<p>So I stumbled across this student-made documentary about Smith today. As a soon-to-be first year, I thought it was pretty interesting, and also thought it might be useful for prospective students. You know, so they could get a picture of Smith, flaws and all, from the students point of view and not solely the pretty, glossy image the admission people present.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Thanks, it was really good. Interesting to see more perspectives on Smith.</p>
<p>As a parent of a soon to be Smithie, the documentary has a raw edginess where the students are intensely honest about Smith with all its good, bad and indifferent, yet in the end the students are almost speechless saying what Smith means to them. It seems to me they have invested themselves and cared so deeply about their experiences at Smith that to try to define it in one word is almost impossible, other than to simply call it “Smith,” as one student says. This documentary reminds me of one of my favorite sayings by Helen Keller, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” After seeing this documentary, I think “passionate” is the word that comes to mind to describe Smith. I agree with you, ajlangs, that it’s great. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.</p>
<p>It was fun but do bear in mind it was 25 students out of 2600 who all choose to participate! A pretty small sampling and as an very ex film student I am guessing at least half are friends of the film maker 
Nice to know Smith supports filmmaking - I didn’t notice a department under their studio arts.</p>
<p>I agree, Overwhelmedma. Although there was an attempt at diversity, I don’t think they achieved it based on the self-selected group. Still, I enjoyed watching it.</p>
<p>Here’s the link to the Smith film studies dept.:</p>
<p>[Smith</a> College Film Studies Department](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/filmstudies/]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/filmstudies/)</p>
<p>I didn’t see a single twin-set with pearls. :rolleyes: (I thought the video was terrific.)</p>
<p>Do they HAVE twin-sets, let alone pearls, at Smith?</p>
<p>BTW, the comment about Smith being “upper class” is somewhat misleading. Yes, there are well-to-do students, but they study at hiding it – at least, from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>I guess you’d have to go there to appreciate it…</p>
<p>My impression: Like the one student said, they’re entitled to speak their minds…</p>
<pre><code>but do they have anything to say?
</code></pre>
<p>Yep, not so well-spoken, self-absorbed, identity politics…</p>
<p>What’s so great about Smith?</p>
<p>Overwhelmedma, you make a good point about the small sampling, and Momwaitingfornew, about the self-selection. I hadn’t thought about all that, although while I watched, I noticed I kept waiting for a strikingly different viewpoint from the various speakers, and I never really saw one. Thank you for articulating what I hadn’t put into words. I was thinking about a rising junior Smithie we know who’s obviously very well regarded as she’s very involved in SGA. Her enthusiastic, passionate spirit is so very different from most of the students who were interviewed.</p>
<p>I would have to say it doesn’t reflect the 5 kids we know there either but I appreciate the fact that the kids who spoke out about feeling challenged to represent their minorities etc felt comfortable enough to voice their opinions publicly. It also makes you remember how all encompassing the college world seems at the time.
PS Bookish I hear there are many great things about Smith :)</p>
<p>^^^^^^^
Very nicely expressed, Overwhelmedma.</p>
<p>very cool…thanks</p>
<p>After viewing the video, I agree with all the critical responses here. And my heart sinks. My daughter, admitted to the class of 2013, is not gay; she’s white, Christian, and from the midwest. Smith college represents itself very differently from what this video shows. We chose Smith because we understood Smith to be an excellent school where all kinds of women are respected and encouraged, personally and academically. What about those students whose personal priorities are not rooted in the experience and issues of gayness? Does this video accurately represent what Smith is? We are still seeking information. My daughter has visited Smith twice, with one positive and one negative overall experience.</p>
<p>I would hardly consider such a small (and very biased) sample to be representative of Smith as a while. Parts maybe, but those can be avoided if one so desires.</p>
<p>Well, ordinarily I avoid YouTube like the plague and the experience of watching this video hasn’t changed my inclinations any.</p>
<p>I thought the “describe Smith in one word” was really dumb…reducing things to a soundbite generally is and insisting that the soundbite be only one word just magnifies the problem. Of course, I seldom say anything in just one word so perhaps I’m biased.</p>
<p>Prairie, I would say the video is true but not accurate. Your D will likely do fine. Identity politics and issues of orientation are not the all-consuming identity of Smith though they are for some students…and I think you can find that phenomenon anywhere.</p>
