<p>Wow, Smith people are so nice...I went there a couple of days ago for my interview and the admissions counselor sent me an email thanking me for coming later on that day! I'm applying RD.</p>
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Wow, Smith people are so nice...I went there a couple of days ago for my interview and the admissions counselor sent me an email thanking me for coming later on that day! I'm applying RD.
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<p>I'm a incoming freshman for the class of 2012. After my interview at Smith my admissions counselor actually sent me a postcard along with a copy of a recent Smith newspaper having to deal with some of the questions my parents were asking. </p>
<p>They are really, super nice. :D</p>
<p>^^^ No "freshmen" at Smith - - you are in incoming first-year.</p>
<p>je<em>ne</em>sais_quoi: I was at a meeting earlier this summer for my writing internship. As we were all leaving someone asked where I was heading to college. I said Smith and he hadn't heard of it (it's the Midwest, what can you do). All of a sudden I heard a shriek from the other side of a room and two ladies came running over to me. Apparently, they both attended Smith in the seventies and couldn't believe someone from the area was going nowadays. They had to close down an local alum group because none of the girls from the area were interested in a women's college. We ended up talking for another hour and a half (even though it was already nearly midnight!) and they couldn't stop saying how much I was going to love it and telling me places I had to check out right away. The other day one came by the office to give me a "good luck" flower pen she made. It was really cute. :) </p>
<p>On a more general note, everyone (mostly) has their housing assignments and we're all signed up for pre-o groups! I can't believe I'll be making the eighteen hour drive in 22 days. I'm just worried about balancing workload with extra-curriculars and social time once I'm signed up for classes.</p>
<p>2013? Woohoo? Me? Maybe?</p>
<p>...I'm going to ED to either Smith or Wellesley. I've visited and loved both. I'm going to do overnights again when classes start to make my final decision.</p>
<p>Bustles, have you checked out any other women's colleges? MHC or Bryn Mawr, for instance?</p>
<p>Irene, don't worry, you'll only learn to balance by experience. Chances are good you'll overload your first semester, and then learn better afterwards, so don't stress out about it. </p>
<p>I can't believe it's almost time to start my senior year. You firstyears are lucky, enjoy it, because the time will creep up on you.</p>
<p>Mariposa--I have looked into all of them, and would apply to all of them--hopefully I'll get into Smith or Wellesley ED, though! I have only visited Smith, Wellesley and Barnard, though. Hopefully I'll be able to visit MHC and Smith in tandem when I re-visit Smith for an overnight in the fall... BMC may or may not happen...</p>
<p>from what I have read though, I do think that Smith and Wellesley are the closest to what I'm looking for.</p>
<p>Right now, I'm leaning toward Smith, but if you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have said Wellesley :P</p>
<p>Hi, I am joining the class of 2013 at Smith this fall! which house do you recommend? Preferences: quiet, close to classes, not much partying but, I love to make friends and hopefully a few clubs. How is Hubbard or Tyler? Do some houses have difficult traditions than others? Are all going to make an effort to help you transition? What do you advise for an incoming first year to help make the transition easiest.
