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Smith College - Diversity - Diversity - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.24

Diversity

A-
Where does this grade come from?View all Diversity rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Diversity Grades:

Quick Stats

African American 7%
Asian American 13%
Hispanic 7%
International 7%
Native American 1%
White 43%
Unknown 23%
Historically Black College/University? No
Tribal College? No
Out-of-State Students 82%
Common States of Residence
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Foreign countries
  • New Jersey
  • New York
Student Age Breakdown Under 18: 2%
18-19: 38%
20-21: 38%
22-24: 8%
25+: 15%
Female Faculty 55%
Male Faculty 45%
Faculty Diversity African American: 6%
Asian American: 8%
Hispanic: 4%
International: 3%
Native American: 0%
White: 79%
Unknown: 0%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Smith students are divided in their views of campus diversity, and race is a tense issue on campus. Some students say Smith is like many other private, liberal arts colleges in New England with a mostly white student body, and many minority students say they feel isolated and unwelcome because the culture does not reflect what they are familiar with. Others complain that Smith is too liberal or too gay-oriented. Overall, Smith’s sexual diversity is more obvious than its racial diversity—the campus even voted on a change to the student government’s constitution to remove the pronoun “she” to avoid excluding students who do not identify as women. While the gay community is extremely vocal on campus, the heterosexual presence is not to be denied, as evidenced by the droves of girls who wait for the PVTA bus to UMass and Amherst parties every weekend.

The financial aid and admissions offices are committed to class diversity, and Smith’s admissions is need-blind for 90 percent of its accepted students. There are, however, those who would prefer to keep issues of every kind of diversity silent, and this includes much of the administration. Overall, it would be a mistake to say that issues surrounding race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and age don’t cause tension on campus.

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Smith Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Diversity at Smith College

lala63

Neuroscience '15

5.0
A+

Significant Increase in Diversity

Today, Smith is more diverse than ever. About a third of each class are composed of international students and the number of international applicants grew significantly over the years with the help of Smith's generous financial aid as well as their efforts to reach out to people outside America.

May 22, 2012

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Diversity at Smith College

ZenJen

Liberal Arts and Humanities '12

2.7
C+

Diversity

Unfortunately the current president supports diversity (e.g. low-income/low-GPA students and international students) at the educational expense of the school. Why admit students who lower the average GPA? Also the school excels in claiming "sexual orientation diversity" but this results in the demonization of conservative, heterosexual students by radical lesbian femi-nazi students.

Mar 19, 2012

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Diversity at Smith College

RayHoffman

Women's Studies '12

4.6
A

Smith College, a Transformation

Smith College, although starting out as an upper-class, mostly white institution, has developed into a wonderfully diverse college with emphasis on racial, ethnic, economic, sexual-identity, and religious diversity. The school has taken a turn to be more globally involved and has taken the initiative to have more international students, as well as have more Smith students studying abroad. Smith College has always been a prestigious college with a goal of empowering women formally held back from education, and has blossomed over the years to provide opportunities to all women from various and more diverse backgrounds.

There are still lingering effects of the bourgeoisie lifestyle on campus where the disparity between upper-class and middle-class students sometimes surface. Whether tensions are felt from traditions such as weekly tea times, or the usual social factors such as friend circles, what's so amazing about this specific college is how the student body takes initiative to address such issues. Race and class are always topics of discussion, not only inside the classroom but outside as well, and smithies have a way of standing up for whats right, with a unified voice. The majority of campus has been described to be mainly liberal in political views.

Feb 25, 2012

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Page 1 of 9
User rating for Smith College - Diversity is 3.5 out of 5 based on 27 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How diverse is the student body in the following areas?

How diverse is your personal circle of friends in the following areas?

How accepting is the campus community as a whole toward someone who falls into the minority (ethnic, sexual, or religious)?

How would you best describe your personal political beliefs?

How would you best describe the political beliefs of campus as a whole?

Facts

Gay Pride

The gay community is one of the most vocal and visible groups on campus. Although there are incidents of homophobia on campus, they are isolated and do not reflect the student body as a whole. Some students, however, complain that Smith is too centered around the gay community, saying that the focus of Smith politics and social life is too often on the gay students.

Political Activity

Most students here are politically and socially liberal, and conservative students can feel silenced by the strong wave of liberal discourse. However, while campus has its share of protests, students are generally not politically active, and many consider the student body to be generally apathetic. However, the Smith Democrats was recently voted the best chapter in the nation.

Economic Status

Smith students reflect the economic bell curve of the country. There is a small number of extremely upper- and lower-class students, with most students falling somewhere in between.

Most Common Religions

The most present religion on campus is Christianity, as evidenced by the numerous Christian groups. These include the Radical Catholic Feminists of Smith and the Ecumenical Christian Church. There are a fair number of Jewish students, and many participate in the Smith/Amherst Hillel group. There is also a large Muslim population on campus. However, a large portion of the student body does not practice any religion.

Minority Clubs on Campus

Many of the cultural heritage groups on campus sponsor dances, dinners, and concerts. They include: Asian Students Association, Black Students Alliance, Ekta (for students of South Asian heritage), Indigenous Smith Students and Allies, International Students Organization, KASS (Korean-American Students of Smith), Nosotras (Latina organization), Prism (Queer Students of Color), SACSA (Smith African and Caribbean Students Association), and Vietnamese Students Association.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Dara Kagan
Hometown
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Major
Government, with a minor in the Study of Women and Gender

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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