About

The University of Florida (UF) is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. Since its founding over 160 years ago, it has become one of the largest universities in the country with over 36,000 undergraduates. The university is known as the best state school in Florida and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities. In 2016, it ranked second among Forbes “Best Value Public Colleges,” and in 2015, it ranked second in Kiplinger’s “Best Values in Public Colleges.” As a result, the admissions process has become highly selective.

I visited the University of Florida on a rainy, windy day, which is atypical weather for this warm and sunny campus. Admissions graciously provided us with ponchos as they guided us through the two-hour tour.

Location

Gainesville is the county seat and largest city in Alachua County, with a population around 128,000 people. In the 2007 edition of Cities Ranked and Rated, Gainesville was named as the No. 1 place to live in North America. That same year, National Geographic Adventure ranked it as one of the best places to live and play. The University of Florida is accessible from several airports—the closest is in Gainesville (a 15-minute drive from campus), while airports in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa are all an easy two-hour drive from campus. Over the past several decades, Gainesville has undertaken a large historic preservation initiative that has resulted in multiple buildings being added to the National Register of Historic Places. Among these is Gainesville’s cultural hub, the Thomas Center, which contains art galleries, local history exhibits, performance space, and the surrounding Thomas Center Gardens. The sport of auto racing is a prime focal point for area sports fans.

Academics

The University of Florida is home to 30 certificates, 100 undergraduate majors, and 200 graduate programs. While UF is known to have strong academic standards across the board, programs in Business and Journalism are ranked particularly high. The Psychology and Biology programs are also well renowned. Though UF is a large school, students feel that its size doesn’t affect their ability to focus on their course of study. Some may see it as a disadvantage that 80–90 percent of classes are lectures with over 300 students, but students at UF love the fact that their classes are taught by experts in their field. Students praise the “truly incredible faculty and staff” and believe that a great strength of the school is that there is always someone to turn to for help. Another advantage to a large school is that there is more funding available for research, opening endless opportunities for focused study. The school also maintains a broad alumni network, which is beneficial when students seek opportunities for networking and research.

Over 1,200 UF students participate in the Honors Program, where most classes are limited to 25 or fewer students. The Freshmen Honors Program (FHP) is open to high school seniors, and the University Honors Program (UHP) is open to sophomores through seniors. Members of FHP automatically advance to UHP after successful completion of the first year, but students do not have to be in FHP to join UHP.

Student Life

Because Gainesville revolves around UF, Gator Nation can be found everywhere. The community caters to students and student life. Students love to go out with friends on the weekend to Midtown, where bars and the vibrant music scene are big attractions. For those over 21, it is a UF staple to party at either Grog House Bar and Grill, Balls, or Salty Dog Saloon.

Ranking high on the list of what students love about UF is the abundance of school spirit. Much of the culture at UF revolves around sports, and the school boasts stellar athletic programs. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as “The Swamp,” is widely recognized as one of the toughest environments for a visiting team in all of college football.

With more than 1,000 student organizations on campus, there is something for everyone to be involved in at UF. Greek life is also prevalent in both the social and extracurricular scene, and being part of a Greek community offers additional opportunities to participate in activities. For outdoor enthusiasts, there are two state parks nearby: Paynes Prairie and Devil’s Millhopper.

While the opportunity is there to party every day, students also find plenty of quiet time to study. When it comes to exams, papers, and finals, students dig in and get to work. The classes are demanding, but students understand this is necessary to best prepare them for their career.

Housing and Dining

More than 80 percent of incoming freshmen at UF live in one of 26 on-campus housing options. Many of these buildings house one of 19 Living Learning Communities (LLCs). Hume Hall is home to the Honors Residential College. Students are encouraged to apply for housing even before they’ve been accepted to UF to have the best chance of being placed in their preferred spot. Seventy-six percent of upperclassmen choose to live off campus.

Gator Dining Services is the official food service provider for UF. They offer over 45 dining locations on campus, including favorite national brands like Subway, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks. Students choose between two types of meal plans: Meal Plans and the Declining Balance Account.

Who Would Be Happy Here?

