<p>Hi, I have already posted this thread in a different forum, but I've gotten only one reply so I'm re-posting it here. Hope I get some replies!</p>
<p>I need to choose between smith and scripps college, but im having a lot of mixed thoughts right now. I plan to major in english and psychology, and am hoping to go to a good grad school (perhaps law). Which college has more potential in giving me more opportunities in going to a good grad school and more internships? I am not considering financial aid. I know that a lot of you guys are obviously more biased towards Smith, but I want to hear everyone's opinions regardless. I want to graduate from a college that will make me a strong individual woman. I'm pretty sure both colleges have each of their own great assets, so I'd like to get some input. Help please?</p>
<p>Scripps is part of a Five College consortium (Claremont Colleges) and was modeled on Smith. Far too close for home so it was never considered here. From what I’ve read, I think I’d still prefer Smith but Scripps isn’t a bad option.</p>
<p>Evelyn5356, I have to confess I don’t really know much about Scripps except the following: it’s an excellent women’s college in sunny California, part of the Claremont Colleges, and apparently it was modeled after Smith (see the book “Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women’s Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s” by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, a Wellesley alum who is a favorite history prof at Smith–very cool book, by the way, although I have to confess I didn’t read beyond the histories of the Seven Sisters–too many books, so little time! Maybe someday!).</p>
<p>My daughter is an English major/Archives minor and loves it. If you have read any of the other threads about Smith and grad school, you have seen there is no question Smith can provide you excellent preparation for top-notch grad schools. My daughter just mentioned tonight that there’s an English major, a senior, who returned from her study abroad at Oxford last year and who’s attending Oxford for graduate school this fall–not half shabby! If you are potentially interested in law school, you should PM Stacy who attended a top 14 law school.</p>
<p>Smith also offers Praxis which currently pays $2000 to every student for one summer internship that would otherwise be unpaid.</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent. Both have consortiums with other colleges although the environs couldn’t be more different–the LA suburbs vs. a large town/small city in New England surrounded by smaller towns. What kind of weather are you interested in?</p>
<p>There are other differences. Scripps has a set of core requirements (and very, very good ones!) and heavy distributional requirements. Smith has a totally open curriculum. There isn’t much depth in upper level electives at Scripps, and supplementing with the consortium is pretty much a must. This is simply a function of size. Smith is substantially more economically diverse. And has at least one guaranteed paid internship. Scripps is drop-dead gorgeous! Smith has a much stronger and much larger alumni network.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can do badly with either.</p>
<p>As someone who considered both schools, here were my personal pros and cons.(at the time I was applying, my pros and cons have changed a good deal though!)</p>
<p>Scripps Pros
-Consortium much more accessible
-Better weather
-Smaller
-Closer proximity to boys
-GORGEOUS</p>
<p>Scripps Cons
-The town is really…ehh
-Not as economically diverse
-Dorms as opposed to houses
-Less name recognition</p>
<p>Smith Pros
-Housing system
-More economically diverse and better financial aid (for me)
-Northampton is AMAZING
-more “quirky” girls on campus
-Open Curriculum
-AWESOME study abroad</p>
<p>Smith Cons
-Consortium is useful, but far away
-Weather
-WEATHER
-Closer to home </p>
<p>As a current student I can say while Smith isn’t perfect, it’s darn near close. I think most of what I’m saying could be said of both Scripps and Smith, but Smith is lovely, has amazing professors, and has some of the most wonderful women I’ve ever met. What Smith has that Scripps definitely doesn’t is a housing system that’s tops in most rankings (and gives you an instant community), the largest library of any LAC, the town of Northampton which is darling, and Smith’s name has a bit more punch. If I’m wearing my Smith shirt out and about (especially in NYC or Boston), inevitably, some older women will come up to me and tell me about her time there (or occasionally Wellesley or Barnard or Mount Holyoke or Bryn Mawr).</p>
