<p>Smith vs. Middlebury vs. NYU Liberal Studies Program vs. Emory (Oxford College) vs. Mills in terms of academics, atmosphere/environment/community, activities, access to internships, progress to excellent grad school etc etc ?</p>
<p>Can’t speak to the others but Mills isn’t in anywhere near the same league academically.</p>
<p>NYU will be a near-antithesis in terms of environment.</p>
<p>Smith vs Middlebury is more like a “chocolate” vs. “strawberry” kind of thing: which do you prefer? Middlebury has an excellent rep overall and is very strong in some fields. Smith is about 20 percent larger and I think Northampton kicks Middlebury as a place to spend four years but, as I said, this is more of a personal flavor kind of thing.</p>
<p>N.B., Middlebury Brown, and Tufts were three schools that D didn’t apply to that I thought were possible fits. But no second guesses about Smith, not after her experiences.</p>
<p>Wow, pixieestick5! Your choices are literally all over the map, from large universities in NYC and Atlanta to LACs in Oakland (a city), rural Vermont and Northampton (a small city), MA! They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but before you consider any of those, where do you want to live for four years of your life? Clearly you’re ready to see other sights outside of Kansas, but one question to ask: do you see yourself as a country mouse or a city mouse? Are you ready for the noise and bustle of cities or the bucolic serenity of the country or something in between? I’d say Smith is in between. You have the liveliness and immediate accessibility of Noho with the valley and beautiful hills beyond.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to Middlebury where she got waitlisted (I think VERY few from Massachusetts make into Middlebury) and at the time, she was extremely disappointed. To make a long story short, she adores Smith and looks back on the whole college process as one that fortunately led her to Smith.</p>
<p>Right now, as a junior, she’s on break from University of Oxford, traveling with some Smithie friends, one of whom is doing JYA in Florence. Apparently her friend’s host family in the past has hosted students from Middlebury, but this year they decided to host a student from Smith; I’m sure you know Middlebury has quite a reputation for languages, but you should also know Smith’s JYA programs are quite competitive to get into. All this should give you a sense about some of the numerous study abroad options.</p>
<p>As far as internships, the Praxis distinguishes Smith from many other schools; you are GUARANTEED a paid internship of your own choice for one summer! My daughter will be using hers this summer, doing research for her senior thesis, which will help her in her application to graduate schools.
[Smith</a> College Career Development Office](<a href=“Lazarus Center for Career Development | Smith College”>Lazarus Center for Career Development | Smith College)
[Praxis</a> Internships | Smith College](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/acad_specialpraxis.php]Praxis”>http://www.smith.edu/acad_specialpraxis.php)</p>
<p>Here are some alumnae stats that are potentially useful to you:
[Smith</a> College: Admission: Alumnae Statistics](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/admission/alumnaestats.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/admission/alumnaestats.php)</p>
<p>For atmosphere, read some of the older posts about the Smith community. It’s unique, lively, “quirky” as TheDad would say, and fiercely proud of being Smithies. The friendships you develop at Smith can last a lifetime.</p>
<p>I can’t really compare your other college choices to Smith, with the exception of Middlebury, and I agree completely with TheDad.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1317811-looking-anecdotes-stories-experiences-etc-about-these-schools-2.html#post14163163[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1317811-looking-anecdotes-stories-experiences-etc-about-these-schools-2.html#post14163163</a></p>
<p>Have you visited any of the schools? If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you visit as many as you can afford. You could visit Smith, Middlebury and NYU on one trip, and you’d have to decide how to handle the others.</p>
<p>Also, if you have fin aid, is the money significantly different among the schools?</p>
<p>CarolynB: I don’t think I’ll be able to visit- I’m an international student despite the “Kansas” location (can’t change it… hehe) anyway! I dont know how i feel about NYU not having a community or campus, I’d really like that in a school. But NYU is just so appealing… the school itself, internship opportunities. But i don’t know how good the professors will be and i’m not too sure I like big classes. As for fin aid- not a problem, i’m not too worried about it.</p>
<p>Well, if you have questions abotu NYU you should really post them in the NYU board and get opinions straight from the source. Living in NYC is certainly fun, but it’s expensive and you don’t have the residential campus that some people imagine when they think of “American college”. Students will be more spread out, and not necessarily be tied to the school as their main community. However, on the other hand you have all of New York City to explore. Personally, it would be way too distracting for me to live in New York and try to go to classes at the same time. But some people like it.</p>
