Boston, MA: Over February vacation I spent a weekend at Simmons College, which is located near Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts. Among all of the excellent colleges in this area, Simmons stands out for many reasons including their comfortable dorms, tasty food, impressive extracurricular activities, extensive research labs and friendly, social atmosphere. Simmons is an all-female undergraduate college.
The campus is separated into two parts: the academic campus and the residence halls. These two areas are only a block away from one another.
I was very impressed by the size of the dorms and the many wonderful young women who treated me like a sister during my stay. I felt more comfortable at Simmons than at any other college I have visited. I felt like I belonged there. Perhaps it's because all the women are there for the same reason: to study and to earn a degree without male competition.
The cafeteria offered a fabulous buffet selection. Breakfast ranged from cereal and fruit juice to homemade muffins and pancakes while dinner included ravioli, chicken, rice and a salad bar followed by soft-serve ice cream sundaes. College food seemed ten times better than high school food. Next to the school's cafeteria is Simmons' brand-new, four-story athletic center with an Olympic-size pool, nautilus equipment, basketball and racquetball quarts and dance studios. I like knowing that I would be eating healthy food every day and working out in a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art athletic center.
Biology professor, Jane Lapilato, took me on a tour of the science building and showed me the high-tech biology and chemistry labs. Fascinated, I walked through each lab as Prof. Lapilato explained some of the experiments her students were performing. Some pre-med students were dissecting cats, while others were mapping genes through electrophoresis or breeding fruitflies. Simmons offers internships for pre-med majors at local hospitals.
After spending the weekend at Simmons, I feel as though it is "my" college. I love the social aspect of the school, a quality not found at any fraternity or sorority party but a type of female bonding and long-term friendship. To me, the women at Simmons seem to have an edge over other college women. Perhaps it's because they possess a stronger sense of security and self-confidence which is instilled in them as a result of attending a single-sex college devoted to educating women. f

Review by S. S., Brockton, MA


Reviewed in 1994