<p>So, I know I'm not the only one PSYCHED about Smith. Anyone else here applying?</p>
<p>Once I’m finished revising my essay, I’ll click submit and then it’s just berating the guidance department to send my transcripts and school report! :)</p>
<p>Verb choices are important. I like “berating.”</p>
<p>Econgirl- my essay needs to be done, for the sake of my commonapp schools I’m applying to EA. What do you wanna study?</p>
<p>Just need to send my recs and transcript!</p>
<p>What do you want to study, Larentia?</p>
<p>I’m applying! Just as soon as I can write my essays… 
I will be majoring in theatre at college (maybe at Smith!). What are you all planning to study?</p>
<p>applying ED!</p>
<p>I submitted my supplement, I just need to do the commonapp essay. I’m applying RD and I want to study engineering :)</p>
<p>I’ll be applying ED—most likely phase I. I want to study American Studies and possible double major in English or Psychology.</p>
<p>What? Is the supplement out? Where can I find it?</p>
<p>Oh god, I really want to go to smith, but I have so much left to do application-wise! And am very concerned about financial aid. </p>
<p>@august23vn–The supplement is totally out! Find it on the common app website, just add Smith to your schools, and then click the supplement button.</p>
<p>same here impromptulove.
Argh.</p>
<p>Ugh, don’t get me started on FA.</p>
<p>Smith is quite generous with financial aid. My d got a nice package despite what you would consider “upper middle class” status. Don’t let fa hold you back at this point. We met a young lady from NJ with similar financial status and she told us she didn’t apply for fa because her mother didn’t think she would qualify. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone in this thread! I’m a sophomore transfer at Smith and it’s wonderful here! feel free to PM me with any questions you have. I’m no Smith expert but I can still offer advice </p>
<p>And I completely second what Bossf51 said - Smith is very generous with FA, don’t stress too much. Plus if you get a package and you really don’t think you’ll be able to afford it, the office is actually quite good about re-evaluating what they’ve offered you. It happened to me; I ended up getting about $1,000 more in FA just by asking if they could take a second look at my package.</p>
<p>If your stats are truly top-notch (top of the class GPA, 700+ SATs and extensive ECs) and you are interested in a STRIDE scholarship, which is one-on-one research with a professor for your first two years, I would recommend applying Regular Decision. </p>
<p>[Smith</a> College: Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/finaid/prospect/aid_merit.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/finaid/prospect/aid_merit.php)
[Smith</a> College: Student Financial Services](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/finaid/institutional.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/finaid/institutional.php)</p>
<p>I am not aware of anyone who applied Early Decision ever receiving a STRIDE; they seem to be only awarded to Regular Decision applicants. My daughter received a STRIDE and LOVED the experience. It provided her with a real jumpstart into research. If you want more commentary about the STRIDE program, take a look at earlier Smith threads.</p>
<p>Glad to hear of Smith’s generosity when it comes to financial aid! It does ease my hesitance to applying ED although Smith has come on top as my first choice.</p>
<p>Larentia, I really don’t want to be a wet blanket, but just for the record: not everyone is happy with what they receive for fin aid, sometimes so much so that they decide they can’t afford Smith. Every spring there are a certain number who are disappointed. It’s a matter of whether your definition of need fits Smith’s definition. Some people are happy, some not, and you don’t know until you receive the fin aid package. However, as Radiosonde mentioned, in RD you can appeal and perhaps you’ll get some more. I guess, but I don’t know, if you can appeal if you’ve been accepted ED.</p>
<p>I agree with CB, when it comes to FA, it’s definitely a varied bunch. Just look at the accepted students threads from this year alone and you’ll see some students who are thrilled with their offers, and some that are really disappointed. </p>
<p>Smith does give generous financial aid in that it meets 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need as THEY calculate it. Their calculation may or may not fit what your parents feel their need is. It will include a mix of loans and grants, and again, what they feel is a reasonable amount of debt may or may not fit your parents’ definitions of reasonable. If you plan to apply ED you’re much less likely to get a merit award, and even if you apply RD, the merit award pool is very small compared to the number of accepted students. There are plenty of very meritorious straight-A students who don’t get merit awards, but do get accepted. </p>
<p>NOW, with all of that said, I also agree with Bossof51, do NOT let fear of Financial Aid stop you from applying. FA is one thing you can’t control in this process, it’s going to be what it’s going to be. So if it’s a major concern for you or your family, do yourself a favor: apply RD, and apply to a wide range of schools, including financial safeties. When you get your acceptances, weigh your options then. If it’s not enough, go back and try to re-negotiate. At any rate, cross that bridge when you get there, don’t spend a lot of needless time and energy worrying about it now.</p>
<p>As for negotiations: I would not recommend applying ED if financial aid is a major concern. You can try to ask for more aid after an ED acceptance, and if you really can’t afford to go Smith will agree to release you from your ED agreement, but you have much less leverage. You don’t have a baseline because you don’t know what other colleges would have offered you, and you’ve already committed to attend Smith, but they’ll have many more applicants coming up in the RD pool, so if you choose to walk, they may decide not to fight for you. To give yourself the best opportunity and the most choices, apply RD.</p>