Congratulations to @outoftime48 and @abundantbananas! Look for an introverted but very intense and smart artist from MN, and maybe you’ll meet our friend’s daughter.
@morningside95 Will do! We were in MN visiting Carleton last month. Small world.
@abundantbananas Congratulations! I do hope my daughter will meet you and all of the wonderful daughters of contributors to this thread.
@outoftime48 - As you can see, Carleton is the nextdoor neighbor of my S17’s future home, St. Olaf. We love that school too, and S will have 3 friends in the Carleton class of 2021, so he’s planning on spending time there too!
Hope your D enjoys life in Northhampton, MA!
(I’m also a former Californian, and have a great appreciation of how difficult it is to get into the UCs. Congrats to your D on all her accomplishments!
For more details about the houses, I ran across this Smith Tumblr site: http://smithbysmithies.■■■■■■■■■■/houses. You can also submit Qs to Smithies there.
I am a Smith Alum ('88) and have a daughter who did ED and will attend in the Fall 2017. I can say without a doubt that my D sounds very much like the young women I have been hearing about: quiet, studious, not interested in a party scene, down-to-earth, open-minded, sweet, and somewhat innocent. As an alum and very involved parent, I am thrilled that she has chosen and been accepted at Smith. There are many many young women at Smith just like her. If you wish to avoid the little bit of “party scene” that Smith has, just do not live in the Quad. The more studious students tend to live in Green Street though also other houses closer to campus. I am really surprised anyone would ever think Smith is a party school!
I am a Wellesley Alum and it came down to Smith and Wellesley for my daughter who decided to enter Smith in the fall of 2017. She applied everywhere RD and got in to some great schools. Ultimately it was Smith’s welcoming tone that hooked her. She got in a little early with a group of students who received letters with a personal welcome. Later Smith tossed in a t-shirt and a STRIDE scholarship, all the while sending emails and letters encouraging her to come. It was like they really wanted her there. That amount of effort said a lot. As for her temperament, my daughter is also like many of you describe. She is an introvert, not very social, prefers small groups to large crowds, quiet, but not necessarily shy. She doesn’t drink or smoke. I have had to make her promise to attend at least two events per semester and to join one club so that she can make the most of her college experience.
All of that said, your child must be happy. If money isn’t a deal breaker, then go for Happiness. 1) Life is too short to spend even a minute unhappy if you don’t have to be and 2) if you are happy, you are more likely to finish, and that is the ultimate goal anyway… not just to go, but to finish!
Congratulations!
Many thanks for all of the great feedback. Wellesley was tough to let go for my daughter. It all came down to cost for our family. It’s unfortunate that college has become a luxury for so many. We simply can’t justify investing nearly $300K for an undergraduate degree no matter how great of an education or experience it could possibly be or even how happy it would’ve made our daughter. It did break my heart to see her so confused last week, but she will have many tough choices to face in life. This is only the first major one, but I already see signs she is warming up quickly.
She put in her housing request last night and definitely specified Green Street as #1 location, avoiding the Quad, as so many have advised. She thought it was interesting that some houses have a tradition of streaking (not sure how often or for what reason), but she said as long as she doesn’t end up in a house where she’s pressured to join in this activity, she’ll be ok. However, it’s this sort of thing, that I think will maybe help her loosen up. Not that I expect her to go running naked across campus, lol, but to see other people doing crazy (but safe) things might also give her the courage to take her own personal risks of doing things outside of her comfort zone. I doubt you’d witness much streaking at Wellesley-- I could be wrong; perhaps more likely at Berkeley? Personally, I think Smith will provide the academic rigor she enjoys, while at the same time provide a safe and nurturing environment to take chances in life. I’m so glad to know there are so many kids just like her attending Smith.
She knew it was important to see the forest through the trees which is why she chose Smith. She’s wearing her Smith sweatshirt quite often this past week and is already figuring out how to move her things across the country. I told her we already got lots of PMs for her to read that covers just about everything she might need to know in September. Such a welcoming forum here! There’s never one single perfect college for anyone, I believe, but if we give agency to our commitments, I think things will work out at the end. Thanks again and best wishes to everyone!
Many thanks for all of the great feedback. Wellesley was tough to let go for my daughter. It all came down to cost for our family. It’s unfortunate that college has become a luxury for so many. We simply can’t justify investing nearly $300K for an undergraduate degree no matter how great of an education or experience it could possibly be or even how happy it would’ve made our daughter. It did break my heart to see her so confused last week, but she will have many tough choices to face in life. This is the first major one, but I already see signs she is warming up quickly.
She put in her housing request last night and definitely specified Green Street as #1, avoiding the Quad, as so many have advised. She thought it was interesting that some houses have a tradition of streaking (not sure how often or for what reason), but she said as long as she doesn’t end up in a house where she’s pressured to join in this activity, she’ll be ok. However, it’s this sort of thing, that I think will maybe help her loosen up. Not that I expect her to go running naked across campus, lol, but to see other people doing crazy (but safe) things might also give her the courage to take her own personal risks of doing things outside of her comfort zone. I doubt you’d witness much streaking at Wellesley-- I could be wrong; perhaps more likely at Berkeley? Personally, I think Smith will provide the academic rigor she enjoys, while at the same time provide a safe and nurturing environment to take chances in life. I’m so glad to know there are so many kids just like her attending Smith.
She knew it was important to see the forest through the trees which is why she chose Smith. She’s wearing her Smith sweatshirt quite often this past week and is already figuring out how to move her things across the country. I told her we already got lots of PMs for her to read that covers just about everything she might need to know in September. Such a welcoming forum here! I think if we give agency to our commitments, I things will work out at the end. Thanks again and best wishes to everyone and hope to meet many of you in September.