<p>I was in a really similar situation to you except that my parents pushed for Barnard over Smith (the NYC thing kind of freaked them out, small towners, you know). </p>
<p>Computer Science and Engineering are both awesome at a women’s college because, as you correctly guessed, the environment is more positive. Girls are expected to be leaders in their courses and are really well-nurtured and encouraged. You don’t have to deal with super-arrogant boys, that goes without saying. The engineering dept. is getting a brand new building that opens in fall 09 and it’s going to have the very latest in equipment, so you I wouldn’t think you’d miss out much on quality of facility. I’m not a comp sci major and have only taken their computer classes for non-majors, but I’ve been impressed with the department in that limited contact. Majors in computer science and engineering both seem really passionate about what they study. </p>
<p>Plus, I think the environment at Smith in general is not as negatively competitive as it is at other schools. Regardless of your department, I find that women here are interested in competing in the outside world, but not necessarily in competing against each other. It’s more of a “let’s do it together, cause we’re all smart and we can all bring something to the table” and less of a “I have to squash you so that I can reach the top cause there’s only so many places”. At a bigger university like Columbia or Barnard, that’s going to be a big factor. If cut throat competition is your thing, awesome, but if it’s not, maybe a different school is a better fit. </p>
<p>Of course, Northampton is not like NYC at all, but it’s also not a total desert. There’s great restaurants, and an excellent arts scene with tons of good music and plenty of local museums. The shopping is not as diverse as in New york, but its fun.Smith is not very far from NY though, and there’s a pretty big NYC contingent here, so you won’t be totally adrift. My friends who are from NYC here seem to really like Noho cause it’s a cosmopolitan town without the craziness of city life, and then they appreciate the city more on vacations. </p>
<p>Also, Smith has a lot going for itself as a self-contained unit, which I was worried when I was applying would not be the case as much at Barnard. Being so close to such a bigger university and in New York City, I was worried that I wouldn’t get the same close-knit community experience I wanted and I definitely found that at Smith the community was vibrant on campus. </p>
<p>Something to consider though is that if you study engineering at Smith you won’t be able to specialize in computer engineering until grad school. If you study computer science, it may not give you the same engineering aspects you want. You could do a major in engineering with a minor in comp sci of course, but maybe that’s not the option you’re looking for. </p>
<p>Basically, this is a long post to say that I have no idea which you should pick, sorry, but just to help you think about Smith’s offerings as compared to Barnard. Ultimately, try to resist parental pressure as much as possible and pick the school you think fits you the best. This is your future you’re talking about, so you need to think carefully about yourself, regardless of what your parents think. Maybe visit the admitted students days and test out the feel of each place. Often times the right school will “click” in an untangible way that let’s you know it’s right.</p>