<p>1) Not sure what you mean by the "white and nerdy" thing, but yes, you can get away without a car here. We have free use of the PVTA (really good bus system), the college runs shuttles to Big Y (local grocery store) and the Holyoke Mall for only $1 a ride, and there are a bunch of little shops right across the street. And you'll meet plenty of people with cars, and they always offer to bring people with them whenever they go to, say, Target or Staples.</p>
<p>2) We have more than 160 student orgs, so...a LOT of things are popular. Really. If you can imagine it, we probably either have it or you can make it really easily. A lot of people are really into sports and the arts (we have a lot of dancers here), but they do other things as well. On weekends, there are always dances or parties in our campus center. Most people stay on campus unless they're people who feel like they have to go clubbing or bar-hopping or something in order to have a good time.</p>
<p>3) Understand that the dance departments at all of the Five Colleges are part of the same program, so it really doesn't matter. I do think we tend to be a little more focused on the arts than Smith, but that's just my personal opinion. For the Economics department, I'm really not sure, sorry.</p>
<p>4) I've heard that phrase and the exact opposite, so take that for what it's worth. :) My personal opinion? Smith students are more competitive and we are more relaxed. We both take our academics seriously, but with different approaches. I don't think there's anything wrong with either; it's just a matter of picking whatever's better for you.</p>
<p>5) We've been ranked as having the most beautiful library in the country before. :) It really is breathtaking. People call it "Harry Potter-ish," but I haven't read the books or seen the movies so I really don't know. We have about 850,000 volumes spread across three (connected) buildings. Our main library, Williston, has 6 1/2 floors of stacks, and for a lot of popular books we have two or more copies, just in case one is checked out. Unlike the other Five Colleges, we do not put our journals on microfiche or on-line, so if you want a copy of, say, the American Journal of Sociology from October 1903, you can just walk over and pick it up, which I think is REALLY nice. It's especially nice if you just want to browse in order to brainstorm ideas for a paper or something. We're also allowed and encouraged to use our college archives, which isn't always the case at other colleges. I love our library and it's one of the main things that brought me here. :)</p>
<p>6) Switching is pretty easy and some people do it as late as their senior year (though I wouldn't do that!). We do have GERs, but honestly, so many classes fit into them that I've never heard of anyone having a problem fitting them around their majors, even if they change. And there's a lot of course overlap between IR and Econ, so you'd probably be able to apply courses to either. I believe on the application you get to list up to three possible majors, so you should be fine with listing both; I don't think we list minors. Also, just to warn you, we do not have a business program here, so some of your courses may not transfer in.</p>
<p>7) I love the way we have advising set up. Once you accept their admission offer, you send in an adviser pairing form that describes you and your interests. They then match you up with a faculty adviser with similar interests, so you get your own personal adviser on a regular basis. Most advisers have only a small number of advisees, so you get a lot of personal attention. They also usually reserve some of their office hours each week just for their advisees, so you're always able to see them without any major hassle. And, if you find that your adviser just isn't working out for you, you can change really easily and no one ever gets offended by it. Plus, as transfers, we have a special added benefit since we have a full-time coordinator of transfer affairs who provides us with additional advising. It's really nice.</p>