One of my close friends graduated from one of the seven sisters school. She is one of the brightest women I have ever known. She ended up going back to school when her kids were in middle school for her RN degree, which led to her masters, which led to her PhD. She is doing what she loves and is extraordinary at it. I’ve known several other women who are graduates of seven sisters schools and I am equally impressed with them, though in different ways.

ETA: Her RN degree was not from a 7 sisters college. It was in addition to the one she had already received (from Mt. Holyoke.)

I worked briefly with a woman from Mount Holyoke. Lots of enrichment opportunities at school. Coming from a big city school I found she was bright but very sheltered, probably part upbringing but part being at a very small school.

My husband's grandmother, great aunts, mother, aunt, sister and nieces are Smithies, we toured it for my daughter (I wanted to go for the greenhouse alone), but she didn't want to be that far from home. They have a robust alum network, lots of great connects with grad schools of all stripes and the students receive a considerable amount of one-on-one attention and time from the faculty and staff. Northampton is also a great little college town with Smith, Hampshire, Amherst and Zoo Mass all close by.

I know a Congressman who went to Vassar many years ago. He liked it.

One of my daughter's best friends went to Barnard and loved her experience. She was able to continue doing some modeling while attending and living in the city so that was an added bonus.

I don't think you can lump all these schools in the same category, Some are better than others, just like some Ivies are better than others. Which of the schools are you interested in knowing about?

Several of my son's male friends attended Vassar. I know 2 young women who attended Mount Holyoke and DD graduated from Barnard. However Columbia and Barnard divy up some of the majors and since her major fell under Columbia's venue she had the majority of her classes there - which of course is only across Broadway.

I've never had the opportunity to officially interview any 7 Sisters grads for a job but I did supervise 3 undergrads during summer internships along with interns from regular colleges. Honestly I did not see any special significance or difference - but these were only college sophomores.

I went to a women's college.. as did my bff and a number of other friends. Neither my bff or I went to a Seven Sister but I do have some friends who did. A friend's wife went to Radcliffe and my bf's sister went to both Vassar and Bryn Mawr. While my college is still going, it's a poor rendition of what it once was. That's the case with many women's colleges, I am sad to say-- but I understand that the few remaining Seven Sisters are going quite strong.

Sorry, I wrote a long rambling/poorly constructed post and just deleted it... I'll try to come back later this weekend and share some more thoughtful insight.

Interesting question.

Didn't go to a seven sisters school.

As a hiring manager of MANY years, dont think I have EVER interviewed a 7 sisters alum. Now I am wondering why. I work in IT, I interview people to be project managers, programmers, network engineers, systems analysts, business analysts... They do not necessarily have to have degrees in these fields. This makes me wonder what you DD wants to study and if the school/field would be compatible. This goes to the network 'links' as well.

Having said all that, I have always harbored a regret that I didn't attend a women's college. I think the opportunity to be among only women is now lost to me. It's a missed opportunity. Perhaps this too, is related to my field, I often speak to only one or two women all day. And then at home I have two sons and a male spouse. Sigh......

I'm a Vassar grad, but it had been coed for years before I got there. Not a women's college experience at all for me. Always glad that I went there, but haven't found the name recognition to have been an influence on hiring managers, likely because after grad school I started work at a software company based in South Carolina, and I've been working for the same folks, pretty much since 1983, except for the years I've spent in the family's transportation business (back in the software world now). I think "Vassar" doesn't signify as much in SC as it might elsewhere in the country. I do run into folks who are just tickled pink to meet a "Vassar girl", but I they've just got lots of not-very-realistic ideas.

PS - Suero, is that Rick Lazio? I graduated the year before him ... though I didn't know

This is a rather the delicate dance. Your daughter's present school has a (perhaps unstated) goal that your daughter gain admission to her #1 college choice. That involves their managing both her best prospect, and her most "realistic" reach school. Therefore, their recommendations will be focussed both on her needs AND theirs. (For example, has this prep school previously reported student college admissions vs. first choice applications?) I think a 9% admit rate places it at Princeton/Harvard/Yale, but I'm not sure about that. Wellesley may be at 19%. Are you up against an early decision/early action deadline? Apologies for the specific questions, I looked for a private message without success?