Outgoing Minnesota students in search of a large public institution in a warmer climate would enjoy the University of Florida. Given that a high percentage of students are residents of Florida, students from out-of-state need to be willing to step outside their comfort zone to meet new people. The University of Florida would be great for someone looking for a breadth of opportunities at a value price.

About

“Disrupt the status quo.” These are the words of the Hampshire College website. Since deciding not to accept SAT and ACT scores, Hampshire is nowhere to be found on the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” list—and the trailblazing community takes pride in that fact. The researchers who compile the “Best Colleges” list simply don’t know how to deal with the institution’s forward-thinking practices. The college is known for its entrepreneurial student body and alumni, ranking sixth on Forbes list of “Most Entrepreneurial Colleges” in 2015. Led by the dynamic and sometimes controversial Jonathan Lash, an expert on global sustainability, climate change, and development challenges, Hampshire defies categorization.

Location

At first glance, the Hampshire campus appears to be a well-maintained ranch with spread-out buildings and lush green spaces. Located in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, a scenic 90 miles from Boston, the Town of Amherst (population 35,000) is a hilly, picture-perfect setting for locally-owned shops and specialty dining. The Town Common stretches for several blocks along Boltwood and Pleasant Avenues. During Daffodil Days, over 50,000 daffodil bulbs show their stuff in the Town Common, and talented local artists decorate the sidewalks with daffodil-themed murals. Judie Teraspulsky, owner of Judie’s Restaurant in downtown Amherst, is known for her delightful popover creations, including the Gumbo Popover and Turkey “Pop” Pie. One of the most popular places to stay overnight is The Lord Jeffery Inn, affectionately called “The Jeff.” Facing the Town Common and only a five-minute drive from Hampshire College, the upscale inn uses geothermal heating and water-efficient landscaping.

Academics

Hampshire admitted its first students in 1970 in response to a $6 million donation from Amherst College alumnus Harold F. Johnson. With a matching grant from the Ford Foundation, Hampshire’s trustees purchased 800 acres of orchard and farmland. However, the original idea for Hampshire took root back in 1956, when a committee of presidents from Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, examined the assumptions behind a liberal arts education. Their report, “The New College Plan,” advocated many features that have since been incorporated into the Hampshire experience: an emphasis on curiosity and motivation; multidisciplinary learning; and close mentoring relationships with professors.

Majors (and a traditional grading system) do not exist at Hampshire. Instead, students chart their own “concentrations” through a divisional system: Division I – first year; Division II – second and third years; and Division III – fourth year. Division I is about bridging subjects across five interdisciplinary schools: Cognitive Science; Critical Social Inquiry; Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies; Interdisciplinary Arts; and Natural Science. During the Division II years, students identify and explore their concentrations through individually-designed programs consisting of course work, independent work, and internships or field studies. Students work closely with at least two personally-selected faculty members to design a concentration. A concentration may mimic a traditional college major or be a highly-individualized program of study that encompasses several disciplines. A crucial piece of the Division II years is the Community Engagement and Learning requirement (CEL-2); forty hours are required. Division III revolves around an advanced independent study project. According to the Hampshire website, Division III is a student’s “chance to make a change,” whether that involves the launch of a start-up, the construction and programming of a robot, or the creation of a choreographed dance performance. The sky’s the limit.

As a member of the Five College Consortium (Hampshire, Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst), Hampshire students have access to 6,000 courses, eleven museums, and a library system with 11 million items. Hampshire academic advisors are highly-knowledgeable about the offerings at all five colleges. In fact, ninety-five percent of Hampshire students take at least six classes at the other schools during their undergraduate years. The Consortium schools operate on the same academic calendar with free bus shuttles. Hampshire students are welcomed with open arms.

Student Life

The Hampshire student body is composed of 1,400 “community leaders and builders” who are “naturally empathetic” and “demand authenticity.” Don’t be surprised if your student tour guide sports dreadlocks and harbors a passion for bicycle maintenance! Interesting student groups range from the Glass Collective to Circus Folks Unite! to Wool People. The Prescott Tavern is a central meeting place with late-night study spaces and recreational activities such as foosball, pool, and board games. The tavern is home to the TavernArt gallery, a fabulous student gallery on campus.

