Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
1

<p>I just paid my deposit and I can't wait to be a Smithie! I just have a couple of questions for current students.</p>

<p>1) I don't smoke or drink, but I don't usually mind staying with people who do. I really like the Green Street houses and Chase (how easy is it to get a room there anyway? I'm guessing it'll be harder for a first year like me since they're all singles). Which houses are closest to the science buildings?</p>

<p>1a) What is the best house, in your opinion?</p>

<p>2) How clear are the night skies? </p>

<p>3) How easy is it to get a job around Northampton? I don't think work study will be enough, so I might have to work around town.</p>

<p>4) Any tips for winter clothes? I'm from a tropical country so I don't know much about winter clothing. </p>

<p>5) Should I bring a printer? I'll be a science major, if that helps.</p>

<p>6) Should I rent a bike? </p>

<p>7) How hot are the summers there? How many °C?</p>

<p>8) Advice/Tips?</p>

<p>Thank you! :)</p>

2

<p>The Green Street houses are all pretty close to the science buildings.</p>

<p>“Best house” is a meaningless question, akin to theological belief or which soccer team is the best.</p>

<p>Buy your winter clothes from the local stores when you get to Smith. They will have a good selection geared to local conditions and if necessary you can see what other students prefer and why before making choices.</p>

<p>Either bring a printer or purchase one at Smith.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t rent a bike, I’d look around to purchase a used one. There are always bikes for sale somewhere. But most people get around Smith by walking, you don’t <em>need</em> one.</p>

<p>Don’t even <em>think</em> of getting a job beyond work study. It’s the best way to kill your GPA. Almost every student at Smith is used to being in the top 10 percent. For the first time in your lives, half of the incoming class find themselves below average…it’s a shock. It sounds as if you’re an international student; the style of American education may also come as a shock to you…you’ll still be expected to crank out problem sets but much more creativity as opposed to rote learning will be expected in many classes. If finances are tight, you may just have to be very very frugal and do without; some students at Smith come from very wealthy backgrounds and some have $1.95, figuratively speaking, to last them through the semester.</p>

<p>Night skies…why do you ask? Astronomy? Smith has an observatory but I don’t think the skies are particularly good, certainly nowhere in the league of, say, Tucson.</p>

<p>Note: not a student but the parent of an alumna</p>

3

<ol>
<li>Green Street, like TheDad said. I’m in lower Elm, which is where Chase is, and academic buildings aren’t that far away either. Walking’s not much of a problem unless you live in the Quad. If you’re set on Chase, you can apply for substance-free housing, and you’ll probably get it. I considered doing that just to get a single, but I’m glad I didn’t, my roommate’s awesome. </li>
</ol>

<p>1a) This is indeed, a meaningless question, since most people think their house is the best (they are all mistaken, though, we all know Albright House’s the best :P).</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Um, I haven’t really paid attention to it. I’m more annoyed by the fact that there’s little to no sun by 4:30 during winters, but that’s just because I’m from a resort city in Mexico (I love my hometown except for the heat…).</p></li>
<li><p>This I don’t know, since I’m international, so I can only work on campus. I would advice against working too much, though. You might not need to worry, though, I used around half of my work-study on toiletries, food, and winter clothes, but I still had the rest for spending money, and I even saved some for books for next semester. Then again, I don’t spend a lot of money, but rest assured that the money will be enough to get the necessities. </p></li>
<li><p>Yeah, I agree with TheDad, get winter clothes at local stores or go to Holyoke Mall. Make sure you get some nice snow boots and a coat, it might seem expensive at first, but it’ll last you all 4 years, so it’s really an investment. </p></li>
<li><p>A printer’s definitely useful, but I suggest you wait to buy it until you get there. I didn’t get one, but I happened to take classes that didn’t require me to print anything. Also, sometimes the older students who are leaving give them away, my roommate and I just got one from her Big Sib (an adorable Smith tradition, if you haven’t heard about it) because she’s leaving. </p></li>
<li><p>Um, I don’t know. I didn’t get one, and I never found it necessary, but my roommate and some housemates did. She found it useful because she had classes in Sage (the music hall), which is kind of a long walk away from our house. </p></li>
<li><p>I haven’t been at Smith long enough to know about May, but when I got there in August it was hot. It was about the same as my hometown (and to my annoyance, just as humid), so around 25-27° C. </p></li>
<li><p>When your advisor tells you not to take more than 18-19 credits, listen to him/her. I took 18, so I didn’t have a problem, but a lot of my friends did. Most ended up dropping a class, and the ones who didn’t barely slept at all, not to mention they weren’t pleased with their grades. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Aside from that, enjoy! Smith’s a wonderful place, and I enjoyed my first semester a lot. As happy as I am to be with my family and friends for winter break, I’m also looking forward to returning to Smith. It really is a great school.</p>

4

<p>I really appreciate your detailed replies. Thank you both!</p>

5

<p>1) Green Street, definitely. If you apply for substance free or specify reasons for living in chase (such as a gluten free diet) you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a single there. </p>

<p>1a) Hahahahahaha basically whatever house you live in…</p>

<p>2) Pretty clear…we’re sort of in the middle of a lot of nature…</p>

<p>3) I know some older students that work in town in the small shops. They’re definitely signs in windows/availability at the beginning of the school year so going downtown to look around could help you scout out places to work. </p>

<p>4) Parkas will become your friend. Boots, gloves, hats, and scarves. </p>

<p>5) It depends on how much printing you’re going to do. Some people I know love to print out study guides/worksheets but most science work will be problem sets done by hand and occasionally lab reports that may require printing. </p>

<p>6) Depends on how lazy you are. Bear in mind a bike is not going to be useful for much of winter. Also, Green street is pretty close to academic buildings/the library and the campus center is just short walk away.</p>

<p>7) Hot and humid!</p>

<p>8) Figure out your way of doing things. College is a lot about balance and figuring out how you work. Some people need a lot of homework to keep themselves focused and work best when they can immerse themselves in work. Some people prefer to have fun “filler” classes to explore other areas and/or do cool stuff. Personally, I took 19 credits my first semester and I did perfectly fine. I’m planning on 21 next semester along with a small tutoring job and I think that’s perfectly manageable.</p>