What can you tell me about Smith/Mt. Holyoke/Wellesley?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I know I've been posting a lot lately, but I've just been thrown off course by not being able to graduate when I thought I would. I'm a transfer, trying to transfer for Spring 2011. I can only pick one or two of the three/four schools I'm considering. In high school, I really wanted to go to either Smith or Mt. Holyoke, and I think I was rejected from both. But right now, I think I have a good chance at Mt. Holyoke, less at Smith, and way less at Wellesley. But I'm not really sure which school would be best for me, because I am mostly interested in academics and which school would be best for grad school.</p>

<p>Here are my stats which I posted in another thread:</p>

<p>I'll have about a 3.7...that is straight A's for three semesters (and hopefully straight A's this fall!), and one D in a dual enrollment class back in high school that killed me. I had a 2.3 in high school. 1940 SAT's (Apparently, I'm on the upper end of Mt Holyoke's SAT range [ Class</a> Profile :: Admission :: Mount Holyoke College ] ). I went to school in Chicago for a year and got about a 1.5. I dropped out after less than a year...but of course I <em>have</em> to include those embarrassing grades in my application. I explain it in my application.</p>

<p>I'll be applying for financial aid; I'm a "first generation college student", live in a single parent house, and my mom's income is about $25,000 (I don't know; some colleges like this).</p>

<p>My extracurriculars are volunteering at a theatre for a month, working at a science museum and a clothes store, volunteering at a recording studio, helping with a friend's record label, a philosophy blog (which used to get a lot of traffic...two blogs have mentioned my writing), a religion blog, I won a poetry contest and I had a song in my high school's arts magazine. I'm teaching myself Hebrew. Nothing spectacular.</p>

<p>I think I have pretty good essays and I can probably get a good recommendation. I just read in a thread that Mt Holyoke doesn't look at grades as much as Smith does; is this true? But would that also mean that I should have way more spectacular EC's?</p>

<p>Anyway, can you tell me something about these schools that might help me trying to narrow them down? I want to major in Philosophy and Jewish Studies, but how do I find out which programs are strongest? I'm also looking for an environment that isn't so liberal that I won't be able to say anything otherwise (I'm not really political, but being in philosophy, it's important to hear all sides of <em>everything</em>...Smith scares me). I'm also worried that I won't be able to find much of a religious life at any of the schools (I tried looking at the Religious Life sections...but, for example, right after not seeing much at Smith, I read on one thread that Smith has a good Jewish Studies program). </p>

<p>It's also important that there is financial aid available for transfers...my EFC is 0...</p>

<p>Is there another school I should be considering? I'm applying to in-state schools, but I'd prefer to live in the northeast (where I'm originally from). Which school do you think would be most likely to even consider me? I think my best feature right now is being able to articulate what I want to do with my life...and write an essay about it. I could include that attending a women's college will help me in my goal of helping women within Judaism (which is true anyway).</p>

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<p>Iā€™ve changed my question after just having read this: [ <a href=ā€œhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/smith-college/717206-elimination-smith-chaplains.html[/url]ā€>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/smith-college/717206-elimination-smith-chaplains.html&lt;/a&gt; ] Which college, if any, isnā€™t antagonistic towards religion?</p>

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<p>Antagonistic is probably the wrong word. ā€œTepidly supportive of religious lifeā€ probably characterizes Smith the best. Certainly, there is a lot of religious diversity at Smith among the students, even if more than half the student body isnā€™t religiously affiliated. I donā€™t think most colleges, other than the explicitly religious ones, do a good job of actively supporting student religious life. More like it depends on the strength of the various student organizations. I recall, for instance, that folks at Georgetown were very proud of their Hillel group.</p>

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<p>That makes senseā€”I did notice that there are synagogues in the town, but of course it would be preferable to have an active Hillel. I wonder how Iā€™d find out about the strength of these organizations myself (I canā€™t really trust the organizationā€™s website after all; often theyā€™re not updatedā€¦if the organizations even do have websites!)</p>

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<p>The UMass Hillel is very active and welcomes students from Mount Holyoke and Smith. There are also two Chabad options in Amherst, both of which are welcoming. </p>

