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Frequently Asked Questions

The Deans of the Sisters

The Sisters admission deans offer the following overarching answers to frequently asked questions. We encourage you to read the answers and then be in touch with the institutions that interest you most to learn how the answers apply to them in distinguishing ways.

L to R, starting with top row: Jennifer Fondiller dean of admission, Barnard College; Jenny Rickard dean of admission and financial aid, Bryn Mawr College; Diane Anci dean of admission and interim Vice President of Enrollment, Mount Holyoke College; Audrey Smith dean of enrollment, Smith College; Jennifer Desjarlais dean of admission, Wellesley College.


  1. Who are the “Sisters” and where did that name come from?
  2. Are the Sisters affiliated with any coed schools?
  3. What’s it like to study at a women’s college? Who would my classmates be?
  4. How many students do the Sisters enroll? Where do they come from?
  5. I know that the Sisters rank among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges. But what exactly is a liberal arts curriculum?
  6. Do I need to choose my major right away at a liberal arts school?
  7. Does a liberal arts degree offer advantages in the workplace?
  8. Do the Sisters offer business, medical, legal, or some other preprofessional training?
  9. The Sisters are known for having highly diverse student bodies. How does this enhance academic and campus life?
  10. Do the Sisters offer study abroad programs and internships?
  11. Is it true that the Sisters are renowned for excellence in the sciences?
  12. So many famous women are graduates of women’s colleges. What’s your magic formula?
  13. Just how successful are graduates of the Sisters?
  14. How do the Sisters emphasize leadership skills?
  15. Do those leadership skills translate in a coed world?
  16. What’s the social life like at a women’s college?
  17. Do I apply to all, some, or just one of the Sisters?
  18. What do admission officers look for when reading applications?
  19. How important are test scores?
  20. I’ve heard that the Sisters are expensive. Is financial aid available?
1. Who are the “Sisters” and where did that name come from?  [ TOP ]

The Sister colleges are five prestigious women’s colleges: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley Colleges. Decades ago, we were known as the “Seven Sisters.” That name referenced the Pleiades of Greek mythology, seven daughters of Atlas who were changed into stars by Zeus. At the time, we numbered seven—Vassar and Radcliffe were early Sister schools—and were the companion schools to the seven predominately male Ivy League institutions. Today, the Ivy League institutions, along with Vassar and Radcliffe, are coed, but our five colleges remain committed to women’s education. The Sisters are among the best residential liberal arts colleges in the world.

2. Are the Sisters affiliated with any coed schools?  [ TOP ]

Each of the Sisters is part of an educational consortium with area coed colleges. This provides academic cross-registration arrangements so students enrolled at women’s institutions can choose to enroll in some classes with men. It also makes social interaction easy.

3. What’s it like to study at a women’s college? Who would my classmates be?  [ TOP ]

All kinds of students choose women’s colleges—athletes, scientists, writers, and the list goes on. What they have in common is that they’re smart women who think seriously about their education. What draws them to the Sisters is a desire for rigorous academics, abundant mentorship opportunities, and the chance to work one-on-one with stellar faculty. Because they understand the educational value of diversity, these students appreciate that the Sister colleges have a legacy of assembling truly diverse communities. Students who choose women’s colleges also care about the world around them. They want to do something meaningful to make it a better place.

4. How many students do the Sisters enroll? Where do they come from?  [ TOP ]

Enrollment at the Sisters ranges from 1,300 to 2,700 students, who come from throughout the United States and all over the world. So, while each college is relatively small, its campus community is incredibly diverse. That means you will get to know people from very different backgrounds than yours. Our size also means you’ll have small classes. The student-to-faculty ratios are between 8:1 and 10:1; that translates into personalized attention and mentoring. And being small, residential colleges creates a strong sense of community on campus.

5. I know that the Sisters rank among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges. But what exactly is a liberal-arts curriculum?  [ TOP ]

A liberal arts curriculum includes courses in the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. Students at our institutions are exposed to courses in all these areas. So, for example, in the course of a semester you might simultaneously be learning how to interpret what a novel’s author is trying to say, and how a biologist constructs and tests a hypothesis, and how a political scientist analyzes an election. A liberal arts curriculum aims to develop your ability to think broadly and approach problems creatively. It also emphasizes writing, speaking, and critical-thinking skills.

6. Do I need to choose my major right away at a liberal arts school?  [ TOP ]

About two thirds of applicants to the Sisters are undecided about their major. And that’s OK. At a liberal arts college, you can study a variety of academic subjects before honing in on a particular interest for your major. This gives you the chance to discover new interests and pursue current ones, rather than feeling you need to choose a professional path at the beginning of your college experience. Even when you’ve picked a major, it won’t necessarily dictate what you will end up doing for your career.

