Smith College Reviews

"Smith college provided me with countless opportunities to think critically and analytically. The culture on campus was perfect for fueling the creative and disciplined. Having few degree requirements meant that I spent more time than I probably should have in fun classes."

"I value the education I received at Smith College. It was vital to me, especially as a woman in STEM, to be surrounded by so many empowered, intellectually curious peers. I also loved the small class sizes, which made it so easy to engage in the academic content, and foster close relationships with professors. I feel like my professors really got to know me, and they were genuinely invested in my success as a student at Smith, and as a person of the world upon graduation. I am still in contact with one of my professors, who was my academic advisors, two years post-graduation. While I love Smith and am proud to call myself a Smithie, the college is not without its faults. I was a 4-year member of the varsity equestrian team and a captain my senior year, which was very important to me and still is. However, Smith recently decided to shut the on-campus barn down, with no input from current students, alumnae, or even the team's coach (the coach had been at Smith since the 70s!). This has highlighted for many that Smith has a transparency issue when it comes to their administrative decision-making, and their motivations behind how and where they choose to spend their money. Fortunately, the school has found a way to keep an equestrian team at Smith, although they have been demoted to a club sport, and must travel about a half an hour to adequate facilities. Overall, I am happy to have attended Smith, and strongly believe that it has helped prepare me for entering graduate school and the workforce. The sheer giddiness you experience after graduation when you run into another Smith grad is a testament to its impact as an undergraduate institution."

"Smith was the first collegiate level institution founded and funded by a woman for the purpose of womens education at the level of Ivy Leagues, rather than for womens domestic training. Heady, nervy and intellectually exciting were the first words I saw about Smith College on their website in 2009. Nestled in the aptly named Happy Valley of Western Massachusetts, Smith College felt like home as soon I stepped on campus: a place full of young, smart, athletic women who cared about what they were doing and how they could help others. The most important aspect of Smith College, in my opinion, is that is by women for women: a place where women are presidents, captains and leaders without question. This legacy of leadership floods into all aspects of the institution. The academia stems from a deep institutional desire to change the destructive paths of patriarchal society where women are considered lesser. From the hard sciences to my major, sociology, or to the arts, Smith academia works hard to value and share the too often unrecognized voices of women in history. The classes are small, challenging and exceptional focusing on the impact individuals can have in the world and sharing opportunities to do that together. As a liberal arts college, Smith provides a holistic education that allows each and every attendee the opportunity to discover what she is truly passionate about and thrive in that arena. Since the founding, the opportunities at Smith are unparalleled and I had the opportunity to partake in some of the opportunities by being a Praxis intern at a local community farm and doing a senior thesis project deconstructing United Nations policies on international development with a Buddhist lens. During my thesis studies, Smith College even set up a dinner meeting and campus speaking opportunity with one of the world's leading female Buddhist leaders. In short, Smith College did all it could for me to succeed in the classroom as it has done for their students since the founding. Today, Smith College prides itself on being globally minded, individually tailored and exceptionally well- rounded. During my time, I participated in varsity athletics at Smith, which is a D-III school. The same tenants of the classroom hold true for athletics: attention to detail and the individual, emphasis of womens achievement and space to grow. As a leading academic and tri-varsity athlete I had the honor of representing Smith in and out of the classroom and on and off the field. The importance of Smith College is deep and strong; Smith continues to weave a network of smart, accomplished and generous women of all kinds throughout the world to grow the power of women all over. Smith College is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life and I highly recommend it to any woman seeking a challenging yet inclusive environment to grow for the rest of their lives."

"Smith College located in the Valley of Massachusetts in Northampton, MA. It is part of a 5-college consortium, allowing students to register for courses in any of the 5 colleges in Western Massachusetts, including Smith College, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts- Amherst. A free of charge bus (for students) travels to and from each campus, providing a large array of courses, professors, clubs, and events available to all students. Smith College also provides an extensive alumnae network and career development program. Students have access to an ever-growing network of professionals all over the world, which is particularly useful when applying for internships or jobs. The career development office also offers career advising, application review, and an internship/job posting website. Classes at Smith are often small and intensive. Professors are almost always available during office hours or after to class to help with assignments or questions. Students are often encourages to utilize class materials to explore topics of personal interest. Smith College is a fantastic institution if you wish to explore your personal academic and intellectual interests. There are professors in all disciplines excited to work with you to dig deeper and discover more about yourself and your interests. This often leads to working toward advancing society in some aspect. My favorite thing about Smith College is the encouragement to be inclusive and collaborate not only in the classroom, but also in your house (Smith dorms), on your team, club, or job. Smith prides itself on prestigious inclusivity. Created for women, by women, Smith cherishes this womens environment to cultivate a future of women leaders. Whether you like to sing, play hockey, write for the paper, or lead student government, you will be encouraged to work together and be a leader. You will graduate from Smith College believing that you can become President, CEO, or whatever it is you dream of achieving. So, if you wish to spend four years deconstructing, analyzing, and creating with a network of ambitious and collaborative individuals, Smith College is the place for you!"

