Merit aid at Smith (and a few general questions)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
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<p>I'm aware of the different scholarships available at Smith (Zollman, STRIDE, MMDunn), but I'm wondering if any parents or students could shed light on the stats/overall application a student would need to get them. Do they focus more on GPA/SATs or overall qualifications (ECs, etc) when picking who to give them to? The more I hear about Smith, the more I like it, but I don't think I'd be able to afford it without some form of aid and I'm not likely to get need-based.</p>

<p>On to the other questions:
How realistic is it to create an independent major at Smith? In this case, linguistics/cognitive science (although I'm not set on it, which is why I'm not ruling any schools out).
Would you say Smith has a strong intellectual atmosphere?
Students, what do you like best about the school? The least?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I'll see if I can get my D to answer your last question.</p>

<p>Zollman's are aimed at students they think may otherwise go to an Ivy. I've been told that point blank. My D had a 3.9/1580 (old)/2330 and was awarded a STRIDE. I'd guess they're looking for high stats or some spectacular achievement.</p>

<p>If aid is a factor--and I can't say it wasn't for us--I would apply to Smith anyway and see what they come up with. I know several students that got more aid than one might have surmised before hand.</p>

<p>Sorry, I dunno about the linguistics/cognitive science combo and independent major thing. I do know of one linguistics major who's very very happy with the program.</p>

<p>May take on the atmosphere: I don't think there are many dummies at Smith at all. Some have different priorities, e.g., grinds vs. social bunnies, but my sense is that most students work pretty hard and most of them enjoy doing so.</p>

<p>I'll see if I can get D to comment tomorrow.</p>

3

<p>I don't think there's a set gpa/ SAT level for merit scholarships. If it helps you, I am a Zollman scholar and I had a 1480 SAT score, top 10% at a competitive public high school, and had good but not earth-shattering ECs (edited school paper, was an exchange student in england, longterm volunteering at temple and local museum). I think other Zollmans were similar, but it's hard to be more than anecdotal when fewer than 10 are offered each year. </p>

<p>I've said it before and I'll say it again--merit scholarships are how Smith lures its top applicants from the better schools they're applying to and getting accepted to. That means that they look very carefully at the question about where else you're applying--if they see that they're in the middle of the pack and it seems likely you'll get into better places, that will help you.</p>

<p>Impressing them at the interview will help a lot too, as will a good essay. I think Smith puts a greater weight on these things than other colleges do. If they still offer you the chance to have your parents write a recommendation, I'd do it. Even if your parents aren't fantastic writers, their love for you will come through (my mom sniffled her way through writing the whole thing) and it's a great place for your parents to mention how excited you are about Smith.</p>

<p>To answer your other questions, it's possible but not that easy to self-design a major at Smith (I did a minor and wasn't supported too much by the dean in charge of approving proposals--great encouragement from two terriffic profs made it happen, though). Lucky for you, linguistics and cognitive science are very popular self-designed majors. There are course combinations that have been approved in the past and as long as you don't go too far from them, you should have no problem. The professor you'll want to talk to is Jill Devilliers. </p>

<p>I would say that Smith can have a strong intellectual atmosphere if you want it to. If you would like to spend lots of time at the library and have deep discussions with friends, that's very possible. If you'd prefer to skinny dip in the pond and talk about stupid stuff like froot loops and blow off your reading one night for a Sex & the City marathon, you can do that too. The nice thing about Smith is that these two options are not mutually exclusive, and most people do both at different points in the year (or the day!)</p>

<p>What I like best about the school--I'd have to pick three things.<br>
1. The smart, kind, diverse friends I've made. I absolutely adore them and feel so lucky to get to hang out with them....I know I've made friends for life.
2. My house. A gorgeous victorian with 18 residents and a beautiful kitchen...plus my room for next year--a GIANT single with wood floors and huge windows.
3. The support, ie getting a Dean's Letter notification with a handwritten note from the dean of the college (my premajor adviser), summertime phone conferences about grad school with the Career Development Office, and having FOUR mock interviews for a fellowship because so many faculty members wanted to help me prepare. </p>