<p>I have the same problem currently in deciding between Smith and George Washington. It is similar to the Smith/NYU debate you are having as DC is such an ideal place for internships and various opportunities. I just can’t help but feeling that GW is just a larger school and would have so many more opportunities than Smith academically, especially for someone who is going in undecided. But, I am worried that it may be too large for me. Another point that draws me toward GW is that I received a $20000 merit scholarship, whereas I will be paying full tuition at Smith. My dad says he doesn’t have a problem paying for Smith, but I really don’t think an undergrad degree from anywhere is worth paying almost $224,000. I’ve visited both schools and am really torn at the moment. I can see myself playing soccer at Smith, enjoying the small school feel, but then I turn around and can see myself in the city with the many opportunities DC provides. Can anyone weigh in here?</p>
<p>I need to know if you’ve visited both campuses? Are you coming to the Open campus at Smith this week?</p>
<p>These are certainly two hugely different collegiate experiences. A nephew of mine went to GWU and is doing quite well in his career. You will likely have bigger classes, at least in the beginning, at that school.</p>
<p>As far as internship opportunities, are you familiar with the Praxis program at Smith? It provides students with a stipend so that they may pursue internships without having to worry about the financial side of it. Smith has a special program called the Picker in Washington semester which gives you the chance to study in our nation’s capital. There is also the Women in Public Service Project, which was launched just this past year by Secty. of State Clinton.</p>
<p>As far as the cost goes, I am sure you(or at least your Dad) know that GWU is one of the most expensive schools in the country(although they do guarantee tuition costs over four years). The merit aid definitely helps but if your father doesn’t mind spending the money it shouldn’t worry you. You absolutely cannot put a dollar value on the worth of an education.</p>
<p>I urge you to visit both schools if you haven’t already. You have two good choices in front of you. Good luck. Only you can make this decision, so nothing we can say should sway you either way.</p>
<p>I agree that you should visit, Smith and GWU are very different schools, and whether you’d like one better than the other is a pretty personal thing. For me personally, it would be Smith no question. I think the Smith campus, it’s facilities and offerings, the small school, no fraternity environment, far outweigh what GWU offers. Not to mention the th te general cost of living will be much less expensive in Noho than in DC. But thats me, and it may not be th same for you. </p>
<p>I live in DC so Im around GW quite often. It’s definitely an urban university, with all that that entails. You’re sharing your campus with a lot of other people, including grad students, residents, tourists, etc. It’s spread out throughout the city, where you’re also Sharing intellectual space with two other large universities (Georgetown and American). I don’t know that I would say GWU offers better internship opportunities than Smith by location alone. The one benefit I see is that you’d be able to do term time internships in DC, but again, you’ll be competing for those spots not only with many other students from your own school, but also with many other students from the other big DC schools (and thats not counting the grad students from those schools and other schools with a DC grad outlet). So I honestly think that any advantage would likely be small. Also, if you’re undecided, you may end up wanting to study something not related to politics, in which case the internships you’re looking for could be located in Boston or Botswana. </p>
<p>Also, a little more on the internship front, besides Praxis, Smith offers the Semester in Washington program and the Smithsonian internship program. Both are great opportunities to live, work, and study in DC. I’m a Semster in Washington grad and the internship I got through that (which was offered to me through the intercession of a Smith alum), changed my life and led directly to my post graduation dream job in DC. The great thing about a small school is there’s less competition for resources in general, including for the resource of alumnae attention. Smiths alum network is truly amazing and kind and interested in helping you to succeed, and because Smith is a tight knit school, it’s easy to access and to benefit from. Most internships remember, are not gained by location, but by connections.</p>
<p>Many students, including myself, come to Smith as undecideds, specifically because the school offers so many great academic and professional opportunities. I knew it would give me the chance to do something great, no matter what field I went into. This far I haven’t been dissapointed, but again, thats just one person’s experience.</p>
<p>I had one d. at Smith and one at American, and know quite a bit about GW. Frankly, academically, unless you are “pre-professional”, academically Smith runs rings around both of them. From a purely academic standpoint, I’d be more likely to compare Smith to the Ivies than to American/GW.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, if you are looking for in-term internships, especially in the area of international relations and/or public affairs and/or business, I very much disagree with SmithieandProud. I can’t really speak to GW, but American’s resources for helping students find, interview for, and participate in in-term internships are huge. And, no, the Semester programs in DC, though wonderful, don’t measure up to the day-to-day ability to build a network through internships in DC. Just doesn’t. The Smith programs are wonderful, really wonderful, but American (for example) lives or dies on its capacity to turn DC into its biggest asset, and they put heavy emphasis in that area.</p>
<p>Both my d’s got great educations - very different educations - but each wonderful in its own way. If you are undecided in your calling, I think you’re more likely to find yourself - in a good way - at Smith. But if you already know what you want to do, and it is DC-based, then…</p>
