Smith vs. Wellesley vs. Bowdoin

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
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And now comes the just-as-difficult decision process. Any help is greatly appreciated!

About me/my concerns…

Academics: I come from a small, poorer public school that is not remotely diverse. The work, for the most part, is not challenging. I am incredibly excited about having the opportunity to go to an academically rigorous school and be with people who are just as eager to learn as I am. However, I’m a bit nervous that it will be over my head. I’m an introvert and I get stressed easily. I think I could do the work at Wellesley and Bowdoin, but I just don’t know what to expect in terms of how I would fare emotionally/stress wise. I’m most interested in German (want to start learning Arabic too, can I take two languages at once?), linguistics, psych, anthro/cultures, women’s/gender studies, math, maybe education… clearly I have no idea what I’m majoring in, but there are some reference points.
Study abroad comparison??
Performing/visual arts opportunities for people who aren’t majoring/minoring those areas?

Social stuff: Women’s colleges vs. Bowdoin: I love the thought of going to a women’s college, and even though Bowdoin is a fantastic school, I don’t know if I want to give up that opportunity. So many of the strong, incredible women I know went to a women’s college. I also know that Smith and Wellesley are specifically labelled as “non-party schools,” which definitely appeals to me. I know that there will be parties there too, but I’d rather be away from that. I’m also not an athlete (I just run and do recreational stuff), so I’m nervous I’ll maybe have a harder time fitting in at Bowdoin? How sports-oriented is it there?

Social stuff: Smith vs. Wellesley: I visited both campuses last year, Smith in April, Wellesley in July. I immediately felt at home at Smith and like I was with “my people.” I really loved Wellesley too, but I didn’t get the same sense of community because I was there during the summer and students weren’t there. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m an introvert, so I’m okay with there not being a huge social scene. I do want to find friends and be with people like myself though. (I’m a bit on the crunchy-hippie side, liberal, an accepting atmosphere for LGBTQA is important to me, I play fiddle (New England dance/Acadian/Irish style), clarinet, sing (chamber/classical), make lots of art, love reading, love the outdoors.)

ANY help/thoughts/answers would be wonderful. Thank you so much!

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Academics: Sounds like Smith would be the perfect fit for you! Unlike Wellseley or Bowdoin Smith has an open curriculum which means there are no required classes that you have to take (except for one writing intensive course your first year). I usually do the worst in classes that don’t interest me, which then leads to lots of stress, so if you can relate to this then I think the open curriculum at Smith will appeal to you! Also, you seem to have a lot if interests, which is awesome! If there is a certain class that you want take that Smith does not offer, you can take it at one of the other 4 colleges that Smith is linked too. (Buses for Smith students are free.) Going to Smith gives you five colleges for the price of one. As a student in the Five College system (Smith, mount holyoke, umassamherst, amherst, hampshire) you may choose from more than 5,000 undergraduate course offerings a year.

Social life: I know a few people that go to Bowdoin, and it is a big drinking school. Wellesley and Smith are not party schools, like you said, but if you want to find parties to go to its pretty easy, especially at Smith, which is 20 minutes away by bus from Umassamherst and Amherst which are pretty big party schools. I heard that for Wellesley you can go to parties at Harvard, but its not as easy because they’re pretty far away from each other.

Sports: Bowdoin, Wellesley and Smith are all devision III (which is the lowest sports division), but I think that Bowdoin is the sportiest one out of the three because I know a bunch of people who got recruited to Bowdoin for sports.

I hope this helps! Good luck with everything :slight_smile: I would definitely visit Wellesley again! I visited in the summer as well and it was pretty dead lol

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@princesssoophie Thank you sooo much. That really helps!

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I’m a current first year at Smith who ended up with a similar dilemma a year ago. I know next-to-nothing about Bowdoin, but I was accepted to both Wellesley and Smith, so I can (kinda?) speak to their differences. I am super biased towards Smith, but both are amazing schools! Congrats to you!

I genuinely didn’t expect to be accepted to Wellesley, and its reputation/prestige was definitely hard to pass up. The campus is super gorgeous, but it felt very isolated to me. I know students there, and they say transportation to Boston/Cambridge is not as easy as it seems. Wellesley is very close geographically to the urban center of Boston, but it takes a while to get there via bus (Boston area traffic doesn’t help!). However, if being near a big city is important to you, that could sway you towards Wells. Boston is ~2 hours and NYC ~3 hours (by car/bus) from Smith.