7. What if I were interested in business, medical, legal, or some other type of preprofessional training?  [ TOP ]

No one knows what the world will be like ten years ago now or what the major jobs will be. A liberal arts education prepares you for that uncertainty. Our graduates are prepared to change as the world changes.

That said, our career development offices bring in a wide variety of potential employers—NGOs, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit groups. Each year, all sorts of organizations recruit our students. They come seeking women who are liberally educated and who can learn on the job and contribute to the organization.

We also offer access to the “old girls’ network” (some prefer to call it an “ageless women’s network”) of alumnae who can help connect graduates with career opportunities. We have large alumnae bodies of women who have been incredibly successful, and many of them are eager to mentor current students.

8. Do the Sisters offer business, medical, legal, or some other preprofessional training?  [ TOP ]

There are numerous opportunities to explore pre-professional fields at all of our institutions. As liberal arts colleges, we offer students the chance to study what they love and opportunities to find practical applications for what they’re learning. All the Sisters have advisers for students’ preprofessional interests to help guide them toward internships, graduate schools, and other opportunities that will prepare for those careers.

Our graduates’ acceptance rates into medical school are far above the national norm—upwards of 75 percent collectively—which is extraordinary. We all have premedical advisors on campus, used both by graduates who go to medical school right after college and by those who pursue medicine years after graduation.

9. The Sisters are known for having highly diverse student bodies. How does this enhance academic and campus life?  [ TOP ]

Our students come from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. They represent geographic and ethnic diversity, and diversity of experience, opinion, and thought. The unique perspective of each student contributes to our campus communities, both in and out of the classroom. In terms of academics, the result is a much richer learning environment. For example, in an international relations or global economy class, you’ll hear from students from various parts of the world. When a discussion includes opinions that are different from yours, you are challenged to think in new ways.

10. Do the Sisters offer study abroad programs and internships?  [ TOP ]

Absolutely. We all have institutional programs abroad and our students go all over the world. Wherever you study, you pay the fees of your home institution, and your financial aid can be used to study abroad.

In terms of numbers, about one-third to one-half of students at the Sisters typically study abroad. Some choose language-based programs; some choose programs where classes are taught in English. And studying abroad doesn’t have to happen during your junior year. There are short-term research opportunities abroad, too, between semesters or during the summer. A number of the Sister schools also offer internships abroad, where students may get paid to work in a particular country to gain practical experience. And, of course, we all have a global focus to our curriculum domestically and a large percentage of international students on our campuses.

11. Is it true that the Sisters are renowned for excellence in the sciences?  [ TOP ]

Definitely. At each Sister, more than one-third of our students major in one of the sciences, which is double what women are doing at coed colleges and universities. So often we hear students say, “I was one of five female students in my AP physics high school class but now I’m one of 25 physics majors.” They quickly discover how dynamic and supportive it is to be surrounded by other women who are serious about science. And across the board at the Sisters, about half our professors are female and that’s true in the sciences as well. As a result, not only are female professors mentoring young women, but students also see collaboration between male and female faculty in fields that have been traditionally dominated by men.

Furthermore, the Sisters are ranked very highly on the national lists in both the number and percentage of students who go on to earn a Ph.D in the sciences. Our graduates also earn doctorates in other areas, of course, but we’re distinctive in terms of the percentage of women going on to Ph.Ds in the sciences.

12. So many famous women are graduates of women’s colleges. What’s your magic formula?  [ TOP ]

Our graduates are leaders who distinguish themselves in all walks of life. As a group they are self-aware women with high self-esteem. They are mature and independent interdisciplinary thinkers. And they turn these qualities into very far-ranging accomplishments.

Being in an extraordinary community of women who are smart, interesting, and engaged; who come from different experiences and challenge each other while consistently expecting that each person has something to contribute—this contributes to the legacy of leadership. But the Sisters’ legacy of leadership starts in the habits you have established as a high school student: in academics, in service to others, and in involvement in activities meaningful to you.

Our college communities then provide you with more opportunities to be involved in things that matter to you, to contribute in big and small ways, and to pursue extracurricular activities, which also expand your social opportunities. In turn, the more you’re involved with and engaged by the people around you, the more you will learn about yourself. This leads to lives and careers that exemplify an ideal of engagement with the world—and that’s what graduates of women’s colleges are known for.

13. Just how successful are graduates of the Sisters?  [ TOP ]

Our graduates have received the Nobel Peace Prize and numerous Pulitzer prizes. They are scientists. They are founders and CEOs of corporations. They are stay-at-home moms and working mothers. They are dancers, judges, actors, and more.

Graduates of the Sisters have many famous “firsts” to their credit:

As for some names you might recognize:

14. How do the Sisters emphasize leadership skills?  [ TOP ]

If you’re at a women’s college and you want to get something done, then a woman is going to have to take charge. Leadership is a set of skills learned through experience, and at the Sisters, you’ll have lots of chances to practice being in charge. You’ll have opportunities to lead and to see many leadership styles modeled. The student body presidents are women, the student newspaper editor is a woman, the presidents of the Republican and Democratic clubs are women, the student representative to the board of trustees is a woman, and the presidents of all the Sisters colleges are women.