<p>Least favorite: The people who espouse ideologies (mostly left-wing, but not exclusively) without the facts to back them up. An over-reliance on personal experience instead of empirical data. In general, an "I feel, therefore it is" mentality that is the opposite of intellectualism. Luckily, it's only a small percentage of the student body that falls into these traps. </p>

<p>Feel free to ask more...as you can tell, I love talking about Smith.</p>

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<p>My d. is a Zollman and, yes, they did think (I talked with them later) that they were luring her away from Harvard. She had, among other things, written an opera, and had it performed (in a concert version), and had spent a year working on a botanical medicine demonstration project with one of the native tribes in our state. Yes, her SAT scores were ridiculous, but that's not what got her the mark of Zorro.</p>

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<p>My D says she likes: the on-campus community, the House system, the academic intensity, small classes, and the research opportunities.</p>

<p>She likes the least: the political correctness can get overboard at times.
Most of the time it's tolerable but there are rare times when it's ridiculous.</p>

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<p>I'm hoping for merit aid at Smith, as well. Unfortunately for me, I'm applying as a transfer, so I have no idea that there will even be much available for me. I do believe they have a $5k renewable Phi Theta Kappa scholarship I could get, but other than that, it could be hard, especially since I'm told they're need-conscious for admissions. This is a concern for me wherever I go. :/</p>

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<p>For most students at Smith, need conscious is a PLUS, not a minus. They would never have gotten to 28% of students being Pell Grant recipients (family incomes under $40k) without being need conscious, the highest percentage of any prestigious private college or uni in the country (and roughly 4X that at Harvard). This is a commitment they made decades ago. Being need-conscious does NOT necessarily translate into meaning aid is more difficult to get.</p>

<p>At the other end, what they do (or so they told me) is that when they have done admissions for the first 90-95% of the class, they check how much they expect to use of their aid budget. If there is more left, they admit the remaining 5% (or wait-list candidates) without regard to aid. If there isn't, they are need-conscious in those decisions.</p>

<p>"Need-blind" is a hoax - in aggregate (that is, for all students, as opposed to any particular one) it doesn't exist anywhere (except at Berea, Cooper Union, Deep Springs, and the military academies). But that's another discussion.</p>

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<p>mmd is flat out a scholarship for wealthy kids who wouldn't otherwise qualify for aid. it was not formerly like this, but this is a change.</p>

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<p>It's sort of realistic to do a self-designed major. I asked my prof how realistic would it be to create a Jewish Studies major as I wanted to take tons of J.S. courses and he said, well.... it's tough but you could have a shot if you take Hebrew for a long time... I know someone who tried to propose that major and was denied. However, I do know a graduated senior who got a very original, cool minor (Techincal Theater) and yes, linguistics are no problem. There are two professors in the psych department who are trying to start up that major program.</p>

<p>Yes, Smith has amazing intellectual atmosphere- my friend complains how Smithies never seem to talk about anything else except for classes and homework! I was lucky to have made my friends the way I did- who thought like me, just want to talk about what we did in class or what they were doing in class... and for us to ask each other questions to reinforce our knowledge. There is a facebook group there that says someting about how Academia Ruined My Life... something about how Smithies can't stop talking about anything intellectual!</p>

<p>My favorite parts of Smith:
1) The athletics- the gym, the stables, my physical fitness life was literally perfect.
2) The profs
3) My room second semester- very cozy and wooden floors!!!
4) Very strong language departments</p>

<p>My least favorite (reasons why I transferred out)
1) Money isn't going to right places IMHO- too much emphasis on sciences and arts, not liberal arts where I'm focusing. Smith was losing money.
1A) The liberal arts departments being too small for me due to lack of finances to hire a much needed prof in a much needed area (ex: a prof in history dept. for Southeast Asian history), basically, just not meeting my academic needs even though I was getting top education.
2) I didn't really click with the people I met throughout my first year, somehow I felt like I was one of the few who actually has a grip on reality.
3) PC on campus, just far too much of it that the SGA had to make that an issue for the fall. Also too much hostilty towards conservatives, sometimes to the point of actually driving them out.
4) NoHo being too inaccessible to home- 10 hours by train, 13 hours by bus, 5 hours by car (but I don't have a car.), $300 for a flight ticket.</p>

