I’m very interested in both these schools, but I’d like to know about the differences between them. Any advice is welcome but some questions I have:
Which is better for Computer Science (and internships/jobs)?
Differences in social scene- the extent of party culture at each and what other socialization options there are. What do students typically do on weekends/after classes?
Study abroad programs
Does one have better teaching/contact with profs/smaller class sizes?
Also, if you could sum up the culture of each in a few sentences that would be great!
The vibe seems somewhat similar and I think there is lots of overlap in kids who like them. Obviously Smith being a woman’s college is the biggest differentiator! Both are somewhat middle of nowhere but I prefer the adorable college town of Northampton to the boring utilitarian Middletown. The unique housing system Wesleyan has, where every year the students move to more independent housing is something my son really liked. Both student bodies are very smart, creative, and progressive. My kid liked both and is applying to Wesleyan.
They have a lot in common: similar size, similar host communities. Both are known for their social and racial diversity. Both have strong science departments (Wesleyan in Life Sciences plus Physics; Smith in Engineering (rare for a LAC.)
The main difference, of course, is that Smith is a single-sex college for women. A lot of people are surprised to learn that Wesleyan was single-sex for men until the late 1960s. I’m sure there are parties at every college. At Wesleyan, theater and dance concerts get sold out very quickly. My hunch is that both places depend quite heavily on food and music served up in small gatherings. The biggest difference is that Wesleyan has a lively varsity sports scene that is hard to ignore. Two weeks ago, its football team played a rare night game under the bright lights of the main quadrangle:
I dunno. I’ve been to both towns. Neither is likely to set the world on fire in terms of night life. One thing for sure: you will not starve in Middletown; there are a ton of places to eat inexpensively.
If you want to know about outcomes - both for internship and careers - you could find their career outcomes report or reach out to each career center and ask. Or contact the departments and ask.
Many kids today are finding internships on their own via indeed or linked in so I’d be less concerned with the name and more with fit.
My daughter is a student at Smith and my son is applying to Wesleyan, so I have a sense of both communities! The similarities between the two are part of what lead to my son applying to Wesleyan; my daughter’s experiences at Smith have been amazing so far.
My daughter’s social scene at Smith is pretty varied: she plays a club sport and is involved in student government so she spends times at meals and on-campus parties with those groups. She is also very close to the other residents of her house and they have a lot of planned and spontaneous events as a living community. Northampton has a ton of cute cafes and restaurants, as well as lots of art and performance events. Weekends she sometimes goes to parties at UMass or Amherst, using the free public transportation system. From my kid’s experience, there is no shortage of things to do both on and off campus.
The study abroad offices at both schools are very good and can connect you with lots of global opportunities. There is internship funding for every student at Smith, through a program called Praxis. Smith is also loan-free in its financial aid awards.
The Smith campus is absolutely stunning, and the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown Northampton are also charming and populated by local businesses more so than big box chain stores. At the same time, you have quick access to things like Target and Trader Joes through the free public bus.
Are all the houses at smith close or are some more tight knit than others? I’ve seen some people say some houses are more social/into partying and such, but would you say this is true?
Also, did your daughter get to choose her house or neighborhood?
My daughter did choose her neighborhood, and got to rank her top selections for individual houses. The houses in the quad have a reputation for being more of a party scene, but we are talking about small liberal arts college scale parties–not giant ragers like you might find at bigger schools.
My impression is that the majority of the houses have a close knit feel, facilitated in part by the student res life positions that lead each house community.
Hi yes my impression is that Wesleyan kids spend more time on campus but there is plenty going on. If it was me and I was sending a kid there I would give them a car so getting out of town would be easier but I know many kids don’t have cars and still have a great time.
As to why Wesleyan and not Smith, I don’t always want to get into it online as I get some unpleasant responses but my kid is a trans boy so is no longer eligible for Smith. When he still identified as a girl he did a summer science program at Smith and loved the school and the town, if he still identified as female he would be applying to both.
That’s a good point because in the time that it would take for a Smithie to catch a jitney from their campus to UMass, a Wesleyan could be in Hartford and within a few more minutes, New Haven, too.
Though to be fair as a town Amherst has more going on than Hartford which is extremely sleepy now. Having said that New Haven has a lot going on and with a car from Wesleyan you could get to Boston for a day trip, NYC for a weekend, or to the beach or nice hiking for the afternoon. Having said that as in most colleges wherever they are most kids I spoke to mostly did stuff on campus.
And with lyft or uber you can ditch the car in New Haven and be at Grand Central Station in 2 hours. Less, if you want to pay Amtrak for a train.
But, as you say, it’s not like Northampton or Middletown are such horrible places that the kids are scrambling to get out of town every weekend. They’re not.
My sister went to Smith and loved it. The house system was much more tight-knit there than at Wellesley where I went. There was lots to do at Smith, plenty of leadership opportunities, sports opportunities, great science education, fun town, and she made friends for life. (I imagine Wesleyan is great too. Probably depends on whether you want the same-sex school experience.)
I’m liking what I’m hearing about smith, I was already leaning towards it though so it would be really great if someone could provide the pro wesleyan side, thanks!
Well, a co-ed college is just a different sort of place. You get used to living cheek by jowl with members of the opposite sex from the moment you get up in the morning until you shut your door for the night (and sometimes even after that.) A sizable number of Wesleyan first-years actually share co-ed bathrooms, subject to majority vote at the beginning of each year. It’s a remarkably benign rite of passage that probably reduces the dating pool by the approximate number of people you already know a little too well by the end of the first month of school. That leaves plenty of other people, however, and I suppose leads to the other thing you should know about dating and small co-ed colleges: for better or worse, everyone knows your business - or may feel that way. On the flip side of the coin, people don’t live or die for the weekend; it’s all one constant ebb and flow. Some people thrive under it. Others barely know it exists. YMMV.
