A little background about me. I’m nerdy and quirky. Somewhat smart, very hardworking. Gets good grades. Introverted.
Will attend parties but not a drinker. Prefers small gatherings over large ones. Loves reading. Athlete - I am a recruited athlete (at both schools). Will major in Biology and minor in Psychology. Long term goal - MSc or PhD in Genetics (hopefully)
I love both of these schools equally but for different reasons.
Smith - love the town of Northampton. All-women’s college (hard to replicate this at a coed school). Semester system. Located close to major cities on the east coast - where I hope to settle one day. My one concern with Smith is that academically, it’s not as respected as Carleton and I’m not sure if the students will be as quirky as I am.
Carleton - love the students there (they all remind me of me). Everyone is so friendly. Wonderful professors who are passionate about what they do. My concerns about Carleton is their Trimester system as I’ll be let out much later than my peers which means I could lose out on work opportunites in the summer. Also, it’s in the mid-west. I don’t know if I can see myself working in the Twin Cities after graduation.
Since there are things I love and not love about both schools, I’m trying to make this decision based on my future goals - since that will be most objective (in my opinion).
Which of these two schools will be viewed more favorably by elite grad schools? Do either school engage in grade deflation? Which school will provide me better research opportunities? Which will better prepare me for grad school?
Both colleges will get you where you want to go. It sounds like you have visited each. Are you planning on any revisits?
Do not underestimate the power of an all women’s education in the sciences. I have a friend who works at a highly ranked liberal arts college. She said without me asking- that if she had a daughter going into the sciences, she would want her at a women’s college.
We couldn’t continue the conversation but that comment really stuck with me.
Now the flip side is my other daughter graduated from a coed college (top ten) and had a good experience and education. She is at a top grad school.
I think some of the differences may be in the level of intensity of classes that are considered weed out classes. My Smith kid enjoyed Organic Chemistry. Perhaps it was the group of kids but they worked hard together for everyone to do well. My other daughter survived Organic. It was definitely a gatekeeping class. I don’t know how the class is run at Carleton.
I’m planning another visit - this time, an overnight visit to each.
I love the idea of attending an all-women’s college. I feel that it would be highly empowering and it’s an experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
I’m curious, what aspects of Smith does your daughter love? What would she change? Would she attend Smith if she could do it all over again? What are her future aspirations? Did this come into play when deciding which college she’d attend? Thanks!
She really likes the house system. It was good for her to have the older students right there for getting advice on classes, life, etc. Staying within that community for 4 years has been enjoyable and she reaches out to the younger students as well has taken on leadership.
You will have to double check the data but I believe that there are more minority students at Smith than at Carleton. As a minority that has been important to her. I also think that Smith has more Pell grant students meaning greater socioeconomic diversity. In her case, her weekend entertainment tends to be free or cheap because she has many friends that cannot afford shopping or eating out.
The food is pretty amazing and she in no way appreciates it because she is a mac and cheese kind of person. What a waste…Look up the menus for the Julia Child dinners.
Northampton is larger and with better shopping and coffee shops than Northfield but that is understandable considering population density of college students in the area.
I can’t speak to current life at Smith since I graduated many many years ago. But if you are intrigued by a women’s college it can be an amazing experience. It was definitely right for me, but it is not for everyone.
You wrote, " I love the idea of attending an all-women’s college. I feel that it would be highly empowering and it’s an experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere." Sounds like you should give it a try, for the overnights.
Our son is doing a summer program at Carleton and really likes it there, by the way.
I wouldn’t worry about location in terms of your future, or prestige, which is overrated. One of my best friends at Smith was from Minneapolis and returned there, coincidentally. For grad school location would / could be much more of a factor.
You posted in a Smith forum, so of course I’m going brag on Smith! I haven’t been to Northfield, but Northampton is absolutely lovely. Great town, great food, and campus and the surrounding area is gorgeous. 2 hrs to Boston, 3 to NYC. The housing system has worked out amazingly for my D - very inclusive and she quickly made friends in her house and loves the advice and support from the older students. She is an athlete, a non-drinker who likes parties, and a nerd but many are much nerdier and quirkier than she is. When I ask how she is doing she says, “mom, I love it here”. If you have specific questions, I’m happy to try to answer them.