i’m looking at a few women’s colleges (scripps, smith, and bryn mawr, plus maybe moho), and i was wondering if anyone knows anything about their computer science departments. i’m only maybe interested in cs, but i don’t want to close any doors by attending a school without a good dept. i took some cs in the first two years of high school but was too intimidated to continue, but i think i might want to take a few classes in college. i really like the idea of an all-women’s comp sci education.
i’ve read stuff on cc that makes me a little worried about scripps and bryn mawr (no cs departments of their own). has anyone had experience at any of these schools, or other women’s colleges?
Bryn Mawr does have a cs department of their own; however, the general consensus here is that you major at Haverford. Haverford has a much better department, and teaches Python in the intro courses whereas, according to several of my cs majors here, you just “f*** around with Java.” Yes, there are people here who major in CS and have a job right after graduation, but imo, if you’re serious about computer science, you should look somewhere else. Moho and Smith both have excellent CS departments and have great opportunities. One of my friends’ sister is a senior in CS at moho, and while she hates the school (that’s just her personal opinion though) she absolutely love the CS department and thinks it’s fantastic.
My D went to Wellesley - she did not major in Computer Science, but has a close friend who did, who is now at Google. A friend’s D who is a senior there majoring in CS already has a job lined up after graduation. Both had good internship opportunities which led to their employment offers. Wellesley also has cross-registration with MIT.
My daughter is a STEM student at Mount Holyoke. She absolutely loves it. She’s not CS, but MoHo does have a CS department, as I am sure you are aware. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/computerscience
^^^Definitely look into the Mass Seven Sisters, especially with UMass nearby you can take courses, but my friend’s sister has gotten amazing internship opportunities at Moho. Oh, and I forgot to say with Scripps–I wouldn’t worry about it with that school too much. If I recall correctly, you major at Mudd. Mudd’s fantastic and you’ll have everything you’ll need. However, if you’re really wanting an “all women’s CS education” you’re not really going to get that there. Your location puts you in prime spot for opportunities also, so I don’t think you’ll have any issue with that.
As much as I love my school, I just really don’t recommend Bryn Mawr for computer science.
Thanks for all the advice so far! I’m not sure about Scripps and BMC, because the all-women’s atmosphere is a huge draw. I attend a very intense science magnet right now and the environment is very intimidating…I am doing well, but would definitely prefer learning science without boys
@college_query I don’t think that Wellesley would be affordable for my family. We’re on that weird edge of having too much for FA / not enough to pay full price, and the NPC said I’d have to pay full (my family is hoping to pay 30,000 ish). Since Wellesley has no merit aid, it’s basically not going to happen. The school sounds amazing, though.
@literallyleslie I hadn’t really considered Moho as much as the other schools, but it sounds really great in a lot of ways – the laid-back atmosphere, strong science program, really pretty campus. Do you know why your friend’s sister isn’t a fan of the school as a whole? Thanks so much
Oh, it’s just a personal preference. When you visit you’ll get a feel for the campus and the environment–for example, I knew i absolutely wanted a woman’s college, but Wellesley, Barnard, and MoHo just wouldn’t’ve worked. They’re all great schools and I know people there who love it, but it wasn’t for me. Instead, I fit at very similar schools–Bryn Mawr and Smith. So definitely make sure you visit before accepting! And it’s the same for her. I think for the most part, aside from that, she 1. comes from sunny cali and never could adjust to Mass and 2. she’s very, very, VERY intelligent, and I think that the entire laid back atmosphere drives her, a competitive, overly intellectual person insane
Which of course, isn’t to say that the women at Holyoke aren’t smart–they definitely are! she’s just a combination of extreme brains and extreme desire to be the top