<p>(Don’t get me started on NYU - I think you get the lesser of both worlds there.)</p>
<p>Well, I stand by my comments, though I respect your experience. I do not think I would have been able to get as high quality off internship, nor to intern full time for six months (an integral part of my professional training) without being a Smith student with access to the Smith network. That was day to day neteorking and career buioding on a scale that a part time term time internship couldnt match. Yes American and probably GW have good, dedicated resources in this area, but so does Smith, and I believe what I told the poster: I don’t think going to school in DC automatically gives you a huge advantage, particularly for the undecided.</p>
<p>American is legendary for its internships but I’ll note that neither the large Senate staff where my D interned nor the think tank where she worked for three years after graduation had a single one from American.</p>
<p>I think the internships and its international business focus are the best things about American. It’s the one school that, when visiting, all three of us loathed. Felt much more like a supersized junior college. The post-Smith class my D took there for grad school application did nothing to improve her opinion of the student body there…grade grubbers who had no commitment to the material.</p>
<p>Whereas at Mount Holyoke, two out of three of us would have merely died of boredom.</p>
<p>Memo to self: try to stop pulling punches and say what you <em>really</em> think.</p>
<p>One of the lessons our daughter thankfully learned (as far back as middle school) is that baseless insults are rooted in insecurity. Comments such as the one here are unhelpful at best and I don’t believe reflect well on Smith College. Really, I hope that as our daughter considers Smith that such graceless, boastful, and mindlessly competitive comments are not reflective at all.</p>
<p>JG. Please do not misconstrue TD’s comments as representative of the Smith community. I am quite surprised at his “insults/arrogance” too. Obviously, one student’s experience at American or 2 people’s visit to MoHo do not reflect a majority experience anywhere. From my experience with being a part of the Smith family for almost a year, I would say that it is a warm, inclusive group. When I call the college to speak with the admin in any dept. there is always a warm “what can we do to help you” reception. I never feel that I am wasting anyone’s time with my questions. I feel my d is getting a superior education there and will have opportunities not available at large universities (ie; do research with profs that in other places would be reserved only for grad students). The Smith alumni connection is legendary. It is a very serious-minded campus (I don’t think the students care about dissing other colleges) and the students work very hard. Of course, they play too, but it is not a party school by any means. I do not have any experience with the colleges the OP is asking about except for Smith. And all I can say, is that it has a fantastic community with first-rate academics. My d was admitted to a pile of colleges/universities but Smith was the absolute best choice…for her.</p>
<p>Well I think TD is being blunt, but he’s just giving his daughter’s personal feelings about her class. It’s a small sample size, so you have to take it for what it’s worth, like everything on CC. I also think reading tone into boards like this can be tricky. Ultimately you’re just getting one persons opinion, so however informed by personal experience it’s not representative. Nothing on CC is.</p>
<p>“American is legendary for its internships but I’ll note that neither the large Senate staff where my D interned nor the think tank where she worked for three years after graduation had a single one from American.”</p>
<p>They were busy being White House interns and serving at the World Bank ;). (In my d’s case, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and KPMG - where they paid her VERY well! :). Not a Smithie to be found in any of them. But then, during term, there couldn’t be. </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong - the academic side at Smith is - to my way of thinking - unparalleled. All I’m saying is that if there other things which are valued more highly, there are other good choices (like GW) that could be made. (But as for NYU…)</p>
<p>jeremygrentham, I agree with njcdmom. TD’s comments are not reflective of most in the Smith community, both on CC and on campus. People do have strong opinions AND they can be respectful. I can’t really comment on GW and American, but what I can speak to is the Smith experience. It’s all what njcdmom said and more. My daughter’s a junior and I dearly love her friends. They’re kind, thoughtful, funny, honest, supportive, intelligent; they’re what friends are supposed to be, and I know she will have these friends for her whole life which pleases me tremendously. In fact, just this last weekend, my husband and I drove across the state to Smith to hear the Spring Serenade concert and our daughter wasn’t even there to sing; she’s abroad at Oxford this spring! We just wanted to take some of her friends out to dinner and hear their lovely concert. Smith is providing my daughter with a phenomenal education, both inside and outside the classroom, and I am thrilled she loves Smith deeply.</p>
<p>For the record, CrewDad was quoting my earlier post about advising at Emory, but I did not include Oxford in my comments (he chose to add that). I have no experience with Oxford – only Emory. Just want to be clear, and fair.</p>
<p>D was actually accepted at Oxford. In hindsight, that might have been a better place for her. I’ve heard it offers small class size, and a focused experience. Good luck!</p>
<p>Class of 2015- why? Is your d not having a good experience at Smith?</p>