<p>Smith is not a good fit if you’re not gay tolerant. Otoh, it’s fine if you’re straight. What makes Smith different than many places is that it’s a safe place for gays to be themselves and as a result they’re a little more “out” than they are in some other environments. And remember that the primary intramural activity is arguing. The one thing that I LOL’d about in the video is the Smith cliche, noted on that list “You Know You’re A Smithie If…”, is the constant beginning of sentences with “I feel…”</p>
<p>Some of the facets of Smith not brought out much in the video: the intensity and persistence of the academics, the multiple communities of friendship (House, activities, organizations, classes).</p>
<p>Prairie, I know why your heart sank, but believe me, the Smith portrayed in the video will be your daughter’s Smith only if she wants it to be. Undergraduate college is a bubble, and for gay Smithies, it is even more the case. They can find their voices, be open about their lifestyles, and feel safe. Everything after Smith will be more difficult for them, simply because of their sexual orientation. </p>
<p>It bothers me from time to time that this open gayness has become the definition of Smith for many who know little about the college. I’m bothered the same way I was when a conservative minority became vocal at my own alma mater, and then everyone assumed that I, too, was right wing. But such stereotyping is ignorance.</p>
<p>I think it’s wonderful that Smithies, no matter their orientation or beliefs, feel free to express themselves. You will be amazed by your daughter’s education and the opportunities afforded to her.</p>
<p>While I definitely agree with the majority of critical responses, it seems I found the video more useful than most people. Perhaps it’s because I can find as many flaws (if not more) in the admissions material; perhaps it’s because as a gay, future Smithie My Word showed me one of the parts of Smith that interests me as much as the ones presented by admissions.</p>
<p>Whatever your response to the video, I would keep in mind two things: at the beginning, the director states her mission, which is simply to take a snap shot of Smith as it is, right now. Naturally, this goal is impossible; any photograph or video is altered by the experiences, biases, and goals of the creator. So the Smith she has captured and the Smith she has worked to portray is her Smith, not some all-encompassing representation. </p>
<p>Secondly, remember that the videos and materials presented by the admissions people are similarly limited; they too have an image of Smith they would like to present. Instead of the queer, vegan, hipster Smith shown in My Word, the admissions people show us a much more mainstream set of typically feminine girls. </p>
<p>Admittedly, my experience of Smith is limited to a few visits and talking to current students and alums; however, I’d say that within that relatively limited sphere of knowledge, I’ve found representations of both Smiths. A close friend of mine will be a junior next year; she started a cheerleading team, likes to dress up, and is one of the straighest people I know, as her walls of Zac Efron posters will attest to. On the other hand, I know an alum who was an active ally of the trans community on campus, and is getting married this weekend–to her wife. I would argue that the two Smiths we’ve seen (and I imagine there are a number more) are far from being mutually exclusive. And, while the My Word documentary does have its flaws, I personally found it to be an interesting counterpoint to the admissions material; when considered in tandem with it, I also think it helps represent a more complete picture of Smith.</p>
<p>Prairie - My daughter will be class of 2013 and she is straight but pretty liberal and has lived in a liberal city, gone to a progressive school with many gay and straight friends but very few conservative or christian friends and I know she is hoping to be exposed to a wide range of ideas and people in college and actually preffered Smith over several other schools that she felt were too limited in scope of student and wouldn’t expand her horizons. We know a number of current Smithies with very varied interests and backgrounds. She also has a freshman friend at Bryn Mawr who is very very liberal and has a conservative Christian roommate from Texas and they have become very good friends. Hopefully college will expand all their horizons.</p>
<p>Prairie, my daughter is also in the class of 2013, is straight, liberal, and has a few openly gay friends in addition to all her straight friends. She’s been raised to be respectful of others’ orientations and beliefs, and if past is prologue, will continue to do so. Like Momwaitingfornew, she just wants to be recognized for who she is, not as someone’s stereotype. Living in New England, she welcomes the opportunity to become friends with people from all over the country and all over the world. They will learn much about themselves and about each other. Isn’t that what college is all about?</p>