Can someone comment on the social life at Smith College?
Definitely depends on where you live on campus and whether or not you are on a sports team. If your house has a good house community, you can become great friends with people in your house. In terms of parties, they are very few and far between; chill room gatherings are for more common.
My D is a first year at Smith and is having a wonderful time. The first years have about 5 days on campus before most of the older students arrive. The House President, Heads of New Students (HONS) are there to greet them on move-in day. My D’s HONS and HP had the first years go to meals in groups if they wanted to. They have a lot of fun things going on during that week. There are so many things the students can do. My D is not involved in sports but has made some wonderful friends through her house. She is in an A Capella group, Wind Ensemble, and a multi-Faith group. She has worked behind the scenes in a theater production this semester and hopes to become a tour guide next semester. The students can find parties with alcohol if they choose. A lot go to UMass Amherst instead of Smith for that. For kids who don’t party, there is a ton to do in downtown Northampton. My D loves the dollar donuts after 10 pm at glazed and the $2.00 tacos at Mama Iguanas. The Pixies and Regina Spektor have both performed on campus so far this year. For Halloween the students can trick or treat at the different houses, Haven-Wesley has a haunted house. There are other Halloween events too. Winter Weekend was just held. If someone is more introverted that works too. My D has never felt pressured to do anything that didn’t really interest her. We live about 2 hours from Smith and she has only come home for Columbus Day weekend and Thanksgiving. One of her biggest complaints is that there is so much to do and not enough time to have all that fun.
Can an admin please move this off the Skidmore page?
My second year, introverted, Smithie is having a good time. It took her some time to warm and she was not the most social prior to going to Smith. However, she is involved in a club sport, met a nice young man from UMASS, saw the Pixes and Radio Head on campus, has gone to a few parties (decided she did not like) and loves Northampton and Amherst. The house system is great and she will likely spend all four years in the same house which helps with the social connections. Whenever we talk it is clear she is overwhelmed (in a positive way) with all that she is doing. It was a rocky start initially (first month or two) but then it all clicked for her.
My D is in a sport at Smith, volunteers off campus, has a small on campus job, is on her house council and found a church in Northampton. She never has time to talk to me as she is always running off to some fun activity, enjoying tea or hanging out at her house. She seems happy and is successful in her classes.
My D is a first year at Smith. My impression is that she has as much social life as she wants. There aren’t huge, great parties on campus, but she has made friends with a squad of women in her house and there are lots of fun times hanging out. They go to Amherst for parties. She is pretty introverted and not a huge drinker or druggie, and she is happy to find that you can party and/or drink if you feel like it, but there’s no shaming if you don’t. She tends to go out every 2-3 weeks, then spends a weekend or two “hermitting” and working on her journals and homework. Also, there are fun crafty activities on weekend nights and sometimes she and a friend do those if they are not so much in a party mood. The squad walks into downtown Northampton for coffee-house study afternoons and the occasional dinner out, and the town is perfect for that. So, not the giant party scene of a big university, but it’s definitely fun and not boring.