Women of Distinction Program

Women of Distinction is an overnight, fully funded fly-in program.

Overview

Intended for high school seniors, this annual event will highlight opportunities offered by Smith College for African American, Asian American, Latin American, Native American, and/or first-generation college students. All students are welcome. Housing, meals, and transportation to and from campus is included.

Participants will have the chance to connect with current Smith students, faculty, and other community members. Additional programming will include a series of panels and workshops on academics and student life.

Key Dates & Deadlines

We’re offering two Women of Distinction programs for fall 2025.

Program I: October 17–18, 2025
Program II: November 7–8, 2025

Application opens: August 1, 2025
Application deadline: September 15, 2025

Women of Distinction gave me the opportunity to see Smith up close; I sat in on classes, met members of the community, and stayed in the houses overnight. Through WOD, I could really picture myself at Smith.

Michel Ruiz-Fuentes ’24, Statistical & Data Sciences

Additional Information

At the time of the Women of Distinction Program, students must be living in the U.S., including U.S. territories. The following students are eligible for the program:

U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents
DACA, undocumented, Deferred Enforced Departure, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) students, refugee, or asylee students

Admission to WOD is based on academic, extracurricular, and personal qualities. The following required materials must be uploaded before the material deadline stated below. Required materials may be uploaded directly on this application or through your applicant portal. After submitting your application, you will receive an email with login credentials to the applicant portal.

High school transcript including grades through junior year (unofficial copy accepted)
List of anticipated senior year courses
3 extracurricular activities with descriptions 300 character limit each
Short Essay Prompt: Intersectionality, a term coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, is a term used to describe the complex ways in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) combine or overlap. How has your own intersectional lens impacted your worldview? Approximately 250 words

Smith College is committed to maintaining a diverse community in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation of differences.

Smith College does not discriminate in its educational and employment policies on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national/ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or with regard to the basis outlined in the Veterans Readjustment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Smith’s admission policies and practices are guided by the same principle, concerning women applying to the undergraduate program and all applications to the graduate programs.

For more information about Smith’s nondiscrimination policy, please contact the Office of Equity & Inclusion or call 413-585-2141.

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