<p>Fendrock, you should know that the STRIDE project offerings do not all continue from year to year. There’s some variability as professors start or end a research project and as other professors want to participate in the program. Certainly there are psychology research projects as that’s one of the largest majors at Smith; I think that’s a pretty safe bet. I’m not sure about philosophy or law, but I seem to recall some sociology or anthropology and perhaps even history projects offered last year. One of the incoming STRIDE students would have to directly answer your question as they’ve got this upcoming year’s list.</p>
<p>My rising sophomore daughter, who feels her STRIDE has given her immeasurable satisfaction this year, applied for and was accepted this spring for an Archives concentration, a direct result of her STRIDE participation.</p>
<p>Based on this year’s list, and the previous year’s list sent when I was first accepted, STRIDE projects tend to include at least something in the fields of philosophy or psychology. Your daughter would most definitely find at least one project that interests her.</p>
<p>@CarolynB: Sorry, when I was describing the projects, I accidentally made it seem like the Deerfield massacre and letter cataloging were the same project. They’re actually two different ones, and I was referring to the latter of the two when asking if your daughter had been doing something similar. Good to know I remembered correctly.</p>
<p>But yes, there were definitely some philosophy stride projects. THe majority were chem/bio/physics, but there were many psych ones and a few oddball ones</p>
<p>STRIDE made me love Smith even more. I would have gone without STRIDE, but with it, it became the perfect school for me, both academically and financially</p>
<p>I can’t say that the STRIDE was an absolute key for my D but I can trace a narrative arc from STRIDE to internships to, in combination with her Picker DC program, her first job. The job for her has been a lights out success. Her STRIDE project wasn’t even in her fields of major but still was interesting to her, interesting enough that she did some summer work on it under an NSF grant.</p>
<p>Btw, a general cautionary remark: you can’t always plan how things will flow or turn out. Just taking advantage of the opportunities you’re given and being alert to the possibilities from there is often the best you can do. When a new opportunity knocks, be sure to answer the door.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice TD!
The STRIDE project I ended up loving is not even remotely related to what I want to major in (actually 5 of my top 6 aren’t related). I’m excited to see where choices like that will take me</p>
<p>Fendrock, is your daughter applying to Smith, or has she been accepted? If she’s just applying, you should know that STRIDEs are offered to a small segment of the acceptance pool and are not available to all. Non-STRIDEs can get research experience in just about any department at Smith, but they have to be aggressive in seeking out opportunities. The advantage of STRIDEs is that incoming students start out right away without having to the legwork of figuring out which professors are open to mentoring students.</p>
<p>I agree. My daughter knew a few Smithies who turned down Ivies and other LACs for the STRIDE opportunity. And they never regretted their choice. </p>
<p>The MHC/Smith choice is very personal. Don’t be surprised if she chooses MHC even if she is offered a Smith STRIDE. Of course, your D’s priorities may change by the time she applies and even by the time she has her acceptances in hand. As a rising junior, my D loved the MHC campus (but didn’t want to attend an all-women’s college); however, when she was accepted by MHC, she was nonchalant. She had already decided that it would be between Smith and Bryn Mawr, despite having been accepted to co-ed institutions as well. It took visiting all those colleges, plus maturity, to determine what she really wanted.</p>
<p>Great to hear, r6l! The project I got was the one I had put down as my #2 preference, but I think it was getting close to being #1, anyway, so I am definitely pleased! </p>
<p>(Oh, and did you see the invitation for the reception? I heard that Prof. de Villiers makes absolutely amazing crumpets and cake to go with tea! That’s a definite Smith plus right there :D)</p>
<p>WOW R6L, Randy Frost’s work on hoarding is well known, it was even featured in the New York Times, he’s considered an expert on the subject and he just wrote a book about it I think…</p>