The R.W. Kern Center is a symbol of the Hampshire community’s values and ideas. The first major new building in three decades, it was constructed with the Living Building Challenge in mind: to generate its own electricity, collect its own water, avoid toxic “red list” chemicals, and use materials primarily from local and regional sources. The 17,000-sq-ft center is a major piece of Hampshire’s sustainability initiative to make campus operations carbon neutral, including a plan to go 100 percent solar for campus electricity. The multifunctional building serves as a living laboratory, where students and the public study its systems and performance, tied to measures for sustainability.

Housing and Dining

Hampshire strives to create residential environments that are the most conducive to learning for each individual student. The college also facilitates a process for students to form living communities based on habits, commitment to a substance-free lifestyle, common learning goals, social identities, or medical needs.

Hampshire invites incoming first-year students to participate in specific living and learning communities as a means to find their own niches on campus: Body, Brain, and Culture; Community Engagement for Social Change; Environmental Justice and Sustainability; FARM!; Looking/Reading/Writing; and Wellness. FARM! is an interdisciplinary, co-curricular living learning community focused on food production, environmental justice, and sustainable agriculture. Co-sponsored by the Hampshire College Farm, the community follows food from seed to table. Students learn about organic vegetable production and sustainable animal husbandry through farm work and other on-farm research opportunities. Activities may include a film series, guest speakers, cooking classes with seasonal vegetables, hyper-local meats, and local dairy products, and engagement with the local agricultural community.

Since fall of 2013, Hampshire’s food service provider, Bon Appétit Management Co., has built menus around products harvested on the farm. On campus, the movement is referred to as the “Healthy Food Transition.” The 800-acre campus offers ample room for growth beyond the current 15 acres of vegetables that support a thriving Community Supported Agriculture program. President Lash, an environmentalist concerned with the global capacity to produce food, asks, “How will we feed 9 billion people in a warming world?” Lash spelled out his vision for Hampshire as a transformative institution during his inauguration speech in 2012. Al Gore delivered the keynote speech at that event. Gary Hirshberg, a Hampshire graduate and co-founder of the world’s leading organic yogurt-maker, Stonyfield Farm, offered a sizable gift to support that vision.

Admissions

Hampshire is a proud member of the non-profit organization, Colleges that Change Lives. Without the submission of ACT and SAT scores (they’re not even optional!), each application is reviewed for a growth-oriented mindset, an ability to see connections, and intellectual bravery. The admissions committee focuses on academic records, history of civic engagement, letters of recommendation, and essay responses. Sixty-one percent of Hampshire applicants receive offers of admission. Hampshire’s website facetiously states, “Students must be at least 17 years of age by the time they arrive on Hampshire’s campus for orientation. Any younger students should wait until they would meet this age requirement to apply. The use of aging potions is strictly prohibited.” Hampshire is ranked in the top 1% of all colleges and universities in the nation for the number of graduates who go on to earn a doctorate degree.

Who Would Be Happy Here?

Non-conformists—high school seniors and college transfer students—gravitate to Hampshire. The college appeals to those who want to be entrepreneurs of their own education. Hampshire is one of the most liberal colleges in the U.S. and attracts smart, quirky students who prefer small group poetry discussions over sports or Greek life.

About

Providence College (PC) is a Catholic university of the Dominican tradition located two miles from downtown. The campus buildings are lovingly maintained, as are the plentiful green spaces. With an active, 100-year presence of robed friars on campus, it’s not surprising an ongoing discussion about human existence – including life’s meaning and purpose – is of central importance during the undergraduate years. There are approximately 4,000 undergraduate students with the majority from out of state, particularly New England. The campus exudes a small college vibe combined with big university athletics and opportunities, particularly in professor-led research.

Location

Providence is the capital of Rhode Island and the perfect college town located about 40 minutes from Boston. The PC campus is a short, fifteen-minute car ride from the beach and only 40 minutes to historic Newport. Diverse and historic, bicycle-friendly, and easy to explore by foot, Providence is an active center of art, culture, education, and politics. Waterplace Park is the backdrop for the WaterFire art installation, which lights up the surrounding tidal basin most nights in the summer and for special events. The influence of the nearby Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts is evident, with Providence boasting numerous outstanding restaurants and the highest number of degreed chefs per capita than any other U.S. city. Providence is easy to navigate and full of friendly, helpful people.

