<p>I'm stuck between the three schools. I received Early Writes at Smith and Swarthmore and a Zollman/ STRIDE scholarship for $20,000/year and a paid research position for 2 yrs at Smith. I'm interested in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Biology, Anthropology, Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, and Dance (esp. Ballet), and am thinking about majoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies with minors in Bio and Dance. I'm a somewhat quiet person, but I would really like to branch out and be more social in college. I don't want a non-existant party scene, but I want there to be other aspects to the social life as well. I love that Smith is a women's college, but the opportunity to date and have male friends at Swarthmore and Pomona also really appeals to me. Luckily, I'll be able to visit all the schools before deciding, but I'm curious where the CC community thinks would be the best fit for me.</p>
<p>It sounds like the environment at Smith is best suited to your academic interests (and if you want to major in gender studies and like the idea of a womenâs college, I feel itâs pretty safe to assume youâre an active feminist; out of the schools youâre considering, at Smith you would meet the biggest percentage of like-minded individuals, Swarthmore coming in second), but Pomona can offer the social scene youâre looking forâfriendly, all-inclusive, and coed.</p>
<p>Iâm not o sure I agree with the above. Youâre clearly a great student if you got a likely from Swat. Swat and Pomona will offer you significanly stronger peer groups than Smith.</p>
<p>I agree with Ghostt. Smith, Swarthmore, and then Pomona would be my order as well.</p>
<p>You may want to PM [url=<a href=âhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/members/mini-9145.html]Mini[/urlâ>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/members/mini-9145.html]Mini[/url</a>], whose daughter went to Smith and is now a PhD student at Princeton, or [url=<a href=âhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/members/thedad-19054.html]TheDad[/urlâ>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/members/thedad-19054.html]TheDad[/url</a>], whose daughter also went to Smith and is now (IIRC) a PhD student at Berkeley. Both are very knowledgeable about LACs in general and Smith in particular.</p>
<p>Sarah, if the money were equal Iâd go with Swarthmore over Smith, because you might prefer a coed school and because Swarthmore has an edge academically. </p>
<p>[Iâd like to clarify this statment too: Youâd get a great education at Smith, but Smith takes more chances in admissions than Swarthmore so the range of of accomplishment may be wider.]</p>
<p>Iâd consider Swarthmore [corrected] and Pomona academic peers but they are quite different in personality and character. From what youâve described it seems that youâd be a better fit for Swarthmore or Smith than for Pomona, but a visit might change your mind.</p>
<p>However [There is always a however, isnât there?] it does not appear that the money is equal. Unless your family is rolling in dough, $20K x 4 is a HUGE incentive to choose Smith. </p>
<p>Smith women have traditionally done okay in their quest to meet men so I wouldnât elimate it on that basis without probing further into the social opportunities.</p>
<p>Without knowing you, I would generally agree with Waverly, but really you canât make a bad choice. It is great that you will have the chance to visit all three schools. Pay attention to the students, the location, the classes in your project major as well as the overall vibe of each school. If money is an issue and the scholarship at Smith helps your family, then that is a factor that canât be ignored. In general though, donât worry about other peopleâs opinions â you are obviously a very bright young lady so go to the school where the whole package feels right to YOU.</p>
<p>I would disagree that Smith will provide you with an inferior âpeer group,â and the STRIDE fellowship/research position is a pretty great opportunity. That would be hard to pass up, IMO.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>sorry, but you are way off here</p>
<p>Pomona is at a much higher academic level than SmithâŠ</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant to write Swarthmore and Pomona. Iâve revised my post.</p>
<p>^^^^yes, fully agree</p>
<p>Pomona and Swarthmore are two of the few LACâs that take cross admits away from HYP</p>
<p>Swarthmore and Pomona are more socially conservative and less politically active when it comes to issues of gender and class than Smith, whose political and academic orientation may suit the OPâs interests more. The students who go to Smith may have lower SAT scores on average, but they will be more familiar with feminist and gender theory, more in tune with someone who likes gender studies and dance, and they will beâcollectively, not just select individualsâmoved by the same social issues as the OP. A slight difference in SAT ranges is far less important than personal fit. </p>