"I couldn't have asked for a better college experience. Being from a small, rural town in the West, I was nervous about attending a private school on the east coast but it turns out I had nothing to fear. What I found here was a diverse student body and peers who are committed not only to their personal education but their communities. Unlike other schools where professors are at the university to do research, professors take their responsibilities as teachers very seriously. In almost every class I felt that the professor was invested in me and my education. I am always proud to say I'm a Smith College graduate."

"Smith College is one of the Seven Sisters, a group of women's colleges formed in the late 1800s in New England to enable women to learn in institutions comparable to the Ivy League schools, which at that point only admitted men. The legacy of women's empowerment endures today at Smith, both on campus and in the alum network. Classes are small, interesting, and encourage active participation. The campus is beautiful, as are the dormitories (called "houses"). The school continues to review its impact in the world, to innovate to ensure it is preparing its students as best as possible, and to consciously break down barriers that women of all backgrounds continue to face in education. I wouldn't trade my years at Smith for anything - it was an experience that continues to shape my life today."

"I am currently enrolled in the Smith College for Work. While it is very demanding and extremely rigorous, I feel the curriculum and pedagogy at Smith will prepare me well for working on both the micro and macro levels with a diverse range of clients using psychodynamic and behavioral frameworks. The instructors are passionate, prepared and caring and the cohort is intellectually challenging and fun. This program is pushing my beyond what I thought I could do, and I know I will be happy for it."

"Smith is an excellent place to find your voice, but it is easy to get lost if you don't know what future career you want."

"I thought my college had excellent students and teachers"

"I loved my experience at Smith. It is a highly diverse community pulling in the brightest women and faculty in the nation. I was consistently asked to engage in thought provoking and inspirational conversation in and out of the classroom. I felt inspired to be a better version of myself through the Dance Department's rigorous curriculum. My only con would be the lack of social engagement available for the graduate students. I never met any other graduate students except the seven in my department. The undergraduates were consistently engaged in campus wide events and activities. There should be a stronger initiative by the Smith College Graduate School to incorporate the graduate students into campus life."

"It was a powerful educational experience with a stimulating academic environment and a vibrant community."

"Smith is an empowering place that encourages you to find what makes you happy in life and to pursue it, even if it may be unconventional. You are surrounded by a group of women who are passionate and driven and the alumna community continues that sense of community after graduation."

"The campus and the town are beautiful. Smith is a unique experience and great for a liberal arts degree"

"Smith college is a great school academic-wise, students have the advantage of a low student to faculty ratio, and faculty are very accessible and supportive. However, the academic environment was super cut throat and suffocating at times, as I was a pre-med student. The student body was mostly rich, upper class white female students with very idealist views of the world. If you are poor, a minority or an immigrant student, it's pretty easy to feel isolated. Smith's idea of diversity was to attract "women of color" from all over the world who lives a Western life style, all of whom went to international schools at their home country and couldn't speak a word of what the natives there spoke. So yes, Smith had diversity in terms of skin color, but definitely not life experiences or point of views. Go to Smith if you want to learn how to think, but not if you want to learn any actual life skills. So Smith would prepare you well for graduate school, but not for an actual job. Northampton is a cool little town in the rural western mass, where nothing happens, so social life can be...some what lacking."

"This is a fantastic program that prepares graduate students of all ages to become effective educators. The only con is that there could be more resources to give us more hands-on time in the classroom - our elementary student teaching placements are only three mornings per week during the school year."

"It was a bit of a culture shock because I went to a conservative Catholic undergrad. I remember the dorms being hit during the summer. The Campus is beautiful and the food was good. Their program is very, very strong clinically and very well known in the field. The administration is also receptive to student feedback."

"Since receiving my bachelors in sociology I knew I would return to school for my MSW, and Smith has always been my first choice. When I was first out of college I attended my first open house at Smith and was wooed immediately by the passion and ethical grounding of the professors and students, as well as the professional structure of the program."

"Smith is a wonderful school that challenges its students to think critically about the world around them. Unfortunately it is extremely expensive and having to move around for school internships is costly. The education is worth the amount but it does make getting by hard for a student like myself."

"Smith College is filled with the most exceptional professors in the Social Work profession. I feel as though I am gaining the greatest quality of learning for the field of Social Work. The student body is so intelligent and the campus is beautiful! The program itself is incredibly intense but the professors are all aware of the rigorous summer program. It is also hard to work during the summer months due to the work load and you are placed all over the country to work, making cost of living extremely expensive."

"Smith College SSW is a warm and welcoming environment for the most part. The education is challenging at times and the staff are mostly inviting."