Wellesley vs Mount Holyoke

College Search & Selection
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Hi,

This is my first ever College Confidential post. I’m still trying to get the hang of things here. Anyway, I’m applying to Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Smith. I applied to Barnard ED but got rejected and I’m still recovering.

I have yet to find a detailed post about the seven sisters I’m applying to. Does anyone have any advice on these topics on these colleges? I want to find the best fit for me.

Academic:

  • arts/humanities
  • STEM programs
  • abroad programs
  • internship opportunities (paid, abroad)
  • alumni network
  • staff-student relationship

Non-academic:

  • equestrian (very important to me)
  • dorms
  • food
  • traditions
  • campus

Academics:
I’m not sure what I want to major in. I have been thinking about doing Economics/ Business/Finance, Computer Science (not sure about this, I’m not that good at STEM).
I also want very strong programs in the performing arts, especially vocal and dance as well as the humanities, creative writing, and philosophy. I just want to keep my options open because I’m so undecided on a major.

I’ve never been abroad but I want to so bad. I would like to have as many abroad options as possible. I want to do summers abroad, maybe winter/spring breaks abroad, as well as a semester/year abroad. I’ve heard that Wellesley may have some sort of Environmental science class where you go to Turk’s & Caicos for a week but I’m not sure. I know that Mount Holyoke has a fantastic International Relations program, so their abroad program is good too.

I’ve heard about Mount Holyoke having pay for all internships domestic or abroad. That is a huge plus to me. I’ve also heard that 85% of Wellesley grads did some sort of research project during their time.

All Seven Sister Schools have amazing alumni networks. I’ve heard about The Hive which is exclusively for Wellesley alum.

Due to the small class sizes at each of these schools, the student-professor relationships are pretty solid. Mount Holyoke is ranked #1 for Princeton Review’s “Professors Get High Marks”. I’ve heard that Wellesley students are regularly invited to dinner at their professor’s houses and go out and get coffee with them sometimes. I really like that and it’s extremely important to me.

Non-Academic:
I’m an avid horse rider. All of these colleges have horse clubs. Mount Holyoke’s equestrian program is what really drew me to the school. I initially applied ED2 to Mount Holyoke, but recently changed my application to RD after getting interviewed by Wellesely and loving it.

I’ve read that Mount Holyoke has really nice dorms that are spacious with window seats. Bryn Mawr also has great dorms too. Smith legit has houses so that’s a huge plus. Dorms are something that isn’t super important to me but I still want to feel comfortable in a nice, spacious environment.

Food also isn’t super important to me, compared to things like academics. I’ve heard that Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr have amazing food but Wellesley has “okayish” food.

Traditions are a fun thing to have. I feel like they’re important not only to the school but to the students because it strengthens the sense of community. I love the idea of Mountain Day at Mount Holyoke and Smith. I also love Pangy Day at Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr. The fact that Mount Holyoke has milk and cookies for students every school night sounds great to me. Marathon Monday at Wellesley also sounds great and I strongly feel that I’ll love it as well as Lake Day. Bryn Mawr has some traditions that sound interesting like that day where you go on the lake with lanterns (or am I mistaking that?).

The campus beauty is way more important than it should be to me. All Seven Sisters have nice campuses, especially Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and Mount Holyoke. I’m a very aesthetic person and I feel like I could thrive better in a more visually appealing environment. Also, the Instagram pics will be fire.

Conclusion:
All in all, I am very torn between all these schools. I try to get an edge over all the positives and negatives to get a better idea as to where I’d like to be the most. I’ll admit. I don’t have the best stats so I’d better wait and see which colleges I actually get into first.

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I think that’s an excellent philosophy. Its good that you’re thinking about these things but it’s best not to get overly tied to a school until you find out whether you’re admitted.

I can’t comment on the other schools but Mt. Holyoke has an amazing barn and equestrian program. It also has paths through the woods, two ponds and a really good dance and theater program. It’s regularly ranked as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US.

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Good luck. I’m a Bryn Mawr alum. The dorm rooms are quite nice with a lot of character, the food is still good according to more recent alums, and the campus is lovely with a stunning spring bloom. It is more in town than Mt. Holyoke with easy train access to Philly. Both schools have consortiums so you can take classes at other colleges. I’m hoping my daughter will apply to both of these colleges next fall.

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Wellesley is one of the nicest towns in MA and Boston might be described as the premier college city. You would be 25 minutes away by train or car. Academically, all the schools you named are strong, but Barnard or Wellesley would be considered strongest by most experts. Why do you think Barnard did not work out? Were you able to tweak anything before you had to apply to the others? I realize that is often not possible. You have a good attitude about the process and that is refreshing.

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I wouldn’t agonize over decisions until you have admits in hand.

Mount Holyoke and Smith are both part of the 5 college consortium (with UMass A, Amherst College and Hampshire College).

But, at Wellesley you can take classes at a number of other colleges. Wellesley has a rep of being relatively more of a grind academically with relatively more competition among students than does Mount Holyoke (or the other schools on your list). Many believe Smith has more SJW types relative to the others.

