<p>How is the social life at SMCM?</p>
<p>Since no one has replied to you - I'll give you the impression we had as my D was considering SMCM and attended an accepted students day last month and also spent the evening with a current sophmore. Since there is so much to do outdoors - kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, bicycling - most weekends are spent outdoors when the weather is nice. Evenings there are bonfires on the beach. Weeknights there was a bar everyone went to Wed night (?) and a different bar on Thursday night. (I believe they were both week nights - but I may be wrong). There are apartment, house and dorm parties on the weekends. From what the current student told us - the school does not crack down on underage drinking since they would rather see it going on close on on campus than people driving off campus to drink. There is always something going on on campus - movies, guest speakers, musical performances, etc. My D got the impression it was a very laid back and friendly campus. We certainly felt the students were all very friendly and happy at SMCM. It is in a beautiful but remote location - so you'd have to be a person to appreciate that.</p>
<p>thanks for the information. is your D attending SMCM next fall? We went down in April to the accepted students day as well. She's concerned about the remote location.</p>
<p>My D is not going to attend SMCM - she is going to go to University of Pittsburgh. She was impressed with the professors and students she spoke to at SMCM. She is an undecided major and felt she may be better off a larger school with more options. She did feel a twinge of sadness when she choose not to go to SMCM. We definitely got the impression that those that do attend SMCM are happy there. The student my D visited said she had one friend who left after freshman year as he found it too remote. I think it's a matter of knowing yourself and if you would be comfortable in that environment. The student my daughter spent time with was from a rural area and loves the outdoors. My D loves the outdoors but also likes things the city has to offer. Is your D attending SMCM next year? If so, good luck to her and I think she will find it a very personal education with a very welcoming environment with a very friendly student body.</p>
<p>No, my D has decided to attend Northeastern in Boston - primarily for the same reasons you mention for your D. It was a very, very, very difficult decision. SMCM is listed on the top 20 schools with the 'happiest students'. Newsweek had it listed as Top 25 "hottest schools" - in this case for loving the outdoors I think. I just know if D went there she'd be delighted. She thinks she'd love it but feels it's a bit of a risk - because if she doesn't like it what else would she do? Also my D is undecided and for now needs to have more majors to explore. The admissions office at SMCM has been absolutely wonderful and gracious in helping her get through this decision making process. Good luck to your D next year. What a process this has been!</p>
<p>Whereto? sounds like we have similar daughters. I agree SMCM seemed more of a risk. It sounds like she knows herself and knows that maybe it would have been too isolated. Pittsburgh has a beautiful park within walking distance and bike trails along the river and enough outdoor things to keep her happy that way as well as the amenities of city life - so I think it's a good fit for her - similar to how Northeastern in Boston is for your daughter. Good luck to her and to you. This is my first and my only daughter - so I know next year will be different for me.</p>
<p>I go to St. Mary's. I think most of what has already been said is correct. The only think I can pick out is that there is only one bar, and it's only popular with juniors and seniors. Most people stay on campus to party, and there isn't really much drinking on weeknights. </p>
<p>I've talked about this with a fair number of students, and most agree that St. Mary's is a love it/hate it sort of experience. 90% of the people who come here bond very deeply with the school. Maybe about 5% hate the isolation and usually transfer after a year. </p>
<p>If there any other specific questions I can answer, just let me know.</p>
<p>whereto, thanks for starting this thread. jsmom, thanks for your input.
samonite16, I'm so happy you're here. St. Mary's just came onto my daughter's (ever-changing) list recently, and what we've seen online & in brochures seems great. Are most students from the Maryland area? Does campus clear out on weekends? We're from New England and I'd hate for her to feel stranded on the weekends. Can you share anything about your decision to attend SMCM?</p>
<p>Hi
We are from New England area, too. I met one woman at a B&B down there who said the only drawback of the school for her was that her son (also from MA) found it tough to get to and from airport. She thought that might be partly b/c he was shy and didn't use the resources - rider board, etc. We visited this APril. It was an absolutely beautiful place. People were incredibly friendly and attentive. Have you seen it's on Princeton's list of 20 schools with happiest students? The upperclass housing was amazing - townhouses around and athletic field. The lunch was also one of the best we've had on any school tour - sushi, etc. Our entire family, including my parents, was so hot for this SMCM concept that it got pretty intense around here as my D was nervous about being isolated. she called several students (heads of a few clubs) who were so, so positive about the school. In her gut she couldn't get past the potential isolation. Her opinion was that it would either be absolutely 100% happy or miserable - and while the chances were greater that she'd be really happy (the individualized attention you get is so cool) - that she was just not willing to accept the risk. In the end she chose Northeastern, but not easily and certainly with some 'what if?' feelings. Now I know that our experience is limited to only research and not actually living there, so I hope that you recieve responses from people much more informed that us. I just thought since we were in similar situations i'd share what we learned.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the great insight, whereto! My D is definitely ok with a rural campus (she's also looking at Williams, Elon, etc) I think I was too strict with the whole "hold my hand in the parking lot, crossing the street" thing, because now she's a little traffic phobic! The transportation issue is important. She's also a little shy, and I'd hate for it to be a hassle to get her home for a weekend. That said, the friendliness/individual attention is a huge factor. I guess we really need to get down their for a visit.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D on Northeastern!</p>
<p>The school is about 75% Maryland residents, and they're trying to make that figure smaller, so out-of-state students have a slightly easier time getting accepted. It's definetly not a commuter school. For most people getting home takes 2+ hours with beltway driving, so most people stay put. I usually go home twice a semester, and I'm about average. </p>
<p>As for my decision, I applied to a number of Northeastern liberal arts colleges, plus St. Mary's and UMD (I'm a MD resident). The private schools were all too expensive, so I had to choose between the honors program at UMD and SMCM. I visited both, and got a better vibe from St. Mary's. I know it sounds cliche, but it was just a gut feeling. </p>
<p>The school definetly could do a better job getting out-of-state students to the airport, but I've never met anyone that actually had a problem finding a ride. Most St. Mary's students live reasonably close to a metro station, and from there getting to the airport is easy. Most people just ask their friends, but there is also a ride board.</p>
<p>My D is similiar to whereto's D was accepted to SMCM and was trying to decide between SMCM and Univeristy of Pittsburgh - again she felt like it was a bit of a riskier choice to attend SMCM and choose Pitt. She absolutely loved the school so it wasn't an easy decision. She spent time with a current student who lives in NY State - she said she never had any trouble getting rides home. She would go to BWI airport Amtrak station and get the train there or was even able to find rides with people to NY. A lot of students do have cars. Transportation just seemed to work out it seemed. Chintzy - good luck to your D - it is a very unique school in a beautiful setting - so definitely worth visiting!</p>