<p>âTaking cross-admits from HYPâ may in itself be a red flag for someone interested in gender theory or liberal politics, as Harvard, Yale and Princeton accept very different people, in general, than the people someone like that may want to hang out with.</p>
<p>
Iâd agree that Pomona is more socially middle road (still liberal, but not as far left). However, my impression of Swarthmore is that itâs on a par with Smith for social consciousness and political activism, both in the class room and out.</p>
<p>Some other considerations re Swarthmore and Pomona (we didnât look at Smith):</p>
<p>1) Pomona is part of a 5 school consortium on contiguous campuses which makes it unusual. Many LACs (like Swarthmore) have arrangement to take classes at nearby schools (like Haverford and Bryn Mawr in Swarthmoreâs case), but few have contiguous campuses that make it so easy to do. I therefore think Pomona has more resources, socially and academically than Swarthmore, but Swarthmore is a more cohesive community. Thatâs not a pro or con - depends on what you value most.</p>
<p>2) The schools are different culturally - east coast/west coast cultural differences, for a start. And then, as above, the schools have different personalities, especially in regard to how they treat âintensity.â Swarthmore students are famously intense - Pomonaâs culture is more laid back. Fit matters.</p>
<p>3) Where is home? I tend to favor taking advantage of the opportunity to explore another part of the country with the built in support system that a college provides. If you are from the east - then go west. If you are from the west, go east.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>donât forget that while at Pomona you can take classes at Pitzer and socialize with the Pitzer students, which should cover all these areasâŠ</p>
<p>
Smith is likewise part of a 5 college consortium, including a university that broadens rather than simply duplicates some of its course offerings. For example, the dance program in the 5 College Consortium seems to be a fair bit stronger than in the Claremonts. Likewise, the offerings in Arabic and Hebrew (indeed, languages in general) seem to be stronger in the 5 Colleges.</p>
<p>Your point about the difference between contiguous campuses and a regular consortium, however, is a good one. As someone who frequently made use of a consortium as an undergrad, a 20 minute bus ride is very doable but can get old quickly. </p>
<p>
Iâll admit that it has been some years since I last looked at Swat, but as a gay student, it seemed to have a rather laissez-faire attitude toward matters of gender and sexuality. People of all sorts were certainly welcome and included, but I got the impression that the college was not as (for lack of better words) feminist or activist as others. That may have changed in recent years, so I welcome a correction if Iâm wrong.</p>
<p>It sounds like Pomona would be a great balance of everything you want to experience. It has the academics, the social life, the guys. I think the scholarship is a great opportunity. At the same time, I doubt the opportunities at Pomona or any of your other options would be limited by not having the guaranteed research position. If you want to do research, the opportunities will be there at the other colleges.
However, if money is an issue, make your decision based on what you can realistically afford or want to afford(assuming future loans).</p>
<p>The thread implies that Swat and Pomona are more academically rigorous than Smith. While this is probably true (Swarthmore and Pomona are more selective and have larger endowments), the difference would only be by a little bit more than a hair. The fact that Smith admits have a lower SAT average (by such a small margin) is relatively meaningless. With that said, it makes sense to go to Smith since you are most interested in Gender Studies, and the department there, being at an all girls school, is probably the strongest of the three- not to mention the fact that youâll be giving your parents a big break in tuition.</p>
<p>Smith is a strong academic institution with great professors and the opportunity for a great education. But, in all fairness, I wouldnât consider a 120-140 point difference in median SAT scores (M and CR) âa little bit more than a hairâ or âa small margin.â While there is a group of very strong students at Smith that are usually drawn there by virtue of the single sex nature of the institution, any way you cut it, Swat and Pomona have the consistently strongest academic student bodies of LACs year after year.</p>
<p>But the scholarship is similarly no minor detail. Canât offer advice about what to do. The $ is significant and Smith is no slouch academically. Campus culture and location also come into play with obviously very different country-woodsy New England Smith pretty removed from suburban LA 5 college feels-bigger-than-it-is Pomona or academically very serious, very small, Eastern suburban Swat. Very, very different vibes at these three.</p>