<p>So these are my top three acceptances. Both Swarthmore and Wellesley have given me great aid while Barnard will be more of a strain on my family. This is my general impressions of each so far:</p>
<p>Swathmore is a PhD powerhouse for the social sciences, econ and law. My major interests are /very nebulous/ (abnormal psychology, children's education, classical Latin, astronomy and so on) but I'm interested in pursuing a graduate degree and eventually finding a teaching/research position to settle into. Swarthmore's also very social-justice oriented, with the Quaker background and all, but I worry that I'll take too much of a shine towards PC-ness and lose touch with 'normal' society where it isn't so great for job opportunities if you constantly talk about systemic oppression...</p>
<p>Wellesley has an intensely strong alumnae network and a fairly independent minded population of women, which bodes well for future social prospects. I've heard that isolation can be a bit of an issue because it's not as close to Boston as the admissions team tries to make it seem. Although my highschool counselor seems convinced I fit the 'powerhouse young lady' vibe there, I do have reservations about fitting in. My currently highschool is a NE prep school and I'd experienced a fair bit of difficulty adjusting from sweatpants and sneakers to flats and a-line dresses my first two years. Now, I can get along passably with very feminine girls, but it takes a great deal of effort.</p>
<p>As for Barnard, I've seen a lot of conflicting information on the boards, so I was wondering if I someone could give me a sense of the average girl and daily life atmosphere?</p>
<p>I will be visiting these school later this month, so I was hoping I could get a good primer for these schools and ask some intelligent questions to whittle things down once I'm there.</p>
<p>@BrownParent Do you think it would be excessive if I posted my concerns to each school’s board? I’ve been on CC for awhile, but the idea of posting (esp. too much) makes me nervous…</p>
<p>Also, very valid point. I try not to think about the ratio of academic positions to hopefuls too much.</p>
<p>@zhydrogen: It’s good that you’re visiting these campuses. That will be more useful than anything we can say here. Sometimes a college that looks like a great fit on paper just doesn’t work out in reality. All of the colleges will provide you with the experience and background you need for an academic career, should that be your ultimate ambition.</p>
<p>There are many Wellesley students in sweatpants and sneakers. Have no fear. There will be a much greater diversity of “types” there than at your NE prep school. </p>
<p>People’s perceptions about Swarthmore are so interesting to me. I think you can learn about systemic oppression, and even have an active activist lifestyle in college, and realize when to turn it off for job interviews. I went to a very activist, social-justice leaning college as well and I turn it on when appropriate.</p>
<p>All three of these schools have the potential to be PhD powerhouses. You’re not any more likely to get into a good PhD program from Swarthmore than you are from Wellesley or Barnard.</p>
<p>One of the things that women’s colleges will teach you is that women are very diverse. You don’t have to be a “very feminine woman” (whatever that means) to go to, and enjoy, a women’s college. There are all kinds of women at women’s colleges - from androgynously or even masculine-presenting women to women who wear Lilly Pulitzer and wouldn’t look out of place in a Southern sorority house; from lesbians to bisexuals to straight women (and all other kinds of sexual orientations and identities); from those interested in nuclear physics to those interested in classical Latin (and lots interested in both!). Clothing is unimportant. I went to a women’s college and spent some days dressed up in cute skirts and other days skulking around in a college sweatshirt and sweat pants. I currently work at Barnard and lots of girls tool around here in yoga pants and boots on days they’re just not feeling it. What’s really important is what’s between your ears, at both Wellesley and Barnard. I think if you think you’ll fit in at Swarthmore then you will probably also fit in at Wellesley.</p>
<p>If Barnard is going to be a strain on your family, then I would suggest selecting Wellesley or Swarthmore. They’re both excellent schools. (I wouldn’t say there’s an “average Barnard woman”. They’re all different. Your daily life is going to change depending on what your major is and what you choose to do. Averages are kind of unimportant; what’s important is how you feel, which is why visiting is a good idea. Barnard does have the advantage of the affiliation with Columbia.)</p>
<p>@juillet The reason for my wariness with an ultraliberal school is rather strange. I’ve spent my last four years with classmates who are incredibly uncomfortable with liberalism (it’s a very religious school). I’ve kept my ‘radical’ opinions to myself for so long that I’m somehow picturing a break the Hoover dam once I go to a school where there’s … actually an LGBT support organization, for example.</p>
<p>If the diversity at women’s colleges is anything like what you describe then this’ll make choosing even harder! Looks like my campus visits will be invaluable in deciding.</p>
<p>Actually, Barnard women sometimes go to class in their pajamas. (At least when my daughter was there, there was an underground passageway that connects the first year residence halls with most of the other buildings on the Barnard side of the street – so it’s entirely possible to avoid ever venturing out of doors on cold and rainy days – unless, of course, you have classes on the other side of the street.)</p>
<p>That being said, living in NYC means that most women are also going to have some more stylish attire in their closets. It’s still an urban-culture campus. </p>
<p>Swarthmore and Wellesley look preferable to Barnard, if Barnard is going to be more of a financial strain. As for Swat or Wellesley, go with your overall impressions upon visiting. You can’t go wrong with either choice, and whether one turns out to be more “right” is probably going to be up to you, not the school.</p>
<p>Best check on how easy/often accessed this aspect really is, in practice. There may be commuting times and different semester schedules that make this “opportunity” relatively less utilized.</p>
<p>IIRC by far the most utilized of the consortium cross-enrollment arrangement is Haverford & Bryn Mawr, with each other. The train to Philly does stop right at the foot of the Swarthmore campus though .We had to wait a long time for a train when we visited, though that was on a weekend.</p>
<p>D2 felt that Barnard women on average tended to dress more fashion-consciously than was her personal style preference, When they were going out at least. YMMV. While at the same time they might go to class in their pajamas…</p>