<p>My daughter just got off the waitlist for Smith and is still trying to decide which school to go to. She has already gone to UVM orientation. She wants a larger school atmosphere along with the fact that most of her friends are guys. Smith is an exceptional school and she is having a hard time deciding which direction to go. Both gave very good financial aid packages which makes the decision much harder. Is there anyone who goes to Smith that wanted a larger school with guys in it who was having the same feelings as my daughter?</p>
<p>What are her areas of interest, both academically and extracurricularly? If Smith is particularly strong in an area that she is interested in, that might help her to make a decision in favor of Smith. Otherwise, it sounds as though her heart may lie with UVM, and she'll be better off if she goes there. As the Smithies on this board will tell you, Smith is not a place for everyone, and the lack of guys does lead to transfers for some students who discover they need a more diverse environment.</p>
<p>Just to plug Smith, though: my daughter, who just graduated from Smith, had a similar choice to make between Smith and UVM. She chose Smith, and has never once had second thoughts. Here is what you get with Smith, aside from excellent academics: the opportunity to make much stronger and longer-lasting friendships than are often possible in a co-ed environment (where relationships with the opposite sex tend to take precedence); a faculty who give their students amazing support both within and beyond the classroom; and a network of alums who support fellow Smithies in innumerable ways after graduation. The common denominator in all the above: support. I'm not sure you can find this degree of personal attention at a large state school</p>
<p>UVM is a good place also, and no doubt my daughter would have done fine had she ended up there. But I'm not sure she would have blossomed quite so much in her confidence to go after what she wants, without the personal encouragement and attention she received at Smith.</p>
<p>Hello- I was so excited to see your post! I am transferring from UVM to Smith in the fall and your daughter has two excellent schools to decide between. I was originally drawn to UVM as a freshman because of the outdoorsy emphasis felt on the campus. I am an avid cyclist and an athlete in general and would have loved it up there. I am also very academic and take my studies very seriously. If your daughter is the same way, she may become frustrated with the students and their attitudes towards their academics at UVM. Medical problems have forced me to transfer closer to home though. I still would love to return to UVM but have decided to attend Smith. I found an incredible amount of support up at uvm during my short time there and despite being quite shy, did not feel intimidated by the larger campus. Although many of my classes were very large, every professor genuinely wanted to know about the lives of the students if they took the inititiave to introduce themselves. That being said, I also had academic reasons for transferring to Smith. I found many of the students to have an apathetic attitude towards their academics and many of them seemed more focused solely on the outdoor opportunities the area has to offer. For this reason, many classrooms lacked engaging discussions between the students. Being very academically focused, I became extremely frustrated. I also had solely guy friends all through high school but found that when I arrived at UVM, I bonded well with many of the more academically focused females.
Although I have not started Smith yet, I was thrilled with what I found at the admitted student visit day. The class discussions were full of life and were very engaging, the complete opposite of what I experienced at UVM. Many students are very athletic and the Northampton area bears quite the resemblance to Burlington but on a much smaller scale. There also appears to be a wide variety of outdoor activities without the Vermont chill in the winter. (It snowed every day in December in Burlington) I was very hesitant about the all female atmosphere as well, but after speaking with a friend who also attends an all female college, she believes it makes way for a better classroom atmosphere. It also allows students to focus on their studies. The area is not completely void of males either, the five college exchange allows for a wide range of students within a small radius of the Smith campus. Smith also has gone above and beyond the call of duty as far as student-faculty interaction goes. I have had many questions relating to my medical condition and they have gone above and beyond to be accommodating. It really has been unbelievable. Anyway, I hope that my experiences have helped you in some way. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>Thank you both for your valuable information. It is such a hard decision and I really feel badly for her as I believe she is torn. She was the captain of her lacrosse team (state champs div II) and she would like to play lacrosse at either school. Do either of you know what the school spirit with sports is? I know UVM has tremendous team spirit but not sure about Smith.</p>
<p>Do either of you know what happens to your financial package when you switch colleges? We talked about her going to Smith and if it was not for her then she could switch to UVM but I dont know what would happen to the scholarships etc she received.</p>
<p>I forgot to say that her interest is in astrophysics or pre med. She can get a major in astrophysics at Smith but not at UVM but at UVM they have pre med. She is not exactly sure which direction she is going but she is very smart and loves astronomy. Neve had a problem with any of her classes and is a very good student with a good head on her shoulders. I think that is why this decision is so hard.</p>