<p>I can give you information via my daughterā€™s experience at Mount Holyoke and via the website for Smith: Both Mount Holyoke and Smith have Kosher/Halal diningrooms (MHC offers 3 meals /day, Smith 2 meals/day.) Mount Holyoke has a Jewish Student Union, which, among other activities, sponsors a co-op Pesach dining option. I imagine Smithā€™s Hillel has Kosher for Passover dining as well as other activities, but you should explore to confirm.</p>

<p>My daughter (graduated in May) had friends at MHC who ran the spectrum of Judaic practice, from Shomer Shabbat to ā€œculturalā€ Judaism, friends who majored in Jewish Studies, and friends who spent a year abroad in Israel. I donā€™t have any direct info on the Jewish Studies program at Mount Holyoke, but my daughter was a writing mentor in the Philosophy Department and had very positive things to say about it.</p>

<p>Hope this gives you a bit of helpful info.</p>

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<p>That does! Thanks.</p>

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<p>Iā€™m also wondering which would be best to apply for philosophyā€¦
I wish I could apply to all 3; but I just canā€™t afford $75 for all the CSS Profiles Iā€™d have to send out! For what itā€™s worth, I really wish I could visit, too. But alas, I live too far away.</p>

<p>Iā€™m leaning toward Mt. Holyoke right now, for anyone who still happens to read thisā€¦Iā€™ve spent HOURS on this site, and Iā€™ve come to conclude that Mt. Holyoke has less of a national reputation for academicsā€¦but the ā€œcampus cultureā€ is more academic; less social. And Smith and Mt. Holyoke seem more likely to accept low-income studentsā€¦Iā€™m still unsure as to which would give more aid, though.</p>

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<p>I think you are right, to some extent it seems that Mt. Holyoke has the less ā€œprestigeā€, although all three schools are amazing and all 3 colleges are known for there amazing financial aid. Wellesley is known as the most pre-professional, Smith is the most liberal, I donā€™t know that much about Mt. Holyoke. I have heard that between Smith and MT. Holyoke, Smith usually gives the better financial aid package, so that is something to consider. What do you like about the 3 schools?</p>

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<p>Yes, I thought Mt. Holyoke gave good aid too, at least to freshmen, but then I read:</p>

<p>"The student contribution is determined from an assessment of student income and assets, including trusts. The College follows federal policy and includes 20 percent of total student assets as part of the student contribution. A minimum student contribution of $3300 is expected from each student. "</p>

<p>(That means, by the way, that apparently students are expected to have at least $16,500 in assetsā€¦!?)</p>

<p>My EFC, at least according to the FAFSA, is either 0 or 200 (my community college called me up and asked how much money I had in the bankā€¦I panicked and figured theyā€™d think I was lying if I said $0ā€¦so I said $200ā€¦), so it appears as if Iā€™d be paying $3,300 a semester.</p>

<p>I liked Wellesley for its ā€œseriousnessā€ and its philosophy department, but I didnā€™t really feel like its website spoke to me (I know, when you canā€™t visit, the only thing you can go by is the website!) They seem more strict in whom they admit too; and with my history, I donā€™t think I stand much of a chance. I like Smith for its various opportunities in philosophy, and it looks like they have a good Career Services department and a better grad school track record (but then again I donā€™t know Mt. Holyokeā€™s grad school admittance rate, either). Theyā€™re more well-known than Mt. Holyoke, but (from what Iā€™ve heard) Mt. Holyoke is more receptive toward applicants with a not-so-traditional/flawless history. I wrote to them yesterday with a question about transferring, and they replied this morning saying they would look at my credits and we could discuss my options. Iā€™m also a little scared of Smithā€¦I experienced an extremely liberal ā€œyou better not disagree with us; youā€™re not a <em>Republican</em>, are you?!ā€ environment in art school, and I donā€™t want to replicate that experience!</p>

<p>I think Iā€™ve heard that Smith gives better financial aid, too, but thereā€™s also the fact that Iā€™d have to get in first! Theyā€™re more selective, I thinkā€¦but it really is a hard decision Iā€™m still trying to make between the two.</p>