You didn’t say what your entire list is, or stats, but none of these schools are highly likely/safeties. Have you applied to at least one affordable safety?

Good luck.

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My daughter just went through the same decision process. She originally applied to Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Mount Holyoke, all RD. Like you, she tried to get a sense of the vibe in order to decide the best fit. They all have nice dorms, traditions, and strong alumni networks, with the Wellesley network likely being the strongest. Even though the reputation at each is different, there is enough diversity that I think you’ll be able to find your people on any campus.

Here is the thought process my D used when deciding:
—She really, really wanted to like Smith best because of the location. Wellesley and Bryn Mawr are in affluent suburbs, Moho is in a small town, whereas Smith is located in an eclectic, vibrant college town. She also loved the houses rather than dorms at Smith. However, when she looked at the course catalog in her areas of interest, the selection of courses offered was the least appealing of all of the colleges. This was a huge disappointment.
—She loved the idea of Wellesley, though the spread out campus and the affluent town weren’t quite as appealing as Smith. Compared to Smith, the course offerings were much more to her liking. Her concern about Wellesley was more about the culture. For a student who battles anxiety and perfectionism, she worried the more intense (some might say competitive) vibe wouldn’t be the best fit. As a parent, I worried she wouldn’t feel as successful at Wellesley (again, these are just our thoughts, rightly or wrongly).
—She visited Bryn Mawr a few years ago and loved the campus and the unique traditions. Bryn Mawr was always high on her list. But looking at the course offerings, she realized that in her areas of interest, she would need to go to Haverford for half of her classes. She also didn’t like that Bryn Mawr was smaller and so geographically close to Haverford. She worried the close ties to Haverford would take away from the all-women’s experience.
—She explored Mount Holyoke last and it turned out to be the best fit. Like the other seven sisters schools, it has a beautiful campus, nice dorms, and unique traditions. The more chill, supportive vibe appealed to my D, and the amazing course offerings blew her away. My D changed her application from RD to ED2, was accepted, and she’s thrilled to be starting in the fall.

The best advice I can give you is to look at the current course offerings in the areas of your interest. I recommend this even if you don’t know your major. The differences are significant and I bet this exercise will provide clarity. Be sure to focus on recent offerings because that too makes a big difference. For the record, had my D preferred the course offerings at any of the other three, it would have tipped the balance as she weighed the courses more heavily than the other aspects. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these schools and I wish you the best of luck.

D21’s stats:
3.8 UW; 4.3 W/ GPA
1520 SAT (unofficial)
IB Diploma candidate
National Merit Commended
Recs: 10/10
Essay: 9/10
—Model U.N.
—ASL proficiency
—Taught ASL as elective in school
—Racial justice advocacy volunteer
—Close-captioning videos volunteer
—Research as hobby: Deaf rights in workplace/Deaf and Incarcerated/Double discrimination of being Deaf and Black
—Tennis as club sport
—ACLU internship
No state or national awards

Admitted to Mount Holyoke with Leadership Award of 20K per year.

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What are your daughter’s areas of interest? Our D21 applied to some of the same schools (not Wellesley) and hasn’t looked at the curricula at all. Thanks!

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Hi there. I think it’s wonderful that you are looking at some of the original Seven Sisters. They are really special schools. I am a Mount Holyoke alumna with a Smithie ('23) daughter. Mount Holyoke has, without question, the best equestrian program and facilities. They’ve had Olympians many times and the barn, coaches, boarding, etc. are all really strong and well-supported by the college. In terms of overall vibe, Mount Holyoke and Smith are both places where you can - and will - get an outstanding education. Here are some things that seem noticeably different to me: Smith is a little bit more “driven”. That doesn’t mean smart, or academically serious, or ambitious. Just a little more “type A”. Still cooperative and supportive, just more driven. Mount Holyoke is a little quieter, a little more chilled out.

Smith also really puts a premium on what I would describe as self-direction. In addition to the open curriculum, there is more of an emphasis on the students doing things and figuring things out themselves, whereas Mount Holyoke tends to have a bit more engagement/direction from “on high”. This can really be a matter of personal preference and of maturity. My daughter is an Uber-focused go-getter…when I was her age, I appreciated a bit more structure and a bit more hand-holding. I imagine that Smith may be a little scary/overwhelming for students who are may be a little less self-directed.

Finally, I happened to prefer the gothic architecture and peaceful campus; D preferred Smith’s eclecticism and energy. It’s really just a matter of preference and fit. Can’t comment as much on Wellesley or BMC, but I know they are also amazing places. Best of luck with your process!

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@Bizbreak Thanks for the reply! You confirmed my impression of the differences between Smith and Mount Holyoke. My daughter was accepted at Mount Holyoke with the leadership award and she is thrilled to be joining the class of 2025! :green_heart:

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Glad it was helpful and congratulations on the Leadership award at Mount Holyoke! Welcome to the MHC family. I’m sure you will love it.

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