Why Choose Smith?

Because Smith is a women’s college, women become leaders; they get the habit of success.
—William Oram, Helen Means Professor of English Language and Literature

Overwhelmingly, students choose Smith for its academic excellence and reputation as an outstanding top-ranked liberal arts college. They come to Smith to learn to be active thinkers and leaders, to discover their own talents and intellectual strengths, and to learn how they can someday make a difference in the world. Smith’s open curriculum, based in the humanities, arts, social sciences and the natural sciences, promotes a vigorous culture of scholarship, inquiry and discovery.

Your daughter may choose to explore many fields of knowledge, and she will have help from academic advisers in shaping her own education in an intentional way. She will select her classes from more than 1,000 courses at Smith and an additional 5,000 undergraduate courses offered at four nearby campuses—Amherst, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke colleges, along with the University of Massachusetts. These institutions have joined with Smith to form one of the oldest, most highly regarded consortiums in American higher education.

Learn more about the benefits of a women's college.

The best way to discover if a college really fits your child—and your expectations—is to visit the campus. Are people friendly and welcoming? Is there a diverse student population?

Applicants and new students frequently comment on Smith's inviting atmosphere, and many say they immediately fell in love with the campus on their first visit. As soon as new students arrive on campus, Smith’s preorientation and orientation programs help them feel at home.