<p>I am really excited to go to Smith but it is missing some of the things that I really want in a college</p>
<li>No boys</li>
<li>No sororities. Can i rush at a school nearby?</li>
<li>No school spirit</li>
<li>No football team</li>
<li>No big city</li>
</ol>
<p>Are there other ways I can get to experience these things or is it a sacrifice I am going to have to make.</p>
<p>It's sounds as if Smith is a bad fit for you.</p>
<p>Fwiw, every House is like a sorority but with the crap like rush and choices made on things like appearance and money. </p>
<p>As for spirit, there's an awful lot of Smithies who are very passionate about their school...spirit isn't measured only by pom-poms.</p>
<p>ECW..why do you want to go to Smith? </p>
<p>That was the first question that came to mind when I read your post.</p>
<p>Judging by his/her screenname, my guess might be because it's on the east coast?</p>
<p>There is big school spirit here. Also big house loyalties. </p>
<p>Every house here is like it's own sorority. (<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=307785%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=307785</a>) To my knowledge, however, you can rush sororities in the valley (pretty much only Umass, since Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Amherst do not have sororities, although Amherst has underground fraternities) if you choose to do so. Many of my African American friends who would prefer a more organised and substantial network of African Americans have chosen to rush sororities like AKA. </p>
<p>There is a Rugby Team at Smith. However, if you like football for the atmosphere, UMASS and Amherst both have american football teams, although regular football and basketball are bigger at Amherst. I sometimes like to tailgate (those midwestern and alabama roots) and several house members and I plan to go to a couple of Umass games next year (again, house outings = similar to sororities). </p>
<p>Northampton is not a big city. It is very vibrant, but it is not a big city. However, I am wondering where you are coming to Smith from: a big city? a small town? a college town? A lot of kids who think they want to go to college in a big city (i.e. me) actually don't, when it comes down to it. Plenty of people in my house and at Smith visit big cities on a regular basis. Many also don't. Smith is what you make it in this aspect. </p>
<p>Also, roman candles are going of in the quad as I type this. ;)</p>
<p>Also, a lot of big city kids find that they like it here in NoHo. Granted, a lot of them complain about a certain lack of amenities like not being about to get a manicure for 9 dollars or whatever, but there are lots of girls here who are from places like Boston or the city. </p>
<p>If the concern about NoHo not being near/in a city is about always being able to find something to do, let me know and I'll type something up about that too.</p>
<p>Gah. My post #2 should read "...withOUT the crap like rush...."</p>
<p>"1. No boys"</p>
<p>No argument there. My d. has had about six men in her classes for the entire year, so you won't be flirting on a day to day basis. (Unless, of course, you are a lesbian. :-)</p>
<ol>
<li>No sororities. Can i rush at a school nearby?</li>
</ol>
<p>Why would you? As my d. tells people when they ask if there are sororities at Smith, "That would be redundant."</p>
<p>It's one huge pajama party/sorority, without the exclusivity. Most women want to join sororities at college because they want a close-knit group of female friends to socialize with. That's the definition of Smith.</p>
<ol>
<li>No school spirit</li>
</ol>
<p>Gak. Tell Smithies that! My d. is a walking, talking advertisement for the college.</p>
<ol>
<li>No football team</li>
</ol>
<p>Well, they ARE undefeated. :-)</p>
<p>If football is important -- really important -- then you should not attend Smith.</p>
<ol>
<li>No big city</li>
</ol>
<p>It's New England. Boston and Providence are the only cities that might qualify, although neither is big by US standards. Noho is a bustling, quirky small city/large town that provides a lot of interest for the students. It has over a hundred restaurants, with a wide selection of ethnic food that you don't normally see in New England towns.</p>
<p>The drawbacks you list are huge for some students, a trade-off for others. No college is perfect. The question is: What makes you excited about going to Smith? If that answer outweighs your list of disadvantages, send it that deposit. Otherwise, you might want to look at your other options.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I am not worried about there not being boys I just want to know how I meet them. </p></li>
<li><p>I don?t want to be in a sorority for the tight nit group of girls because I know I can find it in the houses. I want to rush at another school so I can meet even more people in the area. </p></li>
<li><p>I don?t even know why I put this. I know all the Smith women are very proud of Smith.</p></li>
<li><p>I am glad to here that I can go to UMASS games because I have never tailgated before (unless you count with my family at USC football games) and I would like to do that at least once.</p></li>
<li><p>I?ll just visit Boston a lot and I have some friends in New York and Chicago I can visit. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Why am I going to Smith?
In high school I have been the girl who goes to every school event, goes out every weekend, pulls pranks on our rival school, played varsity sports, and of course served in our school government. As I look at my future I would like to develop my other interests, one being politics. I would love to have girlfriends who would rather discuss hot topics than hot boys and wouldn?t mind going with me to a rally. I know I can find that at Smith.</p>
<p>NO, I AM NOT A LESBIAN. BOYS ARE WAY TO HOT.</p>
<p>
[quote]
NO, I AM NOT A LESBIAN. BOYS ARE WAY TO HOT.
[/quote]
No problem there... the vast majority of women at Smith are just like you! ;)</p>
<p>I will agree with thedad and say that Smith may not be a good fit for you. Make sure to visit and spend time talking to current students about the issues you face, and see if it really is the right college for you.</p>
<p>MWFN...great comeback on the football question. Took that one right off the T-Shirt!! One of my favorites BTW!</p>
<p>"NO, I AM NOT A LESBIAN. BOYS ARE WAY TO HOT."</p>
<p>LOL!</p>
<p>"As I look at my future I would like to develop my other interests, one being politics. I would love to have girlfriends who would rather discuss hot topics than hot boys and wouldn?t mind going with me to a rally."</p>
<p>Welcome to Smith! :-)</p>
<p>I'm actually in Northampton right now visiting so I'm going to answer this based on my observations, from a Sunday!! </p>
<ol>
<li> I saw a ton</li>
<li> So what? A lot of the sororities I've seen are larger than the houses at Smith. </li>
<li> From what I saw, everyone had school spirit. Half the girls were sporting their smith sweatshirts.<br></li>
<li> So what? There are plenty other sports. In fact, I love momwaitingfornew's "Well they are undefeated" <3</li>
<li> I fell in love with Northampton. There's so much here!</li>
</ol>
<p>What are your other choices? Smith really does not sound like a great match for you.</p>
<p>I can't take credit for the "undefeated" remark -- it's a well known joke.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much! I am visiting in a few weeks so I can see if I will fit in or not.</p>
<p>Another question though. What kind of sports do they have there? I checked the website but it only had about 6 dif options for club sports and there intramurals. Also how does the equestrian center work? Do I have to have a horse there to ride?</p>
<p>You don't need a horse to ride at the equestrian center, you just need to join the equestrian team, the equestrian club, or take an equestrian class. You can also just go down and visit the horses if you want to, whenever the stables are open. The one thing to know about horseback riding is that to take the ESS class you do have to pay a pretty significant fee and buy your own boots and helmet and things. </p>
<p>Other than that, Smith has a team for almost every sport. Maybe you were looking at the wrong section of the website? Some sports have just club teams (rugby, fencing, etc), but the more traditional ones have NCAA teams.</p>
<p>Sounds like your not such a "EastCoastWannabe" as you are a Trojan...</p>