Agreeing with Smiling. (It's a very different world than when I went to college!). Everyone recommending any college for your DD has reasons for that, which do not likely include whether it is a good fit for her as a person.

Mtn, my son hated EDs too and wouldn’t do one. He really liked Vassar and they pretty much tell you, you better apply ED. On our tour they said they fill 50% of the class that way, so the non ED admittees are creme de la creme.

He was torn between Vassar, Brandeis, and Conn, and didn’t want to commit to ED so he didn’t do it for Vassar and didn’t get in. That was fine with him, and me as the other two are a shorter trip. :)

My advice, is it all works out in the end and the process is way too stressful.

I know my experience is different coming from Canada, but I do see some name recognition for having a semi prestigious (but still Canadian, not Oxford or anything) school on my resume, however as a hiring manager I think the only advantage is if you make good contacts/networking opportunities in your field of choice. Although that is a huge advantage!

Hiring for entry/mid positions, school has little bearing compared to experience and extremely little for director-level and above.

Again I know my experience is less relevant but I’d go for the best faculty in my area of interest that accepted me rather than the best school overall (if I were fixed on an area of interest). Then again, I changed majors several times and benefited from being at a large school with every possible major.

Random thoughts on college

The rankings issue drives me crazy. Many institutions withhold information or twist it in an effort to raise their status. When my kids were applying one factor in the USNWR rankings was the % of alum donating $ to the school. I went to a public university and have never given them $ - we were busy paying for DH's med school and saving to send our own kids. However I highly value the education and opportunities I received and stayed there for grad school. On the other hand DH attended an all male college (now co-ed) and we've been regular donors. Only one of my 3 have donated yet all 3 did well and think highly of their schools.

My son volunteered to be on the student campaign to solicit funds from graduates. He was instructed to get a donation - no matter how small - just so they could increase that %.

The acceptance rate is another one that is somewhat skewed. The high school my kids went to is in a highly 'ranked' community and it wasn't unusual for seniors to apply to 8 to 10 schools. It was definitely a competitive atmosphere and 'casting a wide net' was common. The theory was that Harvard or Princeton would only accept a few students from each high school so to increase your odds of getting into one of the top schools you had to apply to even more than normal. That increases the number of applications these top schools get - and of course that makes their acceptance rate even more selective.

I can see your point about what people might assume about an all women's school - for some reason DD never seem concerned about what others might think, but then she's always been that way. Barnard's mantra was 'strong independent women' and that fit DD. She didn't want to attend Columbia because of the strict core curriculum policy. She wanted to try a more 'liberal' approach to liberal arts. So she ended up spending most of her time on Columbia's campus anyway. The diploma awarded to Barnard grads reads: Barnard College of Columbia University.

My brother has taught at McGill in the past (avant gard music comp) and my niece from Paris graduated there. While she was there, she did a semester "abroad" in NYC. That always made me laugh. She majored in architecture and is now an actress in LA. Go figure.

Mtn- I really liked Brandeis. He really liked Brandeis, but something about Conn won his heart. I think the campus, had a bit to do with it. The Brandeis campus is beautiful but it has a more modern feel and I think they lost him for that reason. The very traditional campus feel of Vassar and Conn was important to him.

We also live in a top-ranked competitive community. I agree that the students are directed to choose the best school they get into. Not necessarily the best school for them. Hard not to get caught up in all of this! Emotions run high.

All this said for those top-ranked students there didn't appear to be rhyme or reason to who was accepted where.

Most students were encouraged to apply to 2 reach, 2 likely and 2 safety schools. Most applied to more.

MHO, for those who can afford all the application fees, apply to as many as you can.

On the plus side, your DD doesn't have a favorite right now. This is where it especially gets tricky. Many of the kids would not share their hopes in fear that of rejection.

Eld, yes, luckily she has many schools that she would be happy to go to and is not really stuck on one.

Funky it sounds like you had a wonderful experience. Schools are so different. I mean imagine contrasting what you describe with going to a huge state school!

I really appreciate everyone's comments. I think that for many, women's colleges seem anachronistic and I'd bet most kids don't put them on their list at least at first. But upon inspection they are a very interesting option.

