<p>I'm a student from South Korea looking for great LACs that have great political science or IR program. Actually,. i'm not sure if i'll love the atmosphere of women's college. because i've never gone to schools just for girls before though many students from Smith & Mt.Holyoke said they did love their life at both schools. What college do you think has better Political science or IR program?? Which one is more easier to get in? Is the life at women's college good enough?</p>
<p>If you're thinking about "good enough," you're looking in the wrong places. Smith is somewhere between "good" and "great," depending.</p>
<p>you misunderstood me. I didn't mean that.</p>
<p>I think TD got a little lost in translation there agnes, sorry. </p>
<p>I can't say which school has the better government or IR program since I've never taken Mt. Holyoke's courses, only Smith's. Unless there's an Mt. Holyoke-Smith transfer on these boards, I would be mistrustful of what people say regarding "my school's program is better than that other school's program" because people tend to be pretty biased towards their own school. And I have no comment on which is easier to get into, you should think about what the best fit for you might be rather than the easiest entry. </p>
<p>What I can say is that Smith's Government department is excellent. It's one of the biggest majors on campus for good reason, and it's also my major. The professors are phenomenal, and if I could take all government courses, I probably would. We don't have an official IR program, but as a Government major, you choose one of the disciplines (American Gov, IR, Theory, or Comparative Government) to specialize in, so you can definitely get some great IR training. You also have the full range of "study abroad" opportunities available to you, including (if you take French) studying in Geneva for a year, where you have access to tons of internships at international organizations. Or you can participate in the Gov department's Semester-in-Washington program, and spend a summer and a fall semester in D.C., working full-time at an internship, taking some classes with your fellow program participants, and pursuing a research project of your choice. I was a Picker and it was the most transformative experience of my life, leading to excellent career opportunities, as well as being rewarding and fun. </p>
<p>The Alum network to help you find jobs and internships in Washington is also super fantastic. They're so amazing at giving you a hand so you can get a foothold on the career ladder, and so that you in turn can give another woman a hand up when your time comes. </p>
<p>I find my life at Smith to be very fulfilling. I've made strong friendships, and I like feeling like I belong to a sisterhood with a long history of changing the world. I do party and date, but since I go to a women's college I can separate that time from my "school time". I like being able to compartementalize, in other words, and know that when I'm on "school time" I'm there to study and hang out with my girlfriends, and when I'm on "party/date time" I'm fully in the mode for that, but they don't infringe on each other. I find that means I'm more focused on my studies and my friendships are stronger because they're not marred with crazy relationship drama. I think it's the best of both worlds, frankly.</p>
<p>thanks a lot.</p>
<p>ah! Where can Smithies fine their dates?lol i just wonder,. cuz i've never had a serious boyfriend .</p>
<p>It's hard to know which school is easier to get into--you can't compare based on SAT or ACT scores because Mt. Holyoke doesn't require them (Smith made them optional for domestic students but international applicants still have to submit them). At Mt. Holyoke, 50% of students were in the top 10% of their high school class--66% of Smith students were. I believe that Mt. Holyoke accepts a higher percentage of applicants, and the one student I know who applied to both schools (as a transfer from another women's college) got in to Mt. Holyoke but not to Smith. Overall, the students at both schools are similarly qualified. </p>
<p>The more important difference is that Mt. Holyoke has several hundred fewer students and is in a more rural area than Smith. I know Smith has a semester in Washington program, as well as a year-long program in Geneva where you can intern with a lot of international organizations. I don't know if Mt. Holyoke has similar programs. I was a government major at Smith and felt it was very good preparation for grad school and work after graduation.</p>
<p>Both schools have an acceptable rate a little over 50%. </p>
<p>Mt. Holyoke has had an ever higher academic rating on Princeton Review at times.</p>
<p>I really think the schools are comparable.</p>
<p>The acceptance rates have likely changed.
[quote]
For the third consecutive year, Smith College received a record number of applications and will enroll the most selective class in its history, according to the Admission Office.</p>
<p>The college received 3,771 first-year applications for the Class of 2012, a 13 percent surge over last years number, and 651 first-year students will enter in the fall. . .