Academics

PC is known for small classes taught only by professors. The nine mission-related goals of the Core Curriculum are a reflection of a Catholic and Dominican intellectual tradition which emphasizes the study of philosophy, theology, and development of Western civilization. Admitted students have 49 majors from which to choose. Unique programs include a combined 3+4 optometry degree in conjunction with the New England College of Optometry and a combined 3+2 engineering degree in conjunction with Columbia University or Washington University in St. Louis. Other particularly strong programs are biology, special education, business, and health policy and management. A major or minor in public and community service studies is rooted in a pedagogical approach to learning, with each course requiring two to four hours a week of hands-on service; the service component acts as the “text” and a jumping point for classroom discussion and reflection.

For more than 50 years, PC has invited a select group of students, currently 130 or so per graduating class, to participate in the rigorous Liberal Arts Honors Program. Most chosen candidates score between a 34 and 36 on the ACT exam and carry a 4.0 GPA. Honors students are fully integrated into residence life. However, they come together one to two times per week to take specialty seminars. Honors students receive merit-based scholarships ranging from 40 percent of full tuition to full tuition.

Student Life

PC is not a commuter college. Sixty-five percent of students are Catholic, 20 percent are minorities, and 12 percent are the first generation to attend college. While freshmen live in all-male or all-female dorms, coed options exist for upper class students. Most PC students are preppy in a typical Northeastern style (Sperrys, Uggs, and The North Face) and accepting of others but not into alternative lifestyles. The students work and play hard, although an overwhelming sense of competition does not exist. Community service is the cornerstone of the four-year PC undergraduate experience. The varsity sports teams, which are Division I, are known as the Providence Friars. Cheering on the varsity hockey team is a favorite pastime.

Admission

The admission process at PC is highly selective. For the Class of 2020, just under 11,000 students applied for approximately 1,000 spaces. Merit scholarships go to 25 percent of admitted students, and overall, 70 percent receive some type of aid, whether merit or financial. In terms of applicant overlap, students who apply to Providence College are also likely to apply to Villanova University, Fairfield University, and Boston College. To encourage student diversity, for the past 10 years, PC has offered “test optional” admittance. Interested students apply via the Common Application; there are no supplemental essays beyond the required 650-word personal essay.

Who Would Be Happy Here?

The Twin Cities boasts a PC alumni network that’s 600-people strong. Sixty percent of PC students are from the Northeast, and overall, 91 percent are from out of state. Catholics and all faiths are welcome at Providence. The internship and job placement programs are outstanding. Hasbro, Textron, and CVS – all based in Rhode Island – actively recruit PC interns. Students have the option to take one extra class at no charge to be used for an internship.

A gifted teacher and persistent trailblazer, Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke College (MHC) in 1837 by seeking donations during a severe economic depression. Her famous words, “Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do,” are the cornerstone of the MoHo (as the students affectionately call their school) experience. The first college to join what was to become the Seven Sisters and a model for other women’s colleges in-the-making, MHC was and continues to be synonymous with brilliant teaching. The 2016 edition of the Princeton Review lists MHC amongst the country’s Top 25 Schools for Making an Impact.

Location

The simple life is what South Hadley, Massachusetts (population 17,500), is all about. The MHC campus is sprawling, with two beautiful lakes. Winding roads intersect the pastoral Pioneer Valley landscape and connect old New England tobacco barns to small working farms. A touch of cosmopolitan can be found within the Village Commons: restaurants, shops, an art gallery, a luxury movie theater, a wine bar, a day spa, a yoga studio, and an independent bookstore.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching awarded MHC its Community Engagement Classification, a designation given only to institutions which demonstrate that their mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices support “dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.” To be designated a community-engaged campus, MHC submitted a 45-page application detailing the college’s involvement in the surrounding Pioneer Valley communities.