Furthermore, leadership is broadly defined at our institutions; it isn’t just about being the president, captain, or director of something. There are many students who could be described as leaders based on who they are intellectually—what they do on the classroom and the research they do with faculty and in their own independent work. At a woman’s college, you’ll develop your own style of leadership and carry it forward into your life.

15. Do those leadership skills translate in a coed world?  [ TOP ]

Short answer: yes. Students in our communities aren’t necessarily following a traditionally male, hierarchical model of leadership. Rather, it’s a much more collaborative process that includes listening to lots of different voices, giving everyone an opportunity to participate, and bringing a group to consensus. So by the time our students graduate, they’re accustomed to soliciting others’ opinions, sharing their own, and taking responsibility for a program or a project. This experience serves them well after graduation in the “real world.”

And don’t forget that there are many opportunities for students to interact with our coed partner institutions. There are some coed clubs and organizations, and men and women from other campuses are in some of our classes.

16. What’s the social life like at a women’s college?  [ TOP ]

Women’s college students do a very good job of identifying what fun means for them. They take charge of their lives and their college experiences, whether it’s about organizing a big party, seeing a movie, having fun discussions at dinner every night in the residence hall, or hanging out with their friends. Whatever it is that you might want to do, you’ll find other people who want to do that too.

There are very broad definitions of social life on our campuses. You’ll meet other students because you’re in theatre or singing in a choral group or involved with student government, the student newspaper, athletics, or debate society. And because the Sisters are near coed schools, that expands your choices for parties and other social opportunities. We’re all in areas where there are many different college students, and there are opportunities to go into a big city or to another larger campus nearby.

One of the most important things that happens in the social experience of our students is that they form really strong friendships with other women. For some students, this was an important part of their high school experience, but building a network of people who will be there for you forever is probably unique to our experience as communities.

17. Do I apply to all, some, or just one of the Sisters?  [ TOP ]

That’s up to you. We are not a consortium; each Sister has its own admission policies, process, application fee, and values used in selecting students. Still, there is a great deal that we have in common. We are very selective about which students we admit. We are all looking for strong, successful students who have taken full advantage of the opportunities available to them. (We do realize that different students have had different opportunities, and staff members who are familiar with schools in particular regions of the country read each application very closely.)

We all use the same application form, the “common application form.” So there are some standard questions, as well as an essay that an applicant will write. We also all have a supplement to the common application where we might ask more directed questions relating to our own institutions.

18. What do admission officers look for when reading applications?  [ TOP ]

Admission is a very holistic process. It has to be; if you just looked at grades and test scores, there are so many students that could do the work at our schools. The admission process goes far beyond that. We’re looking to see what students’ dreams and aspirations are; how they are reflecting on the activities, clubs, and organizations they’ve been a part of; whether they have taken any opportunities to play leadership roles; what teachers say about them; and how they are engaged in the classroom.

All our admission officers evaluate applicants using a personalized process. They look at students’ academic records and at other factors, and each student gets a careful review of her application from two or even more readers.

Admission officers will spend the most time evaluating your high school transcript—which courses you selected from those available to you and how you performed in those courses. We don’t look just at your GPA; we try to understand your entire secondary school record in the context of everything that was going on in your life.

Your extracurricular activities give us an idea about what’s important to you, and how you might contribute to the campus’ residential community.

Then there is the admission essay, which is your opportunity to shape how we’re going to look at you as a person. It also gives us information about how you write and how you approach a topic. A student can influence the admission process by thinking carefully and deeply about why she wants to attend a particular institution.

19. How important are test scores?  [ TOP ]

The Sisters colleges have differing policies. Most require SATs, one is SAT-optional on the SAT1; some require the SAT2 while others recommend it. Policies also differ about interviews, supplemental materials, art portfolios, etc. We invite you to look at our Web sites to find out more about what’s required—and how each component is weighted—at the college(s) in which you’re most interested.

20. I’ve heard that the Sisters are expensive. Is financial aid available?  [ TOP ]

At all five Sisters, the student budget (including tuition, room, board, fees, transportation, and books approaches or exceeds $50,000 a year. It’s important to know, however, that less than half our students are asked to pay that full amount. We encourage you not to rule out any college based on the sticker price. Instead, explore further what financial-aid opportunities may be available to you.

All the Sisters have very significant resources to devote to need-based financial aid, and we’re all recognized as leaders in having socio-economically diverse campuses. Whether all or part of the cost is going to be borne by your family, we will work with you to manage the part for which you will be responsible.

The details of applying for financial aid can be very complex and what follows is a general overview: