How would you rank the Seven Sisters colleges (Vassar, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Barnard) from most to least competitive?
My GPA is 3.96 UW, 4.11 W and I have a 1400 SAT, as well as plenty of extracurriculars. Are there any I have a chance of getting into, or would they all be “reaches”?
I believe they are all truly holistic. You have a decent shot. I think Barnard is the most competitive to get in. One never knows if she can get in, even with a 1600 SAT. The best you can do is research why you want to go to that college and show it.
If you’d like to rank these schools by selectivity, you can use The Princeton Review. Vassar, for example, registers a Selectivity Rating of 96/99.
https://www.princetonreview.com/college/vassar-college-1023821
By admission rate (based on stats posted at Collegeboard.org - which also ranks the colleges as “most” “very” or “somewhat” selective.
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Barnard - 14% (“most”)
Wellesley - 20% (“most”)
Vassar – 25% (“most”)
Smith - 31% (“very”)
Bryn Mawr – 34% (“very”)
Mount Holyoke - 51% (“somewhat”)
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Keep in mind that there are variations on criteria for admissions – for example, I think that Barnard is more holistic than Wellesley, so it wouldn’t be all that unusual to see a student admitted to Barnard but turned down by Wellesley.
Your stats are within range for any of the schools, but it would make sense for you to view the colleges labeled “most” selective as reaches – “very” as matches – and perhaps you could view MHC as a low match (highly likely – I don’t like calling anything a “safety” unless admission is virtually guaranteed).
But the campuses and academic environments are different at each-- so I’d suggest that you start by thinking about which campuses are the best fit for you, and draw up your list accordingly.
Regarding the figures above, note that Mt. Holyoke’s acceptance rate recently dropped to a very competitive 38.2%.
My impression of all of the schools is that they are holistic, meaning that they take many things into consideration beyond scores and grades. I’ve known a daughter of a professor of one of those schools (I won’t say which one to keep it anonymous) who was rejected from the school to their shock and amazement. If you read their websites carefully and if you’re able to attend tours, you can get a better idea of each school’s nuances. They are quite different even though they are “Seven Sisters.” Understanding that may help you with 1) choosing the right one for you and 2) being accepted there.
In a nutshell–and I expect others to correct me as needed–
Wellesley – highly competitive academic atmosphere, cross reg opportunities at MIT, attracts women who thrive on competition. Gorgeous campus. Excellent academics. Whenever I think of Wellesley I think of: Super Strivers in a Beautiful Setting. The campus has virtually all women as it’s set physically apart from other schools and is not a consortium. (Other schools have more men, because they are part of consortia or because they are now co-ed–and men are allowed overnight in the dorms.)
- Vassar -- is co-ed but retains its feeling of being school that takes women's education seriously; "brother" school is traditionally Yale but no cross-reg opportunities; student body is not competitive with each other but rather concentrates on doing well as an individual; attracts more arty students esp drama and music but sciences and humanities also strong; admissions cares about test scores and requires more; on the commuter train line to NYC and so has that interaction (it's easy to do a day trip to NYC).
- Smith--part of consortium with UMass Amherst; Amherst; Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke, meaning you can take classes easily at those other schools with free buses. Located in the middle of a cute college town; students have reputations for overt political activism, campus resembles more New England-style clean clapboard lines compared with other 7 sisters.
- Mt. Holyoke -- beautiful campus set in a quieter area of the Five College Consortium (the same consortium as Smith). Special buses to take you to do errands and shopping. Horses. Attracts a student body of intensely interesting and ambitious women who are interested in cooperating with each other rather than competing. Has an Honor System which helps the academics feel more relaxed though they are rigorous. New science facilities. An active greenhouse and better studio art facilities than Vassar. Each dorm has a sunroom for getting sun in winters. Cookies are served like all the time.
- Bryn Mawr -- part of three consortia -- one with Haverford (the bi-co) and one with Swarthmore and Haverford (the tri-co) and one with UPenn, Swarthmore, and Haverford (the Quaker consortium). Because of the consortia and because BMC was the first or one of the first schools to offer a Ph.D. to women (and so there's a grad school there), there are men in many of the classes. The general atmosphere of BMC is 1) caring more about what you're learning than whatever external reward there might be, such as grades. It's a deeply intellectual experience and 2) cooperation and honor system among the students so much so that exams are self-scheduled with no proctoring and doors are left open and computers are left around with no fear of theft. Intense academics in a relaxed and peaceful setting. Excellent arts. Beautiful campus.
- Radcliffe doesn't really exist any ore as it got swallowed into Harvard.
- Barnard -- attracts extremely competitive women. Set in NYC. Brother school is Columbia which is across the street. Barnard is really one of the four undergraduate schools of Columbia U. Easy access to the rest of NYC via buses and subways, taxis. Barnard is a fully operational college in and of itself, set in a very small area, because of NYC's tight real estate. You could do your entire undergrad career there. However It also has access to all that CU offers--clubs and classes and sports. Because of this interaction I often have problems understanding the "feel" of Barnard as a unique spirit. I'm sure that it's there but it tends to feel like a part of CU.
Thanks! That’s super helpful to know.
Thank you! Yeah, that’s what I gathered from looking up stats online; I’m visiting MHC, BMC and Smith. I was really interested in Vassar early on but now it seems like a serious reach– could it still be worth a try?
As long as you have some good safeties/matches that you really like. Vassar may be especially worth an application if you’re not sure you want to commit to a single-sex college.
There are many excellent women’s colleges beyond the 7 Sisters that could be good matches. Agnes Scott on the outskirts of Atlanta, for example.