Help with persuading parents to let me attend Smith

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
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<p>I didn’t know that a masters was like something you’ll get if you don’t finish a PhD in some cases o.o I’ll probably do one in the international relations/economics field so I guess I’ll do undergrad–>PhD if funding for law school is a big problem.</p>

<p>My dad will be in the US for a month. He’s going to be at some place 2 hours away from Chicago. I thought it was IN Chicago so I can tag along and explore but now I’m not quite sure. It’s a stupid waste of time and money if I fly there just for 2 days though. Then again he’s going to be working so I’ll be stuck in the hotel for 4 days till weekend comes… ahh logistical problems.</p>

<p>How do you propose going about the course? Haha it sounds funny trying to teach him. He’s stubborn as a mule. It’s not that he doesn’t know that he doesn’t know, it’s that he don’t want to know what he doesn’t know. This is sounding confusing.</p>

<p>@S&P, I was informed that the CDO won’t be open during commencement but it will be open on the 16th of May. I’m thinking we cah schedule our appointments then and take a walk around campus. It’ll be ghost town though by then…? I’m not sure about the CDO not meeting prospies thing but the admissions counselor in charge of my region said I can contact her if I need her help.</p>

<p>@CarolynB It would be fantastic to have your daughter as a guide :wink: Will she still be in campus on May 16? I was thinking that since it’s commencement, there will be loads of parents around. Then my father can see for himself that those are happy parents, not glum parents. Perhaps I can engage a few Asian parent’s help too… Then all the profs will be around too and it will just be one big happy bubbly mess, which hopefully can turn my dad into one happy bubbly person and agree to let me attend Smith…</p>

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<p>What academic/intellectual field does your dad work in?</p>

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<p>yxyxyx, you know, if the admissions office can’t officially arrange a tour for you, perhaps I could ask my daughter, a Gold Key tour guide, to give you an “unofficial” tour, if she doesn’t have other obligations at the time. She’s singing in Glee Club and I don’t know her rehearsal and performance schedule (she probably doesn’t know it all yet either), but it’s a possibility.</p>

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<p>@TheDad he is an aerospace engineer. He draws loads of stuff (I think it is the engine parts) using some program on the computer and then the machines will churn his designs out. Now he also has a part in the company’s overseas ventures, so he travels often to help oversee factories or negotiate a deal with another company wanting to buy/sell products. He went to Chicago before and knows that the daughter of a person he’s working with is studying at UIUC, so he’s completely unexposed to people studying in LACs.</p>

<p>@CarolynB I would be so grateful if your daughter is willing to help out! I don’t know if I want to schedule the appointments on the 14th or 16th. I’m guessing that the 14th is going to be pretty hectic with all the preparation stuff so that’s why I initially went with the 16th. I’ll ask if the 14th is possible. Then the houses might still be open.</p>

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<p>Houses close the day after finals end (which I believe is earlier in May), because students need to be moved out so that the houses can be cleaned and prepared for reunion (alums coming to reunion stay in the student houses, especially the ones in the Quad) and for the other summer programs that Smith provides housing for, such as sports camps, Science and Engineering camp, etc. Students staying over the summer move into summer housing, which is where I assume they have the summer tour guides stay so they’ll be able to show you there room if they’re running tours (or if CB’s daughter has time). But the rest of the student houses will be closed and unless you are with a resident of the summer house you will not be able to go inside (you need to be with someone who has a key to the huose and can escort you).</p>

<p>Seniors can stay in their houses/rooms until Commencement concludes, then out they must go as well.</p>

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<p>My daughter has been hired by the admissions office to do tours and office work this summer; however, I don’t know yet when she starts–whether it’s 5/16 or 5/23. If admissions is not doing tours on either 5/14 or 5/16, then I’ll ask my daughter and we’ll see what her schedule is for 5/14.</p>

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<p>You can probably get an online schedule of events to see what’s going on during reunions and commencement. The night when they light paper lanterns throughout the campus is beautiful, provided that the weather cooperates. And you MUST take your father through the new Ford Hall (and there may be tours) to see the state-of-the-art science/engineering facilities. It doesn’t matter that you don’t intend to major in science. He needs to see that this isn’t a backwater college.</p>

<p>There are several different answers to the question whether Smithies go right into PhD programs. Few go directly from Smith to graduate school without any time off from academics, but many do so without additional schooling after working for a year or more. Some earn a master’s degree first. As TD notes, a master’s degree is rarely needed to enter a PhD program, but that doesn’t mean that some entering students won’t have one. In the US, master’s degrees can be professional (such as in engineering and business) or remedial/strengthening (for a student with a lower GPA or not enough research/course preparation) or terminal (students aren’t expected to continue with those studies) or, as TD says, acknowledgment of satisfactory graduate work without completing the dissertation required of PhD holders. Some students apply to master’s programs because they think that they must do that first before they can apply to PhD programs.</p>

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<p>There are universities (such as UChicago) that often use Masters program as cash cows for their Ph.D. programs - they provide very little aid, and then will take 3 or 4 of the masters level students into their doctoral programs.</p>

<p>(For the students they really want, they provide support from day one.)</p>

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<p>Hi yxyxyx,
I think you can tell from the many offers of help, advice, and connections that you personally received from so many Smith parents and students, those who are associated with the school have a deep fondness for the school and believe in its academic mission to empower capable and intelligent young women to reach their highest potential. Smith has a special place in their hearts. You also will find alumnae and faculty who share that same passion, and are more than happy to network with you. The student often is valued as an individual with unique characteristics and goals at LACs like Smith. At larger schools, there may be so many majors in a department, that many profs will not no all the students in the department, and often, it is the few star students among the undergraduates that may gain faculty attention as they generally are more focused on their research and training graduate students and fellows.</p>

