if a girl can't visit, what should she know before applying

<p>this may be my situation. hopefully i will get to smith, but my mom's been having some health troubles lately. basically she's fine, but the prospect of a visit (coming from NJ) is daunting, so it's a big maybe.<br>
obviously, i've spent a lot of time on this board, read through the website, looked at princeton review, vault.com, students review.com theu.com, and sample pages from **************. i don't know anyone who goes to smith, or any liberal arts college for that matter. i have a friend that goes to women's college but it is Catholic and she commutes.
i know this is a really really vague question, but i'm searching for that elusive "fit". smith has so many things I like academically and socially, although I'm a little bit skeptical of the all women thing- then again, i plan on applying to 3 of them, so i'm not that skeptical. it also seems that smith is kind of a "love it or hate it" sort of experience, so I just want to make sure I come out on the love it side before applying, although the app is free. also, i'm relatively certain that my stats are at or above par for smith, so it is a school i would like to fall in love with because I'm less likely to be rejected than at some other schools I like. not to mention the fact that smith appears to be a near perfect match for my interests. so anyway, any comments, caveats, or compliments about smtih would be GREATLY appreciated.</p>

<p>Honestly PF8, I would say that you just need to go for it. The application is free, and if you get in and you still have qualms you can always come to the spring preview weekend (Smith might even pay for you to come up, if they think NJ is far enough away) and decide then. So really, you have nothing to lose, and you're clearly interested in Smith if you've done so much research/spent time on College Confidential. I know it can be daunting, but just bite the bullet, fill out the common app, pop that sucker in the mail, and wait for spring.</p>

<p>I think S&P's advice is well put. Do let them know that you'd <em>like</em> to visit but that your mom has health problems. A bus ticket from Joisey isn't that expensive so they might pop for it.</p>

<p>PF8, stop worrying. If you get accepted, I'll make sure you get to admitted students weekend, if Smith is still at the top of your list. Now enjoy your last yr. of high school. :)</p>

<p>wow, thatis reallythe sweetest thing I've ever heard! I really appreciate your offer. its not so much of an economic issue as when will my parents,busy and somewhat ill, get aroundto taking me. everything's been going reallywell so far with my mom's treatment and we're actuallygoing to checkout some schoolsin philly(relatively closeby) this weekend. I'm so excited, and I think they will definitely get me to smith, hopefully in time for applyingrd thank you again, there's another reason to showwhy smith is awesome. I really appreciate your generosity.</p>

<p>PF8...I think you will find the Smithie parents on this board to be some of the nicest and most helpful people around. They certainly were for me and my family. ;)</p>

<p>"thank you again"</p>

<p>You're welcome. If there is ever anything I can do, you know where to find me ;)</p>