<p>Our D has to choose between the Smith STRIDE program, the Mount Holyoke 21st Century Scholars program, and Wellesley. My H took our D to the Smith Open House where she had a truly wonderful time which surprised her because she has envisioned Wellesley for a long time. However, we haven't see how we could afford Wellesley (with very little aid) as she has a twin brother who's also going to college in the fall to a private LAC. We felt that the STRIDE program at Smith with a $15,000 scholarship and the first two years doing research with a professor was just too good to pass up. I discovered today Smith has a network of 10,000 alums; Wellesley claims 20,000. And now this has got me thinking (unfortunately!). The equation, I know, is imponderable, but I'd like to hear from alums about their experience using the network in their lives to begin to understand the strength of the Smith network. Please respond quickly as May 1 is just days away! Thanks.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not an alumna, but I’ve only heard positive things about the alumnae network. I think that most Smithies continue to feel very close to the college long after graduation.</p>
<p>I just decided to go to Smith! I also was offered STRIDE, 21st Century Scholar at Holyoke and admission to Wellesley (without merit or other aid). I visited all three campuses and all have beautiful locations and strong science departments. In the end, I chose Smith for several reasons, one was that they were most active in contacting me: a Smith alumnus got in touch with me, offered to interview me and give me helpful information. I also emailed other Smith alumni and heard back right away. When I stayed overnight, I went to a senate meeting where an alumnus spoke about opportunities for students. She said that all Smithies would have access to alumni network.
I had several phone/email contacts with Smith students from Stride. I went to a Stride tea on my visit and it was fun (great cake and scones baked by Dr. de Villiers!). On the other hand, Holyoke did not contact me at all after my campus visit-I felt they have a laid back approach which is fine for those who like that. Also the Scholars program is new and they had no definite plan on what the scholars would be doing. So the research opportunity at Stride was too good to pass up for me.</p>
<p>Thank you, Cygne, for your response. When I asked my H if anything was said about the alum network at the Smith Open House, he said he didn’t remember their mentioning it, but with so much going on at the Open House, maybe he missed it. I’m glad you’ve heard good things about it.</p>
<p>Congratulations, Iheartbooks, on your decision! It sounds like you’ve considered all the possibilities, weighed them carefully and made a good decision. It’s really useful to hear how alums helped you throughout this whole process–how gratifying! Was this STRIDE tea at the Open House? Sounds very yummy and fun. Yes, I wonder how the Mount Holyoke 21st Century Scholars program is going to be structured so that’s why we’re going to their Open House today, just to be sure.</p>
<p>Since I posted last night, I did a search on the Smith website about their alumnae network and found some useful articles that talk very positively about it, with some specific examples; I also discovered the alum website. It’s hearing/reading about the one-on-one connections that give meaning to these broad statements, so I’m beginning to feel more reassured about the alum support available after graduation. Cygne and Iheartbooks, I love your noms de plume! Thanks, ladies, for being so prompt!</p>
<p>P.S. I also welcome other comments from Smith alums or parents of Smith alums out there!</p>
<p>I’m a recent alum and have had positive experiences with the alum network. In my current town, much of the alum socializing focuses on recruiting new Smithies, sending care packages to current students, and a bimonthly book club (which is a lot of fun! There aren’t many situations in which I can sit down with women aged 22-80 and simply enjoy their company).</p>
<p>I’m moving to a larger city soon and they have a huge alum network–so big, in fact, that there are activities targeted towards recent alums (graduated in the past 10 years or so), alums with kids, GLBT alums, older alums, etc. as well as things that are open to everyone. They also do some events with other 7 sisters and Ivy League schools, too. They have a pretty active listserv, with people asking for recommendations on doctors, listing sublets, etc.</p>
<p>I used the alumnae database when I was applying to law firms for summer jobs a couple years ago. It’s impolite to come straight out and ask for a job, but it is considered totally fine to ask alums for information about their workplaces, chosen fields, etc. I emailed a few alums who worked at firms I’d applied to and most wrote back–they were able to tell me a lot about their firms and I think mentioning those conversations in my interviews helped a lot, though I didn’t end up working at any of them. I’ve also been contacted by Smithies who are applying to similar grad programs to the one I’m doing, and have been happy to give advice.</p>
<p>That was probably more information than you needed, but I think Smith’s alum network is very good. For those who choose to use it, it’s a nice support system and can be a lot of fun.</p>
<p>CarolynB, there are two kinds of networking that comes out of all three colleges: direct/alumnae network and indirect. The direct kind is obvious – you go into career services and use the network to find positions, or you attend the Smith Club wherever you end up and meet women who might help you some day. The indirect kind, IMO, is much more far-reaching and has to do with the prestige of the college.</p>
<p>Example: My daughter (who is a junior at Smith) has run into many women who respond, when she says that she’s at Smith, “Really? I went to Bryn Mawr!” or “I went to Wellesley!” Their faces light up, and they instantly share information with her. The Seven Sister school bond still runs strong, so that an executive (or whatever) who went to one is likely to feel inclined to help another who went to a different Seven Sister. You see the same thing with the Ivies. </p>
<p>You will also find that Ivy grads, especially those who graduated around the time of co-education and before, treat Seven Sister alumnae like Ivy grads. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about numbers. I would worry more about cost and fit. Your daughter will get an excellent education, with great networking capabilities, at any of the three. She should go where she finds the most classes that fit her interest and where she feels most comfortable. After all, a happy student has a much better chance of succeeding academically than one who is not.</p>
<p>CB, congrats on the STRIDE offer. The money is nice and the opportunity is what your D makes of it.</p>
<p>The alum network is terrific. I’ve seen it locally here on the West Coast. And it has been helpful to D in DC. </p>
<p>PM me if you’d like and if you have questions. Even better, drop me an e-mail.</p>
<p>Each of you has made wonderful points. Stacy, I never would have dreamed that there could be activities for subsets of alums–that’s amazing! Where are you moving–NYC? Thank you for sharing about networking about jobs. I agree that it’s certainly inappropriate to directly ask an alum for a job. I love the reciprocity of alumnae helping each other and undergrads, passing on the kindness you’ve received to others. Thanks for the detail.</p>
<p>Momwaitingfornew, thank you for expanding the definition of networking beyond Smith. You are absolutely right. Sisterhood is wonderful, no matter which school you attended; you have much in common. And I can imagine it could hold true for the Ivies as well.</p>
<p>My D has ruled out Mount Holyoke after attending the open house. She has sat in on a total of four classes at this point and she’s decided it’s not a good fit for her as they are more laid back than she wants to be.</p>
<p>We dropped in on the Smith campus after the Mount Holyoke open house and had some engaging conversation with a student before heading home. She also got today a very lengthy response to some questions she’d asked a current student. Bit by bit…</p>
<p>Thanks, all!</p>
<p>CarolynB, I’m not sure where Stacy is moving but in Boston there are definitely subset groups. I just met the 05 who’s VP of the Boston Smith College Club a few weeks ago (I went to dinner with some Smithie friends and one of them had been catching up with the 05, who was HR of her house her first year) and was immediately invited to a young alum/30-year-old alum event (the two subsets were planning an event together) as well as an event for the greater Boston Smith College Club.</p>
<p>I’m impressed! We live near Worcester and my D had received an invitation to a Worcester reception, but she declined because she was already going to the Open House and there was a scheduling conflict for that day, anyway. So the Worcester chapter knows about her. </p>
<p>What does “the 05” mean? Is that your graduation year or what? It doesn’t quite sound like it.</p>
<p>Yes, 05 was the woman’s graduation year.</p>