<p>Besides contacting CDO, I would also contact the chairmen/women of the departments you are interested in or even individual faculty members who are doing work that you find attractive. These interactions with faculty will help your Dad and you get to know some of the people who teach at Smith. Heck, you may even want to make an appointment to see the physics department and meet their faculty, just for him! Although it will be a busy time, I am sure that you will be be able to meet a few faculty who are willing to share about their interests and their department. Again, the personal nature of a Smith (LAC) education.</p>

<p>If you are in Chicago, you will find a lot of things to do so don’t worry. Some things to see or do: Sears/Hancock Tower, Field Museums of Science and the one for Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago (one of the world’s gret museums), theater of all types (including improv comedy at Second City), ethnic foods of all types-I like Greektown but Chinatown may suit your Dad’s tastes, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Bahai Center, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Hyde Park (Robie House) and Oak Park, Chicago architecture cruise to see the city skyline and learn about all the great architects who have designed in the city, a Chicago Cubs game (if you never have been to a baseball game) and deep dish pizza (A must!). There is so much to do there, so with a little bit of initiative, you will you not only won’t get bored but wished you had a few more days there.</p>

<p>I hope your Dad will go with more open eyes once he is in the U.S. Perhaps some of his American colleagues will let him know about Smith, too. Anyways, I wish you both a safe and informative trip, and hope you and he will have a chance to see first-hand whether Smith is the right place for you. Speaking as a parent, I also would give your Dad some credit for his willingness to go to Smith and visit. It shows that he is taking you seriously and has even developed interest to see Smith for himself. You are starting to make a convincing case as a potential future lawyer!</p>

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<p>I also forgot. Smith has a new engineering building. Your Dad may want to visit and meet some of the profs there, and see what is going on since it is a field in which he is knowledgable. I think he will be impressed by the resources available to undergraduates.</p>

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<p>yxyxyxy, if you’re only going to be 20 miles outside of Chicago, there very likely could be public transportation into the city. Investigate and see what’s possible from your hotel. Chicago is a fabulous city, you don’t want to miss it!</p>

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<p>@momwaitingfornew I don’t think I’m going during commencement already. My job now involves tutoring children and most of them are going to have exams during the later part of May so I can’t just leave them here. I also can’t miss my sister’s birthday… I think I will visit during the end of may or start of june. Hopefully the campus won’t be empty by then!</p>

<p>@pmyen thanks for the suggestions about who to meet! I’ll definitely make sure that my father will be beyond impressed. His idea of what Smith is is far from reality. He just keep telling me to make sure that its not a few buildings only. Actually I’m rather worried because Smith doesn’t exactly have a very big campus. My father said that a university must have a university feel, so it must be big.</p>

<p>I’ll check out those places in Chicago :slight_smile: And maybe even Broadway as well! My parents are more accepting now, they just want to make sure that Smith is not some bogus place. So they did make some allowances… they just keep warning me that I must be prepared for being poor next time. I don’t know why they just have this impression that people who graduate from LACs can’t earn money. But still I think going to Smith in the fall is a possibility already (yay!).</p>

<p>@CarolynB My father will be at Rockford, IL and that’s pretty far from Chicago I think? I’ll get him to drive me down during the weekend though, I guess I’ll just walk around Rockford myself during the weekdays. By the way, will your daughter be doing tours around the end of may to june? If so, that will be great because if your daughter is available and willing, we can customize the tour just to impress my father… shove in his face all the new state of the art buildings and facilities. Tell him all the anecdotes of recent graduates who went to HYPMS for graduate/JD/PhD.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, the campus will be pretty deserted by then. But you should be able to get a tour for you and your father.</p>

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<p>Well, Smith does not have a big campus compared to say, UMASS, but the campus is big enough to feel like a college. Not hundreds of buildings of course, but lots of acreage.</p>

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<p>Gold key guides have tons of persuasive information about Smith. They are well trained with the facts, but their love of Smith is what is truly infectious.</p>

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<p>I’m glad to hear your parents are coming around, but is Smith still going to be financially viable for you? I ask this only because as long as you are in the area, you might want to plan a visit to Mt. Holyoke as well, just in case for financial reasons you aren’t able to go with Smith.</p>

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<p>@S&P We can only visit after May 1st so I won’t be able to choose colleges then already. Smith is forcibly affordable - I have to decrease the budget for a lot of expenses, such as winter clothing, yearly allowance, and buy 2nd hand books whenever possible. I think I’ll put off buying a new laptop till my current one spoils. I originally wanted to get one from Smith (because of the free maintenance and all), but mine is still doing good after 2 years so… I’ll see. I’m hoping that the little savings can add up. I will try to see if I can handle 5 classes per semester, but I think the chances of me finishing in 3 years and 4 years are about the same. It really depends on if I find other interests or stick to what I’ve planned for myself.</p>

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<p>yxyxyx, have you visited Smith yet? My daughter’s giving tours. :)</p>

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<p>nope I’m not visiting anymore, because i’m attending in Sep! So excited haha, but getting worried thinking of how to plan to get into a good grad sch so that my parent’s won’t go “You see I told you so…”</p>

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<p>Yxyxyx, great news! So you didn’t take the trip with your father after all? What persuaded him? Regarding graduate schools, if you apply yourself and work hard, you’ll do fine (but you do somehow need to work in some fun time, too). :)</p>