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<p>The student contribution is most likely supposed to come from summer earnings, although $3300 sounds a bit high (at Wellesley, itā€™s $1250 for first years & it goes up to $1950 for juniors & seniors). This means that, even if you have an EFC of $0 & no student assets, the college would still expect the student to work & save some money over the summer to contribute to the college costs. The 20% of student assets would be in addition to the student contribution from summer work. Some schools break it down into separate parent & student contributions, & some just lump them together as family contributions. Also, you mentioned that your FAFSA EFC is likely $0, but these schools use the CSS Profile, so they may calculate your EFC to be entirely different.</p>

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<p>Do you think the $3,300 is meant per semester or for the entire 4 years (or for one year)? Smith is even more vague with their financial aid ā€¦ Iā€™m not sure whether meeting 100% need extends to transfers. Except for this:</p>

<p>ā€œSmithā€™s resources for financial aid include grants, campus jobs, and loans. A studentā€™s financial aid package will include one or more of these. A loan and a job (considered self-help) are usually the first components of an aid package; remaining need is met with grant aid. The ratio of self-help to grant will increase as you progress toward your degree.ā€</p>

<p>That doesnā€™t sound much betterā€¦In fact, it sounds like Iā€™d be paying a lot more than $3,300! Thinking about school loans makes me nauseous.</p>

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<p>I would suggest that you contact the admissions offices of the three schools with your specific questions. Youā€™ll get direct information, rather than ā€œbest intendedā€ opinions.</p>

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<p>I agree that yo should contact all 3 financial aid offices so they can explain there financial aid policies better to you.
Do you any safeties? Are Smith, Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley reaches/matches/or safeties?</p>

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<p>Yep, I have a safetyā€”a school in-state that has a guaranteed admissions agreement. Iā€™ve decided on Mt. Holyoke, but of course I still would like to hear any relevant information on any of the schools.</p>

<p>I think I will contact the financial aid offices, just in case one of them is really a lot better than the others.</p>

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<p>My younger D applied to both Mt. Holyoke and Smith as a transfer. She was accepted to both. </p>

<p>She liked both schools for different reasons.</p>

<p>The FA packages were only $1000 apart, so both were financially doable. What it came down to in my Dā€™s case was the transfer credit evaluation. Smith accepted enough credits to make her a Sophomore, whereas she was several courses short of that at Mt. Holyoke.</p>

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<p>We recently visited Mt. Holyoke, and I met with the financial aid office while my D interviewed. I asked about how much money was expected for summer earnings each year, which increased each year by about $100. So they will expect you to earn about $2000 each summer. Iā€™m not sure if the remainder is supposed to be from savings or from a work-study job. Best to contact the financial aid office - they can give you the exact numbers that they used this year.</p>

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<p>hey fancyheader,</p>

<p>i just read your posts and wanted to say if you have any questions im a smith alumā€¦ c/o 2010 send me a pm and i can answer any questions you may have. i received a BA in architecture and a minor in philosophy. i can honestly say that the philosophy department at smith and in the consortium is amazing. i loved it a lot!</p>

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<p>Iā€™m a soph transfer at Mt. Holyoke. As an applicant, I was from a low-income family and was an international transfer - but Mt Holyoke gave me a really good financial offer, when I appealed for 1k more, they tripled it, and now I am finally living the dream. </p>

<p>Okay, that was cheesy.</p>

<p>I just wanted to point out that Mt Holyoke is no less academically rigid than Smith. I know itā€™s my first year here, but Iā€™ve made enough friends to know that weā€™re on par. I have to say though Smith does carry more ā€˜prestigeā€™ for whatever monosyllabic name-reason. As for social life, sure, weā€™re in the jungle, but it makes you want to focus more on studies, and makes you appreciate being around people more, and by that, I mean male perspectives. </p>

<p>Also, social life is is AMAZING. We know how to play hard, but when session is in , we get our priorities straight. There is just so much support and love in my dorm I just really love it here!</p>

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