I don't have specific Seven Sisters knowledge but just wanted to weigh in..... Our youngest graduated college a year ago, so this is all behind us now, but I remember it well, and am peripherally involved with a high-schooler I tutor these days. My two takeaways after all this time: There is no substitute for campus visits in terms of students selecting a school which will be a good match for them personally. -even in this age of dorm tours on YouTube, virtual campus visits, etc. Over and over again we visited campuses which had made the shortlist after months of research, and within an hour we all knew it was not a good fit. My other takeaway is the growing realization that admissions offices are filling greater and greater percentages of their classes with ED and EA students. What used to be a relative rarity now seems to be a widely accepted business model. If a student is serious about a particular school, it is foolish to ignore this new reality. I've also found that there are many more nonbinding options in the early admit process than there ever used to be.

vc01

No. not Rick Lazio. The one I know is a current Congressman who attended but did not get his degree for Vassar. I don't think it was co-ed when he attended. But it didn't surprise me either that he went to Vassar because his grandmother was a pioneering feminist.

I did have some great experiences-- but I missed out on a lot too by going to a very small school too.

Your daughter seems to know what she wants to do in life and how she wants to get there-- I have no doubt that she'll weigh all the options and make a great choice. I wasn't that aware at 18!

Well, she is her mother's daughter :)

Only four of the "Seven Sisters" are still women's colleges if that is what you are wanting. The others have gone co-ed. I know that Mt. Holyoke students may take classes at Dartmouth (that has been true since the 70s) and vice versa and Bryn Mawr students may do the same with Haverford.

I know most students prefer co-ed now, but I wish I had attended a women's college. I attended a girls' school across the street from Bryn Mawr and thought I wanted co-ed. By the time I graduated from college, I wished I had chosen differently.

DD attended a girls' school (she loved it --- also lots of alumnae from women's colleges), then coed undergrad, then women's college for a postbac program, now again coed.

Her take was that today's women's colleges and their attendees are quite different from (a) today's all-girls high school and (b) the "old" women's colleges when the top universities were basically off limits to females. And, no, she's absolutely sure that she wouldn't have wanted to attend an all female college for her undergrad years. (Also confirmed what Funky says above: a lot of LGBTQ and overseas students from perhaps more "conservative" countries and backgrounds.)

Just for the record, a women’s college didn’t keep me out of trouble — or away from boys!!

Ok Funky - we're waiting for your memoir.....

Ha! I was a wild child.. but a good student too,

Where I feel I missed out is that I did my own research in an idyllic setting--I didn't have a clear and realistic view of what life/career would be like with a research doctorate. I had internships but it wasn't the same as living it. Once I got that picture.. I left the program and changed careers. Had I attended a larger school, I think I would have redirected sooner.

My daughter graduated from Smith College. It was a wonderful school for her. She loved the campus, the professors, and the opportunities. She took a variety of courses—French, literature, sciences—and lived in a beautiful house, rowed on crew, and graduated with honors in biology. She had a fantastic science professor who looked out for her, set her up to do research in his laboratory, and helped her get her a summer job at NIH. After graduation she was awarded a post-baccalaureate position at NIH to do research based on her work at Smith. We loved visiting there--the campus is gorgeous and the town of Northampton is delightful. After her post-bac work, she went to U-Penn Veterinary School. She is now a full-fledged veterinarian.

You all need to stop what you're doing right now and go book a tour of Mount Holyoke because it is GORGEOUS. Especially in the fall. I am not a Mount Holyoke grad but it is one of the most beautiful college campuses I have ever seen, especially in foliage season. Some highlights:

* a semi-ruined Victorian conservatory that houses a carnivorous plant collection

* a Japanese teahouse

* an outdoor amphitheater guaranteed to bring out the Martha Graham/Isadora Duncan impulse in everyone

* the possibility of tea in the library (call ahead)

I agree with Mtn, about college visits. You do need to get out there and see at least a few.

Both my DD's had feelings, good or not so good from seeing the actual STUDENTS. I don't know how this works, but they knew almost immediately.

After visiting a few schools oldest my oldest then wanted to wait for the acceptance letters.

College is a business as we all know. Many state schools are raising their out of state acceptance ratios to enroll full paying students.