Smith, while about half an hour from Hartford, CT, feels decently rural to me (I’m from Chicago, so it feels very small/nature-y out in Western Mass!). The suburb near Wellesley isn’t very exciting or eccentric, but in terms of Smith, however, Northampton is the PERFECT college town (and isn’t too small): a famous ice cream mecca, tattoo parlors, every cuisine imaginable, adorable bookstores, oodles of quirky shops, and some basic necessities like Starbucks, CVS, etc.
It also takes about 20-40 minutes by free (!!) bus to get to the other four colleges in the consortium, with UMass being a big destination for those yearning for the environment of a typical big university every once in a while. On weekends, the other colleges are mostly destinations for those seeking parties, which is reeeeally not a Smith thing. Drinking/party culture is very small (or at least quiet) here.
Smith’s campus is also beautiful, and the mix of architectural styles makes for a more eclectic blend than Wellesley’s cohesive, pristine, Gothic style. You can see mountains in every direction at Smith, which is a big deal for me, a corn-surrounded Midwesterner.

I was also nervous about being too stressed out at Wellesley, which turned me towards Smith. Academics at Smith are incredibly challenging, but the open curriculum means students take classes they really want to be in, and that means you can tailor academics to fit your style/interests, which alleviated some of my stress! It’s easy to double major due to the open curriculum here (ex: Music & Engineering, Art & Physics, Biology & Museums Concentration, Psych & English – I’ve heard them all!). Smithies take academics seriously (finals week is intense, as I imagine it would be at Wells too), but students here know how to relax as well. I have anxiety (and lean towards introversion) and I’m very glad I chose Smith over Wellesley in regards to stress.

Regarding extracurriculars, I’m a member of Smith’s orchestra and choir, even though I’m not a music major, and I know people with all types of interests who participate in music/performance here. We also have a very laid-back Irish/Scottish/Celtic ensemble (if you want to continue playing the fiddle at Smith). A perk of the Five College Consortium is the multitude of ensembles you can join as a Smith student in the Valley, in case Smith’s music dept. isn’t your style! And tons of Smithies are in orgs, ranging from political groups (Smith/Northampton are SUPERsuperSuper liberal) to a cappella to knitting and everything in between.

Overall, I think the general feel of Wellesley leans towards the more pre-professional, while Smith is more laid-back (& crunchy). Also, while I can’t attest to Wellesley in this aspect, the LGBTQA community at Smith is extremely prominent and very accepting. Everyone is welcome, regardless of sexual orientation/gender identity (ex: an instinct of Smithies – and many professors encourage this – is to introduce themselves with their pronouns).

Sorry, this was long & rambly; if you have any more questions let me know! I am a blogger for http://smithbysmithies.■■■■■■■■■■ if you want more insight specifically into Smith.
All three schools are great choices! I’m biased towards women’s colleges (seriously, the environment is so healthy, warm, and safe here, and I barely notice the absence of boys – plus they are often around campus taking classes or otherwise accessible due to the consortium). Good luck on your decision!

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@ameliapondss Thank you so SO much! I really appreciate all the information.

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I went to Wellesley and have several friends whose daughters are there. I know many people who went to Smith and one of my best friends lives locally (Deerfield) and knows a couple of people who work there. My former boss’s daughter graduated from Smith ca. 10 years ago. Don’t know nearly as much about Bowdoin, so will leave that one out.

Both are incredibly nurturing places that embrace introverts. The fact that almost everyone lives on campus and all 4 classes live together means that there is a great community feel in both places Food is probably better at Smith, but Wellesley food has gotten even better than when I was there. Neither place parties much, and both are “live and let live” sort of places.

Faculty are great at both schools. Staff is happier at Wellesley - maintenance, campus police, cooks, etc. are treated well at Wellesley, and it rubs off on the students’ experiences. I think it is still good at Smith, but administration is less flexible with staff at Smith.