MHC’s commitment to community involvement is further reflected in the mission statement, emphasizing “lives of thoughtful, effective, and purposeful engagement in the world.” That mission plays out through the Community-Based Learning (CBL) Program. The CBL program links Mount Holyoke students with communities through courses, independent studies, internships, and research and service projects, including a literacy program focused on East African immigrants in Springfield and a strategic partnership with the Holyoke public schools to address low academic performance and literacy rates. One specific effort, the “Spanish Corps,” allows bilingual students and Spanish language learners at MHC to enhance their education through interpretation and translation work.

Academics

The academic climate at MHC is rigorous but not cutthroat. Of the 50 or so majors, standouts include international relations, English, pre-health, and computer science. MHC recognizes that great ideas sometimes exist outside traditional boundaries. More than a dozen interdisciplinary majors, as well as the opportunity to develop customized majors, are options.

The generous Lynk program connects MHC academic work to practical applications. Each student’s Lynk experience is unique, reflecting her values and aspirations. MHC provides funding of $3,000 for domestic internships and $3,600 for international internships to every eligible student who has secured a qualified internship or research position, many of which are unpaid or low-paid.

The popular creative writing concentration at MHC includes a variety of courses in fiction, poetry, journalism, essay writing, and narrative nonfiction. The concentration also involves advanced craft workshops and seminars in poetry, short story and novel writing, journalism history and ethics, and writing for children. Students produce two annual literary magazines: Blackstick Review and Verbosity.

As a member of the Five College Consortium (in addition to Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst), students have access to 6,000 courses, eleven museums, and a library system with 11 million items. MHC students are able to take two Consortium classes per semester. The advantages of the Consortium extend beyond academics; for example, MHC students actively participate in club sailing at UMass and choir at Amherst. Ninety-seven percent of MHC students venture beyond South Hadley to enrich their undergraduate experiences.

Student Life

MHC is not a “party school,” although the students lead fun, purpose-driven lives. MHC’s nickname, the Lyons, is a tribute to founder Mary Lyon. The mascot is named Paws. MHC is a member of the NCAA Division III and NEWMAC. There are thirteen varsity teams and six club teams.

MHC owns 40 horses for students to ride, and equestrians are able to bring their own horses to campus and board them at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center. Its stable has over 69 rubber-matted stalls, a large outdoor all-weather footing show arena, a permanent dressage arena, two indoor arenas, all-weather turnout paddocks, hunt field, and a cross-country course through 120 acres of woods, fields, and streams.

MHC’s riding team is a regular contender at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships, and the dressage team also holds an impressive record, with five Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) National Championships and numerous individual and regional awards. In 2008, MHC became the first small, liberal arts college in the region to host an active IHSA Western Riding Team. Like dressage, the Western team is a club sport.

Since 1923, MHC has hosted one of the nation’s well-known college poetry events, the spring Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest. Glascock judges, who engage students in stimulating dialogues and also read their work, have included Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, W. H. Auden, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and Seamus Heaney. MHC also rotates as host of the Five College PoetryFest, a spring cross-campus literary celebration.

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) will celebrate its 140th anniversary this fall. The permanent collection includes 24,000 objects from five continents and across thousands of years. Significant categories include photography, glass, ceramics, prints and drawings, and numismatics. The Louise R. Weiser Lecture in Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership Through Art was established in 2012. Mrs. Weiser was a longtime MHC employee, and her family and friends raised funds to establish an endowment. The Weiser Lecture is one part of the Museum’s “Creativity Initiative,” aimed at sharing the importance of creative thought on campus. “A Potter’s Tale” and “Comics, Innovation, and Visual Communication” were two lectures from 2015.

Also on campus is the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum. The nearly 7,000 objects represent a lifetime of collecting by Joseph Allen Skinner (1862-1946). The museum holds important collections of minerals and fossils, early lighting, rare books and documents, furniture, maritime objects, artifacts from Oceanic cultures, firearms, glass and ceramics, tools and farm implements, 19th-century souvenirs, and Native American objects. Highlights are a mid-19th century ship’s figurehead from Ipswich, Massachusetts, a 150-pound meteorite from Canyon Diablo, Arizona, and the door to the 18th-century childhood home of Mary Lyon, the founder of MHC.

