<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I'm curious to hear from new students and new parents of Smithies as to how the first couple of days have gone for your daughters. Our situation has settled down, as she has met her advisor and likes her very much. Classes are chosen, and there really were no changes to her proposed schedule. How about you?</p>
<p>The other end is suddenly feeling much nearer. We're planning on visiting in October 2008, either during Family Weekend or a week off-set. D asked to check LSAT & GRE test dates before nailing down dates, which we need to do soon, particularly if it <em>is</em> Family Weekend and we want to stay at the Autumn Inn. LSAT & GRE...oy vey. Didn't we just get done with all this search/test/apply stuff? I know, I know...that's not what you were expecting.</p>
<p>why does she want to do both?! I haven't heard of people doing such things.... I'm checking out the GRE too.</p>
<p>A combined Law/Masters in Public Policy program. There are also Law/Business and other combinations out there.</p>
<p>Ha! BJM, the tables are turned. We got the first sobbing call from our d. She was one of the last scheduled to meet with her adviser and so most of the classes she wanted to take were already filled, including a language class she needs to take for her intended major and which won't be offered again until next fall. Because languages are cumulative, she'll be far behind where she needs to be. While she plans to beg the professor to let her into the class, there are five students ahead of her on the waiting list. </p>
<p>She thought she had been prepared for this because she arrived at her adviser's office with TWELVE alternate classes in case one of more of her first choices were filled. Every one of the twelve was already closed.</p>
<p>She wonders why her friends, who all had morning appointments, got every class they wanted, but she could not even get into her intended major class. I suppose this will provide a good lesson in coping for her. As a parent paying full freight and really feeling the burden because of it, I am a little ticked that I'll be making big sacrifices for courses she doesn't really want to take; of course, I did not tell her that. :-)</p>
<p>Momwaiting, if your D goes to the first meeting of some of the classes she wanted to take, she still has a chance of getting into them. Even if there's five people in front of her on the waiting list, they're not all likely to show up. If it's only one or two more people sitting in the room than there were spots in the class, the professor could decide to let them all in. Also, assuming that the classes weren't limited to first years, there will probably be a few upperclass students who changed their minds about their schedules over the summer but can't drop the ones they were previously enrolled in before tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>I'm sorry that she had such a disappointing experience with course registration, but it will get better.</p>
<p>Thanks, Borgin. That's what her adviser suggested as well - and that's what she intends to try.</p>
<p>My d. was one of the last to register several years ago. She got into the language class (Italian) simply by showing up, and telling the professor she hoped to go to Florence in her junior year. (She leaves next week!) She took a wonderful class on "natural disasters" and immediately put it to good use when we went over to do tsunami relief work in between her first two terms. And being shut out of a first-year seminar resulted in her being placed in a small seminar with one of Smith's most famous (though "scary") professors, and it was a lifechanging experience.</p>
<p>Of course, it may not work out the same for your d. But things have a habit of turning out in ways that are unexpected.</p>
<p>Well, my D is very happy. She loves it at Smith. She is a transfer student so she truly has something other than home to compare it to. Her suite in Baldwin is stunning and the double she is in is quite large. She likes her roomates and reports that she already has plenty of friends. She got most of the classes she wanted but not all. She already has plans to attend the ballet class she is waitlisted for in the hope of getting in. She is also hoping to get into a French class or an upper level art class. She had been a fine arts major at a freestanding art school, but is having trouble getting into an appropriate level art class. Right now she is not feeling the warm fuzzies in relationship to the art department, but we will have to see how that goes. She is currently signed up for 4 classes that she is quite happy about but hopes to get at least one more. Since her previous school's schedule had her in about 22 hours of class per week, she doesn't seem to worried about the schedule. Really enjoyed the Paul Farmer thing last night, but has trepidations about convocation because loud and crowded isn't her thing. She is a little homesick. Misses our siberian puppy to whom she was quite attached. Lastly, the food is excellent especially the vegetarian meals in Northrup/Gillett.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the support! I received email from my d. today, and she is in much better spirits. Although she couldn't get into any first year seminars, she was able to register for the (last!) writing intensive course available in the English department - Icelandic literature. She was not looking forward to that course -- until she went into the bookstore and saw the books. </p>
<p>As for Intermediate Japanese (her language course), she is acting as though she will get into that. We'll see. Because of her language skills, she wanted to take Japanese (her first choice), French (which she tested into the 260 and above range), or beginning Chinese. Not a single one of those classes were available, either because enrollment was closed or, in one or two cases, because they conflicted with the phantom Japanese class. I guess Smith students love their foreign languages!</p>
<p>I do think that learning to navigate the university is a necessary skill for undergraduates. Not all education occurs in the classroom.</p>
<p>My daughter is thrilled with Smith. She says that her house is like a four-star hotel. She lucked out with a sunny single room, which has more closet and storage space than her room at home! She says that there are plenty of upperclassmen in her house to answer any question she might have, and the other freshmen are very interesting, smart and nice. She also got all of her first choice classes. So far, it's too good to be true.</p>
<p>Nice to hear of all the positive reports. MWFN...tell your D not to take "no" for an answer, and show up at the classes she wants to take. Smithies have a way of getting what they want; or so I understand.</p>
<p>Our D is much more settled in now thanks to some friends in another house ;) and she will be leaving campus this weekend for a party at Amherst. Seems like the worst is behind us I'm pleased to announce.</p>
<p>also, mwfn, if your daughter has trouble getting in to a language class, she might want to email the department chair. if she's considering doing jya and especially if she's considering majoring or minoring in the language, make sure she mentions that. i belive departments get funding based on how many majors and minors they have, and a problem with language departments is that lots of people take intro classes and relatively few end up declaring a major. </p>
<p>then, if she absolutely can't get in, she might want to make an appointment with the firstyear dean or someone to discuss taking it at another college--usually that can't be done first semester, but they might waive that rule in this situation. she could also consider a "special studies" where a professor supervises her directed readings or working through grammar books or something. not very fun, but she might be able to pick up a couple credits and not totally lose the language.</p>
<p>^ agreed. My hostess, when I was a prospective, took classes at UMass for Arabic in her first semester, first year because she wanted to go abroad to Middle East and study Middle East stuff.... She was thrilled and hasn't regretted all the commute :)</p>