<p>I only find out if students have STRIDEs when I ask them what their job is or when I hear someone complain about the work they have to do for it. It's not a big deal, especially as a lot of other students also find work with professors, but of course it does look better on resumes than, say, working in the kitchen (though my work study job this year is considered skilled and therefore I make more than the campus minimum, and most of the time I can get homework done too).</p>
<p>"(Im reticent to get anyones hopes up, but if your daughter /isnt/ accepted to Smith, the college has lost its collective mind.)"</p>
<p>(And Ill be very upset. The college needs students such as your daughter.")</p>
<p>RLT...you're too kind! Thank you on behalf of my D; I showed her your comment and she got teary eyed. </p>
<p>We are hoping for a Stride, as that will enable her to fulfill her dream of doing research early on. One of the reasons why Smith was so high on her list to begin with. </p>
<p>TD...if you could wait until the appropriate time and ask on her behalf, I would be extremely grateful. </p>
<p>("I assumed Bjm8 knew <em>everything</em> there was to know because he has TD J to answer questions and has visited the campus numerous times. ")</p>
<p>Oh, I know far fewer things about Smith that the two of you wise men! I only know things because I ask questions while we visit, talk to students, and read lots on the subject of college admissions. </p>
<p>My D is thrilled about the potential to attend Smith, and has been talking about it non-stop for days now. She really feels good about the "fit", and after talking to a few students, in particular TD's D, she now feels welcome. I hear Stride is going up to $5000 for the class of 2010, which my D will be in. Any news you can get would be welcomed.</p>
<p>Im visiting Smith for the 3rd time today. Just to see if it feels different now that ive been accepted.</p>
<p>PS...what is orientation like?</p>
<p>SC...what did acceptance letter look like? Did you apply ED I?</p>
<p>I bet the campus will look even more beautiful to you now, than it did before you were accepted. Good for you!</p>
<p>SC, if you'd like to talk to my D, PM me and I'll send you her cell phone number. Her last final is today, I'm pretty sure and I think she'd be in condition to talk afterwards.</p>
<p>RLT, I sent you a PM re my suspicions on unpublished STRIDE benefits.</p>
<p>BJM8, per Borgin's post (thanks again, Borgin...it's so great to have students taking the time to post here, giving student-based info and correcting parental errors), it's not the end of the world regarding research opportunities if your D isn't STRIDE. As a point of departure, I would somehow get ahold of a copy of the STRIDE openings and then have your D talk to the relevant professors...not all the STRIDE positions get filled, by a long shot.</p>
<p>I think SC applied as a transfer for Jan 06 and thus knows now. </p>
<p>Orientation is too many options crammed into too little time. We set up for a three-day process, the first two including a lot of running to the malls for dorm stuff--it doesn't pay to ship a lot of stuff, setting up a bank account, getting a local cell phone, picking up the pre-ordered computer, etc. </p>
<p>We tended to skip most speeches on the orientation schedule and focused on nailing the practical stuff. Plus, by the time of orientation, we thought we knew all the speechy stuff. The one part of orientation that was good news/bad news was the mid/late afternoon meeting with departmental reps in one of the grassy central quad areas. One of the deans brusquely but accurately told D that if she didn't take Latin first year (a two semester sequence...can't bail after one semester) that she was deciding not to keep open the option of a Classics major. D was kind of upset about the tone but I thought the Dean was just telling it like it was, with no sugarcoating. D wound up having to tear apart her whole pre-planned schedule and put it back together again, with help from a master schedule I borrowed on the spot from one of the profs. As events transpired, she took the Latin and then dropped Classics from major consideration anyway. The worst part of all this was that this was about half an hour before we said our final goodbyes and her being upset didn't help any. Otoh, the actual meeting with department reps was a good thing.</p>
<p>For the parents here, if you look at the orientation schedule, there's an event--address by the President?--sometime around noon that is clearly for both parents and students. At around 6pm, there's an in-House meeting for a new students. Somewhere in between historians will mark the fall of the Roman Empire. Urrr.... It's not like Stanford or the military academies where there's a big gathering concluded with, "Okay, parents this way, students that way...." And I didn't <em>quite</em> see administrative staff walking around with crowbars. (Though by this time I knew several by name/face and vice-versa from all the months of contact.) If anyone wants suggestions for places to go for a drink afterwards, let me know. It was one of those rare times that I really really wanted one. I knew things were going to be okay but in the moment it was incredibly sad. It being a cross-country move, I didn't have my other half to lean on...sending <em>two</em> parents for move-in if you're not driving is overkill, imo.</p>
<p>BJM8, I'm glad that your D connected with mine in a way that was useful.</p>
<p>[[RLT...you're too kind! Thank you on behalf of my D; I showed her your comment and she got teary eyed]]</p>
<p>Gezzz, I still make grown women cry!! Sorry about that.</p>
<p>Yes, the Stride is going up to 5k per/year for your daughters class-- 2010</p>
<p>Its too bad you dont live in Northampton. Residents get a free ride to Smith. It was part an old land grant deal or something of the sort. I wonder if Smith EVER admits a student from town knowing theyre going to be a freebee</p>
<p>[SC...what did acceptance letter look like?]</p>
<p>You should be able to get the decision online before the actual letter arrives.