The Town of Wellesley is incredibly boring compared to Northampton. It is an extremely wealthy town that couldn’t care less if the College was there or not. (Flip side is that you can get very lucrative babysitting jobs in town.) However, it is simple to get into Boston or Cambridge. Frequent buses between Wellesley and MIT and it is a short walk to the commuter rail station. Most students take the bus even if they are going to Boston, though, because it drops you off right by a subway station in Cambridge, and the commuter rail fees have skyrocketed. Some students party with Harvard or nearby Brandeis and Babson, but the main social partner is MIT, which has its obvious pluses and minuses. Unexpectedly to me, MIT has an amazing number of free cultural performances and events, which I continued to frequent after graduation.

Northhampton is much more fun, funky and affordable for college students than either Wellesley or Boston. It can be EXTREMELY PC (e.g. people judging you for eating honey), but I get the sense that the Smith campus, while liberal, is not crazy judgemental/ will never even talk to people who vote Republican the way the town is. The town’s small size is misleading. Northampton is the center of activity for the region, so there is a lot more going on there than you would think. Although Amherst has both UMASS and Amherst College, that town is much more sleepy once you get off campus.

I love the house system at Smith. I think it makes it feel much cozier than the traditional dorm system at Wellesley. However, I know it makes some people feel claustrophobic by their Junior or Senior year. Several people have recommended that you opt for a bigger house because most people stay in their same house for all 4 years, and it’s nice to have more people to mix it up with as you change and mature over the 4 years.

Both Wellesley and Smith are very LGBT friendly (I mean, c’mon, they are women’s colleges!) Smith has a more active LGBT community, though, in part because there is a very big and active community in larger Northampton. I believe the percentage of lesbians at Smith is higher, but take that with a grain of salt because the “Lesbian Until Graduation” phenomenon definitely happens on both campuses. (Always surprised at who is now married to a male when I go to reunions.) Sexual experimentation (not hooking up, but experimenting with orientation) is accepted on both campuses.

Coming from a low-income area, be prepared for a bit of culture shock at both schools. I know I experienced it! Because both schools have excellent financial aid, they are both socioeconomically diverse, but you will also meet many people who are richer than anyone you have every known! I came to realize that the rich kids aren’t snobby, they just have absolutely no idea what it is like to be poor or working class. Almost all the students were very nice, but there were just some discussions my first year that I couldn’t enter at all because I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. It gets better - one of the great things about going to a place like Smith or Wellesley is that you meet people from all walks of life.

I have a lot more I could say, but have said too much already. Both schools are great and are more similar than not, so go with the school where you get the vibe that fits you most or the one that gives you the most money.

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Was talking about this with some academic types last night. I was wondering why people perceive Wellesley as more intense and stressful than Smith. (the imposing campus? the rich town?) They said that in most departments, the faculty at Wellesley is more highly ranked than at Smith. That Wellesley profs’ research output is on par with the Ivy League, but that Wellesley profs are actually competent at teaching undergrads and even enjoy it :-). Honestly, I don’t think this fact would make a ton of difference in an undergrad’s experience, but thought I would shar it.

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How would that not make a difference in the undergrad experience? Undergrads participate in research with their profs, especially at a college with no grad students.

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OP how is fin aid at the two schools? Lately some posters have been disappointed and I am hoping that is not the case in your situation.

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My advice is to go with your gut reaction. You seem to love Smith and feel it is a good fit, whereas you are trying to convince yourself to go to Wellesley. They are both excellent but go with the one you feel most comfortable at.

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I think Smith’s faculty is as competent at teaching undergrads as Wellesley’s. Undergrads do participate in research with their profs at Smith as well as at Wellesley.
Really, ‘some academic types’ hardly an authentic endorsement! Who are these people who say the faculty is anymore qualified? Sheesh!
Smith is great place… a great school! The house system is wonderful. Northampton is cool! Both are terrific paces. Go with your gut and /or your pocketbook. You can’t go wrong!

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I don’t think faculty’s research records necessarily has much to do with how good their teaching is, which is partly why I said that research shouldn’t be a big factor when choosing between the two schools. But academics have multi-pronged scales to judge schools’ research output much the same way that there are factors that affect the rankings of colleges - number of articles, number of citations, ranking/prestige of journals, etc. All the stuff that goes into tenure decisions.

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@juniperann Have you decided? Are you deciding?

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Wellesly has a grade deflation policy. That was a deal breaker for my daughter.

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Bowdoin abounds in almost unnaturally handsome guys, if that’s a factor lol