Housing and Dining

In MHC’s own words, “Inclusion, compassion and authenticity are the foundations of our residential program.” Each well-maintained residence hall features a formal living room, piano, and grandfather clock. Pets on campus? Absolutely! Residence halls of all types and sizes – including those with only first year students, only upper class students, or a mixture – are available. The configurations range from apartment and suite style options to traditional singles, doubles and triples. First-year students should anticipate living with one or two roommates. Returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors participate in a housing lottery. Ninety-eight percent of students opt to live on campus for all four years. The end result is an interesting blend of experiences.

All full-time residential students are required to participate in a 21-meal board plan. MHC Dining Services is committed to sustainability and sourcing locally-grown, organic products.

Admissions

Of the 2,300 MHC students, 26 percent are international, and 48 percent represent diversity. In 2015, MHC received the noteworthy Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. This award recognizes those institutions using creative approaches to well-planned, well-executed, and well-documented progress towards internationalization. Not surprising, the faculty at MHC speak a combined 50 languages!

As a test-optional institution, the personal essay is an important component of a prospective student’s application. For Minnesota students who’ve taken the ACT, keep in mind a composite score of 30 is the average at MHC. However, MHC prioritizes rigorous high school studies and upward trends over GPA. The admissions staff loves to hear from students via email and tracks “demonstrated interest” as part of the process. Alicia Lewkowicz, Assistant Director of Admission, conducts some interviews on campus, via Skype, and in the Twin Cities. No matter who conducts the admissions interview, the interviewer submits a two-page summary. In the near future, MHC will adopt the Coalition Application, a new evaluation system for college applicants spearheaded by Smith, University of Maryland and Emory University. The Coalition Application will give each applicant a “virtual locker” to highlight her holistic accomplishments during the four years of high school.

Merit scholarships are available to a select number of women who demonstrate academic excellence, co-curricular involvement, and leadership potential. Eleven incoming freshmen receive the full-tuition Trustee Scholarship, and 25 receive a $25,000 per year (renewable for four years) Twenty-First Century Scholarship. Committed to the development of female leaders, MHC also offers Leadership Awards. These scholarships range from $10,000 to $20,000.

Who Would Be Happy Here?

Smart, talented, and opinionated students from around the world, representing 46 states and nearly 80 countries, are the women of MoHo. They’re special individuals who are open-minded, socially and politically aware, and intellectually curious. They flourish in a distraction-free rural setting with an international flair. Changemaking is a way of life.

By Sue Luse

About

With applications to women’s colleges on the rise, Smith College – a member of the original Seven Sisters – is prepared to successfully launch a growing number of future Ph.D. candidates into society. Founded in 1871, Smith College is overseen by the institution’s 11th president, Dr. Kathleen McCartney, who was the first in her family to attend college. Dr. McCartney parlayed her education at Tufts and Yale to become the visionary dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education prior to her arrival at Smith. For the current 2,500 hard-working, ambitious Smith undergraduates, an “ageless women’s network” replaces the old boys’ network.

(See At a Glance 2019 for updated information about Smith College.)

Location

Smith is a vital part of the Northampton community (population 28,500) in Massachusetts’ picturesque Pioneer Valley. Northampton is known as a liberal hub for academics, artists, and musicians. The streets of the quaint downtown are dotted with art galleries and museums. The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) features four floors which house the permanent collection, the Cunningham Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, and changing exhibitions. Charlotte Feng Ford ’83, a prominent New York art collector and philanthropist, recently endowed a curator’s position in contemporary art at SCMA.

Academics

One-half of Smith students arrive on campus undecided about their future course, but they graduate with strong direction. Each Smith student is on a customized, writing-intensive journey to obtain her major or majors, but it’s not the “Wild West.” Close advising relationships between professors and students, and an open curriculum where each and every seminar is filled with passionate students, means low faculty turnover. As a member of the Five College Consortium (in addition to Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst), students have access to 6,000 courses, eleven museums, and a library system with 11 million items.