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Here is the full article: News</a> Office</p>
<p>Whats most important is the best fit for you.</p>
<p>According to College Data the Smith admissions rate for the class of 2012 was 53%. An increase in applications doesn't necessary effect the admissions rate because yield factors in as well.</p>
<p>I just checked this out right now.</p>
<p>Mt. Holyoke is listed as 53% as well.</p>
<p>My D attends Barnard whose acceptance rate is now 28%. I honestly don't think this means it's a better school, though it is an excellent school.</p>
<p>I know that Smith has more Korean students than Mt.holyoke does.
then..Does that mean the competition among Korean students keener? wow... i'm silly i think.
I'm really interested in both colleges and actually now i am considering ED2 to one of them.
I wanna visit those colleges not only to know more about them but also to feel the different atmosphere if i can.
but..i can't visit any colleges in America right now........awwwwwwwwwwww.......
ah, i'm gonna sumit my SAT scores anyway.</p>
<p>Wouldn't be the first time I got lost in translation but I read the text as it was.</p>
<p>Smith's Government program is terrific. My D has a first-job-after-college in D.C. right now that she likely would not have gotten without her Smith and Picker Program experiences. I tend to downplay things like "name" and "prestige" but the outfit she's at is full of people with degrees from places like Swarthmore, Columbia, and Harvard...being from Smith certainly didn't hurt her.</p>
<p>As for Mount Holyoke, it's certainly more rural...one might say "bucolic"...and my D would have gone nuts if she had gone there. Whether Northampton (Smith) was big enough for her was one of the key questions when she was checking out colleges and it passed with flying colors, though I think by senior year, what with a junior year split between D.C. and Europe, she began to chafe at the Smith "bubble," however wonderful and nurturing that bubble is.</p>
<p>Hi there! As someone who was interested in both when applying (and being accepted to) both...I feel that Smith is stronger for U.S. politics, since that's more their focus. They also have a better alumnae network in American politics, if that's something that's important to you. I feel that Mount Holyoke is better for IR, however; we have one of the top programs in the nation, and in general we're a more internationally-focused institution. IR is one of our biggest programs, just as government is one of the biggest (I think the biggest?) at Smith. As for the Smith program in Washington, we have the same one at MHC. I would say to think about whether you'd want to have a more domestic or international focus, and keep in mind that you can always take courses at both.</p>
<p>Just wondering - - why so many comparison threads/questions on the Smith board? I don't see similar inquiries on the MHC board.</p>
<p>Is that why MHC people keep coming over here to make comments? I was just wondering that.</p>
<p>nyc: For some reason, we don't care quite as much here. :) I've come over to this board simply because I was accepted to both and love both, so I feel like I can help out with answering questions. It was a very tough decision for me, but I have no ill feelings towards Smith or its students, and everyone I know here who was accepted to both feels the same. It's nice. :)</p>
<p>I don't think the threads on the board reflect what the student body cares about, they reflect what prospective students care about. I think it's interesting that there aren't these threads on the mHC board, especially because I think people get the most honest answers from students who have actually experienced life as students on the respective campus. </p>
<p>You can't expect Smithies to know what Moho'ers experience is like, and Moho'ers can't really know what Smithies go through unless they went to school here and then transferred. So why is there a comparison thread here and not on the MHC board? It's interesting.</p>
<p>I don't understand what your thesis is. Prospective Smith students care about Mount Holyoke, but prospective Mount Holyoke students don't care about Smith? I'm lost. :/</p>
<p>My thesis is that I don't see why people expect to get proper comparisons from just posting on one board. You get a rather one-sided view, and besides that, it isn't really a good idea to have Smithies comment on Moho or Moho'ers comment on Smith. </p>
<p>It seems like the best way to get a straight and honest answer would be to ask about each school on its respective board. I just think it's interesting, that's all.</p>
<p>I wonder if it's because this board seems more active.</p>