<p>dhazelnut1234
UVM lacrosse is D-1, super competitive. Smith is the opposite end of spectrum. They have D-3. Sounds like a tough choice...and thanks for the input, ecurry about classroom discussions at UVM...not too great?</p>
<p>Radannie,</p>
<p>I believe she is planning on doing the club lacrosse at UVM because her studies come first and it is very competitive. Smith though would be great as it is DIII so she would play. Her first choice in colleges was McGill and they are DIII but she was on the wait list there too.</p>
<p>Smith has terrific pre med and pre med advising and mentoring. Because Smith is relatively small and not inundated with graduate students, students have a number of opportunities to do research projects with faculty or independently. Pre med students, I believe, have not only a pre major advisor, but a pre health advisor. </p>
<p>Science is really strong at Smith, as is the Picker Engineering program should your daughter be interested in that.</p>
<p>As an extracurricular activity, the Smith College Emergency Medical Services program allows students to become credentialed as a paramedic. Good experience for applications to medical schools.</p>
<p>D's former roommate transferred from UVM to Smith (too much partying at UVM) and has been very happy.</p>
<p>I think the bottom line with Smith is always - - how important is a coed experience to the applicant. For some young women, the absence of male students is a deal breaker. (Certainly, my own D would not have chosen Smith, but for the fact that she had a BF nearby.)</p>
<p>She is not looking for a BF as she has one. She just likes them as friends to hang out with but she also hangs out with girls too. I just spoke with her and I get the feeling that she is leaning towards UVM. Hopefully being in the Honors College and their dorms she will be with intelligent people who dont party as much. You cant beat Burlington as it is a wonderful town and the UVM campus is beautiful as well. I will stand by her wherever she goes. I just want her to be happy.</p>
<p>My D had a BF too, but they broke up during her first year. She has made many friends at Smith and also has a circle of frineds (mostly male) at Hampshire - - but still, had she known she would be boyless, she probably would have chosen a coed college. The academics are great, but a good social fit is also important and for most students, that means coed (even for those who are not acively looking for a BF or GF).</p>
<p>How is she 'boyless' if she has a bunch of male friends at Hampshire? I know they wouldn't be on campus all the time, but with the 5 college consortium it seems like to be completely boyless you would really have to not be making an effort to get to know people from the other schools. I was deciding between Smith and Mount Holyoke (ended up choosing MH) and was especially concerned with the all-female environment. Every single student I talked to said that they had plenty of male friends and that their colleges share just about every social event with Amherst, UMass and Hampshire. Maybe I got the wrong impression (thought I've talked to a LOT of students about it) but I really don't think it's valid to say that Smith would be a bad social fit because it's a women's college.</p>
<p>Well, i think it's an exxageration to say that every student has "plenty" of male friends and that the colleges share "every social event". </p>
<p>BUT, I do agree with seattleite, if she has a bunch of male friends at Hampshire, it will give her that much more opportunity to be integrated into the Five-College social life. </p>
<p>Still, she should go with her gut feeling on this. Smith isn't for everyone, and the all-women's experience isn't for everyone. If she's leaning towards UVM, it's probably for a good reason.</p>
<p>I just want to thank all of you for your invaluable info on Smith. As of this AM she still hasent decided. (I think I am driving her crazy :) ) She does read all of your posts so thank you in advance!!!!</p>
<p>Has she visited Smith? If not, that may help her make up her mind. Even during the summer, you can get a good feel for the campus and the surrounding area. Both are fantastic.</p>
<p>Thank you for your information. She did go back for the second time and made the decision to go to UVM. She did not want to go to UVM at first but after one month of "no alternative" she focused on moving forward with everything. The smith invite came a day before orientation at UVM. We went to orientation, signed up for classes etc and when she came home went to smith for a second look. It's hard to change directions once you have commited. It was a hard decision for her.</p>
<p>I'm sure she'll be happy. My daughter just finished her freshman year at UVM. She is NOT (I can't emphasize that enough) a partier and is very serious about her studies. She had a rough time until February or so. I have to say, I think she would have had this rough time at any school.</p>
<pre><code> Without going into a multi-page psychoanalysis of this child, I will tell you that she is very happy now and is looking forward to going back. I visited a few times and met many very nice kids. She has met non-partiers. Once word got out, everyone knew someone who didn't party and was more than happy to introduce her. : ).
You're right, I think the honors dorm/classes will be great for your daughter. Mine didn't want to live with "just the smart kids". Then she complained that she wasn't meeting kids who met her standards of intelligence.
</code></pre>
<p>I'm sure she's made a great choice.</p>