Hello -
Smith is one of my top choices right now. Before I fully commit, I wanted to know a bit about the social life/party scene. I know that Smith is a lot more “tame” than most colleges, but are there any parties ever? Does anyone drink or is it kind of shunned?
Also, I’ve seen some posts about drug use at Smith, but they seem a bit outdated. Since weed is now legal in MA, do a lot of people use it at Smith?
I really like the idea of going to a school where the students focus more on their academics than partying, so I’d just like some more insight on the alcohol/drug use.
Thanks so much!
Hi @pleaseaccptme857! Glad to hear Smith is one of your top choices.
Overall, Smith social life varies widely based on your friends, organizations, and house.
Yes, there are some parties at Smith, but you’re right that it’s more “tame” than most other colleges. Almost every house holds two major social gatherings for residents per year: Winter Weekend and Spring Weekend. Many houses hold Halloween parties. The quad (or some of the houses in the Paradise/Garden neighborhoods) tends to be more lively. There are also many parties during Convocation at the beginning of the year.
I definitely didn’t feel pressured to drink if I didn’t want to in my 3.75 years at Smith, but some students do drink. In addition to smaller room gatherings with friends involving alcohol, senior wine and cheese is a tradition in almost every house. However, there’s not a drinking culture at Smith overall.
While weed is legal in MA, you’re technically not supposed to smoke it on campus because Smith receives federal funding. Still, it happens, but how much depends on the house and who’s in it that year.
If being in a substance-free environment is important to you, I recommend applying to live in substance-free housing (Chase). Chase’s neighbor, Duckett, is also often substance-free because it tries to be respectful of Chase.
The Ivy neighborhood (which contains houses that used to be part of the Green Street/Lower Elm Street areas) is a quieter place to be if you’d like to focus on academics and less on partying.