Forty percent of “Smithies” are STEM majors. In fact, Smith was the first women’s college – and now, one of only two – to offer a certified engineering program. Many Smith undergraduates move between Smith and U Mass to obtain either an A.B. or B.S. (accredited by ABET) from the Picker Engineering Program. While traditional minors are available, Smith also offers the opportunity to pursue a concentration. A concentration is a means to organize a combination of intellectual and practical experiences, such as internships and service learning, around an area of interest. Currently, there are 13 available concentrations, including biomathematical sciences, community engagement and social change, and women’s education.

Through the Lazarus Center for Career Development, approximately 400 students each year receive Praxis stipends to work at unpaid summer internships, both here and abroad, in health care, government, education, communications, research, social welfare, technology, law, science, and the arts. The goal is to build on academic studies and explore career options.

Student Life

“Smith is heady, nervy, intellectually exciting,” according to the college’s own website. All Smith students are members of the Student Government Association, which supports more than 100 mainstream and avant-garde organizations. Aerosmith is a student-run program for aerospace enthusiasts; Aerosmith hosts events for young girls in the community to teach them how to fly model planes and aircrafts. The Erg Club, which originated from the winter training program of the varsity crew team, has a mission to introduce indoor rowing to the Smithie masses. And the Bearded Ladies are focused on learning and sharing circus arts skills. Tumbling, partner acrobatics, hand balancing and juggling, and aerial fabric are part of their repertoire.

Smith’s varsity and club athletic teams have been known as the Pioneers since 1986. The name reflects the overriding Smith spirit, and specifically, the fact that the country’s first women’s basketball game was played at Smith in 1893. As the first women’s college to join the NCAA, the Smith logo or “spirit mark” links pioneering alumnae athletes to their competitive counterparts today.

For Smith alumnae and students, traditions are a binding force. Mountain Day, Otelia Cromwell Day, and Rally Day are just a few honored traditions. On Ivy Day – the day before Commencement – junior ushers lead a campus parade of graduating seniors, while carrying an “ivy chain” (made of laurel leaves) on their shoulders. Alumnae and their children also participate in the parade and dress in white and wear sashes in their class color. They line up in reverse order by class along both sides of the route. Seniors line up nearest the end of the parade route and carry a single red rose. The seniors cheer each alumnae class as it marches past and then fall in to join the end of the parade. Many alumnae classes carry signs with humorous poems or slogans, or hold balloons or wear hats in their class color. Ivy Day festivities include the planting of actual ivy in honor of the graduating seniors’ enduring ties to Smith.

Housing and Dining

Smith is “home,” complete with a piano. Students live in 37 large, welcoming wood-frame or brick houses on a leafy campus. The houses are student-run. Dormitories and sororities do not exist. Young women of varying ages live together from the start. According to Vanessa Pius, a rising Smith senior and Gold Key Tour Guide, older students take newer ones under their wings through programs like “Big Sib/Little Sib.” Whom do I pick as my advisor? What do I wear to a party in the quad? Where should I study abroad? Little sibs turn to their big sibs for the answers. Smith’s housing program is so successful that fifty percent of students opt to stay in the same house for all four years.

With 15 dining rooms on campus, Smith is about variety. Is vegan, Asian, or “healthy options” your first choice? Each dining room offers a unique menu, theme, and type of food. No matter the home residence, students choose where to eat on campus. A reflection of Smith’s homelike atmosphere is the continuing popularity of benefactor Sophia Smith’s recipe for molasses cookies. These cookies often are served at the traditional Friday afternoon tea held in each house, when students, faculty and staff members, and alumnae socialize.

All residential students participate in a full-board plan, consisting of breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Meals are served buffet-style to accommodate busy student schedules. The exception is Thursday dinner, when some houses host family-style meals which may include invited faculty or staff members.

Admissions

For the Class of 2020, Smith received a record-breaking 5,251 applicants for approximately 620 openings. A median ACT composite score of 30 is the standard, although Smith is test-optional and alumnae-interview-optional. In October of 2015, Smith announced the adoption of the Coalition Application, a new evaluation system for college applicants spearheaded by Smith, University of Maryland and Emory University. The Coalition Application will give each applicant a “virtual locker” to highlight her holistic accomplishments during the four years of high school.

