<p>When my daughter and I attended the Open Campus event for admitted students recently, we noticed that the Quad tended to be boisterous, with much partying and (so the Quaddies said) alcohol. My daughter was uncomfortable in this environment. Which houses might be quieter, more oriented toward amusements not involving substances? Thanks for any information/insights.</p>
<p>By reputation, the Green Street houses are much quieter. (and I think it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. ;))</p>
<p>I actually thing it depends more on the house itself. I live in a quad house, and it is a favorite pastime of mine to bring people up to show off our quiet. 
However, there are definitely quad houses I would NOT want to live in.</p>
<p>It’s the same elsewhere, I think. Certain houses tend to be more boisterous than others despite the overall reputation of that area.</p>
<p>Green Street is a nice combo: close to many things, you can walk to the Quad parties and then leave the noise and mess behind.</p>
<p>WOUld you mind being specific about which Quad dorms you wouldn’t want to live in? My D insists on being in the quad f possible but she is not a partier and she is a big sleeper. WHile I agree with her about the bigger social group and that she doesn’t want somewhere too low key I think it can be hard to be the non partier in a place where thats not the norm</p>
<p>Or maybe someplace like Lamont or Cutter/Ziskind, on Elm Street? It seems to be a compromise between Green St. and the Quad in terms of parties.</p>
<p>My personal favorite house is Chapin, but alas, my daughter spent only pre-orientation in that house. I guess the students don’t like it as much because it is removed from other houses and dining can be an issue. Still, the house is beautiful and in the middle of campus.</p>
<p>BTW, it should be noted that Mini’s, TD’s (I think), and my daughter all have lived on Green Street.</p>
<p>D ws assigned to Park and intends to remain there all four years. She loves everything about it. It’s quiet, cosy, has great rooms and a super view on the lake, and is pretty central to everything, I’m told.</p>
<p>overwhelmedma, I’ll PM you the specifics.</p>
<p>Living in the quad is not a problem if you’re a non-partier, an introvert, and/or one who likes to sleep (I am most definitely all three). I actually think it would be better to be in the quad if you value all those things because the chances of getting a single are much, much higher.</p>
<p>Oh, and remember, non-party house does not equate to quiet. You can be sober and plenty loud. :P</p>
<p>Any of them.</p>
<p>You don’t get this much say over housing. Sure, you can request a house or area of campus, but there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>I had friends in Chapin who loved it. One moved in second semester sophomore year and was House President senior year. It was also convenient for impromptu gatherings as I lived in the house next door.</p>
<p>My daughter is in a house on Green Street. She loves it and she’s planning to stay there next year. I don’t know why she was placed there, but I do remember that when she filled out the housing card, she said that she would be studying a lot and that she wanted a quiet space…She is very outgoing and the women in the house do a fair amount of socializing, but they do study hard and often. She is also a bio major, so maybe that had something to do with the placement.</p>
<p>“it should be noted that Mini’s, TD’s (I think), and my daughter all have lived on Green Street.”</p>
<p>Nope. Mine started in Baldwin (which she had hoped for, as it was closest to the Friends Meeting), and then moved to the Hopkins coop (which she loved!)</p>
<p>Sorry, Mini, for not remembering correctly.</p>
<p>Gardiner house was the one where my daughter stayed overnight. Not a good fit. She later visited Tyler and loved it. Are the other Green Street houses like Tyler? I would like to get a sense of the personalities of various houses (insofar as this can be defined across years). I’ve heard that Talbot is welcoming and full of heart. Everyone says the house you live in is extremely important, but there seems to be no specific, comparative information about their characteristics. Thanks, everyone, for contributing.</p>
<p>You really don’t get much choice in housing. My D wanted Green Street – Tyler, as a first choice – and ended up on Elm for the first half of her first year. During the musical chairs of first-year housing, however, she ended up on Green St., rooming with a friend she made during pre-orientation.</p>
<p>Students generally like the house they settle on by the beginning of their second year, and they tend to stay there. Of course, there are exceptions.</p>
<p>Housing isn’t that important. I have a friend who lived in four houses while at Smith – two her first year, one her sophomore and junior years, and the fourth her senior year. She liked the first one but moved out due to roommate issues, thought she liked the third one until she was a junior, and loved (and graduated with) her senior house. Her social network – and this friend is very social – extended well beyond her house to her extracurriculars, her majors, and friends of friends she happened to meet through everyone else. A large reason she chose the particular house for senior year was because she already had quite a few friends there, but it wasn’t the only draw for her.</p>
<p>And I think the only area of campus she didn’t live in four years was Green Street.</p>
<p>I liked the social atmosphere of the quad but it seemed a bit much. I’d like it for a while, but I need to know its not crazy all the time. Which houses in the quad are just incredibly loud and crazy? Which ones can I stay in which still have the party/loud atmosphere, but aren’t that insane? And if instead I wanted elm street, which houses there are the ones that aren’t too quiet?</p>
<p>DontStop, Smith houses are not crazy on the time. No matter where you live, it will be livelier on weekends and quieter during the week – most Smithies are also dedicated students and act accordingly. No house at Smith is a constant party, even if the stereotypes suggest otherwise.</p>
<p>ok thanks, borgin. I actually wondered about that stereotype since it seemed all Smithies would know how to study, and actually do it. Just wondering, since we’re filling out housing forms, if people can give their opinions of the regions (Upper Elm, Lower Elm, East Quad, West Quad, Center Campus, and Green Street)? Or link us to another thread that might have that. Just because it would help to have some sort of idea of what to expect in each place, if we don’t know too much about one. For example, I stayed in a Lower Elm house, but don’t know much about the other places.</p>
<p>Yes, DontStop, this is exactly the information I’m interested in, too.</p>