Your daughter will get a password, etc. after they receive her app.</p>
<p>Really...she can get the decision on line? that's cool! She hasn't received her password yet, but we'll keep our eyes open. Smith informational packet says decision made by end of January. Any possibility sooner? When are admitted students told about stride?</p>
<p>D applied RD and actually got her "Congratulations! You've been awarded a STRIDE!" letter a few days before she got her formal acceptance. We kinda figured, though. Don't know if the timing is different for ED II.</p>
<p>TD....Interesting that your D heard about Stride first. Kinda weird, no? Should be hearing by end of January, at least that's what info says. Went online to Smith Dailyjolt and looked at some pictures from convocation, etc... What the hell was that???? Half naked girls in drag! Hmmm...couldn't figure that one out!</p>
<p>{TD....Interesting that your D heard about Stride first. Kind of weird, no? }</p>
<p>No, not for RD. My daughter heard from a few colleges she had received a merit award before they officially informed her she was accepted. Its the colleges way of starting the romance process and getting the students to accept their admission offer.</p>
<p>Right. After the acceptances go out, the shoe is on the other foot and that foot was my D.</p>
<p>My presence may be intermittent...I called in tonight and I got nailed with jury duty tomorrow. I thought I was going to escape it this week.</p>
<p>[My presence may be intermittent...I called in tonight and I got nailed with jury duty]</p>
<p>No wireless connection for your laptop in the jury box?</p>
<p>Gezzz, and I though California was a high tech Mecca.</p>
<p>That would presuppose that I have a laptop. :) Have never needed one. There are some situations evolving (intelligently designed?) where it might be useful to have one but I'm not there yet.</p>
<p>"What do you guys know about Zollman's. I understand that it is something they use to lure stduents away from Ivys; so I gather, early decision students are out of the running?"</p>
<p>My d. is a Zollman, and six months later, I did some consulting with the Smith admissions office related to homeschoolers (my d. was one.) Yes, they explicitly think they are luring students away from Ivies (which in our case, wasn't true - but they thought they were luring her away from Harvard.) Stats were much higher than your d.s, I think (she had an 800 verbal at age 13) - she had won several major national awards for composition, had 66 college credits (not APs, actual college, from three different schools) (she threw them all away), a signficant internship in ethno-botanical medicine, and had sung opera. The only thing that worried them just a little is that she was only 16 (which hasn't proven to be a problem.)</p>
<p>Besides the general appeal of Smith, they lured her in two major ways: the President of the College called prior to the official admit letter (but after we received the Zollman letter - my d. wasn't home to take the call!), and they built a specific STRIDE position around her interests (actually overseen by a 5-College Prof at Mt. Holyoke.)</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Smith should send you a letter giving you a password and ID number to check your application status online. I was checking to make sure all my material was sent, and saw that they had mailed a decision! I clicked on it and it said "Welcome to the class of 2009" which was a little off since im the class of '08. It was also dated March 13th...so they just sent the wrong letter.</p>
<p>TheDad..I didnt get to read your post until I got back from smith, but I wish I did. I would have loved to meet your daughter. Every time I saw someone, I thought "That could be someone on college confidential's daughter".</p>
<p>Im very glad I went back to see the campus again. Its always different so see a school BEFORE you are accepted. The first 2 times I went, I kept thinking "dont get used to it because you probably wont get accepted" but THIS time I could think "hmm..what house should I live in?"</p>
<p>Smith really is an amazing campus. There are not many other schools like that. What other school has a boat house??</p>
<p>speaking of houses..which ones ARE the best? TheDad says green street is good, and to avoid the quad. others have told me the quad is good. What about elm street?</p>
<p>Are parents supposed to stay for the full 3 day orientation?</p>
<p>Mini..your D seems like a very bright young lady; you must be extremely proud. Smith is lucky to have her! </p>
<p>("Im very glad I went back to see the campus again. Its always different so see a school BEFORE you are accepted. The first 2 times I went, I kept thinking "dont get used to it because you probably wont get accepted" but THIS time I could think "hmm..what house should I live in?")</p>
<p>SC...I love this statement...how true! I can hear those exact words from my daughter the three times we visited. She just wouldn't allow herself to get sucked into the whole atmosphere and aura at Smith, because she didn't want to be disappointed if things don't work out. </p>
<p>We are awaiting the letter with the password. My D called yesterday and waas informed that they hadnot yet received oneteacher recommendation and the ED II card. She told them she sent them in, and they mentioned that it probably hasn't been placed in her folder as of yet. She will check back next week. What is the potential for her to hear earlier than the end of January? Anyone have an idea?</p>
<p>supercow, when I did orientation my parents were far from Smith. I had been on campus for pre-orientation, and my parents pretty much dropped me off and turned around because they had to work the next day and my little sister was with them and had school. For every student with parents, there were probably more without them. I don't know what specific events happen during January's orientation, but you'll be fine both with or without them--there's no problem if your parents can't stay, and it lets you meet people without feeling like you have to entertain your parents too (or am I the only one who feels this way?).</p>