Smith College: would a straight cis-gender girl feel out of place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really? FFS.

My thoughts exactly. The minority now controls the majority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she's interested in Southern schools and sororities, I don't know that she'll like Smith regardless of her sexual orientation. Smith is the antithesis of a Southern school with sororities.

I’m a huge fan of Smith, but I agree with this. Smith and southern schools with sororities are almost polar opposites. I would just be sure Smith is really what she wants.

[Anonymous]

She will be in the majority. Easily. Smith is an excellent school.

[Anonymous]

I went to smith. I’m straight. It was fine, I liked it there. Easy to take a class at Amherst or umass, easy to go to parties at umass if you want to (I didn’t)

[Anonymous]

My DD went to Mount Holyoke and her interests seemed similar to your DD as far as the contrasting interest in Southern schools and very liberal NE all-women’s college. My DD more outgoing so the nearby MHC better fit than the more cerebral seeming Smith that seems to attract more introverted shyer types but DD cis-gendered loved the school, entire area. She actually never tool
classes at the other 5 school in the consortium.

[Anonymous]

Yes, she will be in the majority.
If she wants to be in a sorority going elsewhere would be a good idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How hard/easy is it to take classes at Amherst or UMass, and have a social life with students from those schools? Isn't it like a 45 minute bus ride?

It's very easy to cross register. I took classes at all five colleges while enrolled at MHC. I usually took one class per semester on another campus. Northampton to UMASS is slightly less than a half hour by bus and to Amerst it's slightly over a half hour. I worked in Northampton and had friends and dates on all 5 campuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD went to Mount Holyoke and her interests seemed similar to your DD as far as the contrasting interest in Southern schools and very liberal NE all-women’s college. My DD more outgoing so the nearby MHC better fit than the more cerebral seeming Smith that seems to attract more introverted shyer types but DD cis-gendered loved the school, entire area. She actually never tool
classes at the other 5 school in the consortium.

Interesting. My shy, cerebral DD is considering both and was leaning toward MHC. Do you have any thoughts on competitive culture at both? She does not want somewhere overly competitive (she has that now and dislikes it. She wants to learn to learn, not to compete or get good grades.)

[Anonymous]

I went to Wellesley. Great education, but terrible social scene if you want to get to know guys as friends and not just as boyfriends. A shy girl will have a particularly hard time at any women's college. I would advise your DD to look at coed SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about Barnard? Is it any different than Smith in this respect? Barnard doesn’t seem to share similar reputation.

FWIW, my friend’s conservative religious daughter feels great at Barnard, modest clothing and all. She does not cover her hair (not Muslim), so the reason for her choice of clothing is not immediately obvious.

[Anonymous]

We've looked at Smith and Mt. Holyoke. Smith seems angrier and more SJW-ish to us. Mt. Holyoke, while still oppressively liberal, seems a little bit "nicer" by comparison. Just the vibe we get.

[Anonymous]

I would urge her to opt for another school. Meeting guys shouldn't be hard work. As for taking classes at another school, it's a time suck. Take the bus, take the class, get back on the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would urge her to opt for another school. Meeting guys shouldn't be hard work. As for taking classes at another school, it's a time suck. Take the bus, take the class, get back on the bus.

I went to one of the Five Colleges and spent more time in my junior and senior years at classes on other campuses than my own. Very few people took the bus. We all drove. People carpooled.

The only time it got hard was during snow storms and dealing with digging out your car to get to class. I remember very well getting to Smith for a 2.5 hour class in perfectly normal weather and when I got out of class my car was buried in 6 inches of snow. But you deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would urge her to opt for another school. Meeting guys shouldn't be hard work. As for taking classes at another school, it's a time suck. Take the bus, take the class, get back on the bus.

Everyone's goal is not to meet guys. My DD has plenty of guy friends in HS. My smart, shy child wants to major in STEM without being shouted down or doubted all of the time by guys. She plans co-ed for grad school and fully realizes she will have to work with men in the work world. She just wants a chance to develop her science skills without men overshadowing her. She wants a more female supportive environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would urge her to opt for another school. Meeting guys shouldn't be hard work. As for taking classes at another school, it's a time suck. Take the bus, take the class, get back on the bus.

I went to one of the Five Colleges and spent more time in my junior and senior years at classes on other campuses than my own. Very few people took the bus. We all drove. People carpooled.

The only time it got hard was during snow storms and dealing with digging out your car to get to class. I remember very well getting to Smith for a 2.5 hour class in perfectly normal weather and when I got out of class my car was buried in 6 inches of snow. But you deal.

In your experience, any comparison between Smith and MHC?