Smith seeks applicants who will build upon the existing multicultural community of bright women from all 50 states and 70 countries, and from almost every racial, ethnic, political, social, economic, religious, and cultural background. Thus, spirited dialogues are the Smith norm. Sixty-three percent of Smithies participate in work study to finance their college tuitions, and sixty-two percent receive financial aid.

Smith offers some of its finest incoming first-year students the best possible perk: an annual scholarship which includes a paid research position with a Smith professor. Approximately 50 students per graduating class receive Student Research in Departments (STRIDE) scholarships of $20,000 per year over four years. STRIDE scholars also receive annual stipends of $2,400 per year for two years linked to research with faculty members. Most liberal arts colleges offer research opportunities only to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Since its inception in 1992, Smith’s unique program has been featured in The New York Times and USA Today.

Who Would Be Happy Here?

Liberal, intelligent young women from Minnesota would love the Smith undergraduate experience. The 46,000 alumnae network is huge. The alumnae walk the talk and honor Smith traditions. There’s a strong culture of empowering women, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances, and giving back in the truest sense. The campus is populated by introverted extroverts. For a more in-depth perspective, visit the official Smith student blog, “Smith on Smithies.”

By Sue Luse

About

RISD (“RIZ-dee”) is the nation’s best-known and most selective art and design school with approximately 2,300 students. The campus sits next to Brown University on College Hill in Providence. Many campus buildings date from the 1700s and are beautifully preserved. One of the most interesting facilities is the RISD Museum – home to over 91,000 amazing pieces, including ancient Greek sculptures and Picasso oil paintings and etchings.

Location

Providence is the capital of Rhode Island and the perfect college town located about 40 minutes from Boston. The streets of College Hill are lined with 18th- and 19th-century homes. Diverse and historic, bicycle-friendly, and easy to explore by foot, Providence is an active center of art, culture, education, and politics. Waterplace Park is the backdrop for the WaterFire art installation, which lights up the surrounding tidal basin most nights in the summer and for special events. The influence of the nearby Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts is evident, with Providence boasting numerous outstanding restaurants and the highest number of degreed chefs per capita than any other U.S. city. Providence is easy to navigate and full of friendly, helpful people.

Academics

RISD is an art school and offers a range of majors from furniture design to sculpture. Students don’t hit the books in a traditional college sense, but rather, they spend most of their academic hours in studios, working on significant art projects. Most classes have fewer than 20 students, and the art facilities are impressive. During the five-week winter session, students are encouraged to take one class outside of their majors. For those students with wanderlust, RISD has a campus in Rome to pursue independent study projects and immersion in Italian culture and art. RISD and Brown University offer a highly-selective, five-year dual degree program. http://risd.brown.edu/ Students may combine disciplines, such as philosophy with sculpture, or art and design with math or anthropology, to obtain a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree from Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree from RISD.

Student Life

RISD students are artists who exude a Greenwich Village vibe: urban, funky, and alternative. Ninety-six percent come from out of state, and there is a large international presence. The students are eclectic, talented, tolerant of all lifestyles, and passionate about their art. The typical student is more interested in attending concerts and cultural events than sporting events. The dorms are comfortable, with much better than average amenities, and feature common studio areas. The majority of students move off campus after sophomore year to nearby apartments in restored colonial and Victorian homes. The meal plan is popular, but students also actively seek excellent off-campus food options.

Admission

RISD’s selective admittance rate is around 35 percent. RISD occasionally will accept students with lower GPAs who have exceptional artistic talent and potential. In addition to an application, test scores, transcripts, a writing sample, and two drawings, RISD requires an art portfolio. Here are the portfolio requirements:

“Your portfolio should show a selection of 12–20 examples of your best recent artwork. We suggest that the work reflect the full range of your ideas, interests, experience and abilities in the arts to date. Work presented can be in any medium (including film or video), in finished or sketch form, and the result of an assigned project or a self-directed exploration. We strongly recommend that you include a few pages from your journal or sketchbook to indicate your process of research, thinking and investigation.”

Who Would Be Happy Here?

Students who are passionate about pursuing art 24/7 and who are looking for an outstanding education in an urban setting are the ideal RISD candidates.