Mtn, I thought you had an older son? What was his experience looking for schools?

Your dd sounds very mature and wise! My dd, who is a hs junior, is sadly not as forward-thinking as your child. I want her to attend a smaller, private college so she can have more attention from professors and the tight networking smaller schools provide. I would LOVE for her to go to an all-girls school! I don’t think her test scores will be up to Seven Sisters standards, unfortunately, and I doubt she will even consider the all-girls schools that she could attend.

She wants a large SEC school bc she is an accomplished cheerleader and is being recruited for this (sadly, no money usually for cheer, lol, maybe a stipend.) I told her she could still do cheer at a smaller, private, school...but that’s not competitive enough for her.

Dh just keeps telling me that it is natural to follow your strengths, particularly at her age. She is going to want to be where she can feel like she is at the “best,” even if the wiser course would be to attend a school where she would experience an intellectual awakening. I just need to support her (short-sighted) decisions and hope that she can thrive intellectually in such a large, distracting environment.

Best wishes to your dd as she navigates this exciting time! I know she will make a great choice and will be very successful wherever she chooses to go.

Eh, I get it though, everyone likes to do something they excel at, and that's important to one's satisfaction and sense of self to have successes. Be happy when your kid is accomplished at anything really, i think, because it means they know how to work for something they want. It all translates to future success!

And in re this "networking smaller schools provide."

Yes, and no, right? I think I had spoken so much about the value of some of these very tight knit schools, that I oversold it. E.g., we were talking about the University of Michigan and DD said it's so huge, it won't have that network. I realized I had to sort of clarify my statements. The value of the network is a function of 1)how strong the ties are but also 2)the sheer number of alums and 3)where the alums end up vis a vis your interests.

One of my nieces graduated from Wellesley, and she had a great experience there. She is bright and multilingual. After college she went to grad school in Brazil. She then went to work in DC. She has often mentioned the fabulous alumni network that Wellesley has and how it has helped her.

Not Seven Sisters, but my best friend’s daughter graduated from Mills College in CA. She too had a great experience, and it was a good fit for her.

I didn’t go to a women’s college, but I did go to a very small liberal arts college as did my DD. The best things about our experiences: very small class size-your professors really do know you and care about you, lifelong friendships, small campuses, wonderful study abroad experiences, ability to finish college in four years (this can be difficult now at huge schools), learning critical thinking skills.

Best of luck as your DD makes her decision!

Nini, sometimes the college road takes twists and turns. In my oldest DD's HS class, many did not graduate from the school they started with. Including my DD.

My youngest is similar to your DD. She did not have a career in mind and wanted to simply experience new things. One of those things was to become fluent in Spanish. (She took Latin in HS) . She is now in the IT world. I would never have expected this to be her career choice.

They grow and evolve at their own pace.

Thanks, Jana, I will mention that to DD! So funny since you two have met, I will have to tell her the GW network is pretty good too! Hope your DD is doing well and best to DH too!

Eld, you are so right. Some kids are pretty predictable, but a lot of them take surprising twists and turns. At my youngest's school, they have a concept they try to teach/instill called "dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty." In 2019 I think that is one of most valuable skills kids can have, as their world and their choices and opportunities are likely to be far less static than the world we saw or out parents saw.

At my youngest's school, they have a concept they try to teach/instill called "dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty." In 2019 I think that is one of most valuable skills kids can have, as their world and their choices and opportunities are likely to be far less static than the world we saw or out parents saw.

This is so great. While I think there's always been an advantage to being flexible and adaptable, it has never been more valuable than now.

I pride myself on being pretty adaptable and driven to change (sometimes to a fault-- but that's another story!) -- for me, it's just part of my makeup. I am an INTP and constantly looking at how to refine/improve the world around me. I am curious-- how is your DD's school approaching this? How do you teach someone to be themselves and also be adaptable.. and to accept and thrive in ambiguity?

that's pretty amazing at a hs level. I admit that when I read "metacognition" my first thought was that it was jargony-- but the way you describe the exercises/discussions, they're solidly built on cognitive behavior modification... something I only recently learned to use to break some self-defeating thoughts/behaviors. So you're right-- these are tools many of us don't learn until much later in life.