<p>I’m not sure that we are more biased towards Smith, but we are far more familiar with Smith and, therefore, can easily rattle a list of “pros.” If you want first hand infor re: Scripps, better to post on the Scripps board.</p>
<p>My D was invited to a Scripps fly-in program and declined, applying ED to Smith (against my advice - - in large b/c I wanted her to experience life in another part of the country). Both are wonderful school, Smith is a bit stronger academically, in more self-contained (free-standing?) academically and has a far more varied curric than Scripps. OTOH, you can supplement your Scripps experience by taking courses at the other Claremonts (far easier than taking off-campus classes at Smith).</p>
<p>The Praxis program is unique in that it GUARANTEES each student a funded internship. At most other schools, internship funding is available, but awarded on a competitive basis - -so not every student gets funded. Another Smith gem: funding for study abroad during the summer and J-Term. This allows students who did not participate in semester of year abroad programs the oppty for foreign study.</p>
<p>These are all GREAT replies. Thank you so much! It’s really hard doing the entire college process by myself, from the applications process to the selection process. My parents do not speak English at all, and are not familiar with any of the colleges so they could not give me any help. I am so glad that I can get help this way.</p>
<p>@CarolynB: I don’t really care about the weather too much. Although I’m used to the sunny California weather, I wouldn’t mind some change! @TheDad: I actually live in Claremont, so Scripps is in my backyard. I can see the school from my window (not really, but that’s how close it is).</p>
<p>For people that already chose Smith, what made you choose it over other colleges?</p>
<p>If you live in Claremont, that should be enough to allow yourself to experience something new. (I’d never want my kids to go to a school in their backyard - except we homeschooled, so, often, the backyard WAS their school.)</p>
<p>Evelyn, what Mini said. Half your education you get outside the classroom. D learned a lot just by living in another part of the country, albeit one she is very simpatico with. Became very self-sufficient and, in my idiom, learned “how to hit a curveball” in terms of dealing with problems on the fly when no one was there to bail her out.</p>
<p>I was going to say that you can’t go wrong with either until you mentioned that you live in Claremont. Going to college in New England will give your experience an extra dimension since location <em>does</em> influence the college. That said, going to school across the country from home does have its disadvantages: 1. It will be more difficult for family to visit and for you to go home 2. Packing for college must be more economical, and you’ll need to buy some stuff there. If you arrive alone, getting big items back to your house will be difficult since you’ll be without a car. Several Smithies on this forum hail from California, so you should PM them for advice if you decide to attend.</p>
<p>This isn’t really related but what’s the lowest GPA of someone who’s been accepted? my gpa is pretty low but I have a good SAT score and good extra curriculars. and Scripps is definitely my first choice! Do you think I have a chance of getting in ED? </p>
<p>Daughter did overnight at Scripps a month ago. Both roommates stayed up all night talking about the amount of reading homework they had, but my daughter observed “they never did any reading”. The Claremont Consortium has incredible opportunities for all, in contrast to Smith’s consortium which is hampered by distance. Sad to say, Scripps and Pitzer students are looked down upon by the other three colleges, regardless of the fairness of that. </p>
<p>REMEMBER there are exceptions to broad-brush thinking at EVERY college. Scripps can provide an incredible experience if you go out and get what is there for you to WORK for. I sat on the campus soaking in the vibe, and the women were very friendly. Sadly, I have never had the opportunity to visit Smith. ALL colleges provide so much for the students with the smarts and the work ethic to be accomplished in their studies. However, I do think that, based on the numbers, Smith has a far greater percentage of students with more robust transcripts. By extension, I would expect more academic accomplishments from them.</p>
<p>Papermate, consider applying to Pitzer college, which is a member of the five-college group that also includes Scripps. As a Pitzer student, you would be able to take classes at Scripps. Pitzer is a good school with lower standards for admission than Scripps. (But Scripps still has the best dorms!)</p>
If you are potentially interested in law school, you should PM Stacy who attended a top 14 law school.</p>