Which FYS are REALLY really worth it? Do you land up taking only 2 FYS in the entire time- since they all look so good? What do you wish you had done,to make your stay in Smith even more outstanding?</p>
<p>Congratulations, Musicbuff!</p>
<p>You should read the “Which Smith house for quiet student” thread for more information about the houses. As for your other questions, you’ll have to wait for one of the students or recent grads to log on. Or start a new thread on FYS.</p>
<p>I do know that the historical reenactment course is wildly popular, but difficult to get into unless you are assigned one of the earliest advisor appointments.</p>
<p>You don’t get to choose (in general) a specific House, just an area, and both Tyler & Hubbard (and I like them both) are on Green Street.</p>
<p>One of the things about the House system is that all, except for a couple of specialized houses that first-years aren’t eligible for, contain a mix of students from all four years and <em>that</em> helps transition easily. It seems that all the houses make an effort to help first-years adapt.</p>
<p>You generally take only <em>one</em> FYS and as MWFN says, the recreating history is one of the most popular. D had a blast with it and it was a good early “bonding” class. But I don’t think only a few of the FYS are “really worth it.” I think many are, it just depends upon your interests.</p>
<p>I just want to ask you guys a question on choosing colleges. Hope anyone can spend a little time answering me. I am an international student and it is impossible for me to visit campuses before deciding where to apply. Information I found on websites and brochures of different LACs seems to be the same. How can I figure out whether I fit the school or not?</p>
<p>It’s very difficult to determine fit without visiting. On paper, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Wellesley are very similar. Yet they’re also very different. </p>
<p>For my D, Columbia felt one way in paper, a completely different way when visiting.</p>
<p>What you’re asking is a bit like deciding which you prefer, swimming or skiing, without actually doing either, but just reading about it.</p>
<p>d312: Maybe you should try and call the admissions office and see if there are alumni in your area; by talking to them and asking about their experiences, they may help you. You should also try to e-mail certain professors in subject areas of interest for possible majors and ask about their field. Also take a look at the virtual tours of the colleges you are interested in: do they give students a chance to talk about their own college or do the professors do all of the talking, do you like the looks of the campuses and where they are located, how exactly is the college presenting itself, what is it like to be from another country at that institution, do alumni seem to be well-off AND doing what they love, and etc?</p>
<p>If all else fails, Smith is free to apply to through the Common Application online. <a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx</a></p>
<p>Good luck with the whole process!</p>
<p>“it is impossible for me to visit campuses before deciding where to apply”
You may find this to be a benefit in the long run. If you are a regular surfer on CC, you will have picked up the disappointment, even distress, of students who don’t get into their dream school, or find that they can’t afford it after all. If you don’t have a dream school, you can safely apply to many women’s colleges, knowing that the academic level is comparable. Then, after decisions and weighing FINaid, you can narrow it down to 2 or maybe three, and then visit to compare the atmospheres if you feel it’s important.
My D had no choice; Smith, which she had never visited and only applied to because there was a fee waiver for internationals and no supplementary essay, was the only college which accepted her. So instead of expecting the college to fit her, she made herself fit the college. She is also a true international, that is to say with no prior knowledge of living in the US, and with the guts to challenge herself with a totally new system: different language, different culture, different writing techniques, etc… Just to make the situation even more challenging, she lost her passport a few days before leaving, and missed pre-orientation, orientation, and the first week of first-year classes.
She came back home yesterday after completing her sophomore year, and the only word I can find to describe how Smith is affecting her is “radiant”.</p>
<p>my case has some relation with it. I just got picked off Columbia’s waitlist sans financial aid. That came as a disappointment well accepted. At least, I was good enough to get into an ivy! that’s what my parents are proud of even if they’d never be able to afford it. So I’m obviously coming to Smith and even love the place like any other…</p>
<p>Faizaa Fatima, Smith wasn’t my first choice either, initially…I thought I was going to Wellesley for sure, but then the money stuff didn’t work out. Smith was so much more generous! Then I visited campus and had a wonderful time, etc., so now I’m a confirmed soon-to-be Smith first-year! :)</p>
<p>Faizaa, the students over at the Columbia waitlist are upset because they think that NO ONE was taken off the list. It seems that very few were, so you should indeed be proud of that.</p>
<p>That said, I believe that there is no substitute for a top LAC education, whether at Smith or at any of the other premier LACs. I have always been a strong proponent for an Ivy education (I like some of the Ivies much better than others); however, after seeing the kind of education my daughter has received, I’d say that she is getting every bit as rigorous an education as I did at an Ivy, PLUS her self-confidence has soared because of Smith’s relatively unique academic environment. The intimate community and the attention she has gotten from professors has been exhilarating.</p>
<p>I second that, mwfn, although I do regret the absence of a core curriculum. Latin honours allows too much leeway imo.</p>
<p>Understood, LIT. I guess I forget about that because my D has taken a broad range of classes that would have satisfied a core curriculum at any place that required it.</p>
<p>Brown also has an open curriculum. Interestingly, the open curriculum is one reason why D was drawn to Smith (and Brown). She did not want to take math OR science. Now, she and I LOL at that one, considering what she ended up taking.</p>