<p>I just wrote an entire post on the Smith board without talking about Smith. To anyone who gets frustrated by tangents on CC boards, I apologize.}}</p>
<p>You have nothing to apologize for. I asked the question.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering :)</p>
<p>US News Academic Rankings </p>
<pre><code> 1985 1990 1995 2000 2001
</code></pre>
<p>Smith nr 7 6 5 5</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr nr 8 10 11 11 </p>
<p>Wellesley 8 3 3 4 4</p>
<p>Mt Holyoke nr 15 18 21 19</p>
<p>Williams 1 4 1 1 1</p>
<p>Swathmore 2 3 1 1 1</p>
<p>Amherst 3 1 3 1 1</p>
<p>Bowdoin 10 10 6 5 7</p>
<p>Wesleyan nr 8 6 8 7</p>
<p>Middlebury nr 12 14 11 11 </p>
<p>Vassar nr 12 14 15 15</p>
<p>An old episode of "The Simpsons" caricatured all of the Seven Sisters. Each was portrayed as a different woman. I think it was something like this: Wellesley and Radcliffe were portrayed as snotty, Vassar as the noncomformist, Bryn Mawr as "experimenting," Barnard was "Columbia's girl next door," Smith as the jock, and Holyoke as the partygirl.</p>
<p>Of course, this is just the writers' fractured view of each school's identity. But I'm curious to know if anyone has had personal experience that backs these stereotypes.</p>
<p>Youll find every type of women at every college.</p>
<p>This is one of the great lines from the show. Female students at Radcliffe College meet Harvard men, those at Wellesley marry them.</p>
<p>AG, my D applied to Yale EA and she was rejected. But she saw a lot of similarities between Yale and Smith, e.g., the housing, and other similarities, with Smith getting the better of Yale on several scores.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, meganvirg, RLT for the luck. It's much appreciated with the uncertainty of the admissions process nowadays.</p>
<p>{{I don't like too many required courses (especially anything PE}}</p>
<p>I missed this. Sorry.
Mt Holyoke isnt for you. Holyoke still requires a core curriculum and PE. Smith has done away with both.</p>
<p>{{It's much appreciated with the uncertainty of the admissions process nowadays.}}</p>
<p>Theres no uncertainty in your case. Im close to 100% sure youll be admitted to both Smith and Holyoke. You may very well be offered a Stride at Smith or a Mount Holyoke College Leadership Award also</p>
<p>{{"An old episode of "The Simpsons" caricatured all of the Seven Sisters. Each was portrayed as a different woman. I think it was something like this: Wellesley and Radcliffe were portrayed as snotty, Vassar as the noncomformist, Bryn Mawr as "experimenting," Barnard was "Columbia's girl next door," Smith as the jock, and Holyoke as the partygirl.</p>
<p>Of course, this is just the writers' fractured view of each school's identity. But I'm curious to know if anyone has had personal experience that backs these stereotypes."}}</p>
<p>Calicollegegirl:</p>
<p>I do happen to have a Smith "jock" for a daughter. But I would guess that most Smith jocks are really "Renaissance women" at heart -- their athletic passion is just one facet of a diverse life that may also include commitment to academic work, community service, artistic involvement, political activism, friendships, spiritual life, etc.</p>
<p>Pesto:</p>
<p>Yeah, from what I've heard about Smith, friendship and unity are really important. I love the idea of the Friday afternoon teas and the formal dinners once a week. It sounds lovely. : )</p>
<p>Most houses still have friday teas, though they do not tend to be formal events, (my D's house does them at midnight fri night/sat morning) but formal dinners are a thing of the past for the most part. The dining changed a couple of years ago, which has caused some decrease in house community but works better timewise for most students. There is still plenty of community from what I can tell.</p>
<p>Aw, that's too bad. I had read about those traditions on the Smith site, and they really boasted about how unifying they are. I guess they need to update the webpage, then.</p>
<p>It is those traditions that make elite LAC's like Smith special. I am saddened to hear about the loss of formal dinners, etc. I realize that cutting back on dining halls makes sense, and that probably didn't impact much. I do hope, however, that Smith holds on dearly to those things that make it a special place for the women who attend. Community is an important aspect at Smith, and needs to be strengthened in various ways. I realize that teas and dinners sounds silly, but those are the little things that alumnae remember vividly about their four years at Smith.</p>
<p>There are many other special occasions at Smith as well, so I am not saying that losing these would be the end of the world. They should still, IMHO, hold onto those things that make them unique.</p>
<p>Calicollegegirl:</p>
<p>My daughter's house still does tea but unfortunately she, being a "jock," is never around to enjoy it! Nonetheless, she is able to feel a sense of community through her involvement in all kinds of other ways, and I get the impression that her circle of friends just keeps getting bigger and bigger. She opted to stay at Smith for Spring Break this year, rather than coming home, to be a part of a group of people who are going to do a different community service project each day. Then they will all cook their meals together in the evening. None of her closest friends happens to be doing this with her, but she knows several people doing it in a more distant way, and will no doubt know them much better by the time she is through. Smith seems to be the kind of place where you can easily become a member of any community you want to join.</p>
<p>I like Pesto's post #69 describing the Smith student body. My D is all over that list in the last paragraph <em>except</em> for being a jock...but she's friends with several women on the saber squad. And the way she burbles about stuff at Smith lines up with what Pesto says.</p>
<p>I understand that community is a lot more than tea and dinner on white tablecloths, but it's the description of small things like that that really hit a nerve with me. I guess I'm just a very sentimental person, and more than a bit old-fashioned.</p>
<p>Well, we do still have dinners on linen tablecloths by candle light on most Thursdays, but it certainly isn't formal. Every so often we roast marshmallows over the candles and make s'mores. :-)</p>
<p>laureldj...now you're talking! I'm glad to hear that some of those traditions live! Is this true in all houses, or just some?</p>
<p>I haven't been to all of the dining rooms, but I think they all have the Thursday candle-light dinners during most weeks. Sometimes there are no tablecloths and the candles are just two votives in the center of the tables -- but still it's fun and something different.</p>
<p>These are the small things that you will remember for a lifetime; silly as that sounds. These activities like candlelight dinners and teas build a culture in the school, and provides women at Smith with a chance to get to know each other (and profs) better as well. Bonding and camaradery and two essential elements of a good women's college (or any college worth it's salt for that matter.)</p>