I visited Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts today. Smith is one of the original 7 Sisters, the tippy top of women's colleges back in the day. Smith has a long tradition of houses, not dorms - 41 of them - each with his own unique character. They are meant to foster strong connections between students. The houses are self governing with a lot of support from upperclassmen: a head of new students, a student academic advisor and a resident advisor in each house. The one I went into was like a grand old manor house, and I could almost see the ghosts of the young ladies wearing their sweater sets and pearls, studying English literature in the parlor. Today, Smith looks very different. It is a very, very progressive campus of forward-thinking young female-identifying students. I had 2 very lovely tour guides and I asked them if they came to Smith because it's all women. I asked them if they had been particularly interested in going to a woman's college. Both of them said no. One told me that she chose Smith because of the sense of community fostered by the housing model, and the other told me she came because her financial aid package was so fabulous.The all-female part didn't make or break the deal for them. They told me that while LGBTQ students feel very supported, all women are welcome, comfortable and happy here. Smith is part of the 5-college consortium in Western Mass with a free bus to the other 4 colleges. My tour guides told me that many students take at least one class elsewhere. They also said that they make it easy; the registrar handles the details and you can even eat your meals at the other campus with the Smith dining plan. Academically, Smith has an open curriculum with only a first-year writing seminar required outside the major. In addition to minors, they offer concentrations which have a practical focus, such as Journalism, Museums, and Global Finance. Internships in those concentrations are encouraged. Smith was the first women's college to have an accredited engineering program and it is VERY strong! Outside the classroom, there's a new ceramics studio open 24/7 which costs students $10 a semester, and I confess I was surprised to hear that there was enormous support for its athletes. I was told that students come out for the basketball and volleyball games. And also soccer. Oh and did we mention field hockey and tennis? They laughed, telling me all the sports have huge support. Smithies support fellow Smithies on campus and forever after - an education at Smith means a lifetime of tremendous alumnae connections. And it's hard to put a price on that.