<p>TheDad- </p>
<p>I take it back- I'd happily attend Barnard. Make those the only TWO all girls schools I'd go to :).</p>
<p>My d. chose Smith over Williams and a bunch of others - there are just more opportunities at Smith. They have much better language programs, and the longest-standing JYA programs in western Europe of any college or university in the country. The Five College thing is a huge advantage - in my d.'s speciality (music composition), it quadrupled the size of the faculty. By itself, it is larger that Wellesley or Williams, has more course offerings. The student body is far more diverse, with more than 25% of the student body on Pell Grants (family incomes below $40k). And Northampton is happening. After kicking the tires, she thought Williams paled in comparison (and I, a Williams alum, agree.)</p>
<p>I think Wellesley is a great school</p>
<p>Internationally recognized- I think so.</p>
<p>The faculty strong I believe, and relatively well-paid.</p>
<p>-Reputation: you said "other people who think it's brilliant and as prestigious as the 'lower ivies', while turning out better graduates". That's pretty much my impression as well. </p>
<p>-Science: pre-med: They are very proud of their relatively new science building, which sports some avant-garde architecture I would say. I would imagine that these programs are strong, but demanding.</p>
<p>-Impact of women's college on reputation: Certainly no negative impact that I can think of.</p>
<p>Other:</p>
<p>-The campus is beautiful.
- It is in a suburb, not in Boston. When you walk out of the campus you are in a suburb. There are buses that run to MIT, but it takes a while to get there.
- My impression is that this is a very tough, academically demanding school.
- The students seemed to me to be Ivy league types, with perhaps more of an overt orientation towards future business careers than their peers at some other LACs my d. looked at. I think economics is among their most popular majors. If your objective is to be a Wall Street analyst type, this might be more achievable from Wellesley than from some other comparable LACs, I'd guess.</p>
<p>Anyway these are the impressions I came away with last year.</p>