U.S. News: What is the Simmons Edge and how does the academic program help students realize their career goals?
Innes: The Simmons Edge combines customized advising, out-of-the-classroom experiences such as internships, research and practicums and accelerated degree pathways to prepare students for their field and launch them into their career faster and more affordably.
Simmons Edge allows students to complete their undergraduate studies in just three years or begin graduate-level coursework early with these features:
- Integrated academic and career advising: Students receive customized support in exploring and creating their academic and career paths.
- Acceleration: Students can take a set three-year curriculum to finish their bachelor’s degree early and move on to their graduate program.
- Early access: Alternatively, students can explore majors and, in their fourth year, jumpstart their graduate degree by taking master’s-level courses while still an undergrad.
- Affordability: Students can save on tuition by graduating sooner, and benefit from the Double Shark Scholarship (up to 20% off graduate tuition) for their second Simmons degree.
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U.S. News: What benefits do Simmons students get from attending school in the heart of Boston and in the vicinity of more than 50 other colleges and universities?
Innes: I am clearly biased, but I think that Boston is the best college city in the world. It’s got the history, culture, sports and, of course, the colleges!
- Attending Simmons gives you an intimate community within the larger Boston student ecosystem.
- Our participation in the “Colleges of the Fenway Consortium” allows students to take classes and participate in activities at four colleges only blocks away.
- Boston has everything college students could want – from coffee shops to easy public transportation to concerts to the beautiful Boston Harbor.
- Boston has opportunities in every field from government to biotech to health care, and the Longwood Medical Area is in our backyard.
Having access to all of these advantages right outside our campus is truly pivotal for students.
U.S. News: What attracts students to apply to a women’s college, and what are the benefits of that environment for those who choose it?
Innes: Not all students are drawn to Simmons for our women-centered environment, but once they visit, they describe the community as something instantly welcoming and comfortable.
- Simmons is a place where students can be their authentic selves. Our inclusive undergraduate community welcomes students who identify as women or who fall outside the gender binary but feel they belong in a women-centered space.
- Students are truly supportive of one another, lifting each other up to pursue their passions.
- With a faculty that is 72% women and small, interactive classes, students are empowered to take risks and find their voices.
- Graduates often tell me that Simmons has helped them become the best version of themselves – confident, empowered and ready to lead in any field they choose. They leave with a lifelong network, ready for the next steps!