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<p>Hey there! I received the STRIDE scholarship when I applied to Smith (though I ended up at another school).</p>

<p>My test scores were not spectacular but I had a solid 4.2 GPA, played piano since the age of 5 (went to an arts high school, sent in a tape of my performance and music resume), participated in clubs and student government, and wrote my personal statement on why I wanted to major in and pursue a career in art history. I also had terrific teacher recommendations, all who have known and taught me for 2+ years.</p>

<p>I definitely believe that Smith looks for well-rounded individuals for their STRIDE scholarships. One of my classmates (who was a dancer) also received the same scholarship and she was well-rounded as well. I think they look for individuals that will contribute to the community through their passions and interests.</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck!</p>

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<p>TMP, where are you transferring to??</p>

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<p>According to us dept of ed's latest stats the percentage of students receiving fed aid is 20%. Agnes Scott is at 25%.</p>

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<p><a href="http://www.smith.edu/newsoffice/releases/04-054.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.smith.edu/newsoffice/releases/04-054.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.jbhe.com/features/47_colleges-pellgrants.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.jbhe.com/features/47_colleges-pellgrants.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Thanks for all the detailed responses!</p>

<p>The one thing that keeps coming up (on the negative side) with everyone I've spoken to about Smith is the political correctness. Is it really that extreme? More so than other colleges (although you may not be able to compare)? ticklemepink, is that also what you were referring to when you said you were the only person who seemed to have a grip on reality? I would get very frustrated very quickly if I felt I had to watch everything I said for fear of offending someone.</p>

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<p>My D loved Smith when she visited, but was uncomfortable in neighboring Northampton. The atmosphere, to her, seemed almost contrived, as though people went out of their way to be off-beat, quirky...she's a very liberal kid, but felt out-of-place and unaccepted. </p>

<p>When we returned home, she spoke with a few Smith students who confirmed that PC was a BIG issue at Smith. I wonder if it's like that at other women's colleges.</p>

16

<p>W&H, I spoke to my D around the time you were there. There were a <em>lot</em> of imported theater & drama kids at Smith for a summer program...not sure if that's what you were running into or not. My D's problems with PC popping up are mostly in the on-campus social environment, some in the classrooms, depending on the class and kind of discussions, and none in the town. </p>

<p>Just double-checked and got the same picture. </p>

<p>One of CC's founders, whom I've met, lives in NoHo and everyone I've met there has been pretty normal, adjusting for SoCal/Massachusetts differences.</p>

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<p>Can anyone tell me what's "PC"? I don't quite get it. THX!</p>

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<p>Thanks Dad, maybe I'll ship D up for an overnight to get a second look. The college is utterly amazing otherwise.</p>

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<p>Doris, PC = political correctness. To put it in simple terms, it's the practice of never saying or doing anything that could be considered remotely offensive to any person or group. (For example, "black" becomes "African-American," "Indian" becomes "Native American," "dwarf" becomes "little person," etc.) It's certainly not just with language, but that's what most people think of when they think of political correctness.</p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Political_correctness%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Political_correctness&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>W&H, if you do, PM or e-mail me...my D will give a warts-and-all experience but can also let your D see why she [my D] wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Fwiw, while my D goes into NoHo more towards the beginning of the semester, trailing off to once or twice a week towards the end. </p>

<p>Beginning, at the extremes you also get the spelling of "womyn" to take "men" out of the picture. </p>

<p>My D once got upbraided by a housemate for characterizing someone with a phrase someone else took as a stereotype. No matter, if so (this alleged stereotype would never even have occured to me) that it was a positive stereotype. The other girl apologized the following day. I suppose it helped that every word of my D's four-word characterization was absolutely true, stereotype or no.</p>