american or east asian studies). in my college search, i initially wanted a school in an urban or semi-urban area with lots of diversity. (i realize that the racial/ethnic diversity of los angeles is really difficult to replicate in other parts of the country, but i wouldn’t want to go to a school that’s super homogenous.) i’m pretty left leaning in terms of politcs, so i don’t mind the liberal bent to some of these schools (as long as it’s not stifling of debate or constructive discussion.)
in high school, i was involved in my high school’s orchestra (as well as regional honor ensembles-- i play the viola) and political activism. i know all of these schools have social justice-oriented student organizations, but wasn’t sure about the political scene in these schools and their surrounding areas as a whole.
academically, i know that the workload for each school varies. reed and grinnell are known for their academically intense culture and intellectual student body (maybe reed more so, with its notoriously heavy workload and humanities courses). i’m not too sure about smith’s general atmosphere academically. i’d like to attend law school or a graduate program (history/poli sci) after undergrad, and know that grinnell + reed have solid reputations among graduate schools.
Congrats on three excellent choices. Any of these colleges will set you up for grad/law school. I would recommend that you don’t fall too in love with any one school until you see your financial aid awards. Law school is expensive (and grad school can be too). So if there is a big disparity in costs among your choices, you should seriously consider going with the least expensive option.
I’m surprised you didn’t get your financial aid information with your Grinnell acceptance. If you don’t know a reason for the delay, you should contact them. (The same may go for Reed, I just don’t have any firsthand knowledge of how they handle acceptances and financial aid awards.)
My son is a (Bay Area) California kid at Grinnell. He likes the level of diversity. The large international student population is a big plus to him. The music program is active and inclusive for non-music majors. Finally, Grinnell has a lot to offer someone who is interested in politics: https://www.grinnell.edu/news/being-grinnell-student-during-iowa-caucuses.
My daughter bailed on Grinnell due to mid west location and disappointment with level of orchestra. It was definitely a contender for a while. And music lessons are free. Smith has a small but good music department and you can play in any of the orchestras in the consortium. And with Smith as you know you can take classes at the other schools in consortium. Smith has an edgy vibe. Northampton is a great town. With Reed you have access to Portland although its in a more suburban setting (pretty though). Great choices…you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
I’ve recently been accepted to reed and smith as well! I’ll be visiting both next week at their admitted student days and I think that’s the best way to gauge them, because I’ve heard verrrrrry different things. That said, smith is definitely more rural, but I don’t think it’d be too hard to go into Amherst or I think springfield might be a bit bigger and nearby too. However, it is more left leaning, and as one friend described, “very pretty, very gay.” As far as reed, I have heard about some racial issues there, then of course it’s in Portland, which has its own issues. Diversity is a large factor for me as well, being a mixed female from the Bay Area, so I’m hoping these incidents at reed aren’t any more than any other college would have, and instead just press focusing on the negatives of the college. This comment has been very all over the place but hopefully it helped a bit
Hi. Smith is in my neighborhood and it’s not rural....Northampton is a small city, lots of great restaurants and shops, music and art venues. Amherst is smaller than Northampton and has similar, but fewer, offerings. Many of us think it’s a bit precious. UMass is its own thing...lots of events of course. Smith is very progressive, there is a vocal gay and trans community. Good luck with your choices!
Congratulations on three great, great choices! I know Reed and Smith better than Grinnell. I think all would have an appealing vibe. I think of Reed as more overtly intellectual and Smith more overtly political, though only to a degree, and Reed is obviously political and Smith intellectual also. I love Portland and Northampton. One difference, Reed is a little ways from downtown Portland, Smith is immediately adjacent to Northampton, which is a pretty dynamic little college town, with lots of beautiful areas nearby. Also, Smith is also part of the Five College Consortium, so I think there is a little broader college student community than you might get other places. Grinnell is midwestern and rural, though something of an island, and Iowa is probably somewhat more urban and progressive than someone from CA, or elsewhere, might assume. I don’t think there’s a “bad” choice among them, so don’t worry about that, and try to figure out which one will offer the most inspiring four years for you. Good luck!
Agree no bad choices. Smith is not rural IMO, you can walk to Northampton with lots of great restaurants, take a bus to Target and the Mall, and you have the 5 college consortium. I too am surprised you don’t have the financials for the other two schools and agree you should go with the least expensive, if money is a concern.
This is not something many people do, but I believe Smith is also part of the 20 ish college consortium of northeast liberal arts schools where you can take a semester or year at one of the other colleges including
Vassar. Most people get to involved in their own school to do this but it is available. I agree that when we visited Smith we thought Northampton was a great small city. I remember it had a Tibetan restaurant near the campus.
EDIT: i received the financial aid materials for these schools. for grinnell + smith, i’d pay around $30,000 (depends on whether i accept the loans they offered), while at reed i’d only pay about $13,000. i think this makes my decision a lot clearer
